Mountain Glen RV Park Camping Trip Part 2 Rock Island

White Avens blooming at Rock Island, TN

Cumberland Plateau Camping Trip-Mountain Glen RV Park Part 2 -Rock Island 

Kenny & Dana Koogler

Friday June 14, 2019

Rock Island State Park Pix starting with frame 193

Mountain Glen RV Park & Campground 

Rock Island State Park Info 

 

We got up Friday morning, and prepared a nice relaxed breakfast.  Pancakes bacon, and coffee.  We left in time to go by The Daylily Nursery in Rock Island,but it turned out to be a disappointment. It is not a display garden, but a wholesale nursery.  We continued  to the state park to meet our friend, Jay.  I had time to see and photograph Great Falls, and the spring castle  before he arrived.   It was  good to see him, and catch up a little.  He is a fun person ,and is now hosting Tennessee Trails. It is what he describes as a" low budget production",but I got to see an episode.  I really liked it.  He and I  plan to hike to Window Cliff very soon. 

     Above: Spring Castle at Rock Island State Park

Below is a short video of Spring Castle

 Jay left for work so  we went found to see Twin Falls.  Today was perfect weather.  We woke to a cool 48 degrees.  The day was clear and sunny.  It warmed up to seventy.  We walked  down to view the raging Twin Falls.   It was as pretty and powerful as ever.   We saw one water snake in the rocks.    We  turned going back to the trail to continue far enough to view Little Falls.  It is a cool place. The falls is a grotto of tufa.  Plant matter has absorbed calcium from the water  to form a small cave or  arch with holes in it!  We walked all around and through it. It was hard to believe we'd not been to this.    We tried to find Ice Hole falls half -heartedly, but will need to try that again.  
Above: Twin Falls

Below is a short video of  the powerful Twin Falls 


     
Above: Kenny standing beside Little Falls 
  Below: Looking out of one side of the cave/grotto behind Little Falls



   Below is a short video of Little Falls that better shows the lay of it 


  We  ended up driving to McMinnville for lunch at Collins River Barbecue.   It was a nice place, but the pork barbecue was not good.  I'd go back, but order something else.   McMinnville is a charming town.  It is like Mayberry only prettier!  After lunch we doubled back to Rock Island to resume our day of hikin. 

   Below are a series of photos of the beautiful downtown square in McMinnville.  I want to go back  to check out the town more.  It is very attractive and interesting.

    We had visited Rock Island many times.  The very first time was just a day trip.   It was probably about 2004 when we visited so it doesn't stand out real clear in my memory.  I do recall  seeing more waterfalls than just the main ones, but I do not believe we saw the real Blue Hole Falls.   If we did we didn't do it correctly.  We must have gone down the path and to the river and seen only the portion at the bottom corner.  Why?? .. I don't know.   We drove round there  to hike  it today.    The trail is signed in the parking area as 0.5 mile one way strenuous.    We went down wooden steps at first just like many other trails we've hiked anywhere.   At the bottom of them the trail changes over to metal stairs fastened to the  bluff.    Down two flights of those the first thing you come to is a falls. We had read Gregory Plumb's description of the hike so we were expecting lots of water.

First glimpse of many portions of Blue Hole Falls. It is not one waterfall, but many.
         
  Nothing could prepare me for what we encountered.   The cliff face was bursting forth not only with water, but vibrant green life of every sort.   Ferns of all shapes and sizes dotted the cliff face.   Wild hydrangea and vines of all types hung down along with alum root's delicate flowers and frilly leaves.   Big leaf magnolia trees along with many other sorts of trees populated the slopes below the bluff.   Once we were off the metal stairs the next portion was 
where the stream and the trail are the same.  They have installed metal and wood grating ramps to help make the terrain less dangerous.  A cable is there for this portion of the hike to hang onto.    The challenge of the terrain, and the dramatic , beautiful setting will make this forever a favorite hike.    I was sure then we could not have done this hike properly for it would have made a  lasting impression on me.   
Below: I am looking back up the second set of metal steps from the first section of the falls.  You can barely glimpse Kenny's orange t-shirt behind the steps. 
   

