times since
03/10/1998!
This was has been visited
times since
03/10/1998!
While you are waiting for the graphic to download, let me tell you the story behind the picture. Back in college I used to love to go driving around Cookeville, Tennessee in my old 1977 Pacer. That "tank" could go just about anywhere. After exploring Buck Mountain fully (see The Return To Buck Mountain story), I started driving around other places. One of those places was in the shadow of Buck Mountain. Two creeks that eventually form the Falling Waters River (which eventually goes over Burgess Falls) come together in a beautiful valley. A road fords the two creeks. During dry weather, both creeks are dry. During heavy rains, the creeks from a deep torrent of water. During normal weather, there is just enough water in the creek beds to ford a creek. One day shortly after first discovering this blast from the pioneer days of Tennessee, I came up with the bright idea to wash my car in the creek. The first friend washed his with no problem. Then it came my turn. We washed mine and then I got the tires stuck. As the tires dug into the slippery rocks, water began to seep into the floor boards. Then two guys with a monster truck just happened by and pulled the my car out with a big cable.
Anyway, I crossed the creek many times afterward until I graduated from Tennessee Tech. Then six years later on vacation, I wound up back at the creek with my 1992 Toyota Tercel. I stopped on the northern side of the creek and looked across the clear waters that were slightly higher than normal due to the March snow storm earlier in the week. I could see the bottom of the creek all the way across. I backed the car up for a running start. The car's little moter purring away, oblivious to what was about to happen to it. I pulled the huge full sized VHS cam-corder out of the back seat and handed it to my wife. She pleads with me not to try it. I tell her that I have crossed this creek many times before. She starts video taping and I start driving forward. The front of the car dips downward! The tires hit water! We are still heading downward! Water splashes up over the hood and hits the wind shield. I continue to give the car gas! The vehicle continues across the clear water arriving damp, but unharmed. I turn around and return to the creek. From the south side looking north, it was obvious that the one creek had dug a deep little channel on the north bank of the ford. Knowing that there was that deep channel, the return crossing was less eventful.
And now without any further ado, here is the visual animated picture:
Of course, don't try this stunt on your own. The only damage found on the car was the front licences plate became bent. More people die from flooding that any other natural disaster due to people crossing water that looks shallow. The map above was generated using DeLorme's Street Atlas USA with a lot of the detail removed. If you want to located the ford, here are rough directions: While traveling on Interstate 40 between Nashville and Knoxville, Tennessee, take exit 290 which is US- 70N. Drive southward to the first road of any size on the left. Turn on this road and drive until it crosses a bridge over Falling Waters River. Turn left and go under pair of Interstate bridges. This road will then parallel the interstate. You will drive past a turn off for Hidden Hollow. Eventually the road will veer away from the Interstate and travel down a beautiful valley. There will eventually be a road on the right next to an old beautiful house. If the sign has not been knocked down, the name will be Macedonia Cemetery Road. This road immediately forks into Issac's Pass Road on the left and Macedonia Cemetery Road on the right. Issac's Pass Road has a bridge over one of the creeks. Macedonia Cemetery Road (at least two years ago) still forded the creeks. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK. Have fun.
This page was created and copyrighted © 1998 - 2002 by Christopher L. Augustus.
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