Indiana here we come!

July 22-27

From Tennessee we had a straight shot to southern Indiana.  The reason?  A visit with my cousins (Leopold, IN) and aunt (Cannelton, IN).   My cousin Gary suggested we park our 'home' at Tipsaw Lake, and as usual he was right on the money.  Tipsaw is a treat with moderate trails, deer, birds, a lake, and an assortmet of flowers.

The Tipsaw Lake Recreation Area is located on the shores of the 131-acre Tipsaw Lake which we easily circumnavigated in our canoe with a short walk on the dam and shoreline.

The flowers and butterflys were abundant so I will share a few photos.

Consider a stop at the Hoosier National Forest when next in southern Indiana.

Tims Ford State Park and visitors from Florida

July 15-21

Our lease had expired on the current campsite and it was time to move on down the road.  Next stop Tim's Ford State Park near Winchester TN.  My buddy Pam Linder wanted to go hiking near Suwanee TN and this was a convenient location.  

Tim's Ford Lake

Our first stop was the main facility at Tim's Ford which has several hiking trails, a fantastic bicycle path, and several 'resort' facilities.  

Arriving Monday mid-afternoon we set-up as usual; however, the cat spooked and ran into the woods.  Of course we made several unsuccessful attempts to lure her back.  Going to bed exhausted we left the screen door ajar and around mid-night she returned.  It must have been a bad experience because she would not leave the trailer for the next 48 hours!

Tuesday we explored the park, drove around the area and managed to visit a grist mill for freshly ground white grits.  

One of the park's amenities is a pontoon boat tour of the lake every Tuesday evening and well worth the $8 charge.  The lake is huge and the tour an excellent way to learn about the history and size.

Thursday we moved to the annex campground which is directly on the lake.  The site is beautiful but needs a face-lift as some sites are low and the hook-ups outdated.  Canoe in the water we took a short ride and awaited our guests arrival.  

Late afternoon Pam and Ron arrived and set-up their tent on our huge site.  We visited over dinner, played a few tunes and called it a day as Friday was a hiking day.  

There are many beautiful locations in Tennessee and the Fiery Gizzard Trail in Suwanee is one of the finest.  

It is not an easy trail due to the rocky footing and continuous boulders to be crossed.  But the rustic and rough scenery is worth the trip.

Sunday we ended our tour of the area with a hike to Bridal Veil Falls again in Suwanee

 followed by lunch at an authentic Mexican restaurant in Cowan, this thrilled Ron as he is of Mexican descent.  Ron commented "Just like my grandmother used to make."  On the drive back we walked at the bottom of Tim's Ford Dam and then drove to the top for another walk.  

Our final destination was Lynchburg for a tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery. Unfortunately much of the day was in the rain, perhaps we should have paid attention to the multiple text messages about storms in the vicinity.

After a full day we returned to a soggy campsite and learned how quickly the Fairview Devil's Step campground floods in downpours.

Competing at the 36th Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival

As mentioned earlier, the 36^th annual Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival was held in Murfreesboro TN.  One reason to attend a festival is to jam with like minded players.  

The buildings, exhibits, people, booths and main stage were interesting and filled several hours of our time; however, most of the jammers were bluegrass style where my style of banjo, clawhammer and 2-finger, are a poor fit.  Noticing there was a Acoustic and Blues Singing competition with only a few participants I signed up.  

Competing Friday

Two tunes were needed for the Acoustic and Blues Singing and I had two, “Going to German” from Gus Cannon and “Bear Creek Blues” from Blind Lemon Johnson by way of  Lesley Riddle and AP Carter.  Both fit the pre-1930s rules and using the banjo would be authentic even if I don’t have the popular blues sound.  

By the 7:30 PM start there were 16 participants, probably 10 excellent blues players and singers, luckily I was #3.  Restricted to one tune I selected “German” and used a 2-finger style, quite authentic.  Billy skillfully accompanied me on guitar.  It was a good performance: there were no errors; I was relaxed as I played and sang.  We were at top from as we looked down on an audience of 500.  As we finished the crowd applauded approvingly.  

Glad I went early as there were many great performers who followed me.