     I am morbid or crazy or both.   Going down the metal steps the image of the rusting out set of metal stairs still clinging to the bluff near Curtain Falls and Great Falls entered my mind.  Those are no longer in use, but still hanging there for all to see and fear!  
I hoped these stairs were securely fastened. They sure looked to be.  I couldn't help wondering if one day these stairs would end up in similar shape?    I'm betting they do.  You can see in the photo above the big blur caused by a water droplet.  No amount of wiping or positioning can eliminate all the spray here.    

        We went down the grating provided with water gushing all around our feet.   The soil is  squishy.  We approached various portions of the falls,  and saw freshwater mussel shells.  I also saw whole, still living mussels.  They are up on an bluff.  They don't live there normally, but the Collins River's flow through the bank is so powerful it carries them with it and out onto the ground they go.   Thankfully for them it stays wet enough they are making it.
They are easy pickings for any birds or predators.    All around us were different large boulders and rock mazes strewn with vegetation.   Moss grew on nearly everything.   The slope where you hike is extremely slick.   Care is needed, but it is still enjoyable. 
Above: Shells of freshwater mussels along with some still closed and alive.

   
Above: A cascading portion of Blue Hole Falls surrounded by green. The plants to the left of it are southern maidenhair ferns.  (binomial of this fern is Adiantum capillus veneris  adiantos referring to unwetted and capillus.. hair and Veneris = Venus.  ) 

    

Above:  A particularly scenic drop of Blue Hole Falls. It looks like a singular waterfall, but it is one of many. 

Above:  Kenny called to me from slightly ahead to keep the camera out.   This scene here is why.   It just kept getting better!

Below: I turned around and shot the bank behind me.  Water, water everywhere. 

Above: Northern Maidenhair Fern I like the binomial for this one Adiantum pedatum 

I looked up the binomial meaning. In Greek adiantos means "unwetted" because the foliage is water proof.  Perhaps that is why they can thrive in these settings that would rot many other plants.  

Pedatum refers to cut like a birds foot.  

   We finally worked our way down to the river level.    The trail there is actually blazed, but still a crazy thing to try to follow.   Blazes are nailed to trees and downed logs and wherever!

You are climbing up and over obstacles and around vegetation. You'd best watch your step. Now it is both slippery and snakey.    We saw a copperhead.  Thankfully Kenny did not step on him.  The snake was fleeing to avoid being crushed.     

  Above:  First glimpse of river level and there is a blaze upon this tree. 

Below: The portion of the falls that drops directly into the river.   It is quite beautiful, but my photo doesn't do it justice.  The bright sun made it tough to get the exposure right.

   

 We  worked our way down to the end and viewed the river. 

The scene below shows the view off into the distance down the river.   You can enlarge the photo and see that on the left there are still more falls dripping into the stream. Blue skies , water willow, sycamore tree leaves rustling.   It was serene.   We had our first encounter with any other hikers on this trail here.   We ran into a group of three folks. One man and two women.   Otherwise we had the trail to ourselves on a Friday afternoon.    

    We turned and worked our way back along the blazes.  We followed them back up toward a part we had missed.  I think this is the final, main falls that is probably Blue Hole Falls proper.  

It was the largest and most impressive of all the drops we'd seen thus far.  It would be hard to select a favorite since each part has its scenic charms.     A large maze of moss covered boulders is near this part.  Below is a photo of one square boulder the size of a room!  

Below: Blue Hole Falls

 Once again Kenny and I stood open mouthed and gaping in wonder at the sight of the Collins River escaping its banks  forcing its way through to the Caney Fork gorge.   I looked straight up. I saw great ruffles on the cliff overhead of  alum root so thickly growing it was packed in there.  Ferns of various types.  Virginia Creeper vine and dutchmans pipe vine along with wild hydrangea drooped down over the falls.     I thought of the words John Muir used to describe the Hiwassee and how apt it was for this scene also.  

