Wednesday, September 30, 2015

Camping at Maple Hill RV Park & Cabins & Exploring

New York Ironweed close up

Camping at Maple Hill RV Park & Cabins & Exploring


Friday Sept. 25 thru Monday Sept. 28, 2015

Dana & Kenny Koogler

John Ungerer & Sharon McGee


Pictures are here beginning with frame 258
Camping @ Maple Hill & Exploring



   After last weekend and the week that followed we were more than ready for a get away.
Sick grandkids.   Last weekend's bummer bee sting bomb-out excursion.  During the week I 
washed the dust of Cataloochee off the jeep and in the process fell and busted my back up.
Kenny called from work and said we needed to get away and go camping. He was going to be working the next several weekends so we'd best go while we could.    We left out Friday evening and did not return until Monday evening.  

       We planned for things that would be fun during a dry time of year.   Some suggestions for
what to see during the dry times of Autumn?
  • Arches
  • Caves
  • Overlooks with great views
  • Rivers
  • springs
  • firetowers
  • historic sites
  • waterfalls that tend to have water on them year round. (Harder to find in the Cumberland Plateau, but not impossible)           


        I told John this weekend that one of the things that helps me break out of a spell of general 
malaise and boredom with hiking to repeat places is taking someone to see it for the first time.
We went down through Lost Cane and we have been many times a few weeks ago. It still was worth pointing out to John and Sharon where the waterfalls would flow during times when the river trail is flooded and unfordable.  

             
               We got set up on Friday evening at Maple Hill RV Park. I went over to speak to Betty & Klaas for a few minutes.  I then went down to John & Sharon's cabin to visit a few minutes and let them know we had arrived.   We discussed what the next day would involve since they had to meet with their contractor about house building.  We planned to do something short that would have us heading back in the direction of Jamestown so that we could meet up with them once they were done.
It worked out pretty well.

        Saturday morning after breakfast we headed out toward Devil's Cave and the East Rim Overlook.     We figured after that we'd hit up Pogue Creek and hike there and perhaps John & Sharon could join us.    We stopped by the East Rim Overlook first then went on from there to Devil's Cave.  The two primary things I wanted to see on this trip were 1. Devils Cave and 2. East Fork Obey falls.    East Rim Overlook was pretty. Not really any Fall colors yet, but pretty.


View from East Rim Overlook


       The hike out to Devils Cave was interesting.  It involves one small section of rope and a step.
 Out across a rocky ledge covered in pines and reindeer moss.

Down off the bluff on a rope!

 Devils Cave Opening
Inside the upper level of Devils Cave. It feels like being inside the rib cage of an ancient, huge beast!


Top image:  Ruins of an old moonshine still
Bottom image:  metal barrel and nearby a metal pipe. Also remnants of the still.

Below is a video of what it is like to be inside Devil's Cave






        We  hiked back out of Devils Cave and headed to the parking area.  We had seen no one else on the trails or at the overlook thus far.  We encountered four persons on our way back.  We realized it was getting on toward lunch so we stopped by Leatherwood Ford and ate.  We then headed back toward Jamestown.   We ended up meeting John & Sharon at Pogue Creek. They had already hiked it.
They went to look for the dark sky sight for viewing the eclipse later in the weekend.  We stuck around thinking we'd hike Pogue Creek.   A glance at the kiosk ruined our interest in it.  We wanted to see arches and this trail only goes to an overlook.  The arches and landforms are clear across on the Delk Creek side.   We opted to find something else to do.  We headed toward Pickett State Park and pretty soon encountered our friends heading back our way.   They had not eaten yet so we found a store where they got lunch.   We decided to head to Horn Dog arch after that.

           

Leatherwood Ford


Pogue Creek parking area with loads of goldenrod growing.  It smelled wonderful there!


  We all headed down the road toward Clarkrange to see this other arch.   I had directions and instructions from a friend.    We stopped to ask permission to park and walk which is when I met Karl.    He's a good guy and a new friend.   His little boys were out in the yard playing. They are very cute.     He was happy to help us and even drew me a map!  We did not execute the arch finding perfectly.  John and Kenny were on Team 1 and Sharon and myself on Team 2. They scored on this round. They found it first.  They went one way. We went another. I had to take Sharon on a snipe hunt for tricking me into eating four month old bread. Yes she did, but that's ok.. I got her back! ;-)  
It was fun and worth it.   
 "horn dog" glyph beneath the arch
 "basket" glyph beneath the arch
 John, Sharon & Kenny inspecting the arch site.