Competing Saturday

A new day a new experience at Uncle Dave Macon DaysFestival.  Having scoped out the area on Friday we came prepared and expecting to find old-time jammers.  The folks from the Nashville jam were there but practicing for their performance.  It was the same story for the other Old-Time groups.  Thus I decided to take the stage again in the Old-Time Banjo contest.  Now I am not national level but have become a fair banjo player.  Selecting my best tunes and re-tuning the banjo to “A” I stood behind the stage waiting my turn #5 this time.  Contestant #3 played my tune which was unfortunate because I can nail that tune and have more life than he did.  OK, re-tune the banjo to “G” and go with tune #2 which is not a flashy.  

Again, the stage felt comfortable the audience of 800+ did not scare me, we sat down, I announced the tune “Shoes and Stockings”, played it without error in nice rhythm at a dance-able pace.  The audience gave me a robust applause and I felt good. 

Was I going to win a contest? 

No way but it was a personal best and I won simply because both performances were flawless, I was never nervous, and it was a trip to sit in front of 800+ people knowing there may be several thousand within speaker range.  

My wish is everyone could have that sense of accomplishment.

Uncle Dave Macon Days

July 12-14

Another week another festival. 

The 36^th annual Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival was held in Murfreesboro TN.  Two years ago the festival overflowed its banks and was moved from the town square to Cannonsburgh Village.  Cannonsburgh Village is a historical preservation park which houses vintage 1800 buildings collected from the surrounding community.  Simply touring the village is amazing as the history of the area seeps into your soul.  Now you layer on throngs of festival goers, jamming musicians, vendors, exhibitors, and a music competition … well, you have something for everyone!

For me there were many highlights: recording on a 1906 wax cylinder, entering two competitions, knowing some of the contestants, singing on the porch, touring the village, talking to the organizers.  OK, let me break some of this down for you.

Martin Fisher observing the wax cylinder during a recording session.

Recording 1906 style

One exhibit was by Martin Fisher, manager of the Center for Popular Music of Middle Tennessee State University.  Martin and his mother demonstrated a 1906 was recording device and a 1907 player.  Martin graciously gave us a tour of the machines explaining their operation and history.  Then we were invited to record a cylinder. 
 

Martin and Mom

What an experience!  We sang and played into the megaphones as the recording was made on the wax cylinder.  Then a few minutes later the cylinder was placed in the player, the player cranked, and out comes the sound.  Pretty amazing. 

Critical listening to the recording through "ear phones"

Sidewalk music

On one porch I found a group playing country and bluegrass who asked me to sing a song or two.  My response, “Sure, how about Red Wing?”  This went well as everyone knows Red Wing and one woman harmonized on the chorus… like many tunes people know the chorus but not the verse.  When asked for a second tune I thought Liza Jane might be safe but it quickly became apparent that we had different versions.  Not to be thwarted, we all continued to the end with me singing one version and the band members with two other versions.  As with all good jam bands we started and ended together and kept a steady rhythm.  The audience thought we were great as they smiled, tapped their feet, and applauded loudly.  Now that is street music!

Read the my experience of competing at the Uncle Dave Macon Days Festival.
Another blog entry.

Smithville Jamboree

July 5-6

It was time to experience a Tennessee style Bluegrass/Old-Time Competition Festival.  Well, the 42^nd Smithville Jamboree was not what I expected; it was a combination of a street fair, a hometown celebration, and a music competition.  

Yes, it is held downtown Smithville TN, a quaint southern town with a struggling town center.  The drug store, soda fountain, cafe, dress shops, city building, and library make It obvious this was a busy town until the advent of box stores.

Being Tennessee the focus is Bluegrass with a little Old-time and considering the venue this makes perfect sense.  The community comes to listen and be entertained by the performances; Bluegrass is the flashier style and perfect for stage performances where as Old-time focuses on barn dances, silly songs, and vaudeville. 

Friday was a beautiful day and gave the vendors and festival organizers ample time to set-up on the day after July 4^th.  

