Bulls Gap Rail Road Museum & Yoders Country Store

  Bulls Gap Rail Road Museum & Yoders Country Store 

Monday Feb. 16 , 2026

Dana, Gabe and Mia Koogler

Michael and Tessa Lindsey

   I planned with my grandchildren to spend Presidents Day doing some fun activities together.

My eldest granddaughter Tessa age 12 does not care for hiking so we decided we'd avoid that.

I tossed out several other ideas. Finally we hit on the idea of going to Morristown to the good KARM store.   We'd then go eat lunch at Cheddars. Once everyone had their tummy full we'd go on to Bulls Gap Railroad Museum.  We'd finish up our day with a stop by Yoders Country Market.   Gabriel had never been. All the kids were excited about this.  

     The drive to Morristown was not bad.   We pulled up to the new KARM store and were excited to see what treasures we might find.   We went in and were shocked to find the store smelled awful for the first time ever.  The smell of mothballs was overwhelming.   Mia had to pee so I took her to the bathroom.  Door was locked so we had to get an associate to unlock it.  Once in the restroom the assault on our noses continued.   The bathroom smelled like sewage backing up.   Poor Mia is a germphobe anyhow so she didn't take it well.   We finally got out of there.  

     We've had good luck with this store in the past, but today wasn't so great.  The store was crowded, but worst of all the staff who was stocking shelves was rude.  All we got out of them was irritation that we were in there shopping.  One woman in particular was hateful.  Michael did find two nice pull overs. Expensive brands with tags still on and brand new!  Tessa found a couple good t shirts. Gabe found a pair of roller blades.   All Mia wanted was to LEAVE!  I was in agreement.  We paid for the purchases and got out of there.  I won't be in a hurry to return.

above and below: Gabe wearing roller blades in the KARM store. I bought them for him. 

Below: Gabe rollerblades while his sister and cousins are laughing.

   Cheddars for lunch was great. We had a large corner booth with plenty of room.  Everyone enjoyed the meal and the service and food was perfect.  They were busy, but the staff was exceptionally courteous.   

  
        Bulls Gap Railroad Museum was our next stop.   We were really looking forward to it.

We found it without any trouble. The little town of Bulls Gap is quaint and historic. 

        

   

 

Above and below: the historic York Quillen store. These Quillens were the forebears of my friend John Quillen. I think this was his grandfather or great grandfather. 

Below: historic structure in Bulls Gap 

Below: the water tank and other railroad structures.

above and below: looking up and down the train tracks through the middle of town

Below: Tessa and Gabe take a look around at the area.

Below: Front of the railroad museum. Mia is ahead of me crossing the tracks.  Michael, Gabe and Tessa are on the front porch. 

  I am going to go easy on the Bulls Gap Railroad Museum, but I will be truthful. We had a decent visit and it was kinda cool.  Not because they were welcoming and friendly.  The men in there appeared to treat this place as their private playhouse and were backward and a little annoyed at visitors.   We seemed to be viewed as interlopers.   Very disappointing.  I asked one man which of the model trains were donated by Clark Quillen, my friend John's daddy.   The guy literally choked on what he was drinking and even after he quit choking he flatly ignored me.  He refused to acknowledge me or answer me in any way.    This bunch is a real collection of winners.  I told John about it and he had the notion that I was asking too many nosey questions thus making these men uncomfortable.  Perhaps having sold his Dad's donated train sets which were worth a pretty penny.  It was no skin off our backs.  I just would hate to be them when the Quillen boys show up to sort things out.  We won't be making any return trips here.    We have been to model railroad venues where the participants were talented builders, operators, and eager to teach visitors about the railroad and its history.  We will give Happy's Trains a try as well as Rockwood Model Railroaders.   I am not including any of the links to the railroad museum info here because I cannot advise anyone to visit there.  It would be a let down. 

       

Below is a short video of the trains running which is pretty cool.

   Last stop of the day was Yoders Country Market which was a couple miles down the road.

We have visited several times before.  I don't know what was in the air today, but the mean spirited rudeness that we'd encountered at the Morristown KARM , the Railroad museum also existed among the CUSTOMERS at Yoder's today. The staff was sweet and helpful as always.  The customers were rather pissy.   I let the kids push the mini shopping carts to help me.  I let each one pick a toy and candy or whatever they wanted as a treat.   I purchased Kunzler bacon in bulk for me and Crystal.  I also picked up cinnamon rolls and dish clothes for Crystal.  We gathered up our purchases, paid for them and loaded up to head home. The day was warmed up beautifully and the kids wanted to go to Nanny's house to play outside.  That is how we wrapped up our day.   All in all we had a good time cause we know how to take the party with us where we go.  The rest of those grouch ass people .... well, sorry bout your luck!   