 A look back under Horndog Arch.  

     We finally headed back out of here and toward the cars.  It was such a pretty day, but it did rain a few drops on us.  We were all hot and tired and ready for a shower.  We headed back toward the campground. We had planned to get cleaned up, fix supper, eat a meal together and visit.  
That is what we did and it was a nice relaxing evening of catching up with our friends.    Barbecue chicken on the grill, corn on the cob, salad with homemade dressing by Sharon, cheesy garlic bread by Sharon, sweet tea, wine, fried potatoes, sliced cantaloupe for dessert.  Yum!  

 The office at Maple Hill RV Park & Cabins.  Betty & Klaas DeJong's business and home is here on this place and it is one of our favorites.  They have become friends to us as well as proprietors.

      Kenny's red truck and our Eagle camper.  Maple Hill is an excellent place to stay. We've been coming here for three or four years now! It is our home away from home!

            We went to bed very tired in preparation for a day of four-wheeling.  I made myself use the heating pad for 15 minutes or so each night on that ugly bruise on my back. I was trying to heal it up fast and supple up the muscles in my back where I fell.  It was helping. I could tell each day the pocket of fluid on my left flank was shrinking.    I hurt a little less each day. My back was itching like mad where the bruise was healing.   We slept well and just had cereal and coffee for breakfast rather than launch into the big bacon & eggs breakfast.  Neither of us wanted that mess after the huge supper we had the night before.  


                     Today we planned to ride the River Trail since the water was down just right.
Enough water to be pretty. Hints of Autumn color coming.   Perfect temperatures. We ended up with blue skies and sunshine. It was just right.    We'd try for the East Fork Obey Falls today.   We rode all the way from Boatland to Wilder.   We stopped by Sharon & John's place first to get their machines and check the river levels.   The beach at Woo Hoo was beautiful.   The river clear and sparkling and the sycamore tree overhanging the river with its leaves turning golden brown.   We stopped by some of the favorite spots like the Blue Hole on the ride. 
Blue Hole

This spring is a strong source of water for the East Fork river. We stopped here later in the day so John could see it for the first time.  This is why their property always has water in that part of the river.   Parts of the river completely dry up.



                 We made it up the river at last and pulled off at the side of the road to bushwhack down to try to locate East Fork Obey Falls.  Jeff was nice enough to provide me with directions.  We had the waypoint, but our previous attempt bombed out.    Today's trip would be successful!    We did find it and it went smoother than I'd expected. Kenny lead the way and he was on it.   We had no problems.

East Fork Obey Falls. Low water but it is still pretty. It runs year round at least.   The water runs out from between layers of rock here.  It appears to be under some pressure.  The river above was low water and below here the water goes back into the ground at a swallet.





Above is a short video made from various vantage points around the falls this trip.
It shows it better than I can describe.    I was thrilled at having finally gotten to see this spot.
I was also pleased to be having a much better weekend than last.
We finally wrapped up our visit and began our hike back to the four-wheelers.
Up up up much of the way.   It was hot and humid out there on those bright white river rocks!
We stopped to eat lunch in the shady woods and get something cold to drink before we
headed out.

         We went back the way we came and encountered many other folks going four wheeling!
It was like a party down there at the river!  We went up to Hoodtown to the overlook since John & Sharon had never been. It was beautiful as always.

Hoodtown Overlook.. What a stunning view of the terrain!

    We enjoyed the view but then went back down toward the river. We ran into the large group of friends who were down at river level waiting on Jeremy and his RZR which had acted like it was overheating.    We visited with them and really hit it off.  They were all very nice.  We met Austin Brown, Ruben Hilligoss, Noah Hilligoss, and in a few minutes Jeremy Stephens and his girlfriend Brittany caught up too.  We all chatted and exchanged stories and info. Excellent visit.  Everyone we met today save one person...... was very cool.   The not so nice one will not be named, but it was nothing personal against us. He is ugly acting toward everyone as we learned from the other riders we spoke with during the day.

 Beautiful East Fork River down in Hoodtown
 Ruben, John, Sharon, Kenny, Austin & Noah
Jeremy and Brittany in the RZR, back end of John's grizzly, and Ruben's Samurai!

