Karla's Kronicles #21

The Karla Kronicles #21 The Big Trip - Part 2
(Note: Larger and More Detailed Photos are in the Photo Albums Located HERE.)
Hello Again, Dear Readers...I began writing this Kronicles in Tennessee. We've had a wonderful time here at the Natchez Trace 1000 Trails Preserve in spite of the fact that they re-opened this preserve the day before we arrived. It had been recently hit by a Tornado! What a beautiful preserve, even with the clean-up in progress. This will not be our last visit to this Preserve. There is lots of history in this area. So sit back, relax and enjoy a little bit of Tennessee with us.
May 26th finds us on our way again. Leaving Carolina's Landing in Fair Play, SC, we have about a 356-mile drive today and want to stop in Lynchburg, Tennessee along the way to see the Jack Daniel's Distillery. It's a little North of our route, but if we are making good time, we will try to see it. As we are driving, we are by-passing many attractions and things to see near the Chattanooga area; so we stopped at the Visitor's Center at the State Border, had a picnic lunch overlooking the Tennessee River and collected some brochures and information for a trip back here in 2010.
Mr. Jack Daniel, his Distillery and good 'ol Tennessee Sippin' Whiskey...still on the same grounds as when Mr. Jack started it back in 1866. Yes, the Jack Daniel's Distillery is "The Oldest Registered Distillery in the United States". Even if you do not drink alcoholic beverages, or Tennessee Whiskey for that matter, the 1 hour tour is very interesting. We notice one thing that is very amusing. Any literature or sign that we saw regarding the town read: "Lynchburg (pop.361), Tenn. Even printed on bottles; on maps, brochures, on the big sign Welcoming You to Lynchburg (pop.361), Tenn. and the one thing we did not allow time for was to walk the two blocks from the Distillery parking lot into the Historical Town of Lynchburg. We will definitely take the time to go into town next time we pass through; I'm sure it's rich with stories and most people living in Lynchburg are part of the tourism and industry of the legend of Jack Daniel. They are proud of the fact that "every drop of Jack Daniel's Tennessee Sippin' Whiskey is made right here in this town" and they say this often during the tour.
	The reason Jack Daniel choose this area was the natural spring water coming from the cave you see in the background of this photo. Our tour guide suggested a lot of the female visitors give ol' Jack a kiss on the cheek, but I just wanted to stroll with him a bit.
After the tour, they serve coffee and lemonade in the saloon; seem strange?....well, Moore County, Tennessee is DRY...you cannot buy or consume alcoholic beverages in this County!!! However, in 1995, Moore County did pass legislation that the Distillery COULD sell commemorative bottles only. They had 3 choices they were allowed to sell. One choice was a 1981 90-proof Whiskey which earned a Gold Medal at the1981 Institut Pour Les Selections De La Qualite, Amsterdam. Two other bottles had commemorative scenes of the distillery with descriptions of the scene printed on the back. We purchased one bottle of the 1981 Gold Medal winning hootch (for medicinal purposes, hah!)
Jack Daniel was only 35 years old when he passed away. He didn't die from drink; he got mad and kick an old safe in his office when he couldn't get it unlocked; he broke his toe, got an infection, had his leg amputated and died as a result of that lost temper. That safe is still sitting in the original office building and is part of the tour. For more information on Jack Daniel and his distillery, visit Jack Daniel Distillery
	They photograph every tour group and then within a week you can download your tour groups photo. Larry and I are the 3rd couple from the left. Our Tour Guide was very entertaining and is pictured to the far right. As he pointed out the quantity of buildings storing thousands of barrels of Jack Daniel's No. 7 Tennessee Whiskey or as he walked us through the processing plant, he would make comments like "Thousands of Barrels and not a drop to drink" or another comment was "All that Whiskey and they only give us 1 pint a year". When he raised the lids to the vats where their trademark special charcoal filtering process occurs he said "Smell that; smells like money to me".
We arrived at Natchez Trace 1000 Trails at 6:10 p.m. on May 26th, to find out that they had just reopened the Preserve on May 25th due to a Tornado that passed through 3 weeks prior. Amazingly enough, no buildings were destroyed by the Tornado other than a pump house and a few shingles off the Family Center. They had no power, water, or sewer for 3 weeks, but are making enormous progress. This preserve is 830-acres and we've heard they have plans to expand. It boasts a beautiful lake, cabins, a little convenience store, and some nice recreation facilities. In spite of the fact that they were cleaning up debris from the Tornado, most of the damage was in the forested areas and the crews were working very hard on the downed timber. We were impressed by the Manager and his staff and overall pretty impressed by this Preserve. The biggest drawback is there are only 126 full hook-up sites which is nice when here for a week or longer; 527 sites with Electric/Water. The bathhouses and laundries needed some upgrading, but we could imagine the beauty of this park and many of the staff remarked "you should have seen it before the Tornado"! I've added some photos of the tornado damages and facilities later in this Kronicle.
	We really wanted to come into the Preserve (located on Napier Road) via the Natchez Trace Parkway Napier Road exit. Makes sense, but we had heard a few things about a low bridge on that approach...Whoa LOW! Not Going to Happen in our Coach, which measures 13' tall...
Do to Larry's diligence when planning our routes, we approached from the South, although the latest information said there was a route measuring 13'6" if you still wanted to approached from the North. After seeing the bridge in person, we discovered the 13'6" "route" is a dirt and gravel 'turn-off' right next to the road and still runs directly under the span of this concrete bridge!! The County cut this side road for taller vehicles. Hah! And with a long wheel-base as you are going down the slope and back up the slope...well, you don't need to be an Engineer to see this scenario is a no-win situation! We arrived and departed Southbound. We saw too many "scars" on that bridge where driver's either misjudged the height or did not know the actual height of their RV. OUCH! ZOWWEEEE!
So now that we are here in Tennessee, what will we see and do... By some coincidence, the Thousand Trails Natchez Trace Wilderness Preserve is off the Natchez Trace Parkway... how about that! So off exploring the local area we went in our nifty little jeep.

