Random Scenes from Big South Fork

Here are just some random scenes from our rambling around the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area.

I spotted this gorgeous Fall color from the walkway across the top of the coal tipple at Big Heron Historical Area.

The restored coal tipple at Big Heron. It once contained the machinery that sorted sizes and grades of coal.

The walkway across the top of the coal tipple. Once, a rail crossed here that unloaded coal into the tipple.

The view from  Station Camp Overlook peering down toward Charit Creek Lodge.

And, down at Charit Creek Lodge looking up at the rocks of  Station Camp Overlook. (That's the Lodge stable below the hill on the other side of the meadow.)

The top of South Arch. Don't stray to the left or right. A fall of over 100 feet would greet you. Briefly.

Grotto beside Natural Bridge.

Yahoo Falls, the highest waterfall in Kentucky.

Water at Devil's Den.

The restored O & W bridge.

Ramblers

While we were in Big South Fork we shared adjacent campsites with Bobby and Sharon Childers. Sharon is a long-time friend of Carole's. They reconnected via Facebook and the two planned a reunion at the Park.

As luck would have it, Sharon and Bobby love to travel and they love to hike. A great combination to my way of thinking. Sharon is now retired from her small business and Bobby is a Navy veteran who has worked for decades at King's Bay helping to keep our nuclear submarine force in tip-top shape.

We all did a lot of hiking while we were in the Park and also made plans to meet again in 2015 for a trip to Glacier National Park (which has been on my bucket list for a long, long time). Bobby and Sharon have been to Glacier before so they'll know how to get around the Park once we arrive.

I've always admired people who are mechanically inclined and who are adept at engineering. Bobby Childers proved to be exceptionally skilled in such when I toured the 1970 Holiday Rambler that he completely rebuilt and restored. When he and Sharon found it, the trailer was a total wreck (it was bound for scrap metal and they got it for $400). But they spent the better part of two years refurbishing and improving it. This is not only going to be their RV, but will be their permanent home.

They decided some time back to downsize so that they could enjoy the traveling life. Thus, the Rambler will be their house 24/7 after they sell their current home. I was absolutely stunned at the quality and breadth of workmanship that the Childers have poured into their Rambler. While we were camping, hardly an hour or two passed without someone stopping to see close up the fruits of all of their labor and skill.

Now we're looking forward to exploring Glacier National Park with them in August of 2015.

The four of us in front of the Childers' restored 1970 Holiday Rambler.

Motto the Childers applied to their home (aptly named "The Phoenix").

We stop along the Ladder Trail in Pickett State Park.

Golden Age Jack Kirby

Although the title was never foremost in my mind to collect, I've managed to buy two issues of BULLSEYE by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. I now have issue #1 and #5, both in decent condition. This was part of Simon & Kirby's Mainline Comics. They had both been frustrated in having their work controlled by others and actually stolen by their publishers in the past (ex: Captain America at Timely Comics).

So the two men decided to pool their knowledge of the industry and their talents and start their own comics publishing company. Alas, even with their combined knowledge and energy it was not a successful endeavor and eventually they had to shut down, actually selling titles and unpublished work at bargain basement prices to the likes of Charlton Comics.

But they did manage to produce some amazing work, including the title I've now found myself adding to my collection, BULLSEYE.

This is a stunning cover. Amazing design.

Ad on the back cover. Not sure if the revenue helped Simon & Kirby.

Big South Fork Campground Review

Carole and I really enjoyed our stay at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. It's administered by the National Park Service even though the preserve does not have full National Park status. This is because some things are allowed in National Recreation Areas that don't fly in our National Parks (such as hunting).

One thing that Big South Fork has that most National Parks don't have are electrical and water hookups at the campgrounds. We chose to stay at the more centrally located Bandy Creek Campground. And we stayed in Loop D, which has hookups. The campsites are paved and there is a lot of room between campsites and plenty of trees to give you a sense of privacy.

Every campsite as a picnic table, an iron fire pit with grill, and a lantern pole. There are bathhouses strategically placed throughout the campground. Best of all, these facilities come with flush toilets, sinks, and hot showers. So you don't have to use your travel trailer bathrooms if you want to keep from filling your gray and black water tanks. In addition, the bath houses also had outdoor sinks for washing dishes (also with hot and cold water). You can bet we made use of that, too, which saved us from filling up our gray water tank.

Just across the road from the Bandy Creek Campground was an official Park office and shop. You could see a nature museum there and speak with knowledgeable rangers and buy books and maps.

