Natural Tunnel,,, One Cool Tunnel With Train Tracks Running Through It

A great place to hike and check out the local scenery is at Natural Tunnel State Park in Scott County, Virginia. When we visited here October 21, 2007, author Tony Scales set up a table near Natural Tunnel and autographed his book: "Natural Tunnel Nature's Marvel in Stone." The book is a treasure trove of info and photos about this "eighth wonder" of the world.

Since train track and trains now run through this natural phenomenon, you can't actually walk through the tunnel, but you can get pretty close. The tunnel is 850 feet and access to it is available by the park chairlift or the Tunnel Trail.

Besides the tunnel there is the Carter Family cabin, a replica of the Anderson Blockhouse and the Rye Cove Education Center in addition to Lover's Leap, the Tunnel Observation Platform  and several hiking trails. You can make a day of it and bring a picnic lunch since the park is open from dawn to dusk.

The longest trail is Purchase Ridge Trail for 1.1 miles. There also is a foot bridge over Stock Creek, a branch off of the Clinch River. The creek originally ran through the bridge, but eventually was diverted underground. The hiking difficulty ranges from easy to difficult.

Hiking to the the observation platform to the tunnel is up the side of a mountain, so take your time and rest along the way. My then 76 year old Mom hiked with us up the mountain. Even though she didn't make it all the way to the observation platform, she managed to comfortably make it halfway to a bench. We waved to her and she could see us from her vantage point.

This truly is an enjoyable way to spend the day with family and friends. From the Tennessee/Virginia state line, take route US 23 North t0 Gate City. Take State Route 871 from there and go one mile east to the park entrance. It is approximately 13 miles north of Gate City, Virginia and 20 miles north of Kingsport, Tennessee. Truly as statesman William Jennings Bryan dubbed it, Natural Tunnel inside Natural Tunnel State Park truly is the eighth wonder of the world.

Bays Mountain Park Hike to the Fire Tower

For $3 per car a trip to Bays Mountain Park in Kingsport, Tennessee is an inexpensive way to enjoy a day. Wear good hiking shoes, bring some water, a camera and make sure you have enough time to hike and rest. This is entirely doable, even for those who are slightly disabled.

I'm nearly recovered after having foot surgery more than two years ago. But the ankles still get stiff and both they and the feet ache easily. If you take your time and rest when you need to you should be able to make the hike to and from the fire tower. Don't arrive too late in the day, or like us you may be the last to leave after 8:00 pm when the park is supposed to be closed.

The scenery is some of the most beautiful. And it's much cooler in the woods on a hot summer day. The greenery is lush and it's peaceful hiking in the woods.

Strolling around the park is fun too. There are wolves, bobcats and birds to view in their habitats. Kids love trying to get the animals to come up closer or to 'talk' with them. Make sure you have a pocket or something to carry your cell phone in, but don't overdo it with what you're carrying. In the heat carrying extra stuff can tire you out.

The round trip hike to the old 1937 fire tower and back is 3.28 miles, if I figured it correctly from the map. The wooden tower was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and stands 60 feet high. The steps are almost entirely straight up and the first flight actually sways. There are several flights of steps leading up to the platform observation point at the top of the tower.

The view from the top is impressive. We could even make out the Walgreen's all the way over in the Allandale part of Kingsport, Tennessee. It might be hard to make the hike in the winter in snow, but it's doable the rest of the year.

The fire tower actually lies outside of Bays Mountain Park, yet it's accessible, starting  with Fern Trail  which meanders through the woods. The path is steep and rocky, so be careful. Take your time and don't forget to rest as needed along the way.

From Fern Trail you turn onto Lake Road, which is a gravel road that also cuts through the woods. It's a wider path, but it still can be steep. Fire Tower trail is last and it actually is the steepest and rockiest part of the hike. On the way to the tower the trip is mostly uphill while on the way back it's downhill.

You feel like you're in the wilderness, out in the middle of nowhere. Yet you're quite near civilization. One good thing about going in the latter part of the day after dusk is you get the chance to howl at the wolves... and they'll actually howl back at you. Their howls are quite melodic. It was a treat to get to chat with them, even briefly.