     We headed back in the direction of the shabin at Woo Hoo. The day was growing long and riding the river trail wears you out because it is rocky.  Long ride!  We were hot and sweaty and ready to be done.   We went back and got cleaned up and started dinner.  We had a little impromptu Blood Moon Eclipse party out under the skies! It was great.  Italian food and friends.   Betty made apple dumplings which were great!  Finally got to meet Rick & Loreal.. they have been friends with John & Sharon for awhile now.   The night was cloudy but we still got to view the eclipse and the blood moon!   Everyone finally wound down and went to bed.    What a great weekend!

          Our final day we visited with John & Sharon over coffee very briefly in the morning.
We went on our own to attempt to locate a little falls Lathern had told me about on Little Crab.
We also wanted to visit Tar Gap if we could.  Monday turned out to be the only "unsuccessful" day.
We did not find the falls on Little Crab, but we also did not look real hard.   We made two tries at Tar Gap from different directions and were thwarted each time.   Downed trees. Gobs of spiders and spider webs.   Hunters out trying to enjoy bow season and us not wanting to be rude.  It was not in the cards this trip. The trail has washed out and was badly eroded in places.   We were extremely glad we did not ask John & Sharon to involve themselves in this frustrating mess.   We finally gave up and headed back to Maple Hill.  We ate some lunch and packed up to head home.    All in all a great weekend for which I have zero complaints!


Sunday, September 20, 2015

Plan B Cataloochee Elk & Western NC Waterfalls

Goldenrod

Plan B -- Cataloochee Elk & Western NC Waterfalls 

Dana & Kenny Koogler 
Saturday Sept. 19, 2015


    I have a spouse whose work frequently cancels or changes my/our plans.
I have learned to cope with it by being very independent. I also cope with it by having 
many contingency plans.  I have given up a lot of my expectations which has helped avoid
a great deal of disappointment.    That being said........ I haven't given up ALL my expectations.
Once I get happy about something and I'm all in....... It is still possible to hurt me or badly
disappoint me.    Kenny told me Thursday "I gotta work Saturday".  which never ruffled 
my feathers.  I formulated Plan A.  Plan A was to hike Saturday morning to see the Mt. Noble Fire tower and if I had time left over I'd visit Waterrock Knob.   Sunday we would hike together to Green Camp Gap in the Smokies.  It would be a short day hike and have Kenny home in time to lounge around and take it easy on Sunday afternoon and evening.   None of 
original plans had anything to do with water seeing as how it is our driest time of year. 

      Kenny arrived home Friday evening elated. "I don't have to work after all! Yippee! Pack yer bags we'll leave in the morning. We'll go see the elk in Cataloochee. Bud from work is gonna be there with his family.  Then we'll go on over and hike to some waterfalls on your challenge list. We'll get a hotel room, spend the night and do stuff on Sunday. No, we don't need
a reservation. Let's just wing it!"  I got caught up in his happiness at having the weekend off
and let it sweep me away.    I would always rather be with my favorite guy than anyone or anything else.   
 Tom turkeys in Cataloochee Valley
 Cataloochee Valley
 View from the big overlook on the way into Cataloochee.   

Autumn creeping in on little cat feet. 
          
   Saturday morning went as planned.  We did get over to Cataloochee.  We did find Bud and his family and talked to them.  We did not see a single solitary elk.  The weather was gorgeous.  Clear sunny blue skies.  Perfect weather.    Bud and his family were sorely disappointed.  They had camped and had come over earlier this year since last year when they tried to see the elk the rut was all over with.   I told Kenny I had misgivings about it. The elk are not held captive in the Cataloochee Valley. They are free to roam and have been doing plenty of that.  I had seen an article in a local paper about teaching area residents to peacefully coexist with the elk which are wandering out into their neighborhoods.   None of this made me 
feel like sticking around and spending all day in the vague hopes that the elk would be there 
by around six p.m. that evening.   Kenny agreed with me. We ate our lunch at an overlook.
We headed back out of the dusty Cataloochee Valley. On to the next stage of our days' adventures. 

