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The short journey back to Ottowa was snow free although still quite cold. The Scottish contingent were due to arrive around Noon on Wednesday at Chicago. Heavy snow ( 6 - 12 inches) was forecast in the night so there was some debate as to when the welcoming party should leave. It was decided to wait until morning to decide, a wise decision as the snow had fallen as predicted but the roads & runways were clear. Archie, Alice & Sheila called in to visit on the way to Lady Wilson's and we all had a "Guid Scottish Blether".
After Dinner at the Curl Inn the Jet-lagged Scots & Linda played curling in the ladies league. Dale appeared at the Curling Club saying Donna had sent him out to play Euchre with Wullie as Charlie $5 was in town. Wullie & Dale teamed up once again (Wullie a novice & Dale an occasional player) against Ronnie & Charlie (near professionals) and extracted 2 lots of $5 from the professionals pockets as is the case every year - and they still think it's luck? Wullie & Ronnie held most of the cards but you gotta play them when you got them!
Waltham Bonspiel
Unfortunately the Scots (Archie & Co.) were placed in the part of draw such that if they lost their 1st game they would have a midnight session. This is really difficult because of the time change (seems like 6.00 a.m.) but they will just have to grin & bear it this time!
It has been agreed between all our rink members that Wullie should skip the rink this year with Dale playing 2nd.
Having lost to Charlie Dana in our last game at Kettle Moraine we are given an early opportunity for revenge in our first game at Waltham. Unfortunately Charlie couldn't make the game but has drafted in his son a very good player. Our new formation notches its first success in a closely fought contest which sets up a match with another very sociable rink, Jim & Millie Buege from Kettle Moraine. This game ends up very one sided, not their night, not helped by Jim's terrible cold/flu (Linda & I are showing some early symptoms of something similar. We are not used to being in close confinement with germ carrying humans!). Later that evening Jim Buege decides to try and drown his cold at the Curl Inn so we tag along (as do many other curlers) to ensure he consumes sufficient quantities to give him a fighting chance of success. An enjoyable evening was had by all, Jerry Helding goes missing as does Beth Dana (They did not disappear together I hasten to add, just to stop the rumour mill?) Later found Jerry had returned to the Ice Rink to watch more curling and Beth was found later, by Millie Buege, at the Karaoke in the bar across the road. Young Jonathan behind the bar was fairly well oiled (polite way of putting it!), drink was appearing from all directions and people were dancing. Met quite a lot of curlers that we would have missed if not for visiting the Curl Inn. It wasn't the drink that attracted us, it was a humanitarian mission to rid Jim Buege of his terrible cold and further Scottish/American relations with our fellow Curlers. The drowning of cold mission was a failure as Jim couldn't curl the next day. It may have helped him to sleep all day however which meant he could attend the Dinner/Dance that evening.
Saturday morning provided another opportunity for revenge against the O'Connor's from Madison who had applied the Coup De Grace to us at Kettle Moraine Bonspeil last year. Mary Joe O'Connor and Linda really hit it off last year both on the ice and later at the Dinner/Dance when they performed something resembling an Irish Jig, for the audiences entertainment. This was a cracking game with neither Skip missing with his last stone until the 7th end when Wullie missed. Steve O'Connor was drawing the 4 foot at will and Wullie was playing back rink weight tapbacks like a dream. We went into the 8th & last end needing a 2 to win with last stone. We controlled the end until he drew the 4 foot again behind cover (we lay 2nd, 3rd & 4th shot) and Wullie's come around tapback just rubbed the guard. He elected to hit & sit on our best shot (then best we could do was go to an extra end) but hit and rolled leaving a straightforward takeout for the game. A great game enjoyed by players & spectators alike, a pity someone had to lose and even worse the losers were out of the Bonspeil Once again we are assured of a Pin but would like it to be the main event this time and maybe a winners? Our reward for being so good is a match-up with the holder EJ Stern from Chicago, a match Wullie had expressed a desire for at the beginning of the Bonspeil This was another excellent game which went to the final end although Wullie did not need to play his last stone. In the final we meet Tom Knitter's rink from Milwaukee. There is a tradition in Curling that on the night before the final you ply your opposition with copious amounts of alcohol to give yourself an advantage the following day. This is not necessary as Tom and his rink do not need our help!