---its surface broken to a thousand sparkling gems, and its forest walls vine-draped and flowery as Eden. And how fine the songs it sings!”   John Muir

Yes, this falls was a thousand sparkling gems and vine draped and flowery.   I know he did not see this spot, for it did not exist back in his day.  The dam had not been constructed on the Caney Fork which raised the water level of the Collins River allowing it to flow through the caves and form these falls.   I bet he'd have something sweet to say of it. 

    It was hard to tear ourselves away from the beauty, but  finally we did.   We trudged the short distance back uphill to the parking area.    Kenny asked me as we got back to the truck what I wanted to do next?  I told him I was done for the day and ready to head back to the camper.   He agreed.  I do not enjoy feeling like I have the devil behind me with a whip driving me to run and cram stuff into the day anymore.  Trips like this are supposed to be relaxing and fun.  Not work!  So back to the camper we went.     

    We passed Amish folk wrapping up their day and riding their horse and buggies or bikes back to their homes from their jobs.    The day was clear and fresh and beautiful still.   We spent an evening relaxing and having a nice leisurely dinner.   I walked around outside later and looked at the stars and lightning bugs.   We were having the most perfect weather for this weekend trip.   I felt blessed indeed.   


Below is a short video of Blue Hole Falls

Table Rock State Park Camping & Hiking Trip

Isaqueena Covered Bridge


Upstate South Carolina Camping & Hiking Trip

Dana & Kenny Koogler
Friday Nov. 4-Sunday Nov. 6, 2011

Photos are here:

Upstate SC smugmug


**This is a repaired blog with two missing photos.
Lower Whitewater Falls and the bridge over the White Water River.**

      We packed on Thursday night and got up at O' Dark-Thirty Friday morning and headed to Table Rock State Park, South Carolina to camp.    We had reservations and the trip over went well.
I slept for a good chunk of it.  We were fortunate  that they let us check in early.  We were on site
and had the camper set up by 10 am.  I had asked Kenny prior to the trip if the furnace worked on the camper and he indicated it did.   Upon trying to get it to fire it refused to ignite for him.
I was cold and still sleepy and could see this might be trouble so I went in the bedroom and covered up with a quilt and my coat and went back to sleep.  I said a prayer before I fell asleep that the furnace would work and the trip would be spared. I woke an hour and a half later to my sweet husband saying "Oh there you are! Wake up sleepyhead! Let's eat some lunch and go hiking?!"
Bless him and Thank the Lord for the furnace was now working and the camper was finally getting warm.   

       We had a late start seeing as it was now nearly 1 pm.  We decided to hike to the Table Rock summit since it would not involve driving.  It would be a longer  hike with a distance of a little over 7 miles.   We gathered a few items and hit the trail.   The hike to the summit in Autumn is gorgeous.
Peak Fall colors were everywhere we turned.  We were both thrilled to have chosen this park for camping and this trail for hiking.  Table Rock is a monadnock, or a remaining chunk of elevated stone where the rest of the mountains have eroded away.   Upstate SC is full of such mountains, but Table Rock is chief among them.   The trail is tough, but has a pattern of climbs then levels off for a distance and then climbs some more.  Thank heaven for switchbacks.  There is a CCC hut along the way with a pretty view. 

       We first came to Governors Rock.  It is one of the bare, sloping, exposed stretches of stone along the hike.   It has 180*  views.  There are shallow steps cut into the stone sides of the mountain.  It is really something to see. I would not want to negotiate this area during rain or icey weather.   We talked to lots of people along the way, most of them very nice.  One man accompanied by a lady was kind enough to give us better directions for the trip home. Thanks man!
He was the kind of person I love to meet out. Knowledgable, ready to share the info, encouraging and obviously having a good time. 

