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  The site is beautiful but needs a face-lift as some sites are low and the hook-ups outdated.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.