     We decided to stay in Franklin, NC. One of my waterfalls was kind of out there on its own.  
Pickleseimer Rockhouse Falls didn't have any others on the list I needed.  I have visited the other area falls to the point of being worn out with them.  I did some figuring and said let's just knock that one out. The hike was so short.  About a mile round trip.   I found that Brooks Creek Falls was close by.  We'd hit those two falls up.  I realized neither one was liable to be very pretty or have much water.   No worries. One is a shorty short hike. The other a roadside attraction.   We'd get done at a decent hour. Get a hotel.  We'd get cleaned up and have dinner.
We'd relax.   Next day we figured we'd either head toward the Albert Mountain Lookout tower
and the Wayah Bald tower OR we'd hit up some other waterfalls on my list toward Brevard.

          Pickleseimer Falls was easy to reach.  A super easy hike.  Very minimal water coming over.    The late Summer wildflowers were very pretty. The sun was bright and beautiful. The rock house itself was very neat.  The woods there remained deep green and hushed.  We never saw another soul hiking.  Tall spires of white pine trees lined the forest trail. It smelled spicy and wonderful. I had a fleeting episode of synesthesia and I could smell gold!  Been a minute since that happened last.    


 Weedy path through the wildlife clearing on the way to Picklesimer Falls.
 Ladies tresses orchid. I saw four of these.
 View out from beneath the rockhouse.

Pitiful trickle coming over Pickleseimer Rockhouse Falls 



 We were not real impressed by the falls but I was pleased to have it done with. Honestly, 
I would probably never have come to visit this falls if it had not been on my list. I've talked to too many persons who have only to wonder WHY did they bother.  No worries. One and done. Down the trail we went.    On the way out Kenny went to hollering that something was biting him!  I didn't even have time to process that thought when I saw a yellow jacket land on me.
I started yelling "It's bees! Yellowjackets! Run!" I dropped my hiking pole on the path and took off back toward the falls.  I felt something sting my right hip. I swatted at it furiously.
By doing that I got stung another three times on one hand.  I ran toward the cool water of the falls figuring to plunge my hand under the spray and at least relieve some of the pain.
I got my hand under the waterfall and looked down to see the boulder in front of the waterfall
was covered in too many yellow jackets to count.   I ran back toward the trail. I braced myself for round two. I made a mad grab for my hiking pole and down the trail we flew.  We trotted or ran a good bit of the way back. Swatting at everything that moved. We did see more yellow jackets on the way out, but no more stings thankfully.   

I am sure I looked like the guy in the video shown below. Bob Saget!!
      




         Next we went on to see Brooks Falls.   We had one little snafu on that one.  We tried to find it from the wrong end of FR 367 making the directions backwards. It only took a few minutes to realize our mistake and correct it.   Not a big deal. Brooks Falls was also pitiful, but we found it and visited it and it was only a roadside visit instead of a long hike to see this rather sad waterfall.

 Brooks Falls with little to no water.
Forest at this elevation is mainly green and it is very pretty.

       We made our way back to Franklin and tried to get a hotel.  They had a baseball tournament in town and NO VACANCY signs were everywhere.   We went to one hotel that had several one star reviews one of which made me laugh. It read something like "Owner is excessively liar".
My hand was thumping worse all the while.    Finally I was just over it.  Today sucked.
Should have stuck with Plan A.  Don't go see waterfalls when it is this dry.
We agreed that the spontaneous adventure was turning out to be a failure at every turn.
Kenny said "Something is trying to tell us we are not meant to spend the night here or away from home this weekend."   I could not argue with that logic.   We went and grabbed some dinner at Fatz which was so so.    We stopped off at Wal-Greens pharmacy for me to get some benadryl for my hand which was puffing up fat and the redness and itching were creeping up my arm.
I took a dose of benadryl and propped my hand up to try to get it comfortable.

         This weekend was a bust, but maybe next weekend will be fun.

Tuesday, September 15, 2015

Frank's Flume


Down in Lost Cane.. one of the places we looked for a 2nd time, but it ain't here!

Frank's Flume 


Saturday Sept. 12, 2015

Dana & Kenny KooglerSharon McGee & John Ungerer

Ricky Roysden

Cliff & Joshua Miller (father & son)


Pictures are here beginning with frame 134


   The original plan was  to go visit John & Sharon in Jamestown.  We would celebrate their having moved to Tennessee. We would eat. We'd explore.  Today was going to be the hunt for
Frank's Flume and we were going to find it.     Lathern Hull had been a lot of help and gone out of his way to help me in the search for it.  He sent us waypoints and directions.   The second part of the plan was to finally visit the East Fork Obey Falls. Jeff Moore had been real helpful
in finding an approach to that.  I got up early and put a roast beef on in the crockpot.   We took all that with us and the RZR and down the road we went.  Very excited at the prospect of a fun day with friends.  We had no idea how this was going to turn out.

