Sharon came over to spend Thursday night so we could go hiking and exploring on Friday.
We planned to go to the southern Cherokee National Forest so we could take Otey along.
We got up and packed us some lunch and got going at a decent time. I was hoping to see some waterfalls after some rain and some late Summer wildflowers. Seasons here in East Tennessee are strange. Each year is a little different. You may be putting on a sweater this time of year or you may be swimming during the second week of October! Never can tell. 2025 has been a weird year bloom wise. The pattern has held all year long. Today's trip was no exception. False Fall hit this year Monday August 18, 2025. It was 59 degrees that morning with the day never getting above 70. Southern women have to get the jump on Fall decorating to make the season last. Sharon drove today so I was the navigator.
We went to Starr Mountain via Etowah and Old Mecca Pike. It was a pretty drive and a clear, pretty day. Leaves were beginning to change color in the higher elevations. The leaves were also just starting to fall. We passed stands of ragweed seven feet high.
The drive was pretty, but today was one where plans just didn't gel. We encountered roads blocked by downed trees, creeks with low flow, waterfalls with nearly no water, and not too many flowers. We did see some pretty scenery and a few views. I am including the few photos.
It was great to spend time with my friend despite it all.
Below: Mountain Mint
Below: flowering spurge
Below: butterfly weed
Below: St. Andrews Cross
Below: partridge pea
Below: Partridge Berries
Below: one of the blue lobelias
Below: some sort of DYC
Below: Goldenrod
Below: a partial view from the top of Starr Mountain
I asked for an overnight stay at Tapoco Lodge as my birthday present for this year.
Kenny made the arrangements and we went for Saturday night. We made the suggested dinner reservations for six o'clock p.m. Saturday. You can't check in until 3 pm and we had opted for a cabin instead of a lodge room. They did let us check in a bit early. I think we checked in right around 2 pm. We had lunch at the lodge. I tried the 'Hippie bowl". It was good!
Below: a photo of the main entrance of Tapoco
Below Kenny is having a beer with lunch. I'm drinking a mocktail. Pineapple Ginger beer mule. It wasn't great and I won't get it again. It tasted of medicine back when I was taking turmeric shots. I was making turmeric, ginger, honey, redpepper and orange juice shots to take for inflammation. It did not help me and it tasted gross.
While we waited to be able to check in after lunch we drove up to Maple Springs Bald Overlook.
I hoped this ride would provide a chance to see pretty Summer wildflowers. I learned that the road up there is not a good spot for Summer wildflowers at all. It was a pretty view, but a little on the hazy side.
Below: main entrance of the lodge is in the gift shop. You check in at the desk.
Below: gift shop another view that shows the wares and the corner of the fireplace.
Below: Summer view from Maple Springs Bald Overlook
Below: interior of the cabin.
Below: big pretty bathroom and shower.
Below: Kenny piled up in the bed relaxing watching TV. Loved the old logging train photo.
Above: bedside table This old wood paneling reminds me of my aunt and uncle's home. They had this throughout the whole house.
Below: looking at the room from the bathroom.
Below: cabin front/exterior. It was the prettiest one in our opinion. Charming.
Below: steps down from the parking spot The cabins are packed in there pretty tightly.
Below: the dining room where they serve breakfast. Kenny with his coffee.
above and below: breakfast
Below: dinner by the Cheoah River outdoors
Below: dinner at the tavern.
On Sunday we got up and had breakfast at the lodge. It was quite good. We packed up and headed home. We drove the Skyway instead of Hwy 129. Just to see some different things. The Skyway was alright, but a little disappointing. It was rather blah. We saw a few late Summer wildflowers, but otherwise it was lack luster.
above and below: I got this Tapoco scented candle. It was marvelous! All the choices were nice smelling.
Above: Skyway passes overhead at Stratton Meadows
above: Joe Pye Weed in bold pink. Freshly bloomed out.
We had talked the idea of going to Burgess and Fancher Falls to death. Our kids were invited but bailed on us so we decided to just go for it. We made plans with friend Sharon to take the dog and go.
Rick was invited, but had to work. We met Sharon at the TA Truckstop in Cookeville and car pooled from there. We made it to the Cookeville Boat Dock and stayed with the truck while Kenny went to pay and park. It was a weekend so it was busy, but not overly so. Kenny put the boat in and we loaded it up with our stuff for the day. He took the truck and boat trailer to park them. It wasn't long until we were under way and heading to Fancher Falls as it is closest to the dock. We managed to get there fine, but the water levels were dubious. Kenny erred on the side of caution and we had to walk a bit further than last time. It isn't an easy walk as you are on a side hill covered in rip rap sized rocks, tree roots, blown down trees, weeds to crawl over and under. It was a short, but painfully slow walk to get to where we could just walk in the stream. Fancher Falls was flowing wonderfully today!
Mist Falls next to it was also flowing, but not as heavily as it was on a previous visit. It was still pretty and worth a look. We saw plenty of people at Fancher Falls, but it was not crowded. Turned out a lot of the people there left shortly after we arrived. They'd seen the sights and were ready to move on.