You really feel the wilderness when the darkness descends upon Bays Mountain. Yet you're minutes away by car from hotels and the rest of civilization. A day at Bays Mountain State Park is truly worth it. It's definitely in the budget. Where else can you go for $3 for a whole carload of family and friends?

Fascinating Wares of the Antiques Market at Highlands Festival in Abingdon, Virginia

Mary Lee Snuffer and her husband David from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania have been coming to the Highlands Festival Antiques Market to set up their booth for seven years now. They enjoy their time in Abingdon, Virginia. Mary Lee offers jewelry, fine American and European art paintings, furniture, silver and unique smalls. She goes for the unusual, things that people don't usually see. She and her husband also like dining at the Town House Grill in Chillhowie which was voted as the Best Restaurant and Best New Chef in Food & Wine.

Susan Curran-Wright hails from Garner, North Carolina and carries some of the finest linens, lace and silver. She has been in business for over 35 years. Her handmade laces, Edwardian and Victorian linens have no caustic treatments whatsoever. Susan wants the beloved articles to last. She also sells Christening gowns and bonnets and Edwardian silver. She has been featured in Country Living, Maine Antiques Digest and Romantic Homes magazines.

Nancy LeRoque brought her items from Atlanta, Georgia, where she now lives. She offers jewelry, Early Americana and silver. She has been in this business her whole life, for 30 years. She holds degrees in Space Planning and in Design and Fine Art from Michigan State College.

Collector's Corner is owned by Frank and Buffy Charboneau of Bushnell, Florida. They have gold bangles, Victorian jewelry, men's collectibles and miniature bronzes and animals. They had a pretty ivory and feather fan in their display case. My family and I visit with Frank and Buffy when we see them at the Antiques Market. We've been customers in years past. They show off an assortment of goods in their booth. They've set up at the Antiques Market for 18 years now.

Earle Schrader is the proprietor of Mr Earle's Curiosities where he even had a shop in Monroe, Louisiana. He started first with flea markets 39 years ago when he was in school. He is part of the Antique Association in Monroe. Monroe has their own Antiques show in the Monroe Civic Center the third week of January every year. His booth is filled with dishes, glass, Flow Blue dishes and old workmen's tools.

Makala Munday and her mom,  both come from Illinois... Makala from Waterloo and her mom comes from Benton. They do about twenty shows a year and carry lovely jewelry. I even purchased a delightful Brown and black streaked quartz, red-brown agate, green and white tourmaline and a blue turquoise stone bracelet with silver from Makala for $25.

One of the other shows they like to frequent is the antique show in Round Top, Texas which is held one weekend in April and one in October.

Makala and her mom even gave a seminar titled "Victorian Engagement Bangles on Thursday, July 29. Susan Curran-Wright also gave a presentation on "Preserving Your Linens" on Monday, July 26. All these ladies take their profession seriously and wish to impart their knowledge and wisdom upon those of us interested in their craft.

 Times Past, owned by Don and Sheree Simpson of Parma, Idaho simply fascinated me. A button lover myself, I was simply amazed by her uniquely crafted button bracelets. I have never seen anything so artistically done with buttons. Some of the buttons were Bakelite buttons, while others were wooden and plastic ones. 

I saw the most beautiful deep Kelly green and mocha brown bracelet and wish I had bought it. Their prices for these exquisite treasures are from $35 to $170. The one I really wanted was $90. Sheree has been collecting buttons since she was seven years old. She even has a customer as far away as England who purchases those wonderful button bracelets of hers.

Mama's Lemonade owned by Debbie McNew was stocked with all sorts of goodies. She sold ice tea, lemonade, funnel cakes, pretzels, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, ham sandwiches, barbecue pork, corn dogs and deep fried Oreos. There was more food she made than I can mention here.

Beth Smith and Debbi Clear manned the ticket booth near the entrance to the Antiques Market on the grounds of Virginia Highlands Community College. Beth teaches music at the college and is a Soprano. Debbi is the Vice President of Instruction and Student Services at the college. It truly was a pleasure to chat with these fine ladies and all the vendors at the Antiques Market.