       We hiked along the flat ridge of the mountains summit and passed the summit marker.
We next found an overlook to one side and stopped to rest and check out those views. We could see the "footstool" mountain to this side very well.   We continued on then to the very tip end of the mountain and the prime views of the lakes and hardly any manmade structures.  We could see a large, lengthy waterfall flowing down the sides of a mountain to the north of us.  I have since learned that it is called Slicking Falls and is off limits since it is part of the protected watershed for the areas water supply.   Puts it in the same category as Glassmine Falls in NC. 

Slicking Falls viewed from Table Rock Summit, SC
   

View from the Table Rock Summit

     The hike to Table Rock Summit was pretty strenuous and was 7.2 miles round trip so we opted for doing lots of shorter hikes the next day.  We had so many waterfalls and sights we wanted to see anyhow.  This seemed like the solution to another day of strenuous hiking.  I wanted a day to recover a little then do a longer one on Sunday.  We started off doing just that. We hit Isaqueena Falls, Stumphouse Tunnel area, Station Cove Falls, Oconee Station historic site. We ate lunch, but then Kenny did something he almost never does.  He got out the hiking guide and got a wild hair. He wanted to visit Lower Whitewater Falls. It didn't take much to convince me and since he never has a preference there was no way I was going to say no. He said "its only 2 miles."  Well that turned out to be untrue.
It was more like 4.4 miles round trip.  We got to one point after hiking 1/2 mile that said the falls were 1.7 mile further.  Damn. We kept going.  I was concerned about having enough daylight to finish, but again Kenny reassured me that "Naw! we got plenty of day."  We finally passed a road and a parking lot. I was highly pissed.
Musterground road is closed to all but hunters in these months. If we had done it any other time we could have hiked to it for a mere 1.8 mile round trip. 
Nothing for it, but to keep going.  We made it. We saw the falls which are breath taking.  We hiked the road back out because at the pace short legs here was moving we'd have been way past dark getting out.  I was cussin' out everthang dat move by dis pernt.  We got back to the truck just before dark. On the walk back we heard the siren go off for the pumped storage project. That sound will stand your hair on end.  You may realize you are not where they are going to be harmed when they release water, but that thing will get your attention just the same! 

**Image Missing** 

Lower Whitewater Falls gets far fewer visitors than Upper Whitewater Falls which is just across the state line in North Carolina. I want to go back and see these again both on the same day and do the hike the short way just on general principal. 

Pond at Stumphouse Tunnel. Never been here before and loved the scenery. What a lovely place to have a picnic. I am a fan of black water ponds.

Table Rock Mountain is a monadnock. It is what is left of the subterranean rock after the rest of the softer rock and earth has eroded away.  Lots of these in Upstate SC.


     We came in at 6.5 miles the second day of hiking. Nothing will ruin thing for me like injuring myself while doing it.  So I told Kenny @#$%^&* and %$#@^&* and I was NOT going anywhere the next day except home.  I wanted food, drink, warmth, sleep, sex, love and no more trips to celebrate birthdays or anniversaries that involved camping or hiking.  Nope.  Those things should involve balloons, strippers jumping out of cakes, pink fuzzy house shoes, warm puffy sheets and stuff like that.  I'm raising my standards and quitting being such a cheap date.
Below is a video of Lower Falls on the Whitewater River in Autumn.


 Table Rock State Park is a great place and we'll hopefully return here for more trips.  Bring whatever you need with you though because the nearest stores are a long ways off.   The store at the park has a few essentials but is open at the whim of the owner who runs it.   She flat said so to my face.   I just blinked and walked off from her.
**Missing Photo of 2 part bridge over White Water River**

Bridge over the Whitewater River. Its built in two sections to reduce the chances of it washing away. Seeing this river in flood stage would be amazing, but crossing it would be suicidal.

Below is a beautiful video of Twin Falls SC in Autumn. It is one of the favorite videos I've ever shot.  It is set to my favorite hymn "Like a River Glorious".