Golden Ragwort blooms along the flooded ditches of Standing Stone State Park
Standing Stone State Park Camping Day 4
Livingston Junking, City Lake Falls, Starting the Cabin Hunt
Dana Koogler
Tuesday April 9, 2019
(City Lake Pix start with frame #348)
I am a passionate outdoors person, but I have other stuff I enjoy as well. I have grown to really enjoy "junking" or thrift store shopping. I also have grown to love abandoned spaces more over the years. I like to imagine what places were like in their heyday. I also enjoy the history of places. How they came to be and when. What happened that lead to their demise.
One of my favorite shows of all time is Mysteries of the Abandoned. One of my favorite blogs is Jerry Winnett's Forgotten Tennessee. Today I slept in and decided I'd get out to do some junk shopping beginning in Livingston. I saw there were two thrift stores there. I'd then head toward Cookeville to visit City Lake Falls. I figured after that I might hit up a couple thrift stores in Cookeville. One of the things I have grown to dislike about myself since I've been retired and parenting again is the lack of self possession I once knew. I have found myself relying much more heavily on Kenny to be with me to find our way around both in the woods, and out in towns. I sat there with my second cup of coffee trying to reason with myself.
I kept having this irrational fear of getting lost. It was dumb. I knew it was dumb, but I just couldn't shake it. Finally I decided I'd just do it afraid.
I felt more comfortable finding my way to Livingston. I found my way there easily and found my way to the first thrift store. Family Thrift. I walked in. It took me less than sixty seconds to size it up and leave. It was mainly retail goods marked down and nothing I wanted.
I went next to The Widow's Barrel Thrift Store. They have a ministry based business and use their monies to help the needy. It was clean, neat, attractive, the staff friendly. I found it a much more welcoming place. I did find several neat items of play clothing for each of my grandkids, and a few for me. I was tickled to have found it and it really boosted my confidence. I was able to continue toward City Lake to see the falls.
City Lake Falls
The drive from Livingston to Cookeville along highway 111 to City Lake Natural Area is a both an easy one, and a scenic one. It travels through mainly rural countryside. Along this route are remnants of past times. Old houses. Old stores. Pretty, pastoral scenes. I could easily spend a day just doing auto touring and photographing these quaint locations while they still stand. I kept to my plan driving directly to the natural area to hike. Once there I was met with ample parking. It was a sunny, warm day with a nice breeze. The atmosphere at the natural area is family friendly. The hike to the falls is 0.2 miles one way on a maintained path. Spring Creek flows down to form City Lake. I saw people out taking walks, enjoying the falls, fishing, picnicking and having fun. I saw a few nice Spring wildflowers along the walk. I have seen photos of the falls where they were just a small trickling curtain of water, but today I was fortunate. I was met with ample flow coming over the falls. It was nice to see, but one drawback to heavy flow on the stream is the spray when you are trying to take photographs. Another negative point is that the stream is flowing fast and deep enough to limit photographic composition choices. A day with slightly less water would have meant being able to wade out carefully into the stream to get different vantage points. The waterfall is not just one focal point, but many. I had to settle for taking pictures from the observation deck, but it was still neat to see the place. There are ruins of some sort of millworks or human construct below the falls.
Above: main drop of City Lake Falls
Another deck and some sort of building before you get to the main falls.
An interesting and different area for sure! Here is a link to a video of City Lake Falls.
It was a nice place to visit. I ate some lunch while there. I just took it all in. The few hikers I encountered were courteous and spoke in greeting or waved and smiled. I had one fellow try to schmooze me a bit. At my age I'll take that as a compliment. I couldn't help getting a little tickled at the whole thing as I went my way. I did not want to do anymore junking in Cookeville. I wanted to hike and explore. I headed back toward Standing Stone. I had no trouble finding my way. I had proven to myself that my concerns were foolishness. I was happy to be past whatever mental block was going on in my head. I was regaining little pieces of my life at a time.
Exploring at Standing Stone State Park
Back at Standing Stone I stopped by the camper and put away my things from town. I replenished my water and drinks to head back out again. I spent the rest of the day hiking there on the state park property. I pulled down along Bryans Fork as it approaches the lake. The late afternoon sun shone down onto the stream illuminating the stones in the bottom. It looked clear as glass. I parked the jeep and got out to wade into the creek. It was calmer, slower and clearer today.
Above: Bryans Fork in the late afternoon sun light.
Below: remarkably clear stream. It is shallow here and the rocks are colorful and different.
I was able to wade right over to the big patch of bluebells to get photos. The light and shadow made for an interesting scene. I spent quite a few evenings taking advantage of the light this way.
Early mornings and late evenings make for good pictures.
Below: light and shadow dapple the large patch of bluebells along Bryans Fork.
Below: a big cluster of prairie trilliums lit up by the evening sun.