Alleghany Inn at Sparta, North Carolina

The Alleghany Inn in Sparta, North Carolina reminds me of the old roadside inns from the 60's. The rooms actually make you feel right at home. Corissa helped us check in when we arrived for a two day stay July 13, 2010. John Kilmartin, the manager also came out to meet us. He knows all the good places to check out while visiting Sparta.

There are a variety of rooms at the Alleghany Inn. This year we stayed in a room with one queen bed. Last year our room had two double beds. You have your choice of rooms with a king bed, a queen bed, two queen beds or two double beds. There also is a two room apartment with a full kitchen with a gas grill outside on the patio. All rooms have a microwave oven, a refrigerator and a wireless internet connection.

Their website is at: http://www.alleghanyinn.com/ where you can check out the different types of rooms at different prices. If you book your room online there is a discount. Also many of the local attractions and restaurants are listed. From pottery and arts & crafts to golf, fishing and wineries... there is so much to see and do in this area.

The Alleghany Inn is truly our home away from home. right now the room rates range from $62.95 to $89.95 with smoking and non-smoking rooms available. My husband is a pipe smoker, so the smoking room option is most welcome. And with the International Pipes & Accessories factory on the edge of town, where they machine craft Dr Grabow pipes, being able to smoke your new pipes in your hotel room is welcome indeed.

I plan to check out the other types of rooms the next time I visit Sparta. I wish we could stay a week... there is so much to see and do in and around Sparta. I'm coming back as often as I can.

Ft Benning Georgia Airborne School Graduation Day... Hooah

 Elijah Gale Carpenter, a rising MS3 Cadet at Vanderbilt University Army ROTC in Nashville, Tennessee graduated from Airborne School on Thursday, May 27th at Ft Benning, Georgia. Hooah. Unfortunately his dad, Terry and I missed the actual ceremony since the Army in their infinite wisdom, failed to update their website adjusted holiday graduation times.

Eli also attends Free Will Baptist Bible College as a rising Junior, also in Nashville, Tennessee where he currently holds a 3.97 GPA. He finally earned his first B, after making the President's List for three semesters in a row.

The Airborne class takes approximately 3 weeks to complete. During week 1 soldiers learn and practice their parachute landing falls or PLF's. They also do strenuous PT or Physical Training while double-timing, or running, everywhere they go. The heat is intensive, around 96 degrees with 95% humidity. Learning the parachute landing falls correctly is a must, so the soldier isn't injured after making the parachute jump.

Week 2 starts off with more of the fun stuff... jumping off the 35 to 250 foot towers. The student is connected to the tower with a cable during the exercise jumps. During this exercise the jumps off the 250 foot tower were canceled due to high winds.The Army has stringent rules they strictly adhere to while training their soldiers. Such isn't a luxury during actual combat.

Then week 3 saves the best for last. Five jumps at 1200 feet from a C-130, a cargo plane must be successfully completed to graduate. This is where soldiers find out how well they learned. it's real easy to panic and forgot the lessons, as two soldiers did when they got their lines tangled and ended up making hard landings.

Eli also had his own mishap on a landing. He forgot to ride against the wind and instead rode with it. He realized his mistake and tried to correct for it. But at a certain point the ground comes up fast and hard. He ended up doing a 360 degree flip when he landed, but remembered to keep his feet together and arms properly positioned so that when he did finally land, he landed correctly on his feet.

That was a pretty good save, son. Dad, Terry Carpenter only wishes he could have jumped with you... in a father and son jump, reliving his own Airborne School days. I know it had to feel good to be able to walk everywhere instead of double-timing it too.

Do You Take... On a Wedding Day in a Tiny Country Church

Do you take... on a wedding day in a little country church at Mt Pleasant Baptist Church in the Carters valley part of Church Hill, Tennessee Page Marie Carpenter & Jonathan Lynn Henderson united in wedded bliss. This was a special day made in heaven.