This sign can better explain the history of the Early American Trail from Nashville to Mississippi known as Natchez Trace. If you have difficulties reading it, remember you can see the enlarged image in the Kronicles #21 Photo Album.
History buffs of the Lewis and Clark Expedition probably already know that Meriwether Lewis met his early (and mysterious) demise near this site. There is still controversy over whether it was murder or suicide. You will find the grave site of Meriwether Lewis in the Pioneer Cemetery located nearby. This Monument was erected in 1848 by the State of Tennessee. From a brochure we collected from the U.S. Dept. of the Interior, NPS, reads - "a broken shaft is symbolizing the untimely end of a remarkable life".


	After a little sightseeing, we were on our way to meet Thyme for lunch in Linden.

Seeing Thyme's raw land reminded me of when we first bought Marblemount. Cut a road in and get a spot level enough to camp on while planning the rest of the development. Thyme is smiling because she knows the possibilities are endless!!!! She is hoping to build an almost totally self-sustainable home using solar power and growing her own herbs and vegetables as much as possible. We wish her the best of luck as she continues her planning. In the meantime, Thyme and her cat, Nandi, are just enjoying the peacefulness and beauty of the land.

	Back at the Preserve and Larry's relaxing outside on one of the cooler days. It got up into the 90's, and with only a 30-amp power service, we could only run 1 air-conditioner. Actually, our rear air is not functioning properly so we couldn't have run 2 airs if we had wanted to. The addition you see on our awning was our one main purchase at the FMCA Rally in March. We haven't had a chance to use it much, but it provides a bit more privacy while extending the shade for us.
We also spent some time walking around the Preserve to see the Tornado damage and the clean up progress being made.

	This Preserve is 830-acres. The Tornado hit primarily in the forested areas and where Phase III is being planned. Luckily, it did not affect the beauty of the lake and cabins and Family Center...


Back to a little touring...during our other outings, we had noticed some markers along Natchez Trace Parkway and took the time to drive into those sites as well...One of these side roads led to Metal Ford... Again, the sign tells it the best, but basically this spot along the Buffalo River was fordable except after heavy rains. Again, if difficult to read, see the enlarged photo in Kronicle's #21 Photo Album.
	Near the same area we found signs for Steele's Iron Works. The actual furnace, used to make "pig iron" has not been found, but the slag pile and other evidence has been discovered. Okay, so what is "pig iron"? After Googling "pig iron" I choose the link to wikipedia.org to explain the uses of pig iron. According to what I read at: Pig Iron Pig iron is the intermediate product of smelting iron ore with coke, usually with limestone as a flux. Pig iron has a very high carbon content, typically 3.5-4.5%, which makes it very brittle and not useful directly as a material except for limited applications. Okay, that said, what does it mean??? Wikipedia goes on to explain that traditional uses for pig iron would be to work it into wrought iron in finery forges - like what...making pots and pans??? It's certainly too brittle to make a good tool with... and wikipedia also says pig iron can be used to produce cast iron, but it has to be remelted and mixed with substantial quantities of scrap iron...etc. etc. Actually, there is a whole lot more information in the wikipedia link if you are interested in reading about the uses of pig iron. But for my Readers that are real History Buffs...if you know the uses of pig iron by the early settlers of Tennessee, I'd appreciate you sharing that knowledge with me to pass along!
The Slag Pile evidence of the Iron Works....
	And this photo was along a short hike marking a site used for getting water for the furnace; the sign reads: The trail to your right follows the Mill Race that once brought water from the Buffalo River to the Furnace
Steps along the trail leading down into the Mill Race; the trail is suppose to be about a 15-minute walk...
	but Larry and I walked it in probably 5 minutes. Since we were so close to the Buffalo River, the bugs were out in force that day. Today we have taken some history and bug bites back with us!
We really enjoyed our time in this part of Tennessee and plan to return. But now it's time to break camp and head to Indiana, where I will put the finishing touches on this Kronicles for Larry to release and begin writing Kronicles #22.
We really enjoy getting messages from you and after each release we get several responses! It's really great for us to hear from you, too. Take Care...wishing everyone Health and Happiness! More later...Karla and Larry

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