Standing Stone State Park Camping Trip Days 7 & 8: Belle Ridge Retreat

Wood Betony in bloom in the holler at Belle Ridge

Standing Stone State Park Camping Trip Days 7 & 8Belle Ridge Retreat &  Last Day at Standing Stone

Kenny & Dana Koogler

Friday April 12 and Saturday April 13, 2019

Belle Ridge Retreat Info

Belle Ridge Pix 

Last Day at Standing Stone Pix

  We decided on Thursday night that we were both really wanting to go to Belle Ridge Retreat in the morning. It was at the top of our wish list.   We got up on Friday morning and made the short, pretty drive to Monterey.   We went in the office to pay and sign in.   We were pleased to see all the wonderful progress and improvements the Isabelle's have made to the resort.    The campground was jumping !  He had the desk lined with papers for 15 more campers who were to come in that day!
He had at least one cabin rented.   We spoke with him and complimented him on the job well done.
He is such a nice person and they are a great family.   We really want to see them succeed.

        We got along a little better today than we did the first trip.  I didn't have to jump out of the RZR every five minutes to check something out.   We went first to the main attraction ... Vanishing Falls.
It was running great today and we were there during peak wildflower season.  It is a wildflower paradise in Spring.   The day was perfect.  Blue skies and sunshine.  A light breeze.  We walked around enjoying the flowers, scenery, and the falls.   

Above: Vanishing Falls 100 feet of waterfall glory!  Out of the ground at the top and down into a swallet.   The setting for this falls is grand.


Above: An isolation shot of Vanishing Falls showing the graceful top part of the falls from directly in front of it.
Below:  Dutchman's Breeches were the flower of the hour down in the sink that contains Vanishing Falls.




Above:  The area around the waterfall was full of Virginia bluebells.  Many of them were multi hued.  I saw them in regular blue.  Pink. White. And Tie dye!


Above: Southern Red trilliums and Canada violets and mayapples near the falls


Picnic table and grills set up right at the falls.

 

Above:  Wood poppies were filling the woods down near Family Cave.

  We went next to Family Cave and Verble Falls.  They are just down the hill from Vanishing Falls.
Kenny had walked down there ahead of me leaving the RZR behind.   I guessed what he had done, and got in and drove it down the hill.    He was laughing when I got there.  He had already gone in Family Cave. Nick did a beautiful job of adding the lights in the cave.  They are just right. Not too bright, but enough to help you get around. They are set on a timer!  Very clever.    I went in and took a look around.   I had been in this before so I did not stay as long this time.


Looking out of Family Cave.


   Next we had unfinished business to take care of with Verble Falls.  Last time there we did not get a great view of it. Today we pledged to take the climb into the boulders to view it unobstructed.  The boulders in front of it are the size of rooms.  You can just barely tell there is a falls behind them.
We clambered up into the boulders without too much trouble.   I was watching where my hands and feet were at all times.   I was certain snakes were out.   We finally got up in there far enough to get a good look at Verble Falls. It is quite pretty. It is considerably smaller than Vanishing Falls, but it is still worth a look when you are in the area.  It was running real well today. 

Above: Verble Falls is about 30 feet high.  It flows out of a normal stream, goes over the falls and down into a swallet!

  I looked at the rocks just down from where I was standing.   I saw a pattern that made me do a double take.  Mr. No Feet was there.  A little northern water snake.  Harmless.  He was barely moving.  I was right though. They are out.  Kenny always thinks these are copperheads.



Above: Northern Water snake is sunning itself on the rocks.  His bands are irregular and the shape of his head is more narrow. Harmless little fellow.  Once Kenny realized the snakes were out he was ready to climb down out of the boulders!  Can't say I blamed him.


above: A shot of Kenny starting to climb down.  It gives you an idea of the size of the boulders and how high up we were. Not too bad, but it is a bit more effort to get a look at these falls for sure.

  We went next into the bottom lands where I had seen so many wonderful flowers the previous trip. I did not get to spend much time there or take any pictures.  Today I made sure I did, but the area was not quite as bloomed out today as it was then.   One thing that has happened is the rain and flooding has scoured out the bottom lands and the plants that are still there are blooming in deep sand!


Below: scouring from floods has parts of this area not too attractive, but that is to be expected.




above:  Foam flowers, chickweed, and great white trillium blooming in sand!




