“Born on a Mountaintop in Tennessee…”

Sorry, I can’t think about Tennessee without recalling Davy Crockett and coonskin caps. A youth wasted watching too much Disney, I guess.

Our own private campground, that is us on the right.

Or, perhaps it’s the result of a week in Lillydale Campground on Dale Hollow Reservoir. We are thirty miles of winding, rolling, country roads from anything that could remotely be called a town. It’s early in the season so we pretty much have the campground to ourselves…unless you count the families of Canadian geese and ducks who entertain us daily.

Local wildlife

We arrived with a cold front blowing in and it rained for two days. Normally rain doesn’t stop us from seeing the sights. We put on our rain gear and go.  I remember spending three rainy days in San Antonio. The Alamo, the Mission Trail, the River Walk..all rain- soaked  but  thoroughly enjoyed. Unfortunately, here the “sight” is the lake and we could barely make it out through the downpours.

Rain, rain go away

With less than three hundred square feet of living space our rainy day options are limited. Our satellite TV worked so Rich had plenty of sports and old movies to entertain himself while he cooked up a beef stew and meatballs and sauce. (We always eat well when it rains) I read. Boomerang, by Michael Lewis, with his insights into the current world financial crisis. (Should we have been worried when Icelandic fishermen quit their day jobs to start hedge funds?)  Also reading The 19th Wife, by David Evershoff, an account of the founding of the Morman religion and the polygamy issue, all wrapped up in a murder mystery.  Well written, an original format. Very entertaining as well as informative.

Dale Hollow

Needless to say, the skies cleared, the sun dawned and the fishing started. Rich has rigged  the canoe with all that is needed to find that record small mouth bass: a motor, a depth finder, rod holders, a gazillion lures. He caught, he’s happy. Even though we are in the Central time zone but we decided to stay on Eastern Standard Time.  We are an hour ahead of everyone else  but the fish don’t care and it’s less of a bother for us.

Fishing, not catching

A week in the wilds of Tennessee flies by quicker than you think. To enjoy RVing in this environment you do have to be good at entertaining yourself. Fishing, reading, sitting lakeside enjoying the quiet and watching the ducks, listening to the lap of the waves along the shore, taking photographs, cooking, writing, walking the dog around the campground, chatting with the on-site manager and neighbors.  It may sound boring but we like it. It’s why we do what we do. Then, of course, there are cocktails at sunset. We had one (sunset that is) every evening.