If you come into the campground from Oneida Tennessee, then you will have to negotiate an extremely steep and very narrow road to access the Park. If you're pulling a small trailer such as a Casita, you won't have any real problems. But if you're pulling a larger trailer then I strongly suggest that you arrive at the campground via Jamestown and Route 27 (instead of 25).

All in all, the Bandy Creek Campground was a delight. It is picturesque and pleasant and offers amenities that we are not accustomed to encountering in National Park campgrounds. Very highly recommended!

Our spacious campsite at Bandy Creek Campground.

The campsite used by our friends, the Childers. (This is his personally fully restored vintage travel trailer.)

What's more pleasant than a roaring campfire?

Typical southern weather. 80s and clear one day, later in the week freezing with snow.

We stopped at the Park entrance on our way out.

Arches

The Big South Fork area sits on a portion of the Cumberland Plateau that is well known for an amazing array of natural arches. Most of the capstone in this part of the Appalachians is composed of sandstone. As with limestone, it's highly susceptible to the action of slightly acidic water in the aquifer. Thus, the sandstone erodes into many and various shapes, often ending up as arches ranging in size from just a few feet high to over one hundred feet.

One thing that I learned about the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area is that you can only scratch the surface of what there is to see and do there over the course of an eight-day vacation. Thus, we'll definitely go back to see some of the wonderful spots we had to miss.

At Yahoo Arch (pronounced YAY-hoo.)

North Arch, the second largest of the Twin Arches.

South Arch, said to be the largest natural arch in eastern North America.

The trail on top of North Arch. Stay in the middle. If you fall off...it's 100 feet straight down. Splat!

Carole and Sharon & Bobby Childers precede me down the trail to Yahoo Arch.

Yahoo Arch. I was impressed with this one. We spent a fair amount of time at this location.

Another angle looking at Yahoo Arch.

I took this one from the top of Yahoo Arch. Sharon is taking a photo of me, Carole is sitting down. And Bobby Childers is talking with a young couple who were there eating lunch.

Under Yahoo Arch.

This is at a very easily accessible arch called Natural Bridge. It's located just outside Big South Fork in Pickett State Park. We liked this one, too. I took this from the top.

And a self-portrait taken at the base of the arch/bridge.

Group photo with Sharon, Bobby, Carole, and me.

 

Looking up at North Arch.

And South Arch, the largest natural arch in the Park (and probably in the East.)

A Day at Charit Creek Lodge, Part II

After we got to the lodge Carole decided to take it easy and just enjoy the peace and quiet. Since we'd only hiked 2.1 miles to get there, I was still wound up and full of energy. Looking at my trail map, I saw that a hike of a round trip of four miles would take me to a high overlook that I could see from the lodge. Pretty much exactly two miles to Station Camp Overlook and a return trip via retracing my path up.

Since it was still cool and I had consumed several bottles of fresh water after hiking down I grabbed just my camera and lenses and headed up. The trail was created mainly for horseback travel and there were no switchbacks. It was rather like a road that tackles the slopes straight on. In fact, I did encounter a party of horseback riders coming down the trail. And, as always with horse trails, I found some large sections to be mud pits unfit for walking and I had to move into the forests to bushwhack past them. I really do hate what horse and riders do to our National Forest and National Park trails. Something really needs to be done.

At the end of the first leg of the hike I reached the ridge line and hooked a hard right that continued to follow the heights. The Fall colors were really reaching their peak at the top of the plateau and walking amidst all of those reds and yellows and oranges and browns was a pleasure. In short order I found myself emerging from the forest onto the cliff edge at Station Camp Overlook. The Park Service has constructed a solid log fence there to prevent idiots from falling from the heights.

After snapping some shots looking down on the Lodge itself, I headed back down to be with Carole. I found her napping, but she got up so that we could sit on the back porch and listen to the creek babbling through the trees. We just relaxed and talked and waited for supper, which was served at seven.

The Lodge was being run entirely while we were there by a young man named Bill. He took care of the guests and did all of the cooking alone. And he is an excellent cook. We had a great supper with lots and lots of vegetables. His carrot souffle was so good we all had seconds and thirds. I don't think we left much for the dog to eat as scraps.

After dinner I took a shower and we went back to our cabin which was toasty warm. We'd fired up the wood stove before supper so that the cabin was very nice and comfortable when we got back to it. I got up a couple of times in the night to add some wood to the flames but mainly spent the rest of the evening in a very deep sleep. So deep that we were almost late for breakfast.

