A funny thing happened on the way to the bank

Posted on by October 30, 2013
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Aboard the Pinta

Aboard the Nina

As we were heading out the door to go deposit a refund check in the bank, I happened to glance at our Tuesday newspaper (we take our time reading the paper here) and I noticed an article about the Pinta and Nina museums being in Lenoir City.

Actually they were no longer in Lenoir City, they are in Knoxville and open to the public.

Not being one to miss an opportunity to get aboard any sailing vessel, I loaded my trusty First Mate into the car and headed to Volunteer Landing in Knoxville to check these beautiful replicas out and to wander along the waterfront on this chilly Friday to see what kind of trouble we might discover.

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Discovering PARI in the Mountains

Posted on by September 21, 2013
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OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWednesday morning and we fished up in Looking Glass Creek (a tributary of the Davidson) but the fish were elusive and we older gentlemen were pretty bushed from stomping through rapids and climbing hills so we decided to go to Rosman, North Carolina to look for some wading gear and to revisit some old friends there.  The fly shop was closed and we decided to go up the mountain to PARI (Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute) up the mountain from Rosman.

The site was built in the 1960’s for tracking NASA space flights and later run 2013-09-17 20.45.47by the DOD as a cold war tracking station.  Today, it is operated by PARI for astronomical research by several universities and astronomy groups.  Tours are free and well worth taking if you are ever in the area.

We returned to our campsite for a final campfire and some adult libations before heading in opposite directions in the morning.  Though Jim and I can’t get together as often as in years past, we enjoy reliving our 20+ year friendship and tales of sailboats, fish and the one we’ll catch next time.

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A Surprise Waterfall

Posted on by September 21, 2013
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Too deep for old guys!

Too deep for old guys!

Sometimes, we find great surprises while looking for something else.  Tuesday found Jim and I looking for some more unsuspecting trout and a rumor of monsters in Dupont State Forest set our casting arms to twitching.

We drove the 20 miles to the forest and checked out the catch and release water but decided that , although Jim and I are both certifiably mad, we weren’t crazy enough to try to wade this one. Continue reading →

Fishing on the Davidson

Posted on by September 21, 2013
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Jim's 21 incher

Jim’s 21 incher

Once again, fishing buddy Jim Hatchell and I made our (sort of) annual pilgrimage to the Davidson River in Brevard, North Carolina.  As in past years, Jim had camp setup when I arrived so we just sorted flies and tackle and caught up on news.

I had purchased a special 2-for-1 pass to Davidson River Outfitters’ private waters and we had been anticipating battling giant trout all year.  In past visits, we had done fairly well in small streams but the heavily fished Davidson River had not provided us much action. Continue reading →

A camping we will go…..
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Posted on by August 25, 2013
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IMG_20130823_112556After much study, hair pulling and indecision, Mary and I bought a travel trailer this past IMG_20130823_084657week.  Though our plan upon retirement was to sail the Tennessee River, we never really made much of an effort and the really cramped cabin of our 19 foot sailboat took a toll on our aging bodies.

Our wanderlust has not decreased but we have opted for the relative luxury of a 21′ travel trailer and broadened our horizons by moving our adventures ashore.  There is something about hot showers, regular queen bed full kitchen and air conditioning that tends to tip the scales away from the boat.

Our land yacht is a 2010 Fun Finder X210 purchased from Chilhowee RV in Alcoa, Tennessee where the good folks serviced, tweaked, hitched and sent us off with a handshake and a free night at Misty River RV Campground in Walland, Tennessee.   The proprietors at Misty River assured us that they love first time RV campers and suggested that we just come on over and give it a try.  They were friendly and helpful and offered to help with any newbie problems we might encounter. Continue reading →

Key West Trip Day-6

Posted on by September 21, 2013
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As South as you can get!

As South as you can get!

April 9 the gals headed for the Key West Butterfly & Nature Conservatory and the guys headed for the Mel Fisher Museum  to drool over the treasures of the Atocia.

Then Mary & Andrea went snorkeling and left Jim & Richard to get into trouble on their own.

The guys walked the boardwalk around the harbor, did a

You oughta see the one that got away!

You oughta see the one that got away!

little thinking about fishing and enjoyed a brew or three while waiting for the ladies to return from snorkeling so we could feed them.  We had thought of catching one like this and becoming beach bums.  We also made plans for an adventure tomorrow afternoon and evening that will remain a secret until my next post.

We picked up our starving waterlogged companions at the pier and headed for

Key West Trip Day-5

Posted on by April 24, 2013
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Mile 0

Mile 0

April 8, our first full day in Key West found us walking around near the Audubon House where the ladies hoped to take a tour – We were a bit late for them to get it in before our scheduled lunch so they opted to head for a shopping place the woman at Audubon House told them about.  

IMG_2608Meanwhile, Jim and I lost track of Andrea and Mary as they blazed away to shop so we hiked all the way to the end of the island and back without seeing them.  We passed the Mile 0 marker for US1 and found an open bar in which to quench our sun-induced thirst.

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