Weekend Getaway at Fall Creek Falls

What a treat! We had a fabulous time in at the beautiful and luxurious Red Roof Cabin this past weekend. The owners have paid so much attention to detail it was very noticeable. I feel that this cabin for rent in the Fall Creek Falls and Center Hill Lake region really is quite special.

I love to cook and was pleasantly surprised at the fully stocked kitchen, with the high-end cutlery, plates and cookware. Our guest, Dr. Michael Tabor and his wife of Nashville were very impressed and we had several lovely meals around the hand-crafted pine dining table.

The boys had a great time playing outside near the creek and the game room was superb. It allowed Terry and I to sleep in a bit, while they played ping-pong and air hockey downstairs.

Our trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park was excellent. It felt so great to be able to get out and soak up some fresh air and sunshine. The falls were gorgeous! The picture is worth more than a thousand words. We weren’t the only ones ready to get out and hit the trails. We meet many people out and about enjoying the fantastic day. I encourage you to get out and enjoy all that the Cumberland Plateau and Highland Rim have to offer. It’s spectacular!

Spring is on it's way!

Wow! It's finally warming up. The giant icecicles that we have seen way to much of this winter will soon be just a memory. It won't be long until new growth springs forth across the middle Tennessee and southcentral Kentucky area. The wildlife is appearing more frequently too. While on a short drive late in the day this past weekend, I saw deer, a skunk (WAYYY TOOO CLOSE!), 2 racoons, rabbits, and throughout the day - loads of birds that appeared to believe spring was already here. They seemed so excited! In a couple of weeks, scenes such as this in the picture will be the norm. Easter is the first weekend in April this year. Often, the redbuds are blooming the week or so before and the dogwoods follow close behind and generally last for at least a couple of weekends. So many of the local highways are lined with these gorgeous views. Its a great time to get out and enjoy a drive (or preferrably a ride if you can talk someone else into driving so you can better enjoy the views) through the countryside. We are coming up on the final days of the season where we can get out and see the superb vistas offered from the many overlooks that are obscured during the growing season. They are truly amazing. Be sure to stop in at some of the local "Mom and Pop" shops and diners. They aren't as busy this time of year and would love to take the time to slow down and visit with you a while. Hiking and trail riding are also excellent, especially for those of us that don't particularly enjoy all the "little friends" that come out when it is warmer. Fishing will also improve greatly in the next few weeks with several fishing tournaments on the horizon. Happy Spring!

Winter Getaway for Canadians

We have had a winter to remember this year, but to put it all in perspective, I would like to share this. The Hamilton Hunt and Tintern Hare Bassets of Caledonia Ontario, Canada traveled 15 hours to enjoy a ten day joint meet with the Cumberland Mountain Hounds and Upper Bay Bassets of Jamestown, TN February 2010. (Their version of a winter/spring break. Read about their adventure last year at this link.) This was their third annual visit to East Fork Stables which consists of 12,000 acres perfectly suited for hunting with hounds.

For those of you that don't know what fox hunting is - fox hunting is an activity involving the tracking, and chase of fox and coyote in their natural habitat (no killing), by trained foxhounds, and a group of followers led by the huntsman, who follow the hounds on horseback. Non-riders are welcome to join the hunt on foot, bicycle or vehicle. In the United States, hunting is not intended to harm the animal, but rather watching and listening to a pack of hounds work together following the scent of a line. The deep voiced Penmarydel Foxhounds sound like a symphony when they speak in unison. Fox hunting originated in its current form in the United Kingdom in the 16th century, but occurs all over the world, including Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Italy, Russia, and the United States.

The basset is perfected to hunt rabbits in very heavy ground cover. The shortness of its legs allows it to keep its head to the scent with a minimum of difficulty. The hunts are on foot and last for hours with many Tally-ho, which is said upon viewing the rabbit, fox, or coyote.

For anyone that is interested in more information about the hunts or how you can get involved in the sport, please contact Phil Hopson at East Fork Stables - 800.978.7245 0r 931.879.1176. To learn more about East Fork Stables, visit them on the web at http://www.eastforkstables.com/. (Photos and information courtesy of Janet Hopson)

A Big Snow at Last!

Wow! What a beautiful snow we had to enjoy for the weekend. We didn't get much before Friday night. We woke up Saturday morning to around 6"-8" of snow. Some areas had more, some less. It's not often we get a snow good enough to really enjoy sledding, but this was one for the scrapbook. Lots of folks took the opportunity to grab a sled (or some adaptation thereof) to hit the local "slopes". Annie donned her famous red snow suit that she hadn't worn since a skiing trip in France in 1997 and hit a local hill in Brydstown along with family and friends. Grant's purple sled from the pontoon boat he had created summer before last served it's original purpose well once again. Needless to say, everyone had a blast. As is usually the case, the snow won't last long and road crews have done a good job here. Life is pretty much back to normal for most folks by today (Monday). Schools are closed, but that is for the safety of the children. They will probably have another day (or two) of fun in the snow before it all melts away and school is back in session.

