Fall 2022 trip

 We spent two weeks in the trailer at the end of October.  First we went to an RV rally near Sweetwater, TN.  We are members of the KY/TN Escapees RV club, and this was their fall rally.  It was really cold, below freezing most nights, but we still enjoyed ourselves. There were lots of interesting things to do in the area.

• We really enjoyed going to the Mayfield Dairy, where we were able to watch them make the milk jugs and fill them minutes later.  It is a huge operation.  The day we were there they were filling three-gallon ice cream containers, as well as numerous sizes of milk.  They wouldn't let us take pictures inside, so all I have are these:

Me with Maggie the Mayfied cow

Maggie travels a lot.

We were required to wear hair nets and beard nets
 because it was a food facility.

• We also went to the Lost Sea.  We had passed it repeatedly on our way down I 75 and always wanted to do the tour.  It was fun.  They wouldn't let you take pix inside either, so here is a video from their website: 

One day we did historic things in the area:  

• The Fort Loudoun State Historic Area was really fascinating. (Of course, we love history.)  It was a British fort built during the French and Indian War to try to bring the Cherokee to their side.  What we saw was a reconstruction, as the original is under Tellico Lake.  If you are interested in the history and construction, here is the Wiki link: Wiki on Ft. Loudoun

• Another interesting historic site we saw was the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum, which is near Ft. Loudoun.  Sequoyah was the man who developed the Cherokee syllabary, allowing them to become literate in their own language, something very unique among Native Americans.  They had newspapers and over 90% literacy in their population, all in a very short time.  Wiki link on Sequoyah, if you want to learn more about him:  Wiki on Sequoyah

• One day we drove a section of the Cherohala Skyway, a beautiful drive in the mountains, much loved by motorcyclists, similar to the Tail of the Dragon, which isn't far away.  We had hoped to see a lot of fall leaves, but they weren't showing their colors much yet.  It was still a fun drive.  
  
  
  

After the RV rally in Sweetwater, we went to Fall Creek Falls State Park, which is a really beautiful area in central TN south of Crossville.  We met Alan's sister Susie and her husband Ed there and enjoyed our time at the park with them.  The fall leaves there were spectacular, the most stunning I ever remember seeing.

Witch hazel blooming

lots of beautiful holly

We don't look happy, but we did have a good time!
It was chilly, so we bundled up!
Ed wasn't feeling well, so he didn't join this hike.

The falls themselves were barely a trickle due to drought.

Alan and I did the Woodland Trail one day.  It crosses a suspension bridge and climbs a lot of stairs, but it was still fun:

As usual, Shelby went with us.  She likes her pet heating pad on her bed in the trailer.

After we got back, we had the pleasure of having Charlotte and Susie visit for a few days.  They were here so we could go to Anna Gamble's 90th birthday party.  It was a big surprise for her, since she didn't know about the party, or that so many people were going to be there.

The Elvis pic just happened to be what was on wall
 above where she was sitting.