Hunt's Lodge Happenings
Hunt's Lodge Updates
Egads! Where does time go?!?
Wow, and I thought I was only a little behind on updates and such - my last post was last Fall! I am a horrible blogger!
This season is just flying by. Here at the campground, we've had several previous guests come in and renew friendships and update us on their lives, and we've made a ton more friends. In our personal lives, we've welcome two new grandbabies into the family. One lives in Ohio, so we don't see her much, and the other lives here in town. We see him every time we go to church and whenever we decide to go kidnap him and his 3 year old sister. She'll try to give him away, though, so we try not to take them too many places.
As far as additions to the campground goes, we decided to hold off on the new cabins. I was laid off from my job at the end of last year, and we're not sure from day to day what will happen with Jack's employment, so we thought the better part of valor would be to wait and see what happens before jumping into any more expensive renovations or additions.
We have been making improvements on small levels, though. Each cabin now has a book with a map in it of the town that shows all of the places to eat and shop, where to get gas, auto parts stores, that kind of thing, along with copies of the maps that we make available for download on the website and state maps provided by Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. We've asked for some from South Carolina, but they haven't come in yet. It also has white-water rafting information for the Ocoee River, and I am working on something similar for the hiking trails in the area, as well as some geo-caching information. We have a geocache on the campground set in place by our son-in-law and his buddy. If you geocache, look for StinkyMartin. I'm also working on a restaurant guide that will have contact info for the local restaurants, hours, and samples of their menus. After that, I will put together something for motorcycle dealers and accessories/gear within a 50 mile radius or so of the campground. Yeah, I've got my work cut out for me...
Ice is now available at the campground. Woohoo! Many thanks to our friend in Indiana, Jack, who found the ice machine and delivered it for us!
We have added a new feature to the laundry room. Well, two new features, actually. One is a new washing machine. I found out the hard way that when a person has access to two washing machines, the one that is the least convenient to be without is, without a doubt, the one that will break beyond repair. Oh well. The new one is nicer, anyway - it auto-senses how big the load is, you tell it what kind of temps to use and how dirty the load is, press start, and walk away. You barely hear the thing running!
The second addition to the laundry room is called a dryer cabinet, and it is used for drying large, bulky things, or delicate things, that don't tumble well... like helmets... leather gear... riding suits... boots... Many thanks to our friend in Ohio, Ray, who found the dryer cabinet, and our other friends in Ohio, Mike & Tina, who brought it down to us. We have some really cool friends!
A trailer is now available to go pick up ailing bikes. We pretty much stole it from yet another friend of ours, Matt, who's job was moved out of the country and needed to find a home for it pronto. Very nice, two rail utility style trailer. We'd had it home less than 3 days before it made its first trip up the Skyway to pick up a bike.
Pedro has joined the crew. He is a small black and white dog (possibly Papillion breed?) who thinks he's ours, but really belongs to the neighbors behind us. Still, we feed & water him, give him baths & flea dips, spoil him... we have no idea what his name really is, so we call him Pedro. He's a little skittish when he first meets new people and may take awhile to warm up to folks, but once he does, he's very sweet and always polite. He is a professional mooch, and quite good at it, too.
I think that catches everything up to date... oh, speaking of dates, we now have an events calendar on the website, where we can list groups coming in, things that we are hosting for our guests, and local events and such that may be of interest to guests. I'm going to close out for now, and let's hope that I don't wait another 10 months for a post, eh!
Take care and ride safe!
This season is just flying by. Here at the campground, we've had several previous guests come in and renew friendships and update us on their lives, and we've made a ton more friends. In our personal lives, we've welcome two new grandbabies into the family. One lives in Ohio, so we don't see her much, and the other lives here in town. We see him every time we go to church and whenever we decide to go kidnap him and his 3 year old sister. She'll try to give him away, though, so we try not to take them too many places.
As far as additions to the campground goes, we decided to hold off on the new cabins. I was laid off from my job at the end of last year, and we're not sure from day to day what will happen with Jack's employment, so we thought the better part of valor would be to wait and see what happens before jumping into any more expensive renovations or additions.
We have been making improvements on small levels, though. Each cabin now has a book with a map in it of the town that shows all of the places to eat and shop, where to get gas, auto parts stores, that kind of thing, along with copies of the maps that we make available for download on the website and state maps provided by Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. We've asked for some from South Carolina, but they haven't come in yet. It also has white-water rafting information for the Ocoee River, and I am working on something similar for the hiking trails in the area, as well as some geo-caching information. We have a geocache on the campground set in place by our son-in-law and his buddy. If you geocache, look for StinkyMartin. I'm also working on a restaurant guide that will have contact info for the local restaurants, hours, and samples of their menus. After that, I will put together something for motorcycle dealers and accessories/gear within a 50 mile radius or so of the campground. Yeah, I've got my work cut out for me...
