Another Walk /  by Dave Hileman

After church on Sunday we went to the Eno River State Park and did a nice roughly 3 mile walk in the forest. We choose a combination of two trails, Cole Mill and Bobbit Hole were the two primary ones we were on. It starts off in the woods and over a ridge then drops through a tent only camper area and then on to Bobbits Hole. This is a popular swimming place and there were 8 people and 4 dogs in the water when we left the area. We then walked along the river about a mile back up a short hill to the parking area. Perfect weather for a hike.

This seems like an odd place to care that you are changing counties?

The swimming hole.

All the feeder streams have bridges which is nice.

The river was placid and we finished our along the banks of the Eno.

Not the Horticulture Channel! /  by Dave Hileman

Yet, I loved this tiny rose bud. It was on a trellis as you enter the rose garden. The flower was about three quarters of an inch long and came out of the trunk and not off a shoot. I just thought it was delicate and perfect. Once again from the Raleigh arboretum.

A Walk /  by Dave Hileman

Cindy and I went for a longer walk today in Raleigh. The weather was perfect. Something I would rarely say. We went to Lake Johnson in the south portion of Raleigh and parked by the trail near the bridge. The first 2.8 miles is paved and flat until you cross the dam at about 1 mile, then the ups and downs are pretty steep and a good workout. We crossed the fishing bridge and back to the car to eat our lunch. Apples! Then we did the East loop. This side is not paved and very pleasant. Good views of the lake. The first 1/2 mile is flat then you cross a boardwalk over a marshy area and a creek and the hills begin. This time you need to watch for roots. We stopped for a short time at an overlook and watched a couple of Blue Heron in the distance. It was a nice hike and if I had not missed a portion of the correct trail it would have been about 4.5 miles, we added a mile:)

I hope they are very happy!

Green and Green /  by Dave Hileman

We were walking along the Green River in the Mammoth Cave National Park. This is a large park both above and below ground and there are miles of hiking trails and horse back trails. This trail led off the plateau down to this river with deep forest and decent cliffs on one side of the water. Steamboats used to bring tourists to the area and docked near where we were. What caught my eye were the emerging leaves - spring green agains the deeper, green, brown-tinged Green River. An early sign of spring at a higher altitude in the Cumberland.

Drips and Domes /  by Dave Hileman

This was the name of one of the tours I took at Mammoth Cave. It included 580 steps down into the cave where we were on a level that was nearly 300 feet underground. It was about a 2 mile walk through the limestone passages of the cave. There are about 400 miles of mapped and they estimate 600 miles of addition passages in this massive underground labyrinth.

Is it real or is it memorex? /  by Dave Hileman

Once again trying to learn a bit about using the software program. This Glossy Ibis was flying fast across a blue sky and appeared in the photo like a silhouette (who knew there was an “H” in silhouette?). So this is with a new sky and using some masks et al in a new way. Not perfect for sure but we are learning.

You can even move the background around

Poor /  by Dave Hileman

This was a throw-a-way snap. Cindy and I were touring the Dr. Pepper place in Waco, worth the visit, and this was on a wall near where the trucks loaded for delivery. It is an original - could have been re-done at some point, it dates from the 1940’s. This was the longest any slogan lasted for Dr. P. This one began in 1923 and was used until the late 1950’s. I did a terrible job with the exposure among other faults. Finally i wrote something everyone can agree with! Anyway On 1, my editing software offered a free course and following the course I got this photo. Still not a super shot but way better than where I started. I plan to try a few more this week with this course as the basis for the edits. We will see how it goes.

Yenko /  by Dave Hileman

I was excited to see this car at the National Corvette Museum. It was an early effort, and very successful, by Don Yenko’s Chevy garage in Cannonsburg, PA. The town is about an hour south of Pittsburgh and the old airport there was an SCCA track. I was able to work with my friend’s father and their team for one afternoon of tire testing on a Lola T-170 in about 1969. This was also where I had my first ride in a BMW 2002 at speed. But I went several times to the Yenko dealership cause he always had cool cars. He was better known, when I was hanging around, for his Camero and Corvair “Yenko Stingers” that were winning races across the country. Brought back some neat memories.

Safety /  by Dave Hileman

“I tell you it is safe, you can come up.” “But are you sure? It still looks dangerous.” “I can see for a long way, Sam, I tell you it is safe!”

Scarab /  by Dave Hileman

This is a Scarab race car from the early 60’s powered by a Chevy V-8. I had one of these in 1/24 scale that I used in dozens of slot car races. It was a very successful car for me because of the unusual wheelbase it was a dream to drive. This car (not mine:) was in the Corvette museum.

 More Information - https://petrolicious.com/articles/the-scarab-is-the-most-beautiful-race-car-you-ve-never-heard-of

Monday - Monday (The Rabbit and the Moose) /  by Dave Hileman

The Rabbit.

This is the latest small carving - a fun little rabbit project.

The Moose. 