After the morning meal we cleaned up and decided to sit around the cabin until 10 am. Then we packed up our stuff and said and goodbye to Bill and Lars (his boxer dog) and headed back up the truck, stopping for a while at the Twin Arches to take in the views of that amazing geology.

I very highly recommend a stay at Charit Creek Lodge. The folk who run it are exceptionally accomplished at what they do, and it's an amazing place to spend time. I think the next time Carole and I go there we will stay for at least two nights.

I head up the trail.

Horses completely wreck a trail. I had to bushwhack around this muddy damned mess.

Warning sign at the cliff edge.

Despite appearances, you can't drive to this spot. Foot traffic and horse travel only.

The lodge was visible below with telephoto lens. The smaller of the two buildings is one of the cabins.

A nice oblique view from the clifftop.

Real color. Amazing blaze of Autumn.

Carole peeks out at me from her comfy bed.

As the sun sets, I look up at Station Camp Overlook from the Lodge grounds.

This was a self-portrait I took in subdued light at breakfast.

We relaxed in front of the wood stove for a couple of hours before heading out.

This was our host, Bill, who did all of the amazing cooking! And his canine companion, Lars, who has to be one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met. Lars loved to be petted and talked to--what a big baby!

Sadly, we head back up the trail. The previous day had been bright and sunny. We left in a drizzling rain and solid overcast.

On the way back, I climbed to the exposed summit of North Arch and took this video of the views from the almost treeless summit.

Our Stay at Charit Creek Lodge, Part I.

I have to say that one of the coolest experiences of our trip was the hike down to Charit Creek Lodge and our overnight stay. The lodge is located in the bottom of the gorge. There are shorter hikes to get there, but we chose to take the Twin Arches Trail that is 2.1 miles in length and leads past two of the largest natural arches in eastern North America. Those are well worth the trip and make one feel small indeed. (Mother Nature has a way of doing that.)

Despite losing about 500 feet in elevation, the hike is pretty easy as such things go. There are a number of switchbacks along the way and also a number of stairways and steps. It's a very well engineered path. And it takes you through a very beautiful recovering forest of an impressive diversity.

There is no electricity at the lodge. Lighting is by lantern. Heating is by wood stoves. There are bathrooms with flush toilets, and hot showers powered by propane heating. Meals are provided by the lodge staff and during our stay the food was excellent. Included in the price of an overnight stay is supper and breakfast, both of which were vast and of high quality. You can also buy lunch, and you can have beer and wine at a modest charge.

A great boon for me was the total quiet. Except for one aircraft that flew over the vicinity for a brief moment, I never heard the sound of any machine. There was nothing but the sound of the wind and the bird calls and the slight music of the nearby creek.

At the start of the Twin Arches trail.

At the top of the North Arch I found this view of the cliff walls on the other side of the gorge.

Carole heading down one of the massive staircases.

Me, carrying our stuff down to the lodge. You don't need much. Grooming needs, change of clothes, some water for the hike, towel and wash cloth. The lodge provides everything else.

The forest was very diverse. Surprisingly so. The hemlocks there are still thriving. Oaks, beech, hickory, pines, sycamore, walnut, etc. It's an amazingly healthy forest considering the toll that timber and coal mining operations took on the area.

We emerge from the forest to see the first structure, a smokehouse put to new use.

The main lodge building. Circa 1817. It is the oldest building owned by the National Park Service that is still in use.

That weeping willow is nothing short of amazing. Like something from a storybook. This is the back section of the lodge. There is a sitting area between the willow and a pair of hemlocks where you can soak in the peace and quiet.

The barn. Used now to store fire wood and equipment.

This was our cabin. Screened in porch on one side, open porch on the other. Beyond you can see the bathroom and past that (out of sight) is the shower house.

Also sometimes used as a group cabin. For us it was a couples-only abode. All linens provided with plenty of extra pillows and wool blankets.

But you don't need those wool blankets all that much, because that wood-burning stove will heat the entire building more than adequately!

A brief video tour of the lodge grounds from Charit Creek to our cabin.

Tomorrow...more photos. I celebrate the hike down to the lodge by going on a long hike!

Home!

We had a wonderful time at the Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area. But we had a horrible time getting home! Ice and snow almost made it impossible to get home today! It was touch and go!

At any rate, details begin tomorrow. Until then, a few photos.

The O & W Bridge. Yeah, we drove across it.

Rim of the gorge.

Standing on the Station Camp Overlook.