Getting ready for the Jamboree

July 5th, we arrived mid-day Friday to discover local churches and community organizations opened their doors to the public by serving home cooked goodies, hot dogs, and burgers.  In addition they held garage sales to support their ministries.  One group served freshly made ice cream so fresh it was still soft! 

Back on the street we found the usual booths containing food vendors, clothing, gourmet and local food items, personal care, arts, crafts, and more... about 10 blocks worth.

But the rain started falling late Friday night so Saturday in Smithville was a different story.  It was wet! 

Streets were wet, chairs were wet, tents caved under the rush of water, and many vendors packed up and left by early afternoon.  But people still came and the show went.  The stage was dry and most competitors were anxious to strut their stuff for a chance at the prize money.  The audience donned rain wear, umbrellas, found shelter under an overhang, or simply stood in the rain.

Thank you to Smithville for an interesting and rewarding experience.

Fall Creek Falls State Park, TN

June 29th

“Fall Creek Falls is the jewel of the Tennessee Park System” quoting a park ranger of 32 years.  

Highest falls in the eastern US, 256 feet

Priscilla, a music buddy, recommended we visit Fall Creek Falls State Park and she was correct, it is magnificent.  Fall Creek cut a huge gorge through the limestone and the many streams on the plateau above empty into the gorge with a splashy display.

Fall Creek Falls

Trails lead into the gorge and along the rim.  The trails into the gorge can be steep, rocky, and steep.  

Gorge wall

Tree surviving on the gorge wall

The rim trails are scenic with gradual slopes. There is also ample poison ivy so beware!  But I will not include any photos of my souvenirs from the trip.

Rim Trail

The park is huge as it surrounds an unbelievable gorge.

View from the gorge rim

Canoeing the Caney Fork River below the dam

July 3

After canoeing the Center Hill Lake from Edgar Evins State Park we decided to check the other side of the dam.  The Caney River continues below the dam so our first stop was the Long Branch Campground & Picnic area.  Here the water was running too fast as there were three generators running and releasing water into the river.  The previous day the water was calmer.  So after observing the area we moved on.

We drove through beautiful hill country and stopped at a market in Gordonsville for a snack.  Leaving town we found the perfect launch area.

Here the river was still running at a reasonable pace so we could paddle upstream and a enjoy relaxing ride back down. 

The river was beginning to run fast upon our return from the water being released from the lake for power generation.  The increased flow provided several rapids to crest on the upward paddle and fun moguls on the return.  

Yes, there were trout, bass, cats, and other species in the river of all sizes: small to huge.  When you canoe there is time to notice the fish, the banks, the foliage, and the rocks.  And the access was not impossible when we returned to load the canoe back onto the truck.

Yes, it was a good paddle on the Caney.

Edgar Evins State Park, TN

June 30^th  – July 7^th

The Tennessee State Park system is amazing and we were met with yet another surprise as we arrived at Edgar Evins State Park... our campsite is on a wooden dock, much like a pier.  Yes, the pictures on the website showed the dock rails and the description indicated a wood parking surface but it simply did not register much less make sense. 

Well, it is fun to park on the dock and pretend you are on a houseboat or in a tree house.  Our site is bordered by trees and we park at the mid-point of their height.  Below us the ground drops at a steep angle to the lake.  We were not the only ones smiling at the experience, our cat was amazed as she steps out of the trailer onto a wooden dock suspended over dry land and connected to land only at the road. 

The park is part of the Center Hill Lake area, formed when the Caney River was dammed.  There are several campgrounds, picnic area, boat docks, and marinas bordering the lake which allow ample access to the water.  

View of Marina from the campsite

Our interests are canoeing and hiking while others prefer motorized boats and fishing.  There are large fish in the lake but mostly the catch we observe are 6”-10”.  However, a few campers specialize in catfish and caught huge fish with interesting schemes. 

Unfortunately much of our stay was a huge rain event where the lake rose about 4 feet.  The original plan was to relocate to Smithville for the Smithville Jamboree; however, the continued rain changed our plans.  

Yes, it did rain and these campers were prepared

When our campsite became available due to a cancellation we opted to spend a few more days on the 'dock' knowing we would be high and dry.  The remainder of the time we enjoyed the campground, the dock, and the area.

Campground shore line