Boat Show Time!

Welcome to a brand new decade! It's "Boat Show" season and the brand NEW 2010 Dale Hollow Lake Visitors Guide is now availble (www.go2dhl.com/). The 2010 Fall Creek Falls Visitors Guide came out at Thanksgiving (www.go2fcf.com/). Check them out online. You can download them online and view them at your leisure. You'll enjoy all the new stories and great places to plan to visit in 2010. The Nashville Boat Sport & Travel Show was last weekend in Nashville, TN and the Cincinnati (OH) Boat Show began this week and will run pretty much through the 24th (Cincinnati Boat, Sports & Travel Show - Jan. 15-17 & 20-24 ). We love going to the shows and visiting with all the wonderful people. We would like to invite you to come out and enjoy all that the shows have to offer. Stop by and visit us and our advertisers that are participating. Terry will be at the Upper Cumberland Tourism Association booth during a portion of the show. [Be sure to pick up a hard copy of the guides at the shows! Due to the rising postage rates, we can no longer send the guides out by mail for free, but you can order them for a small fee to cover the postage and handling. We are working to get all the websites corrected to reflect this change. They are still available as a free download from the web, or we have them available at many locations around each region and available at the Boat Shows, as well as many equestrian, real estate and other shows in our major market areas throughout the year.] Sunset Marina & Resort will be giving away a FREE Houseboat Vacation on Dale Hollow Lake at many of the shows they attend this year! All you have to do is stop by their booth and register for their FREE E-Newsletter. Be sure to tell them you read about it here too. If you can't make it to the Cincinnati Show, look for us at the Indianapolis Boat Sport & Travel Show coming in February (19-28).
Be sure to check back often to each of our websites as we will add specials and new events as they become available! www.go2dhl.com/, www.go2bsf.com/, and www.go2fcf.com/ - and coming in April - www.go2chl.com/. We would love to have you visit soon!

Ewe never know....

Part of my - "Annie’s" - travels take me down many windy, country roads around beautiful Center Hill Lake. I often encounter some of the most fantastic scenery including barns, pastures, tremendous lake views, mountain vistas and other awe inspiring panoramas. Every now and then when I am snapping pictures, the farm animals pop there heads up from their grazing to see what this foreigner is doing! Curious to know why someone is interrupting their eating schedule or their play time. Recently, while driving down to a friend’s new log cabin at Center Hill Lake following a day out of fantastic shopping in McMinnville and Sparta, we spotted this delightful, intelligent sheep that was peeking out of his home. He is so cute and seems so curious. The day spent with my friend, Karen, was great. We spent the whole day shopping, chatting, laughing, discovering, and enjoyed a delightful lunch at Miss Marenda’s Tea Room in Sparta. Come on ladies, take a day off and grab your mom, sister, or your girlfriends and go out exploring with "Annie’s Travels and Treasures". Download one of our guides through our websites for FREE - http://www.go2dhl.com/ - Dale Hollow Lake, http://www.go2bsf.com/ - Big South Fork, or http://www.go2fcf.com/ - Fall Creek Falls (http://www.go2chl.com/ - Center Hill Lake, will be available in April 2010). The 2010 edition of the Fall Creek Falls guide is now available and the 2010 Dale Hollow Lake guide will be online at the end of December - meantime, download the 2009 guide to get those stories before it is gone. You may also request one of the guides be shipped to you through: http://www.shop.go2dhl.com/. The guides are still free, but with the ever increasing postage, we have had to pass that expense along to our readers. ALSO, if you are looking for a place to make plans for New Years Eve, don't forget to check out our event calendars! Happy Trails!

Christmas in the Woods

Christmas in the Woods was held on Saturday, December 5th at Bear Trapp Country Store just up the road from Eagle Cove Resort. Barry and Shirley Weaver held an open house to welcome Ole Saint Nick to the Byrdstown area. Young and old alike had a great time. Santa listened to the wishes of all the good little girls and boys and looks forward to visiting them very soon.

For those of you that want to help Santa spread Christmas cheer, keep Bear Trapp Country Store in mind as one of your shopping destinations in 2009. They carry many excellent gift items including fishing gear and supplies, primitive crafts, outdoor clothing, candles, and much more. Barry and Shirley will be opened Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from now through the Christmas season with special sale pricing on many seasonal items. Give them a call at (931) 864-4466 for business hours. There are many wonderful stores around the Upper Cumberland that offer a multitude of excellent gift items for the holidays. Be sure to check them out. Happy Holidays!