Below: Looking up at Mist Falls
Below: where the falls strikes the lower rocks
Below: the pool at Mist Falls is so clear
Below: Mist Falls taken as a whole
Below: Fancher Falls with lots of people around
Below: Fancher Falls with the least people in the shot.
Below: me swimming up to Fancher Falls with the Go Pro
Below: photo taken from the swimming hole looking back at Sharon with the Go Pro and its water proof case.
Below is a video of Fancher and Mist Falls from our visit
Once we got done checking things out at Fancher Falls and I was at last ready to stop swimming and get out... we found Kenny had brought the pontoon a little closer. Getting back to the boat was far easier than getting to the falls. We were thankful for that. Once aboard we headed out into the main part of the lake. We looked for a shady spot to have lunch. People were buzzing by on jet skis, wave runners, kayaks, stand up paddle boards, and bass boats. We saw a couple other pontoons. We finished eating and headed next toward Burgess Falls. A steady stream of kayakers was heading to the falls and away from them as well. It made for slow going, but no matter. We were not in a hurry.
We got within approximately 1/4 mile of Burgess Falls to find that the pontoon boat wasn't going to get us there today. The water level was too low to proceed. It was dangerous in fact. Loads of flotsam, a scum on the surface of the water and a wide swath of lime green duck weed covered the water surface. Slippery, submerged rocks were everywhere. Tree stumps and other submerged objects could be seen. The water was too fouled to get in to swim to the falls. Plus it wasn't really deep enough to swim. It was unsafe to wade. The banks were waist high weeds on one side. The other side was a shoal covered in thick, deep mud and tree trunks. Kenny was determined. More determined that he should have been. We wanted to reach the falls, but more than we wanted that... we wanted to NOT be stranded on the lake with a damaged pontoon boat and have to paddle back to the boat dock. It took the equivalent of a seventeen point turn on the lake to get us heading the right way again. The prop kept hitting floating sticks and debris. I just knew it was going to break. Thankfully it didn't. We eventually got turned and headed into clear, deeper water. All we wanted then was to get safely away from all this mess. We will return and try when water levels are higher in Spring. We learned our lesson today. Just because we had made it there before at this time of year did not guarantee success today.
Above Captain Kenny at the helm
Below: the cove just past Johnson's Chapel Recreation Area
Last thing of the day we went round to Johnson's Chapel Recreation Area. We wanted to check this out. It was very nice. It has a roped off beach with sand. It has picnic tables and grills. It also has a small dock for getting out. We didn't make use of this spot today, but we know it is there and very nice. We can have that in mind for future trips. We did pull over near Johnson's Chapel into a cove and got in the lake to swim. It was awesome! Otey got in with his life jacket, but I had to give him a little push on the butt to get him to jump in. The lake was warm as bath water and smelled fresh and clean.
We saw few other people in our area. It was a nice afternoon of swimming and fellowship.
Finally we headed back to the boat dock and got everything including the pontoon out of the water. We tried to figure how we could all go somewhere and dine outdoors because of Otey being along. We didn't really figure it out so we said our good byes and headed home. It was a good day. It didn't all go to plan, but we learned some things. We need to figure out how to use the portable dressing room on the pontoon. It has never been assembled. The curtain was still in the packaging. I had to drape towels on doors and carefully change clothes in the parking lot. I managed to do it discreetly today so that was good.
Saturday our plans changed suddenly. Uncooperative weather and road closures had us looking into Plan B on Friday night. We got up Saturday to an overcast day with blessedly cool temperatures of seventy-one degrees. Instead of going to Alarka, NC we headed to my beautiful plateau and Crossville. I had wanted to visit Catoosa for wildflowers. I wanted to visit Plateau Discovery Gardens. No crazy road closures or crowds there. We ended up having a very nice day, and a relaxing one. We went out to Catoosa and just took my jeep since we weren't planning on the usual long day exploring there. We'd be hiking so we didn't need the side by side.
We did great navigating the maze of roads that leads to Catoosa WMA. Today we didn't take a single wrong turn! The drive out was pretty and quiet. We saw zero other hikers today. Not a soul swimming or boating on Daddy's Creek. The temperature was 69 degrees on the plateau when we first got there. The cooler temperatures, overcast skies, and almost no bugs was much appreciated.
We saw lots of yellow composites, some purple heal all, daisy fleabane, orange coneflowers, and pink rose gentians along the roadsides. Wildlife today was a few deer, a hawk, and a few butterflies and dragonflies. We've had an owl hooting in the trees in the wee hours of dawn right behind our house lately!
Below: Heal All blooms by the road
Below: a butterfly on some DYCs
Below: Joe Pye Weed is getting started in the roadsides and fields
Below: Otter Creek looking pretty today
Below: not much of a view out across the plateau on this overcast somewhat hazy day
Below: Narrowleaf Mountain Mint. It is a very unusual plant for the mint family!
Below: Rose Pinks... members of the gentian family.