Ice is now available at the campground. Woohoo! Many thanks to our friend in Indiana, Jack, who found the ice machine and delivered it for us!
We have added a new feature to the laundry room. Well, two new features, actually. One is a new washing machine. I found out the hard way that when a person has access to two washing machines, the one that is the least convenient to be without is, without a doubt, the one that will break beyond repair. Oh well. The new one is nicer, anyway - it auto-senses how big the load is, you tell it what kind of temps to use and how dirty the load is, press start, and walk away. You barely hear the thing running!
The second addition to the laundry room is called a dryer cabinet, and it is used for drying large, bulky things, or delicate things, that don't tumble well... like helmets... leather gear... riding suits... boots... Many thanks to our friend in Ohio, Ray, who found the dryer cabinet, and our other friends in Ohio, Mike & Tina, who brought it down to us. We have some really cool friends!
A trailer is now available to go pick up ailing bikes. We pretty much stole it from yet another friend of ours, Matt, who's job was moved out of the country and needed to find a home for it pronto. Very nice, two rail utility style trailer. We'd had it home less than 3 days before it made its first trip up the Skyway to pick up a bike.
Pedro has joined the crew. He is a small black and white dog (possibly Papillion breed?) who thinks he's ours, but really belongs to the neighbors behind us. Still, we feed & water him, give him baths & flea dips, spoil him... we have no idea what his name really is, so we call him Pedro. He's a little skittish when he first meets new people and may take awhile to warm up to folks, but once he does, he's very sweet and always polite. He is a professional mooch, and quite good at it, too.
I think that catches everything up to date... oh, speaking of dates, we now have an events calendar on the website, where we can list groups coming in, things that we are hosting for our guests, and local events and such that may be of interest to guests. I'm going to close out for now, and let's hope that I don't wait another 10 months for a post, eh!
Take care and ride safe!
Summer project completed
All of the cabins now have covered porches and parking areas. Woohoo! Goal met!
Our next goal is to add two more cabins by the end of the 2009 season. They will be bigger than the ones that we have already, and have two full sets of bunk beds.
One goal down, several to go... :o)
Our next goal is to add two more cabins by the end of the 2009 season. They will be bigger than the ones that we have already, and have two full sets of bunk beds.
One goal down, several to go... :o)
MTA Pics are finally up!
Finally, after 2 weeks, I have the pictures from the MTA Fall fling posted to our Picassa albums.
Click on the group shot below to go straight to the album.
Thanks for a great time, guys, and we're looking forward to your 2009 fall fling!
Click on the group shot below to go straight to the album.
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| MTA FL |
Thanks for a great time, guys, and we're looking forward to your 2009 fall fling!
Fall is settling in nicely
Oh man, the weather is simply gorgeous right now! We're seeing hights in the 70's and low 80's, night time lows in the 50s & 60s, and pretty dry. And, best of all, the summertime humidity is gone. Woohoo!
The colors are starting to change, too. The campground is starting to see shades of gold and scarlet, while we've been told that higher up on the Skyway, colors are starting to reach full throttle. Jack and I might have to take a ride up that way in a day or two and see for ourselves. I promise, we'll get pictures and post them so folks who can't make it in can at least get their leaf peep fix.
The Florida chapter of the Motorcycle Touring Association had their Fall Ride-In here recently. Folks from other parts of the country and Canada met up with them, so it was more of an informal Eastern North America meet. This is the second year that they've come in, and I think we had more fun with them this year than we did last year, and we had a lot of fun last year. This year, they twisted our arms to go on a ride with them. OK, "twisted" is probably too harsh of a word to use. They "strongly encouraged" us... all right, they just asked and we said "OK"...
So we went out on Jack's 200 mile loop that includes Crossville and Pikeville, then coming back along back roads to Tellico Plains. It was nice to get out, but we did figure out that there is nowhere to stop between Crossville and Pikeville, so if you're going to need fuel in the next 50 miles or so, you'd better get it before leaving one of these towns for the other.
We managed to get some pictures of them while they were here. I'll try to get those posted later tonight and put the link up here.
Take care! To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine "Go ride somewhere!"
The colors are starting to change, too. The campground is starting to see shades of gold and scarlet, while we've been told that higher up on the Skyway, colors are starting to reach full throttle. Jack and I might have to take a ride up that way in a day or two and see for ourselves. I promise, we'll get pictures and post them so folks who can't make it in can at least get their leaf peep fix.
The Florida chapter of the Motorcycle Touring Association had their Fall Ride-In here recently. Folks from other parts of the country and Canada met up with them, so it was more of an informal Eastern North America meet. This is the second year that they've come in, and I think we had more fun with them this year than we did last year, and we had a lot of fun last year. This year, they twisted our arms to go on a ride with them. OK, "twisted" is probably too harsh of a word to use. They "strongly encouraged" us... all right, they just asked and we said "OK"...