This is Dinner/Dance evening, themed as American fancy dress so Wullie goes as a Cowboy (Leaves the horse & guns at the door!). A very good night although the "Buffet" dinner was not too popular, but the bar was well stocked and the Disco sounded better as the night wore on. Circulated & socialized with some more curlers we hadn't met before as well as old friends. Some of the fancy dress costumes were terrific, especially Benjamin Franklin (aka Tom Michaels). We left Tom Knitter & Warren Arnst propping up the bar or was that the other way around?
Sunday afternoon meant 3 finals with us on the center rink as the star turn? This was an "ugly game" with misses galore from both teams. We lost a 4 at the 1st end (if you must lose a big end, thats the best time?) and they fluked a 1 at the 2nd when we were lying well. Oh well we thought there are only two ways this can go, we get "thumped" by a big margin or we get back in the game? Fortunately for us so many mistakes were being made by both teams we got back into the game and it went to the last stone of the 8th & final end. If Wullie makes his last shot (Tom Knitter has played 2 good shots) we go to an extra end - but he didn't so we lost. A surprising number of people were watching this game to the bitter end, mainly because the other 2 finals were one sided and finished early so we were the only show in town. Our game was so bad some of the spectators were speculating as to when someone would actually make a shot. The after game conversation was good fun as Tom and his crew are real good company. Once again we are runner-up but at least it was in the main event. More importantly we had fun, we met so many nice people, we thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience and at the end of it all Curling was the winner.
After the presentation of prizes was over Wullie & Dale were challenged to yet another contest, this time at the Euchre table by Charlie $5 Houtz and Ronnie (according to Hoyle) Shomas (will they ever learn?) This time Dale picked up some good cards as well as Wullie and modestly & quietly another 2 lots of $5 changed hands from the professionals to the novice, occasionals. The tradition of Dinner at the Curl Inn was maintained although we did have to wait a rather long time in the bar for tables as they were very busy. We didn't mind as it gave us a chance to catch up with John & Bill who had just returned from holiday in Florida and a few other locals. If anyone asked Wullie was quite happy to relate the results of the Euchre match (even if they didn't ask sometimes!) but was somewhat quieter about the Curling.
On Monday we took a trip to the downtown Casino at Joliet (No luck whatsoever) and Wullie's cold really kicked in, so we called into a pharmacy for potions on the way home. Dale & Donna want to take us out to a posh Ottowa restaurant on Tuesday. Wullie spent most of the day in bed with a fever and a rotten cough so Linda went with Dale, Donna, Dianne & Sandy Houtz.
Tomorrow we head south for Alabama, leaving all these lovely friendly people behind, but we will return next year. A special thanks is due to our hosts Marylou & Ronnie Shomas, who are really patient, kind and such good company. We are made to feel really at home and it is working so well it seems like a second home to us. Ronnie even contributes to our retirement through the Euchre games - that is hospitality above and beyond belief.
On a dry but cold day the miles rolled by fairly quickly and we stopped for the night in Clarksville Tennessee only 150 miles to go the next morning. Took the scenic US231/431 from Tennessee to Huntsville through rolling hills. Arrived at Madison RV to discover, much to our disgust, that the repairs had not been completed. When we spoke to them a few days prior we were told that all parts would be in and the repair complete. Fortunately the RV was roadworthy and livable so we headed for Guntersville Lake State Park (50 miles away) where we booked in for five nights, hopefully this would be long enough for the parts to arrive!
Guntersville Lake State Park - Is attractively situated on the shore of the lake, formed by the damming of the Tennessee river. Unfortunately the weather was not kind to us during our stay, mainly dull, wet & cool. This prevented us from taking advantage of this nice location or any of the 3 tennis courts. On the best day we hiked around the park to the Lodge (about to undergo renovation) which has wonderful views of the lake.
Huntsville/RV Repair - Since the parts had arrived we took the RV back to Huntsville for completion of the repairs. Got there by 8.30 a.m. just in time to hear the siren warnings for a tornado. While we ate breakfast in a nearby restaurant we watched the very heavy rain driven by the strong winds bounce back 2 feet off the ground. After breakfast we headed for the safety of a shopping Mall . In the afternoon the sun came out with temperatures in the 70's. Resupplied at Costco before heading back to Madison RV for 3 p.m. as arranged. The repairs were eventually completed by 4.30 p.m. As our next campsite was in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in the eastern time zone (lose an hour) we phoned ahead to say we would be late arriving. Arrived and set-up in the dark.