Below: small headed blazing star
Below: main attraction of the day... hundreds of yellow fringed orchids
Below: close up of Platanthera ciliaris
We made our hikes at Catoosa and went further on some trails than we had previously. For all our extra effort we didn't see anything of interest on the new sections of trail. At least not this trip. We had a good time. Never saw a single snake thankfully, but we wore our gaiters and snake boots just the same. We did not tarry as long as usual in Catoosa since we had another destination or two in mind.
We hiked back to the jeep. Got out of that hot gear and headed down toward Daddy's Creek to eat lunch. The entire time we were there we saw exactly one other jeep. It had pulled down to the stream, but they didn't attempt to ford it for whatever reason. It was a tricked out jeep with knobby tires for four wheeling, but hey...
We sat there and enjoyed the view of the river along with the quiet. I usually see a few folks swimming here in Summer, but not today. I told Kenny after surveying it that I believed my stock jeep would ford Daddy's Creek today. The water levels were certainly low enough. He had his doubts. I said "We could go out this way and hit Hebbertsburg Road then get back on the interstate at Crab Orchard." He didn't want to do it. He was of the opinion we should head back out the way we'd come. In the end he couldn't resist trying it. I should have done it myself.
He didn't think to lock it in four wheel drive before starting into the stream. I have a skid plate under my jeep. Today I was especially grateful for that. I have a video included of the crossing and the convo that transpired. It isn't a great video, but its kinda funny. It also has the sound of boulders groaning and grinding as we ford the stream. It was like nails on a chalkboard. It set my teeth on edge. Once we made it across Kenny backed up like he was going to turn and go back through. I protested. I reminded him we made it through with a stock jeep. Good for us.
Past success doesn't guarantee future success. I did not want to tempt fate further and ruin our day. He saw sense and we proceed onward to Fairfield Glade somehow. It was a good decision.
If you skip ahead to 3:17 seconds on the video I know the grinding and groaning of the rocks is right there. Eerie sounding.
Once in Crossville we stopped at Beall's for me to run in and buy a black blouse. We then got back out on Hwy 127 and headed toward Plateau Discovery Gardens. Kenny decided to try the directions Google Maps was suggesting. It routed us across Northside Drive which we had never attempted before. It cuts of a corner and avoids town. It also is very, very pretty out through there. You'd almost forget you were in Crossville city limits!
It took us round to US 70 N which is also a pretty drive. I love this area. It is so uncrowded by comparison to other places we visit. We finally came in sight of the Plateau Discovery Garden sign and turned in. It looks like you are turning into someone's driveway. It is a former residence that has been turned into UT property for horticulture experiments.
We parked and saw not one soul there the entire time. No staff. No other visitors. It turned out to be magnificent and bigger than we'd expected. I could not believe I'd waited so long to visit this place. It is a hidden gem. I guarantee you I'll be back again.
Below: the office where you first pull up and park.
Below: Swamp milkweed in the rain garden is one of the first things we saw!
Below: river oats... yes we have them in Tennessee. The first place I ever encountered these was Scotts Gulf along the Caney Fork River drainage in Summer. These are pretty from an ornamental stand point. They also have a dense, tough root system that helps control erosion. They are native so they don't take a lot of maintenance to help them survive.
Below: Swamp Rose mallow growing in the rain garden. beautiful and delicate! It is native to Tennessee. We have wetlands in Alcoa and Blount County where wild cotton blooms. It is also in the mallow family.
Below: observation platform with seating at the gardens. It is surrounded by lovely shrubs, trees and flowers.
Below: one of the planter boxes at the discovery gardens around the platform. I see dusty miller, purple queen, lantanas, angelonia, and celosia.
Below: Rose of sharon in bloom. This is a very old variety of flowering shrub.
Below: a look at one of the gardens. I think this one was the sensory garden. Tactile things. Visual things. Scented things. Tasty things! Many culinary herbs, lambs ear, grasses. I have found out that many culinary herbs are also mosquito repellant!
Below: purple coneflower, white coneflower, and black eye susies.
Below: this fascinated me. strawberries, marigolds, and herbs growing in and on haybales!
Below: Tall purple top verbena
Below: another childrens section of the gardens.
Below: lilies were still pretty, but way past peak.. The one shown below was my favorite.
Below: the rose garden was beautiful. The ones shown below are my favorites.
Below: hibiscus garden was an explosion of color!
Below: one last look around the scenery in general. Crape myrtles, hydrangeas, golden shrubs, elephant ears. Such a gorgeous place!
We concluded our walk around the gardens and headed back to the jeep. I had big ideas for the day about going to Meadow Lake park and Obed River Park today. Those had to be shelved. We were tired and had the drive home to face. Plus those spots deserve visits of their own and not a rush job because I'm tired. It might be possible to fit both into one day, but I have a feeling I'm going to need a weekend or two separate visits 1. because I am so nosey and 2. I will get to Meadow Lake Park and want to do erry single thing there. Kayak paddle, swim, hike, etc. and I'll lose track of time!
I highly recommend Plateau Discovery Gardens. They have something different at different times of year. Fall Gardeners Festival is coming up fast. Tuesday August 26, 2025 9 am to 3 pm Central Time.
Close up view of small headed sunflowers 