So we went out on Jack's 200 mile loop that includes Crossville and Pikeville, then coming back along back roads to Tellico Plains. It was nice to get out, but we did figure out that there is nowhere to stop between Crossville and Pikeville, so if you're going to need fuel in the next 50 miles or so, you'd better get it before leaving one of these towns for the other.
We managed to get some pictures of them while they were here. I'll try to get those posted later tonight and put the link up here.
Take care! To borrow a phrase from a friend of mine "Go ride somewhere!"
Welcome 2/338th Infantry Regiment Inaugural Ride!
We just posted this on our pictures page, but wanted to share it with followers of our blog, too:
United States Army MAJ Harting brought members of his unit who ride from Camp Atterbury, IN. Here is what one of the members had to say about their trip:
2/338th Infantry Regiment Inaugural Ride
September 11, 2008 - The Talon Motorcycle Association was formed and to mark its grandure, an annual ride was started to honor those who serve, have served, and made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great nation. The 380 mile trip down to Hunt's Lodge from camp Atterbury, IN made for a spectacular opening.
While here, these "Talon" soldiers rode the Dragon's Tail, the Devil's Triangle as well as several hundreds of miles in three days. Not only is it our dedicated profession to serve but the emphasis on motorcycle safety was taken to a new level. We pay homage to our fallen brothers and sisters and take faith in a nation that allows the freedom to ride.
That same person also wrote this note:
United States Army MAJ Harting brought members of his unit who ride from Camp Atterbury, IN. Here is what one of the members had to say about their trip:
2/338th Infantry Regiment Inaugural Ride
September 11, 2008 - The Talon Motorcycle Association was formed and to mark its grandure, an annual ride was started to honor those who serve, have served, and made the ultimate sacrifice in defense of our great nation. The 380 mile trip down to Hunt's Lodge from camp Atterbury, IN made for a spectacular opening.
While here, these "Talon" soldiers rode the Dragon's Tail, the Devil's Triangle as well as several hundreds of miles in three days. Not only is it our dedicated profession to serve but the emphasis on motorcycle safety was taken to a new level. We pay homage to our fallen brothers and sisters and take faith in a nation that allows the freedom to ride.
That same person also wrote this note:
Thanks for the warning, guys! We're looking forward to your next visit already. :o) In all seriousness, we're honored to have been chosen to be part of your experience, and we'd like to go on the record that we really appreciate what the service members of our country's armed forces do.
You can see more pictures from their visit in the Picassa album we've set up for them.
Where does the time go?
This summer has just flown by! It's been a hoot and we've love every minute of it. Here it is, the second week of September already, and I'm sitting here wondering "Where did the summer go?" Granted, it's still quite warm outside, and it sure feels like summer is still here in the middle of the day, but the tell-tale signs of fall just around the corner are starting to pop up. It's getting cooler at night - perfect for sleeping outside - and the poplar trees are starting to turn yellow. They'll go first, then the other colors will start coming in. We're really looking forward to the leaf peeping and festival season. Autumn has got to be my favorite time of year.
Labor Day weekend turned out to be not quite what we expected. Jack's father went into the hospital earlier that week to get some tests run, and while he was in, it was discovered that he had some serious heart issues that needed to be dealt with pronto. "Pronto" meant open heart surger the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We had to cancel the cookout we had planned, and spent most of our time at the hospital.
Once again, our guests that were in that weekend proved to be the best in the world. A sign on the door, a tablet of registration sheets and envelopes, and a phone number to call was all that people needed to get themselves checked in. We stopped by in the mornings and nights on our way to and from the hospital to check on things and talk to the people that were stirring. It is really heart-warming to know that people still take care of each other, ya' know? The campground ran smoothly, guests were friendly and helpful, and they watched out for us. Thanks everyone!
We also had our first furry guests that weekend, too. A Yorkie who's name escapes me, and a Chihuahua named Sylvie. The Yorkie had her own helmet, goggles, and jacket, but we didn't get her picture. Maybe next time she's in... I did get some pictures of Sylvie. When I get them downloaded from the camera, I'll post them.
Hope to see some of you for the fall colors!
Take care and ride safe...
Labor Day weekend turned out to be not quite what we expected. Jack's father went into the hospital earlier that week to get some tests run, and while he was in, it was discovered that he had some serious heart issues that needed to be dealt with pronto. "Pronto" meant open heart surger the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We had to cancel the cookout we had planned, and spent most of our time at the hospital.
Once again, our guests that were in that weekend proved to be the best in the world. A sign on the door, a tablet of registration sheets and envelopes, and a phone number to call was all that people needed to get themselves checked in. We stopped by in the mornings and nights on our way to and from the hospital to check on things and talk to the people that were stirring. It is really heart-warming to know that people still take care of each other, ya' know? The campground ran smoothly, guests were friendly and helpful, and they watched out for us. Thanks everyone!