Fairfield Glade and Crossville Hiking for the Day--Obed River Park and Cascade Trail

 

Old daffodils bloom along the Obed River Trail.  Sat. March 7, 2026

Fairfield Glade and Crossville Hiking for  the Day

Obed River Park and Cascade Trail 

Sat. March 7, 2026

  

   A couple of hikes I'd been wanting to do were in Cumberland County.  One was the newly constructed Cascade Trail in Fairfield Glade.   Another was the Obed River Trail in Crossville.   I saw some promotional photos from The Rocking Horse Antique Gallery also in Crossville.  I decided since Kenny had to work Saturday it would be an opportune time to make these short hikes and do some antique shopping.    Gas prices being what they are it would save time and money to do it all while in the area.

         I hit up Fairfield Glade and the Cascade Trail first.   The day was shaping up to be beautiful. 

It was sunny with a few clouds, a nice breeze and very warm.   I pulled up to the trailhead for Cascade Trail around 10:15 a.m.  The parking lot is not huge, but I made the fourth car there so not bad.  

I had confidence hiking here since the trails in Fairfield Glade are well marked.  It is a lollipop hike.

What I did not know was it appears a section of the Cumberland Trail is also connected to it.

  I hiked it clockwise which took me downhill by the cascade first.  The forest is mainly hemlock and so pretty.    The cascade is right by the trail and while not real large is very scenic. I had planned to hike it when it had at least some water coming over it.   The rain the day before had it flowing nicely.

above: info kiosk with map at the trail's start. 

Above: section of trail near the beginning

Below: bench along the trail right at the Cascade

Below: small scenic cascade 

     I will say this about the Cascade Trail.  It was well constructed. The cascade was pretty.  The rest of it was a bit lack luster.  I would hike it again in a different season. Say Autumn for Fall colors or Winter for snow.  It was a bit of a let down.  The prettiest part was the section along Daddy's Creek.    It was not real hard .  I ran into a few nice ladies and their dogs. It is only the third Fairfield Glade trail I've hiked and of all of them so far it is my least favorite.   Definitely not worth a special trip for this alone.  

I enjoy the trail system here because it is well made and I feel safe hiking solo here.  

Below: a small side cascade barely flowing.

Below: logs fallen across the creek below the cascade

Below: Lower part of the creek below the small falls.

Below: another view of the stream

Below: the first creek crossing was well made! 

Above: Looking downstream on Daddy's Creek
Below: Looking upstream on Daddy's Creek

Below: stream flowing on down the hill to empty into Daddy's Creek

Below: One wildflower I saw today.  A halbeard leaf yellow violet

Below is a short video clip of the cascade.

        Rocking Horse Antiques

  Once I'd had enough of Cascade Trail I made it back to my jeep.  I looked up how far Rocking Horse Antiques were from me?  It was just a few miles. It was closest so I did that next.   I ate a sandwich in the jeep on the way though I wasn't very hungry.  Chestnut Hill Road took me right to the antique shop.
It had been years since I checked this place out.  I was really looking forward to it.  I went in and found the place neat as a pin, easy to get around in.  No shopping baskets, but the lady at the counter was making rounds to put things up front for you if your hands got full.   It was rather busy today, but just enough to make it fun.  I took a leisurely look around.  I found their social media post on Facebook was quite up to date and accurate. I found lots of Spring decoration to purchase.  I got rid of a lot of very dated, dingy stuff for Spring and had yet to replace any of it.   I came home with a Spring wreath, a bunny rabbit, a pillar candle that is on a timer, and lots more.  

Below are some photos of my favorite parts of the store. 

Below is a video clip showing the store: I have already thought of four more things I'd like to get from there so I will be back and soon!  I'm changing some things up in our bedroom. I am also working on kids Easter baskets so I need to go back within the week.   I am posting their Facebook Page here. It is very accurate and up to date.  It was helpful for me.  If you want to shop there head west on Interstate 40 West and turn off at the Peavine Road exit.  Exit #322.  Turn LEFT and go less than 1/4 mile south on Peavine Road.  Then turn LEFT onto Chestnut Hill Road.  Rocking Horse Antique Gallery is 1/4 mile down Chestnut Hill Road on the LEFT. It is a green sheet metal building with a large parking lot.  

