Trillium aging pink along the trail.
Standing Stone State Forest Camping Trip-Day 1
Kenny & Dana Koogler
Saturday April 6, 2019 thru Saturday April 13, 2019
Pictures are here starting with frame 146
Spring is my favorite season. It is Spring wildflower season as well as a great season when the waterfalls tend to be running well. The new pale green tree leaves, dogwoods and redbuds popping out in the forest are especially beautiful after a cold, dreary Winter. The past several years something has managed to screw up my enjoyment of Spring. I put the entire family on notice that I was going on a camping trip to Standing Stone State Park and was going to stay a good while.
I was in dire need of some food for my soul. I had been craving some solitude. I was weary to the bone of doing what kids need, what grandkids need and want, what needed doing at church, what parents needed. Everyone and everything had worn me down. I was going to get away from phones, computers, tv, crowds, family needs and wants. I had really neglected myself and lost myself amidst the endless needs and crises that had come up. It can get to be really soul sucking. It was making me feel resentful toward everyone and about everything. Jobs and families and pretty much anything you want to name...... would gladly let you pour yourself out twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. They don't care if you die in the process. It was up to me to put a halt to it and take care of myself. No one can look out for me better than me. Every time I heard someone else's doings or plans brought up images to mind of a wolf with her leg caught in a trap.
Our Crossroads Cruiser-- new camper. I'm learning to love it.
Redbud bloom closeup
Visitor Center and Office at Standing Stone State Park
Beautiful bright yellow forsythia bush in front of the office.
Kenny helped me by taking the camper over to Standing Stone State Park in Hilham, Tennessee.
It is located on the Eastern Highland Rim in Overton County. I had been there once before and really enjoyed it. It is a best kept secret for wildflowers and history minus the crowds one finds with Cummins Falls State Park, and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. I had the feeling this was what I needed. Kenny towed the camper out on a Saturday and I followed in my jeep. The drive turned out to be easier and a little shorter than I had imagined. We had to stop in Crossville for groceries and gasoline top off. Even factoring that in we were pulling in to the park at about noon.
We had already eaten lunch while in Crossville so once we got the camp set up we had half day to play and explore.
Roaring River Try #1
I had a long list of possibilities for exploring. Two pages worth.
We talked it over and did not want to do anything far away. We opted to try to find Honey Branch Falls in nearby Hilham. It is on a tributary of Roaring River. I had found what I believed was an old county road that was derelict. Sometimes a county may still own a road, but will stop maintaining it. You can still use it though. No one can stop you from driving on it. We decided to take my jeep down there to see what we'd find. Boys howdy.... Gravel Gertie earned her keep today!
We started down River Lane which was a continuation of a gravel road out through a pasture field and down the slope toward river level. It was real pretty back here. We saw the ruins of an old house and barn and a grain silo at the edge of the field. Red bud trees lined the field here and the sky was brilliant blue.
Pretty pasture with red buds
grain silo at the edge of the field by the road
Old house ruins
We started down a part of the road that turned to mud holes, red dirt, and rocks. It went through a cedar forest. We hadn't gone far til we encountered two other jeeps in the road. They were out looking around in the woods. I figured they were looking for dry land fish. We were feeling really silly about now. I rolled the window down and a pair of men came over to my side of the vehicle.
One was red haired and the other dark haired. I introduced us and we told them we were hunting a waterfall and asked them for information. Jamie Emerton was the red haired fellow's name. The other dark haired man was Tim. Two nice, friendly couples. Jamie and Mikayla. Tim and Sherrie.
They invited us to hang out with them and do some four wheeling and hunt mushrooms.
We took them up on it. They were a lot of fun. We enjoyed their company and Jamie went out of his way to share all he could about the area and the trail system. It turned out to be spot on and very valuable. He knew of a falls down the river, but in order to get there you had to ford the Roaring River. He was not sure if it was doable today.
The entire river bottom was pretty. Green, grassy bottom land with the river flowing past under blue skies. We saw some interesting things and heard some crazy stories!
Some sort of statue atop a fence picket. The white speck way at the back of field in the photo just above the statue is all you can see of a travel trailer. Jamie said the river got up floating the camper down to where the fence caught it!
Kenny in the red shirt and Jamie in the white t- shirt. Checking out the first place we'd have to ford. It was deep and a little rough, but we made it.
My jeep handled it like a boss.
Pretty side stream that flows down and joins Roaring River.
Tim's jeep with the Black Diamond emblem. White jeep is Jamie's. I felt very outclassed!
My Mom-Mobile is goin' wheeling today for the first serious time! She done me proud! Far as I could tell she was no worse for the wear and tear.