Chattanooga
Chattanooga is as everyone knows immortalized in song "The Chattanooga Choo Choo" from the era when the railroad connected Cincinnati to the south. We drove into town and before boarding the the free shuttle bus downtown visited Terminal Station, the home of the Choo Choo. The station was a hub of activity in the early 1900's and is now a hotel & vacation complex owned by the Holiday Inn chain. You can sleep aboard authentic railcars, dine in a Victorian railcar or be serenaded as you eat by singing waiters in the Station House restaurant. A few shops, a rose garden with fountains and the Choo Choo of course are also included in this old railway station setting, making for an interesting visit.
Utilized the free shuttle bus (every 8 minutes) for the trip downtown. Chattanooga's history is dominated by the Tennessee river and even today the downtown area is situated in an oxbow in the river. We strolled along the Riverwalk., crossing the Tennessee on a pedestrian bridge to Coolidge Park. Linda rode the indoor Carousel (all the mounts hand carved locally) and visited the Christmas Shoppe. On a lovely spring day the locals were out enjoying BBQ's and fresh air in the park. The smell of the BBQ's reminded us that we should eat sometime soon so we re-crossed the river to the downtown area. Linda had discovered that Chattanooga has a Microbrewery (It's uncanny the way she picks up this information?) so the decision in respect of an eating place was easily made. The Big River Grille & Brewing Works has a good selection of Microbrews, they even have a brew on a beer engine served unchilled. We suspect it's not too popular as the barman hinted Wullie might like the chilled one better. This is a large restaurant & brewery and we ordered a delicious Pizza sitting at the bar so Linda could smell all those Hops. It must be said that Wullie enjoyed his 3 pints as well.
Ruby Falls - Ruby Falls are situated on Lookout Mountain which overlooks Chattanooga & the Tennessee river. Theere are quite a few attractions on Lookout Mountain, which sits astride the Tennessee/Georgia state line, including Rock City Gardens with views of 7 states (Alabama, North & South Carolina,Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee & Virginia), the Incline railway and Point Park. To access Ruby Falls, you must drive up the mountain, take an elevator 260 feet underground into a cave and stroll through some very attractive stalagmites etc. before reaching the falls. Ruby Falls are 260 feet underground, cascading 145 feet into a pool, quite remarkable. We had previously said we would not visit any more caves but a 145 foot underground waterfall was too much to miss. Rather than ride the Incline Railway we drove to the top and watched the cars inching their way up the Mountain. Unfortunately it was somewhat hazy, not a good day for the views. We enjoyed the tuneful serenade of a Song Sparrow when we returned to the truck.
Lookout Mountain Battlefield and Point Park - This historic park has monuments, artillery emplacements, hiking trails & scenic overlooks. On a lovely sunny day it seemed like a nice place to visit. The Confederate army sited the artillery on Lookout mountain in an attempt to blockade the port of Chattanooga although they were not too successful. The Union soldiers attacked in the early morning mist and captured the strategic position. The records show more Union dead than Confederate but there are many, many more Confederates unaccounted for. A few Scottish names were identified on both sides, but at this battle more Scots seemed to be Confederates? We hiked to Sunset Rock along the Bluff trail, passing many rock climbers along the way, and enjoyed the panoramic view of Lookout valley whilst eating our lunch before returning along the road. We admired some grand houses on our return trip as housing on Lookout Mountain is much sought after.