              We got to John & Sharon's place at Maple Hill where Betty & Klaas DeJong have rented them a cabin.   We all visited and hugged and laughed.   I finally got to meet their cat, Coon.  He is a Maine Coon cat.   He is beautiful.   We plugged up the crockpot on the table outside.  We got going and headed over to their place at the Shabin.    We left on the four wheelers and went up Skinner Mountain.    It was a clear, cool perfect day.  They lent us jackets since we didn't bring anything except rain gear.   

         We had never been down into Lost Cane during the Summer and it is officially still Summer.    We did end up having to clear trail of trees and brush, but not too bad.   
We laid in the way points and headed in that direction.  Lost Cane is always pretty, but I will say that it is foreboding in Summer.   I would not have felt as comfortable had it been warmer. 
It is a snakey place of weeds higher than your head in many areas.   We stopped so John could see Lobster Man.  Kenny went ahead checking the trail for more blow downs while we did that.

        We stopped in certain places along the way to point out where waterfalls usually run
when we have had enough rain.  They dry up to nothing in Summer.   Even the two that I thought flowed year round do not flow in Summer. They were a mere trickle.    We got down
to the bottom and the weeds were unreal.   
This is actually pretty good right here!  The weeds are beginning to die back some.


    The waypoints were off by a lot. I have a feeling it is because I had to convert them for our
GPS to use them.   We checked and hunted. Finally we checked an area we'd already visited and looked before in desperation.   I've been down the disappointment road before and so have John and Sharon.  So has Kenny.  We were let down, but not devastated.  We might have to 
wait to see this thing.   

Here is a view of the area we checked a 2nd time.  


    It was getting on toward lunch time so we sat there and ate a little something.  I heard something to my left.    They disputed me at first.  I kept listening.  It was a four-wheeler. 
Lost Cane is not a place we've ever run into a soul before!   They were looking for something.
They were stopping and starting.  John asked me what I thought they were looking for?
I told him "Probably the same damn thing I'm looking for!"  So when they got down in there near us and stopped.. I couldn't see them but I could hear them. I hollered..... "Woo hoo!? Come over hyere and talk to me?!"  Kenny and then the rest of us headed over there.
We met up with three fellows. Ricky Roysden. Cliff Miller and his son Joshua.   We introduced 
ourselves and they were indeed heading to Frank's Flume. Ricky knows that area extremely well.    They invited us to accompany them with the explanation it would be rough.
We of course did not care and so off we all went.    I had been praying for the Lord to help this work out like it was supposed to and He never fails me!    He sends blessings and help in some unusual and fun ways.

             We had missed a turn by about 1/2 mile. Honestly, were it not for Ricky
we'd never have seen it.  The weeds and the fact that in all the exploring the floor of Lost Cane we had NEVER seen this turn. It is an old trail that gets even less use than the rest of it.
We followed them plowing through weeds and brambles.   We continued past an old wooden
shack that looks like it was used as a livestock shelter on our left.   We were seeing dry creeks
at first then we began seeing water.   We finally just pulled over and stopped.  It was about a mile back in to where Frank's Flume lies.  We walked .25 miles or so one way.
It is a pretty, rugged place.    More trees down and more trail clearing.    Big rocks and small rocks of odd shapes!    I asked Ricky if this was the old Blue Banks Road. He told me no that was further out off Manson Road.  Yet this area is the start of Blue Banks geologically.
There is blue clay in the hillsides here.   

             Starting to see water again!  

 Chunks of drying blue clay

Blue clay layers in the hillside

Closeup of beech drops.   They are parasitic on the roots of beech trees.

Pretty back in this holler

John along side Franks Flume for perspective.  
It is not a real high water feature, but it is pretty and unusual.
We hadn't gone too far on that rocky slick creek bed when someone sang out Here it is!

Franks Flume at last.   It is like a round keyhole in the bluff with water pouring out.
It runs all the time while the rest goes dry.  Minnows swam in the creeks back here!