Obed River Park Hike

The last thing I'd wanted to do was hike the Obed River Trail in Crossville.  I found it with no problems, but I got a scare.  Heading toward it there is a barricade where the SR 70 bridge is out for repair.  A second barricade is right at the bridge which is under construction.  I initially thought I'd have to find another route to reach the trail or give up hiking it today.  Not to have worried since the turn into the park is there before the bridge.   I knew nothing about this trail so I went to the last parking area at the back of the park.  I started my hike there.  It is paved and I had printed a map of it.  You can Click the link in the heading above and it has a map and directions.  I want to return and hike it in Summer to see what grows in the savannah.  

    

        I hiked it counter clockwise and it is easy and quite pretty.  I had blue skies, perfect temperatures, and nice scenery in a park on a trail where I felt safe.  I was hiking solo, but I saw other people playing ball, walking dogs, and doing healthy, wholesome activities.  I came to the first thing that caught my eye. It was clumps of bright yellow daffodils in the sage brush and briars!  I turned aside and carefully picked my way over to them.  They were glorious! 

Above and below: beautiful old daffodils planted by someone in the past.  They have spread and done very well. 

  I also enjoyed a surprise historic marker indicating the Tennessee Central railroad came through here in the past. The section of the trail I was on was part of the old railbed.  It crossed the Obed River straight ahead.  I followed the contours of the trail and began to head down toward the river.

I soon came to a second historical marker.  

Below: Historic marker tells the story of the G.E. Harrison/J. Ridley Mitchell Dam. 

above and below the trail heads toward the river here.

Below: I am approaching the old dam along the Obed River Trail.  Nice bench for resting.

Below: First look at the dam. It impounded the Obed River forming a 100 acre lake. It was around 20 feet deep at its deepest point. It was constructed in 1930 and by 1932 was completely collapsed and the lake was no more.  A common theme from that era and earlier was constructing smaller dams like this one by simply building the dam on the earth and back filling it and bracing the ends. The soil here is sandy and since they didn't bother boring down to bedrock and anchoring it with rebar or steel the force of the water soon began undermining the structure.  By 1932 it blew out altogether.  You can stand by the ruins and see what I'm talking about. The bank is eroding badly. 

Below:  looking through the dam from below it. 

above: the beautiful Obed River looking downstream from the dam. Personally I'm glad it is a wild river again minus the dam and the lake. 


Below: Spring beauties near the dam.  They were abundant along the trail, but were the only flowers blooming aside from daffodils. 

Below: historical marker for the old dam. 

Below is a short video clip of the old dam ruins. 

Below: the only bridge on this entire trail.  It bridges a side stream that empties into the Obed River. I'm nearing the end of my hike at this point.

The remaining photos below are various spots along the river.  It was very pretty.  It is really clear and I saw very little trash in or around it. I also did not see any life in it, but maybe I missed it. 

All in all I enjoyed this hike very much. It was something I had long wanted to experience. I still need to return in Summer to see the late season wildflowers in the savannah.  I'll get to see it in a new way then.   It was nice to see families having picnics and kids playing. People walking their dogs and enjoying the day.  I love Crossville.  One of my great, great grandfathers was Hector Crosson which is a Gaelic form of "Cross".   He was a strong man of renown and was a black smith. His wife was Nancy Ship Croson.  I hiked back to my jeep along the main road to finish my loop. I hiked about 1.5 miles on this one.  

         I was done hiking for the day so I loaded up to head home.

Driving along I-40 East I began to have a flash of intuition that I needed to get off the interstate.  Instead of taking it back to Pellissippi I opted to exit at Lenoir City.   I drove through Lenoir City and stopped to take a break at Beall's Outlet.  I was in there shopping for a blouse for Easter and a new swim suit when my phone rang.  It was Kenny telling me to get off the Interstate since there was a wreck and traffic was backed up for miles.  He was sitting there in it!  He was on his way home from work. I was grinning ear to ear.   I dodged that bullet.  I got a heckuva deal on a new bathing suit and a couple blouses. 

  It was a good day.  Not the most exciting, but I certainly enjoyed it.