This 120 mile move to the mountain region of Georgia was the prettiest drive we have had for many months. We've been away from this mountain scenery far too long. Our journey took us through mountain passes over 3,000 feet, past beautiful lakes, through forests until our arrival at Unicoi State Park, Georgia, our home for a week. This is a lovely State park where we would enjoy good hiking, wood fires in the evening and visitors to our bird feeder. Two of our visitors, a pair of Carolina Wrens, took a fancy to our RV. There is a weather protected enclosure, housing electric wiring, above the 5th wheel pin. Linda remarked that these Carolina Wrens were spending a lot of time under the RV and then Wullie thought he seen them fly out of the front. On returning from a day out our neighbour told us that he suspected the wrens were building a nest in the nose. They had constructed a 3 room nest (judging by the material we removed) which we had to remove before we moved. Luckily no eggs had been laid but we apologised profusely to the very industrious wrens for having to destroy their nest. The wildflowers and blossoms are adding bright swathes of colour to the countryside and pretty soon the Rhododendrons will be in full bloom - big festival in early May. 
Helen - Unicoi State park is located 2 miles from the very attractive tourist town of Helen. In 1969 this small town was transformed from a dull dreary industrial town into a very smart Alpine village, thanks to a few business men who wanted something better for their town. They decided to clean up the town to attract the many tourists passing through on their way to the mountain recreation areas. The transformation took place without any state or federal handouts and the Alpine dressing of the buildings was the idea of a local artist who had been stationed in Bavaria whilst serving in the U.S. army. Today it is a thriving village with tourism the main source of employment. New motels and other businesses have moved in and all new buildings must follow the alpine theme.
Anna Ruby Falls - . We took the five mile trail from Unicoi state park to Georgia's most visited waterfalls. The trail took us through the forest alongside Smith Creek with many clumps of violets in various shades of blue lending interest to the trail. The bright sunny day made the twin falls look even more beautiful. We returned to the State park via the road making a circular hike.
Amicalola Falls - A Cherokee Indian word meaning "tumbling waters" is an appropriate name for these 729 foot falls - the tallest east of the Mississippi River. Numerous trails lead from the State park office, some more difficult than others. We took the easy half mile creek trail which lead to the bottom of the falls. Not only were we very impressed with this beautiful waterfall but also the variety of spring wildflowers along the path by the lower part of the falls. We climbed steps to half way up the waterfall where we had good views to the top of the waterfall and down into the gorge. If you like waterfalls (we do!) then this one, within Amicalola State park, is well worth a visit.
Tallulah Gorge - The gorge is over 1,000 feet deep in parts and more than two miles long. Tullulah Falls Dam controls the flow of water to the 5 waterfalls which vary from 17 feet to 96 feet in height. This is one of the most spectacular gorges in the eastern U.S.A. and at the beginning of the century the town of Tallulah Falls rivaled Niagara Falls as a resort town. Made a state park in the 1990's they have created safe trails long both sides of the gorge giving good views of all the falls. We hiked both sides of the gorge returning via 750 steps down to the suspension bridge. There are a further 450 steps down to the riverside but these are not really worth the effort as you get a much better view of the falls from the top.
Unicoi State Park to High Falls State Park
A short 140 mile trip seemed a little further as we had to navigate our way around Atlanta. The weather was still cool, in the 50's, but it was clear & sunny.
High Falls State Park - Being close to the Interstate this State park had a lot of one niter's but was well worth the visit. A man made weir helped create a boating/fishing lake in the park,
before the water from the weir tumbled steeply down the Towaliga river forming a series of wonderful waterfalls. A hiking trail by the side of the waterfalls offered access and we walked the trail as far as possible, then returned to the park. Georgia State parks have a day use fee of a few dollars (3-5) but Wednesday is free and the local folks were taking advantage of this on a warm sunny day, BBQ'ing & picnicking at the many tables & grills alongside the weir & river.
Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge - The attraction of this area was the Wildlife Refuge as it has quite a few colonies of the rare Red-Cockaded Woodpecker, which we have yet to see. Unfortunately they were not yet in their active phase but we did enjoy hiking a few of the trails on the refuge even although the birds were reluctant to show themselves. We were directed to a remote corner of the Refuge as the most likely spot to see some activity but when the gravel road turned into deeply potholed track we decided we had missed a turning somewhere along the way. As the few road signs there are in the refuge are coded in Refuge speak we abandoned our search and headed home for a beer and a BBQ.
Georgia Peculiarity's:
Next month - Mississippi, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado for a curling weekend in Utah. More than 2,000 miles.
Miles travelled this month: 1,342
Total miles travelled since May 1999: 85,947
Interesting Hyperlinks:
Chichamauga and Chattanooga National Military Park