  Sharon and I had to hoot and holler a big ole WOooooo Hooooo!  In jubilation and gratitude at having found it at last!  Like finding treasure! And getting new friends as part of that treasure!   Told you it was a good and unexpected day.   :-)  Ricky showed us another hole in the bluff that he says water shoots out of during times of high water.   It was dry today.  This feature flows constantly, but it varies with rainfall amounts.  There is an abandoned gas pipe that goes all the way back there and beyond!    

Below is a video of the flume that shows how neat it is compared to the photo.



  We went our ways, but met up again later.  A tree had fallen over the path on the way back!
In just that short time another one down!   We met Ricky, Cliff and Joshua again up top. We rode with them a bit more and they showed us yet another loop on the mountain.   I had that feeling
going through the depths of the next mountain holler through dark woods and pines..... I can't believe this is real.  Yet it is! It was a great day.

             We finally tore ourselves away. They had a gathering at Mr. Fleurs house (Flowers)
they invited us to. We declined for this time though it was mighty tempting.   We went back to the shabin and put stuff away.  Then we headed back to Maple Hill for a nice supper.
Today was a dream.  Sitting eating roast beef and taters and carrots outdoors on a cool evening.
A meadow of gorgeous late Summer wildflowers behind us.    Life is sweet and we are blessed indeed!

Tessa's Birthday and Labor Day Weekend Visit to Virginia

Tessa on her new Minnie Mouse big wheel

(photo credit to Valerie Graham my sister)

Tessa's Birthday & Labor Day in Virginia 


Friday Sept. 4 -Monday Sept. 7, 2015
Dana & Kenny Koogler
Crystal, Michael & Tessa Lindsey
Our Whole Family from Va. 

Pictures are here starting with frame 125





   We have had a bad year in many ways.  Teresa Lindsey passed away in March.  
Adam's Dad has remarried and that has been an adjustment.  I'm believing it will be a blessing.
It has still been hard.     Adam deployed in July.    We have tried to keep the kids busy and ourselves occupied so that the time would pass faster until Adam is home.  We have tried something that worked really well and that was spending more time with family from Virginia.   Chris, Kelly, Matt, Allison and Mia came down for vacation.  We spent time with them and that was great.  My parents were down after T-ma passed away and that helped. Michael didn't have a good birthday in February because T-ma was sick and dying.  Kenny's mom had been in the hospital and was out. We were able with Chris & Kelly's gracious help........ have Tessa Grace a 2nd birthday party combined with a 
family cookout at their home.    

          Chris and Matthew have a side business Gravity Zone Inflatables.  The love and support
shown by our Virginia family toward us and the grands was amazing.   I am VERY proud of our family.   We like each other. We love each other.  It was exactly what was needed.  I am grateful to God for the healing of my brother in law, Chris. I am grateful for Matt's healing.   My brother in law Brian was not there, but he is out of the hospital and he is finally getting well after many years of struggle.   We have much to be thankful for.   It was great spending time surrounded by family.
We miss Adam, but he will come home to us and we'll be fine.  Just going to keep pouring lots of prayer on all these situations, thanking the Lord for results.   

                  Tessa and Michael both got birthday presents and all the kids and some of the grownups
enjoyed the bouncy castle!  Mama Koogler was there and feeling better.  She over did it and was sick the next night, but I dusted off my nursing skills and got her feeling better.  The next day we visited my mom at her house. She fixed us another wonderful family meal. Aunt Mike and Uncle Bill were there.  In today's world of gender benders........ let me clear something up.  Aunt Mike is a woman.
Her real name is Mary.  She has gone by Mike since she was tiny.   Her twin was Aunt Fairy whose real name was Martha.  They were named after the sisters in the Bible who were friends of Jesus. 
Fairy gave herself her own nickname because she wanted to be a fairy and pretended to be one.



Mama Koogler and Heidi on her lap, My brother in law James
Tessa and Crystal
 Nephew Cody coming down head first
 Chef Kenny and my Daddy
 Michael and a new set of cowboy cap guns! pow pow! Kenny and Cody
 Jim in the far left. my beautiful sister in law Kelly and cute puppy Zoe.

       Tessa and her new cowgirl hat and boots and she got a pink minnie mouse big wheel and a pink cap gun from Nanny Cookie and Pawpaw Kenny. Crystal my daughter helping her on with her boots!

This look right here sums up the day.  Tootsa Rootsa the rootinest, tootinest Cowgirl!

Yeeee Haww!
Photo by Val Graham