I had passed by a spot on the right of Beach Road where you can see a good sized wet weather waterfall off in the distance. It is not that far away, but the terrain by the road makes it a little tricky to reach. I was determined today would be the day I'd make it up to those falls. It didn't hurt that in order to reach the falls I had to pass through vales full of wood poppies and other flowers. I was able to find a spot to pull over, and then scramble down the bank to the stream. Once across it was an easy rock hop to the side stream and up to the falls. The steep sided gorge that contained the waterfall was peppered on its sides with great white flowered trilliums, wood poppies, prairie trilliums, foam flower, phlox, golden alexanders, and dozens of fiddlehead ferns.
Above: forest floor covered in too many wood poppies to count near the wet weather falls
Above: The slope to the left of the wet weather waterfall was super steep. It was far more dim down in the bottom than at the top. It makes for a nice contrast of light and shadow. Looking up gives you a view of the clear blue skies, tall gray tree trunks and pale pea green leaf buds.
I enjoyed the wet weather falls and all the flowers. I had more I wanted to see and do so I clambered back up the bank toward the jeep and continued.
Below: Video of this falls
Once down along Beach Road past Overton Lodge I stopped many times to park, get out and ford Morgan Creek to walk back those hollers to see falls up close. Lots of wildflowers, neat displays of light and shadow, and cascading water galore! The stream was quieted down enough today that I could safely ford it in many places.
One of the things I wanted to do today that was still not a good idea was to wade the stream up to Morgan Cascade and get a good video and some photos. It was better, but still too fast moving and deep for that today. I believed that tomorrow would be perfect for it so I would wait.
Cabin Hunting
I was beginning to run short of daylight so I drove to the end of Beach Road and pulled up to a gate on an old road. I was planning on just turning round here to head back. I wasn't quite ready to quit yet. Something kept urging me on. I got out my gear and decided to hike this gated road to see what I'd find. I knew from a past trip there were supposed to be abandoned CCC era cabins back in this area. I had gotten just a glimpse of one on a previous trip. I was looking up through the trees and saw one. I had looked for it yesterday and did not see it. I figured so much time had passed they were now rotted down completely or demolished by the park. I would go take a look anyhow, but did not hold out much hope of seeing anything interesting. I am chronically late to the party so it was easy for me to believe I had once again waited too long.
Next I passed a concrete slab and remains of some structure on my right. I later learned this was probably the old bath house.
I kept going and arrived at the split where the paved portion of the old road swerved to the right and the left turn here went uphill and turned into a gravel road. I decided to go counter clockwise to see what I'd run into. I saw a fenced area into the trees. I stopped to look at it, but not closely. I knew this road made a loop. I also knew with the remaining daylight I would not have enough time to hike it all. I would just explore a bit, and completing it would have to wait til tomorrow.
I kept going and arrived at where the pavement stopped and the road appeared to dead end. I looked into the woods slightly to my right and ahead of me. I saw a big pile of rock and ruins. It was the remains of a former camp cabin. I stepped into the tree line to try to get a better view of it. I wanted to take a photo of this spot. My eyes adjusted to the dimly lit forest. I blinked and did a double take. Ahead of me down the hill a bit was the roof of a cabin! I was astonished and headed further into the woods to see it. I wasn't imagining things. I was standing looking at one of the old CCC era cabins! They weren't all gone.
Below: photo of the first look at the little cabin still left in the forest!
I walked around in the forest here checking out the ruins from different angles. I noticed the sound of water below me. The slope was steep, but not to the point I couldn't easily walk down to see what was below me. I picked my way down the hill among trout lilies and trilliums still blooming. I came to creek level and realized two things. 1. There was a beautiful cascade below the cabin and 2. The stream I was looking at and the cabin were almost within sight of Beach Road. Had I gotten in the creek and waded straight ahead I'd have come out at Beach Road in less than 100 yards. The cabin or the cascade is not visible from the road, but I did stop and look up that stream prior to walking back here.
I took the whole scene in and came to the conclusion this would have been a prime cabin rental.
On a forested slope with a cascade below me. What more could anyone ask for?
Above: Looking back up the slope. You can just see the roof.
Below: a video of this pretty un-named cascade. I dubbed it First Cabin Cascade for the purpose of making and titling this video. I have seen too many un-named, wet weather falls to be able to keep them all sorted out in my mind. I hung around here and enjoyed the scene for long as I could. I finally pulled myself away and began walking back to the jeep. I knew that in the morning I was going to get up and finish this hike. I was now encouraged that I might find cabins still around in the hills!
Sunset
I drove back toward the main visitor center and park slowly enjoying the scenery. The evening sun was sinking and casting a beautiful golden glow on the ridgetop near the visitor center.
I pulled over to take in the view. It was really special. I made my way back to the camper taking photos as I went. I was elated at my find and at regaining a bit of confidence in myself.
I felt blessed and redeemed. Finding one little abandoned cabin in the woods might seem like nothing to most, but it was an affirmation to me there were still things out there for me to find and enjoy. I had not waited too long. I could still find treasures.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for reading and commenting. I enjoy hearing from those who read & make use of my blog. I have made some wonderful friendships through emails from readers. I respond to all comments and emails. I appreciate folks reaching out to let me know when my blog entries are not functioning correctly or if the situation somewhere has changed. Many Blessings to you!
Dana 🐝