These large leaves come from a skinny bush. We couldn’t find out what they were. The leaves are everywhere.

I had read about Piney Falls, a tall waterfalls tucked away in a 500’ river gorge about 35 miles north of our campground. It was highlighted in my Tennessee Gazetteer. Fall Creek State Park, Tennessee’s largest state park, is not far from Piney Falls. It was road trip time. We had a circle route to explore.

Google Maps was out for revenge for being sent to “time-out” the other day. It located Piney Falls alright, but it sent us down a hollow with dueling banjos reverberating off the hollow walls (a reference to the movie “Deliverance”). This was junkyville like we’d never seen before. It was a hoarder's heaven. Property after property was crammed with rusted, busted, rotten, dirty, broken, unuseable junk. Un-liveable shacks, trailers, and RVs were being lived in. Of course, we saw plenty of tattered Trump flags, Don’t Tread On Me flags, and Stars and Bars flying in these yards.

The road that Maps sent us down dead-ended at a private property gate with a sign threatening all manner of bodily harm if we even thought about entering. I could hear Google Maps giggling as we quickly did a 180 - the little SOB.

The correct road to the trailhead wasn’t much better - more junk. This entire area must be closely related. The trailhead, located in a remote area, was barely marked. We were the only car parked along the side of the road. With such little fanfare, in such a strange land, we weren’t expecting much.

We were wrong about that. The trail, the gorge, and the waterfalls were stunningly magnificent. When the looping trail finally reached the waterfalls, it crossed the river on the top of the falls. The bridge was a few boulders placed just close enough together to jump from rock-to-rock.

The trail then wound down a steep cliffside with the aid of a crude cable, hung in such a fashion to give a little something to hold on to as you slid down the face of the wall. It saved me from a nasty fall at least once.

At the bottom of the falls is where the magic dwelled. There is a wide path behind the falls allowing us to walk behind the cascading water. At the bottom of the falls is a gorgeous pool of water begging for swimmers to rollick in. After making the remark about water quality in Tennessee, I have to take part of that back. This water was clear, clean, and delightful looking. I’d swim in it anyday, except today - it was way too cold for a swim.

The day was cool and drab, but no rain. It was a nice hiking day, especially with a lot of climbing.

Nice ground cover.

We met a couple from Atlanta that just sold their home and are in the process of moving to Eastern Tennessee. They told us about another obscure trail, the Laurel-Snow Trail, a few miles to the south near Dayton, Tennessee. We scrapped going to Fall Creek State Park and headed for the Laurel-Snow State Natural Area.

Dayton was where the 1925 Scopes Monkey Trial was held. At the time, Tennessee banned the teaching of evolution. A teacher, John Scopes, was accused of violating that ban. It became a national show trial. Clarence Darrow, a famous civil libertarian, argued for the defense. Three-time presidential candidate, William Jennings Bryan, argued for the state of Tennessee. Scopes was found guilty and fined $100. The conviction was later overturned.

Apparently, Dayton was never able to cash in on its brief brush with fame. The same junky hording habits we saw near Piney Falls plagued the Dayton neighborhoods. We have never seen anything like it. Yikes.

But, the Laurel-Snow Natural Area was another hidden gem. The trail followed a wild tumbling river. The deep hollow cut by the river was thickly wooded. The boulders in the river were the size of houses.

Again, the water quality looked first-rate. My conclusion is that the big, hard-working rivers, like the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers are rather funky. These, little remote mountain rivers are completely different. They are delightful and picturesque. I would be pleased to jump in on a hot day.

We could hear water running down under the cliff, but we couldn’t see any water.

Discovering two “gems” in one day is hitting the daily-double jackpot. We drove back to camp pleased with ourselves.

Glossary of terms used for newcomers: 1) V-Jer. The name of our camper. 2) Saturn. The name of our Van. 3) Duende. Our mischievous gremlin that breaks things. 4) Tata. The good gremlin that helps us fix Duende’s dirty work. 5) The Black Hole. This is what we call Walmart because every time we go in for just a couple of items, we come out spending way more than we figured. 6) QT. Quaint Town. 7) Little Buddy. This is what we call our Dyson cordless stick vacuum.

Dave and Wanda

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