**Remember this point.. famous last words!**
The river bottom and side hollows were full of wildflowers! I saw all kinds of pretty blooms. Really the best display of the season so I was soaking it all up. I was hungry for this type of experience after a long, gray Winter.
Fire Pinks along the bluff
Cream violets
Roaring River looks very tranquil today.
While everyone else hunted morels I hiked up a side stream and took pictures and explored. Every step of the way was some new pretty wildflower or cascade. The little stream was a series of low, flat cascades and riffles. When the terrain got too steep on one side of the stream I waded across to the opposite side and kept going.
Large flowered bellwort
Sweet Betsy Trillium
Butterfly on purple phlox
Prairie trillium. First one of the year for me!
Small trees along the river bottom
Wild Valerian aka Jacob's Ladder.
I made my way back down to meet the others. I did not want to hold up progress. The plan was to pull down to the first crossing of Roaring River. We'd take a look to see if we thought it possible to cross safely. Jamie said it MIGHT happen, but not to hold our breath. He had doubts about all our vehicles particularly mine with not enough clearance for the deep water.
Jamie, Kenny and Tim in the photo above and below
At last it was decided the river was just too deep today for anyone to safely cross. We encountered a couple other four wheeling guys who felt the same way. They had turned around and were unwilling to try it. Jamie was able to fill Kenny in on the best technique to cross. His instructions later turned out to be unbelievable precise! That is a great friend to have around. Kenny gave the few mushrooms he found to Jamie for his Dad. It was his Dad's birthday ,and he was going to fix them for him to enjoy later that evening. We would come back later next week and try this again.
We turned around and headed back toward the trail head. I had gotten Jamie's phone number for future reference. It's good to stay connected to friends like this. I hope it won't be long til we get up with them again. I liked all of them and so did Kenny. We had fun. It was an unexpected bonus for the day.
While the men were talking about the crossing plan for Roaring River I took a detour of my own.
True to form for me... I wandered off alone following the sound of rushing water nearby. A small side stream was flowing down into Roaring River. I back tracked and found a couple awesome things for my trouble. I did find a waterfall up in the holler. I also found an enormous patch of Twin Leaf in bloom! I had only seen this once before and that was in someone's cultivated garden at Lovely Bluff. The blooms on this wildflower do not last long so I was fortunate indeed.
Un-named Waterfall I found. I think this is a wet weather falls. I doubt it is much more than a trickle in Summer.
Above: Twin leaf in bloom one example of a mass of wildflowers.
We finally began our slow creep back up the trail. We were stopping every so often to look for mushrooms. I was taking in all the pretty scenery. I have been to Roaring River a time or two before. We saw Hardy Reagan Falls along it on a previous camping trip. We visited The Boils WMA last Summer. Each area of the river seems to have its own charm.
We made it back up and parted ways with the rest of the gang. We made our way toward the state park again. We did stop at the scenic overlook and check that out. It was as pretty as I remembered. We found the gate closed to access the fire tower. No matter. I'd check it out another day. Something got me to thinking about that tower. I first said I couldn't believe we had missed that our last trip.
Kenny crosses the swinging bridge below the dam.
View of the creek below the dam.
I kept remembering something more about that fire tower business.
I recalled that our previous trip to Standing Stone we encountered the same situation. The road was gated so while out exploring we found you could approach the tower from a power line easement off Hwy 136. We climbed that thing up to the tower. It was a briary, steep, but short climb. We passed by it later in the weekend and had to laugh thinking at our determination to see that lookout tower.
We went back to the camper and had some supper. We then drove into Livingston for an errand. Kenny needed a tail light for his truck. We wanted to rent a redbox movie as there was nothing on tv. Four channels with the antenna. Cooking. News. Travel. Cartoons. We watched A Star is Born with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. It was great. We both cried. The music was beautiful. We talked about what we'd do the next day. We decided we'd visit Garrett Mill and Falls. I have wanted to check out several things there. Mainly see what type Spring wildflowers bloomed there. I had several other ideas for things in the area. We'd see how they worked out.
**Edited to Add** Thursday May 9, 2019-- I had to take my jeep to the dealership today. It got to making a bad grinding sound. It sounded like the transmission was fixing to go out. I also had a minor recall on something that needed updating. I took it to Rocky Top Jeep in Kodak today. They found out it had a rock up between the skid plate and the oil pan. It was making a terrible racket, but they found it and fixed it. Nothing expensive or too time consuming. See? While it held up fine at the river on the trail it had a little
kink to work out later! **
Below is a video put together of various cascades and falls and scenes along Roaring River. It is a compilation of two trips.
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