Above: Mossy green rock formations in the forest not far from Verble Falls.



Above:  Kenny would have to tell you where this was taken. I cannot and did not keep up with all the trail numbers.  It was just a pretty spot in a hemlock gorge.  We hit nearly every trail today.   Some had a lot of pucker factor. He loves it, but I need a nerve pill!    It is exhilarating to tell the truth.

**One thing I saw down in that holler today was the ruins of an old house just as you start down.
I think Nick told me what that was, but I cannot remember.    I'll have to ask him if he knows what that was.  It is nothing but a shambles now.  Probably someone's big idea.


Above: is a particularly pretty cluster of wildflowers.  The first pink trilliums I'd seen today.
Below: A luna moth! I had not seen one in awhile.  These are always so neat!



  We headed toward Stamps Hollow and Arrowhead Falls.   It is a really neat part of this trip. Today we spent time climbing up the rocks of the creek to get different view points of the falls.  Arrowhead Falls is at the bottom, but on up in the gorge is the multidrop Stamps Hollow Falls.  It was running pretty good today. Enough to make for some beautiful clear holes of water and picturesque cascades.


Above: Arrowhead Falls. It flows out of the bank above it as a hundred tiny rivulets coming from an underground spring.   It has a delicate beauty all its own.  So many waterfalls of different types!




Above: These southern red trilliums and foam flowers are growing atop a large boulder. These are down in the holler with Arrowhead Falls.
Below are various scenes from our climbing up the stream in Stamps Hollow.  It is a neat area when the water is flowing. Lots of different spots to take photos and shoot video from.  It was fun.
 

 Pretty spot along the stream.

 There is a double drop along Stamps Hollow.  I am under the left one facing upstream.

 The ceiling of the grotto was carved up and really cool to see. I had not noticed it until Kenny pointed it out to me.  I'm glad he did!

 "Behind the waterfall no one can hear you scream. " ~~Hal Wilson

 Right drop of Stamps Hollow. Also pretty, but no neat grotto to get under on this side.

 The water coming down the holler was very clear. This spot really shows how much.

      Another pretty vista of Stamps Hollow and its cascades.

   The sky was turning dark and the forecast had predicted late afternoon/early evening thunderstorms.    We figured we'd best mosey on in case it did start to rain.  On the way up to the top we passed a side path that takes you to a better view of the main part of Stamps Hollow Falls.  Note to self... stop and get a photo here on any repeat trips.  I would like to come here first if the falls is running a little stronger.  

  Getting to the top again involves a little pucker factor.  Some kiss  your butt turns and steepness.
Makes things interesting and fun.  A few rain drops started to fall about the time we got to the plateau level.   We headed back toward the main grounds.  Then the rain abruptly stopped.  We were topside now so we headed toward the swimming area and new cabins.  I wanted to see those.  When we don't want to de-Winterize the camper for a night or two in mid January.... it is great to have back up plans for lodging. 

Bathrooms and changing rooms at the beach area

 An example of the tiny beehive style cabins. I forgot to get photos of the larger ones.  I'll get them next time. These are extremely nice. We will probably end up renting one in the future.  They have all you need.

 Kenny approaching the swimming pond.

 Beach area . I asked Nick before we left about a couple things.  One was the swimming pond.  I asked if it was very deep. He said they had put sand in it so that it sloped at the far end near the slide.. from about 3 feet deep to a drop off to 11 feet deep.  It would be ok for kids with plenty of parental supervision and life jackets.  They have the slide shown below which can be towed out into the water and positioned where you want it if I understood him correctly. This apparatus was here when they bought the place.

Kenny by the slide barge. He is up higher on a rock ledge that surrounds the swimming pond.  It makes the slide look very squatty and small like for kids only. It is a nice size for even adults to enjoy.  The swimming pond has been a hit and last Summer was popular.  It is available for day use $5 per person for all day.   Pretty good deal.

  We headed back toward the campground and noticed it was even more lively!  Folks rolling in to spend their weekend here.  It was nice to see.   A couple cabins were now rented out or so it appeared.
The other question I had for Nick was their policy on bringing kids along in the RZR.   We have made a special seat for Gabe between us that works for now, but we did not want to bring him and put the Isabelle's in a touchy situation.  I asked Nick what their policy was regarding children as riders. They have two little ones and they are very sensible about it.  He said they don't have an official policy about it. They leave it up to the family.  We could either let him ride with us the way we usually do or we could rent a multi seater from them and put a car seat in it. It was up to us.
Nick said he had ridden their kids around with him on his lap since they were each a few months old.   You just have to be careful and not take the risks with kids that you would with grown ups.
I would very much like for our whole family to go check this out for one weekend.  I think we'd love it.   I believe it would be a memorable experience for us all.