We also had our first furry guests that weekend, too. A Yorkie who's name escapes me, and a Chihuahua named Sylvie. The Yorkie had her own helmet, goggles, and jacket, but we didn't get her picture. Maybe next time she's in... I did get some pictures of Sylvie. When I get them downloaded from the camera, I'll post them.
Hope to see some of you for the fall colors!
Take care and ride safe...
Perfect weather this weekend...
It is absolutely gorgeous in south east Tennessee this weekend - low humidity, highs in the mid 80's, clear & sunny weather - just about as perfect weather as you can get for riding. I took advantage of it this afternoon and took the Interceptor out for a little jaunt. It needed the exercise, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day, too.
And... we're going to have a cookout for all guests who are here the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We had one over the 4th of July weekend and it went over well, but it was a last minute thing and nobody knew about it. So, here we are, giving folks a heads up this time. :o) Come on out if you can make it!
And... we're going to have a cookout for all guests who are here the Saturday of Labor Day weekend. We had one over the 4th of July weekend and it went over well, but it was a last minute thing and nobody knew about it. So, here we are, giving folks a heads up this time. :o) Come on out if you can make it!
Happy August!
Wow, the summer sure is flying by fast! The schools around here started back today, and I'm sure most others will start back within a month or so. Fall will be here before we know it!
Speaking of fall, if anybody is planning on coming in during the leaf peep season and would like to stay in a cabin, I would suggest making your reservation early. The peak of colors ranges from the last week of September through the middle to end of October, depending on what elevation you're at. This whole area is absolutely stunning in the fall. We already have one weekend in October that is booked up, October 17-19. The others are still fairly wide open, but that can change with one phone call.
Jack and I have spent some time out riding recently, and have come across a killer twisty road in NC - Wayah Rd. between Hwy 19 and Hwy 64. We went from the north to the south. The northern half is nice, nothing too wild or exciting, sort of a "Ho hum, this is pleasant" kind of road. Then, all of a sudden, you're in twisties that allow you to read your own license plate. Wow.
I'm working on what I call "A Most Excellent Twisties Route" - it will take you over to Wayah Rd. first, then bring you back by way of the Hellbender and the Dragon. It will make for a full day of riding that will have you grinning from ear to ear throughout most of it.
Everyone take care and have a great day!
Speaking of fall, if anybody is planning on coming in during the leaf peep season and would like to stay in a cabin, I would suggest making your reservation early. The peak of colors ranges from the last week of September through the middle to end of October, depending on what elevation you're at. This whole area is absolutely stunning in the fall. We already have one weekend in October that is booked up, October 17-19. The others are still fairly wide open, but that can change with one phone call.
Jack and I have spent some time out riding recently, and have come across a killer twisty road in NC - Wayah Rd. between Hwy 19 and Hwy 64. We went from the north to the south. The northern half is nice, nothing too wild or exciting, sort of a "Ho hum, this is pleasant" kind of road. Then, all of a sudden, you're in twisties that allow you to read your own license plate. Wow.
I'm working on what I call "A Most Excellent Twisties Route" - it will take you over to Wayah Rd. first, then bring you back by way of the Hellbender and the Dragon. It will make for a full day of riding that will have you grinning from ear to ear throughout most of it.
Everyone take care and have a great day!
Safest bike in the county...
While we were at Lowe's yesterday, we saw this:
Yes, it is parked right smack in the middle of the concrete posts. I guess the owner didn't want to take a chance of it getting run over. I don't blame the owner, it's a beautiful bike, but it isn't as if UT orange is in any danger of getting hurt around here... :o)
Don't forget that tomorrow is "Ride to Work Day"!
Take care and ride safe!
Yes, it is parked right smack in the middle of the concrete posts. I guess the owner didn't want to take a chance of it getting run over. I don't blame the owner, it's a beautiful bike, but it isn't as if UT orange is in any danger of getting hurt around here... :o)
Don't forget that tomorrow is "Ride to Work Day"!
Take care and ride safe!
Next Wednesday is Ride To Work Day!
Ride to Work Day Mission Statement:
To advocate and support the use of motorcycles and scooters for transportation, and to provide information about transportation riding to the public.
More information about the Ride to Work organization can be found at www.ridetowork.org, or just click the logo above.
In Hunt's Lodge news, not a whole lot going on at the moment. The June bugs are hatching out, so we've got a small army of them buzzing about a foot off the ground. You never see them land anywhere, and they're clumsy little boogers. I'm still trying to figure out why they're called "June" bugs when we don't see them until July.
That's just about all for now. Everybody have a safe and happy weekend. Go ride somewhere!
