Tag Archives: river
Looking for Cades Cove
Using the Sugarlands Visitor Center as my base I started out to locate Cades Cove. For some unknown reason I thought Cades Cove was right near the visitor center like an entrance to the valley. Was I ever in for a surprise. I hadn’t gone very far when I saw a sign…Cades Cove – 24 miles! It was an over the river and through the woods kind of trip. I began to wonder if I’d taken a wrong turn.
Now don’t misunderstand me. It’s a beautiful drive. The road is paved and shaded and meanders through forests and over brooks and streams.
You even pass through a tunnel. This was the first of many tunnels I would run across in my Tennessee travels. I love these tunnels.
Unlike the tunnels I drive through when I work in Somerville, which only enhance the term concrete jungle, these tunnels blend with the natural landscape. The trees, grass and moss cover the tops and sides of the tunnels. They make me think of little hobbit houses.
There were numerous pull offs and wide shoulders for parking. Almost every stream had a fisherman or two standing in waders.
About 13 miles into the drive near sign post #6 is a large pull off with a stone wall. As I approached I could see a lot of cars and people. There were quite a few photographers with tripods set up. I couldn’t see what they were looking at until I was almost by. Tucked way back in the woods was a waterfall. Since Cades Cove closes at sunset I decided to wait for the return trip to stop. Maybe it would be less crowded then.
By now I was beginning to understand why everyone at the resort told me not to go later than 3:30. It takes that long to get there!
Finally I saw the gates and a parking area with a covered education center. Rangers had a table set up with maps and flyers and story boards surrounded the enclosure. It was about 5:30 by now and although still 2 hours to sunset the shadows were beginning to lengthen.
The ranger was explaining to some other folks that it would get dark in the woods much sooner than in the open. He assured us that we’d see wildlife. He told us to keep our eyes open because we were sure to see deer and quite possibly a bear or two. He said the females were all out and about and most had 2 or 3 cubs.
So with high hopes I pointed my nice shiny rental toward the 2nd gate which would put me on the 11 mile, one way, loop road, which is all dirt. Somehow I doubt the car will be quite as shiny when this adventure is over.
Welcome to the Yukon
Move over Dudley Do-Right!
We are standing in the famous Yukon Territory! ( Not really. Its actually British Columbia but don’t tell the tourists) There be gold in them thar hills! Or so the stampeeders believed but once they reached Lake Bennett with all of their supplies they had to wait for the snow to melt. Then they built rafts and waited for the Yukon River to melt. Once spring came, they sailed down the rapids into gold territory.
According to the exhibits located at the visitor Center , miners put boats in the Tutshi River near the canyon where the suspension bridge is today. Looking at the rapids as they swirled down under the bridge and beyond its hard to believe they could take fully loaded boats and survive. Many didn’t survive and many other lost everything except their lives.
Tutshi River and Canyon today is one of the top white water rafting spots of North America.
It was cold here. The wind was blowing. This is the start of spring in the north and it was cold. I’d tried to imagine how cold it must have been when the miners dragged their supplies here to wait for the spring thaw.
But enough exploring the exhibits. It was time to cross the suspension bridge. That was what we came here for. No chickening out.
This was a pretty sturdy bridge as suspension bridges go but when you got to the middle you were at the mercy of the wind that gained momentum as it raced down the canyon from the icy tops of the surrounding mountains.
On the far side of the bridge was a platform and at the rear of the platform a wooden boardwalk that led to a tiny cabin. Just the basic 4 walls,a stove for heat, a bed frame and a tub for washing if you dared; this tiny cabin illustrated the conditions the stampeeders experienced as they waited for spring.
Chilled to the bone we returned across the suspension bridge to the visitor center to warm up and explore the souvenirs. The hot chocolate was pretty good too.
This was where we had out passports stamped with the Yukon Suspension Bridge stamp.
Ospreys and Eagles …Oh My!
Time to head to the docks or should I say a dock. I’m heading out on an Eagle/Osprey cruise. I last went on one of these trips on a cold day in February 2011. Of course I picked the coldest day of the year to go at that time. https://aroundustyroads.com/2011/03/04/eagles-on-the-connecticut-river/
This time the weather seems a bit warmer even with the stiff breeze.
The cruise leaves from the dock at Eagle Landing State Park which is located in Haddam across the river from the Goodspeed Opera House.
I am always impressed by how personable and knowledgeable the crew of Riverquest is about the sights along the river and the birds that can be seen. They are the ones who first pointed out Gillette Castle and gave a thumbnail history. They also knew the ID and history of the impressive building that turned out to be St. John’s. Plus they have “eagle” eyes when it come to spotting birds!
Today the cruise is billed as an Eagle and Osprey tour and we certainly got to see Osprey. We also got off to a quick start with the eagles. Barely out from the dock 4 birds were spotted circling very high up. Binoculars came out and a discussion ensued but finally it was determined that there were 4, possibly 5 juvenile eagles soaring on the thermals.
Juvenile eagles are not as distinctive as their more mature counterparts. They start out brown and progress through stages as they age. An eagle expert can tell the age of a juvenile by how much “mottling” the feathers show. They don’t get the trademark white head until they are 5 years old.
We started watching Osprey right at the dock. A pair are trying to build a nest on the center tower of the swing bridge but are having a tough time because of the wind.
As we headed down the river it seemed like every buoy or marker had a pair of Osprey trying to build a nest. It was clear that there is a thriving population of Osprey on this section of the Connecticut River.
We also saw double crested cormorants, a peregrine falcon buzzed the bow of the boat, and even a red-shouldered hawk (as opposed to a red tail hawk) took to the thermals watching for prey. Common mergansers with their funny “bad hair day ” crest floated on the river while Black Backed gulls patrolled the skies.
We passed a mute swan and spotted a loon. And then we saw the large eagle nest on an island ahead of us. The captain brought the boat in as close as he could but even then it was pretty far away. At least it wasn’t hidden by leaves yet so we had a clear line of sight and there they were. Two adult eagles , fully mature, with their white heads gleaming in the afternoon sun. As one moved off the nest to a nearby tree we could just make out the head of a baby eagle above the edge of the nest.
The pictures aren’t great because of the distance but lack of pictures didn’t dampen the excitement of seeing these gorgeous birds in the wild.
All in all it was a successful and enjoyable trip down the Connecticut River and I will continue my quest for that iconic photo of an eagle in the wild. Maybe I’ll get a chance in Alaska!
Around the grounds of Gillette Castle
I’ve written about Gillette Castle before. https://aroundustyroads.com/2011/03/05/gillette-castle-and-state-park/
But up until now I’ve never had time to visit the actual grounds. I’ve always viewed the castle from the river.
I rolled into Haddam about 1pm and my River Cruise wasn’t until 4 pm so with time on my hand I followed the signs to Gillette Castle and State park.. The roads and entrance are well-marked making it easy to find.
The drive in is quite pretty even this early in the spring. There’s a little pond with a picturesque stone bridge just before you reach the main parking lot. You can pull in here and park or continue on to the visitor center and Castle itself.
I was still here too early in the season. Nothing was open except the grounds so you could walk around the castle, enjoy the views and follow the trails but the Welcome Center was closed as was the interior of the Castle and the snack bar.
That’s ok with me.
There will be plenty more to explore when I get back this way again.