Family came from all over... some from as far as Felton, Delaware & Saginaw, Michigan. Cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents along with parents and friends turned out to see the couple wed. Most were locals from Church Hill & Surgoinsville, Tennessee.

The moms cried and then Page cried as Pastor Lonnie Wooten officiated over this special ceremony. But these were tears of joy. Page was dressed in a David's Bridal gown of Johnson City, Tennessee. The gown was a fairy-tale wedding dress of satin and lace done in a pale champagne with a veil and tiara to set off the outfit.       

Amanda Summey Sexton of Layerz to Dye for, out on Bloomingdale Pike in Kingsport curled and coiffed the bride's hair. She is the best hair color artist and stylist and does my hair too. Page looked perfect and like a princess in her finery and cascading blond curls.

Amanda is multi-talented, also shooting photos of Page's & Jonathan's wedding day. She & Jessica Green co-own Shutter Bug Studio in Mt Carmel, Tennessee. Shutter Bug Studio can also be found on Facebook. They also did a pre-wedding photo shoot of Page in her finery at Hale Springs Inn in Rogersville, TN. The photos you see in this blog are my own that I shot at the wedding.

A reception followed afterward in Mt Pleasant Baptist Church's Fellowship Hall across the parking lot. Linda Worden, Yvonne and Madison decorated the hall with seashells, pearls and candles making for an enchanted occasion. They really put a lot of time and effort into Page's day.

Food platters came from the Church Hill Food City where Jonathan formerly worked as one of their meat cutters. Swedish meatballs laden with tangy barbecue sauce, assorted roast beef, ham and turkey sandwiches along with crispy golden chicken tenders served as the entrees. A fruit platter of grapes, strawberries and cantaloupe complimented the assorted cheese platter with cheddar, provolone and cheddar-jack cheese cubes. The wedding cake and groom's cake also came from Food City.

Megan Freshour of Allandale Falls in  Kingsport, Tennessee was the Matron of Honor and Sierra Benavides of Kingsport was Page's flower girl. Gary Henderson, Jonathan's dad was Best Man and Caleb Freshour was the Groomsman.

The parents of the bride were Terry & Teresa Carpenter of Church Hill, Tennessee. The groom's parents were Gary & Angelica Henderson of Surgoinsville. Page & Jonathan took a short honeymoon in Gatlinburg, Tennessee. The groom works for Domtar, the paper mill in Kingsport while the bride works at the Allandale Walgreens also in Kingsport, Tennessee. They reside at Allandale Falls in Kingsport, Tennessee.

The Sophisticated Starlet On Broad St... Cute Little Shop

The Sophisticated Starlet is found in downtown Kingsport Tennessee on Broad St... a favorite place to shop. Where else can you get a pair of boots for $20? I found about this shop on Kingsport Deals.

Purses, shoes, scarves and jewelry is the specialty here. Semi-precious stone handcrafted necklaces and earrings are carried in the shop. The scarves look loosely woven and elegant. Brightly colored purses on display catch the eye.

You can find the owner, Angela Wallace behind the counter or arranging her goods like art on display in a gallery. It's a treat to shop here in this one-of-a-kind store. Come by and check out what's new. Get in on the latest deals.

Sophisticated Starlet is located at 217 Broad St, Suite 1000 in downtown Kingsport, Tennessee. The website is at: http://www.sophisticatedstarlet.com so go ahead and check out all the shoes, handbags and other cool accessories to be had.

The Sophisticated Starlet is open Tuesday through Friday from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm and on Saturdays from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm. Strappy spiked heeled and flat sandals, dress and casual flats and leopard or pink and teal rain boots are priced from $20 to $43.99.

Handbags range from $25 to $45.99. Rose, teal, violet and mauve are some of the assorted the handbags come in. I'm just giving what's on the website... Angela has lots more in the store. She just wants to give you a taste of what is stocked in the store. The kid's and baby shoes are adorable. They carry Bobux and I-Walk Juniors. These are the cutest shoes ever.

This has to be one of the coolest shops on Broad Street in downtown Kingsport. The prices are great too. So come on down and check this shop out and say hi to Angela.