  The rain had stopped and the sky did not look as menacing.  Kenny was not ready to go.
We headed back out and did another loop ride.  I don't know the trail names or numbers, but it was fun.  It was scary fun.  We were going down a super steep trail that was rocky.  It had tight turns on it. I was freaking out inside, but Kenny was handling it.   Really there was only one spot that had my heart in my throat. I was thinking what if the brakes failed here? Down over the mountain we'd go flying.   Kenny opened his mouth and said "Lord, I hope these brakes hold!" I told him to hush!!
Once we were safely past that we both laughed. I asked him to refrain from the color commentary.
He gave me a sheepish look.  He is BAD about that sort of thing. His timing sucks!


No brakes! gif found on the interwebz

  We finally went in and spoke to Nick thanking him for the hospitality and great time.
We said our goodbyes and loaded up and headed back to Standing Stone.  We stopped in Livingston to get some things at the Food Lion.  It began to rain hard about the time we got out of the store.
We went home to the camper and got cleaned up and fixed a nice meal.  We were tired, but happy.

    We got to talking about the next days plans.  We had wanted to go over to Jamestown and see John and Sharon.  Poor Kenny had been on the road with work and running back and forth over here.
I talked to John Friday night to try to come up with a solution.   He is an excellent friend and so is Sharon.   He warned us about a wind event the weather service was predicting for Sunday morning that we were not aware of.   We had planned to leave on Sunday morning.  We did not want to be trying to pack up and leave in wind and rain.   We'd have to think this over. 

Saturday Was Our Last Day at Standing Stone

  Saturday was the first official day of the wildflower fest at Standing Stone.   A few more campers had come in to the campground.  I think at one point there were nine of us total.   More folks were renting group cabins, individual cabins and the lodge looked to be rented out.   Saturday morning we had decided we would do things part of the day then head home a day early.   It had been too good a trip to have it messed up by the stress of trying to pack up ahead of a wind storm.   Kenny would be towing the camper and the trailer loaded with the RZR... what I call the Battlestar Galactica.


Battlestar Galactica from the original TV show.  Long honey... long machine!

That is what we look like going down the road with our rig.

        I called John to thank him for the warning and let them know we would be leaving a day early. I did not have the heart to ask Kenny to ride 40 miles to Jamestown,, turn around and head back.  then pack up and leave.   Drive 130 miles home.   So we opted to stick around Standing Stone and do stuff close by.   Kenny was tired and I was beginning to miss home.  I missed Gabriel too. John and Sharon are low maintenance friends like I am. They are very understanding and were cool about it.

    We were disappointed, but relieved to have come to a conclusion about it we felt more sure about.
 We headed out Saturday morning to the back of the state park for Kenny to see the old cabins.   He wanted to check them out for himself.   I talked him into trying to help me visit one of my sinkholes on my list that was just behind the Jackson Swamp. Wilson Mountain is a double sink hole that I wanted to visit.   I had long been intrigued and wanted to see this place. He agreed, but when we got back in that area it was clear that some sort of development is going on there. It looks like someone is building a house on the lower reaches of the mountain.   The lined up with satellite images I had seen.
We looked at different approaches.   Finally Kenny said he just wasn't willing to risk it.  Too much private property and he just had a bad feeling about it.  I trust his judgement on such things so I quickly decided to let it go and move on. This would matter later.   We headed back toward the state park instead.

  We parked and got out to look at the reservoir.  I spotted a beaver swimming! I did not get any decent photos of him, but we enjoyed seeing him swim. He swam over to the dam and got him a mouthful of grass. He sat for a minute chewing it. Then he got back in and swam toward his lodge.
He dived and went in!   Next we saw a large snapping turtle swimming in the middle of the water.
We watched him awhile.  We spent a fair amount of time just quietly wandering around the edges of the swamp watching wildlife.  We saw geese, ducks, and other birds.  It was beautiful, serene and interesting.  We used to do a lot of wildlife watching around our spring fed pond on the farm in Virginia.   It has a high bluff above it so you can see all around.

