Petit Jean day 3

Another hike this morning. We rode our bikes to the trailhead. This park is really nice. Even though we are parked in the overflow campground  (picture below) we get good vibes here. About yesterday's video. It is somewhat of a mental exercise to get a YouTube attached to a post. I first have to upload it to YouTube which requires a pretty good cell signal then I have to perform a magic spell, then I have to jump through some hoops, then I hold my breath and then I either cuss or smile. There probably won't be too many videos. We move tomorrow. That last pic is something we saw for sale in a questionable grocery store.

Cedar Creek Falls

We did the most popular hike in the park this morning. The weather was looking sketchy this afternoon so our outside activity plans were put on hold. We have moved to the “overflow” campground. It’s just a grass field but it will work.

Petit Jean SP Arkansas

We are a little west of Little Rock. This is another one of those CCC parks. The stonework is spectacular. There is a classic log and stone lodge that is reminiscent of the national park lodges out west. We were only able to get a full hookup site for one night and we have to move to the overflow campground tomorrow. Weekends are a problem. There are some popular hikes in the park  and there is a lake so we have a few options. We will probably be here 3 nights. The University of Arkansas has a campus here and that lower pic is the administration building.

Shelby forest day 2

We hit the disc golf course this morning. As is typical we had a hard time finding the #1 tee. Then we had a hard time finding the #1 basket. We couldn't find the #2 tee or basket. There was another 18 that we were able to figure out. I was pretty bad but with Jenny's help I didn't lose any discs. We ate lunch at an old general store cafe that makes the best hamburgers on earth. That's what the sign said. I am just finishing a bike ride and I stopped by the ranger station to use their Wi-Fi. Let's see if this works. We move tomorrow.

Meeman-shelby Forest SP Tennessee

Today was pretty much a mileage day. We got back on I 40 and drove. This place is North of Memphis on the Mississippi river. There are several camps we have stayed in near Memphis and this was a new one for us. I rode my bike to the river, hence, the pic. Cell and Wi-Fi at our campsite are weak so we are going to have to drive somewhere every afternoon. Oh, did I mention there is a 36 hole disk golf course in the park? Haven't seen it yet but that is on tomorrow's agenda.

Jack Daniels Distillery Tour

Every drop of Jack Daniels is produced at the facility in Lynchburg. The tour took us all through the production process. There was one room where 2 fire hoses were pouring 140 proof alcohol into a giant vat. That goes on 24/7/365. There are 63 warehouses full of barrels where the whiskey is aged. Over 1 million gallons/warehouse. The barrels stored on the upper floors produce a darker, richer whiskey because it gets hotter higher up and that allows the liquid more easily to soak into the oak barrels. The expensive special bottles of Jack come from the upper floors. By expensive I mean $150+/bottle. Gentleman Jack is swill compared to those select bottles. At the end of the tour we tasted 5 of those. It was interesting and informative. I know you are wondering, the answer is no we didn't buy any booze at the gift shop. We move tomorrow.

Tims Ford SP Tennessee

We had to go around the South side of the Smokies because that's the side Deep Creek is on. We've never done that before. Hwy 74 goes through the Nantahala Gorge and when it enters Tennessee it goes through the Oconee Gorge. The Oconee river is famous for white water. There were a lot of rafters and the water was huge. Unfortunately, I had to keep my eyes on the road so as not to crash. We are close to Lynchburg, the home of Jack Daniels. We have booked an afternoon tour that includes a "tasting". There are some bike trails near here that I might ride tomorrow. Jenny took these pics of the lake and of me blogging. Exciting stuff.