So Cadillac said last we saw him that he would be gone “on a speaking tour” after his alleged heroic efforts to save the Oliver. Turns out to be not quite what happened. We found the errant Moose in a closet once we recovered the Oliver. He was not on a speaking tour, he was not writing a book, he was not being considered for the newest Marvel movie, he was in hiding. He thought he may have caused the electrical malfunction when he plugged in his antler straightener one evening. We assured him that he did not create that problem. Other issues well we could talk.


I was trying to figure out why he was in such a terrible mood, sulking around the camper and just generally being disgruntled. Finally it emerged that he was sad that his friend Tom was not feeling good. (Tom is one of Cadillac’s big supporters, along with Rusty & Dennis - who can understand taste)

Legal Disclaminer: Cadillac lives in his own reality and mis-remembers more than his name on occasion. TLT takes no position on the complete veracity of the following conversation.

So we talked a bit about Tom. Cadillac said he remembers all the great times he had with Tom. Some of the highlights were fishing for salmon in Alaska, making fun of the Amish antler-less horses, sky diving over the Grand Canyon, hiking to the top of “old Smoky” in the GSMNP, quaffing root beers after a hard day of ice cream hunting. He recalls going to the World Series and how he, Cadillac, had to pitch the last inning to save the series. He reminisces over the 36 blueberry pies they ate in Acadia to determine which was the best one and then started over cause they could not recall where they were on the list. He remembers the $12 he won playing poker in Las Vegas and the week they spent in some place hot where he had to deal with an overly large rodent. None of that compared with the time Cadillac had to save Tom from the ferocious Grizzly Bears at Lake Clark. Good thing he knew how to pilot an airboat!

He doesn’t really recall the Shenandoah Valley - it was lost in the mists of wine. But he is clear about the halibut in Seward - both times. Cadillac enjoys watching old movies cause Tom knows everything about them. He looks forward to seeing those inferior antlered animals in the back yard but he does not like the squirrels. He regrets not getting to Hawaii cause he had a most magnificent & colorful shirt. 

After he finished chatting a bit he got very quiet. He posed the idea that good people are always a part of your life cause they change you and friendship makes everything better along the way. 

Apparently he is smarter than the average moose. 

Back Again /  by Dave Hileman

We stopped on our way to Knoxville at the Big South Fork Scenic River. It is in both Tennessee and Kentucky. We were able to do a 4 mile hike to the Angel Falls which were not falls but rapids. It was a lovely day. For Monday’s post we will catch up with the errant Moose, get a few more photos posted and some new information on the Oliver saga. However, tonight it is time for bed. Past time for bed.


Different Kind of Day /  by Dave Hileman

We drove to Bardstown to a distillery. This is the heart of Kentucky bourbon country and there are numerous well known and lessor known manufacturers located in the area and they often provide tours. We chose Barton 1792 Distillery because the tour and the tasting were free. And recommended as well. Plus the company is not going to be doing tours after April so it seemed like the thing to do. It was. Our guide, Kyle was well informed and did a wonderful job on the tour that lasted nearly 90 minutes. It ended in a room were we were each given a sample of four kinds of bourbon, a chocolate and a souvenir. Did I mention it was free.

I had never tasted bourbon before and as you might expect I did not really like it. But I am glad to have tried it once. Once being the operative word here. The milk shake we had late afternoon from the local drug store soda fountain was much more to my taste. We also stopped briefly at the Lincoln Birthplace National Memorial. This is a NP unit that we have been to twice over the years.

The Moose is still holding out on me. He said I can have the code if everything goes well Friday. I don’t know what his cryptic message means but if he does, I will post the photos for Thursday and Friday late Friday. Not sure what his mood is this time. I will get to the story!

This is the still base it extends 70 feet.

This warehouse holds about 7.5 millions dollars of bourbon. It is seven stories tall. The top of the line bourbon is housed on levels 4 and 5, the lowest quality is on 1-3 and the medium is on floors 6 & 7. There are no glass on the windows nor light, heat or A/C. The process is from 3 to 12 years.

And number 312 please step up. /  by Dave Hileman

We visited the Mill Stream Civil War Battlefield this morning. It is the NPS # 312 and the last one we needed to complete Kentucky. It was a windy, overcast, and off & on rainy morning. The tour is a very old one laid out well before the NPS took over the park. Still we managed to follow the battle for about 10 miles from its start to the Cumberland River where the Confederates escaped overnight by way of the Ellis steamship that made trip after trip across the river under fire from the Union forces. On the last trip at daylight the ship was disabled. It was then burned by the Confederates.

We also enjoyed a fine cider donut at the Haney’s Appledale Farm and an excellent cup of coffee from the Battlefield Coffee. Neither had WiFi. We then did a bit of housekeeping at the trailer during a brief rain and then drove to Cumberland Falls a very impressive waterfall in the Cumberland Plateau.

Once again photos may be late for the same excuse as yesterday. The Moose stole the WiFi code.

This was Last Stand Hill. The graves are not individual as they appear, the stones were added later but it is on the site of a mass Confederate grave. The road in the background was a dirt road in 1862 but it is in the same location.