 Beaver Lodge at the edge of the reservoir

 Side of Kenny's face watching geese and ducks in the swamp.

    We walked over to the start of the cabin loop road and were there wandering around.
Another vehicle had pulled up and parked below where we were.  A nice couple got out and began walking toward us.  We greeted one another and introduced ourselves.   This was our meeting of Alvin Lee and Patsy Mason .. a long time married couple and pair of explorers. They were a few years our seniors and had been at the exploring game longer than we have!  They are delightful to talk to.   I believe they were a handful of blessing on purpose.   We stood visiting with them and exchanging information and stories.   We ended up hiking with them a little. They showed us some things we had not see and vice versa.   Importantly I mentioned that we had been thinking of going to Wilson Mountain to see the sinkholes, but it didn't work out.  Alvin mentioned that it was a place where an Overton County deputy sheriff fell to his death working a cold case with a park ranger.
A young vigorous rookie deputy with lots of piss and vinegar who was going to help find the body of a missing young man.  He got too close to the edge and in the blink of an eye fell down the pit on Wilson Mountain to his death.  I was horrified. I had known of this, but did not make the connection.   I was VERY relieved we had not tried it.  This is why I trust Kenny's intuition and judgement.
Sometimes good as mine is.. it fails me. My desire for adventure overrides my better sense at times.
Here is a link to the tragic loss of life of Deputy Chad Pritchard on Wilson Mountain.

**Edited to Add-- This evening Thursday July 11, 2019 I found the link to the cold case Chad Pritchard was investigating when he fell to his death.  John Thrasher went missing in 2004. 


It was a young man in his late teens who went missing after a party in the Livingston area.
It happened in 2004 and he has never been found.   He is presumed dead.

 

 Above and below: Alvin and Patsy walked back to this huge contraption and explained it to us. It is a "group hog trap". Captures lots of wild hogs at once for slaughter! The trigger was tripped on this one. They showed us how it works. It was very interesting and neither of us had ever seen one before. Any efforts to curb the population of feral hogs is a plus to me!

We showed them the cabin I had run across down near that cascade. In all their wanderings they had missed it!   So they were tickled to find something new to them.

   I hope we run across them again some day and get to spend some more time with them.
I hope we can continue to be like them as we grow older together.   They encouraged us to attend the festival next year.  We will surely try.  We had not been too keen on it, but it was our own loss.
The history part of it would be of interest for sure after talking to them.  They are the ones who told us about the Rock Quarry Road connecting to the old road along Bryans Fork.  They knew of the falls back there, but had missed the millstone.  We now had more info to work with and future plans and dreams! 

   We went back to the camper and I noticed on the way the shooting stars were out full force today!
I was so glad to get to see them.

 Above and below-- photos of the shooting stars

   Back at the camper we had some lunch and began packing.   I helped Kenny get things loaded up.
A nice man saw me trying to help Kenny back the camper up to hitch the trailer and RZR.   He instead got out and laughed and said I do this all the time.  He helped Kenny much better than me and in minutes we were done! We thanked him and said good bye to Standing Stone. What a fantastic camping trip this has been!  I would definitely come back.  It is always better to leave when you still like a place. Because of my encounter with Alvin Lee I have modified my sinkhole research list. I will write about it later.

     We had not even made it to Livingston when Kenny pulled over.  I was following him.
A tire on the camper had blown out.  He got ready to change it only to realize he lacked the tool to jack the spare down!  Camper is still kinda new to us and we did not know yet that we didn't have the right thing!  We'd had no need for it til now.  He kept working at it. Finally I said I'd ride back to a nearby campground to see if anyone had one we could borrow.  I drove back to Deep Valley Campground. I met the DeGrohs's who own and run it.  It is a very nice place I want to try out sometime!  It was 2.5 miles from us.   They are great human beings and were more than happy to help.  About the time Mr. DeGroh got in the jeep with me and brought some tools to help Kenny called me!  He had gotten it. I thanked Mr. DeGroh and he gave me a business card.  Turned out Kenny fixed it the same way Mr. DeGroh was going to try!    We made it home without further problems.  We were glad to be safe at home. We were glad to sleep in our own bed.


Below are videos of Vanishing Falls and Stamps Hollow Falls