Betsy at the North Overlook on Black Mountainnn. January 9, 2008.
Yesterday, since we had gone out for the previous two days, Betsy and I decided we would stay home. It was laundry day for Betsy and I had wood to bring up to the garage and Christmas decorations to put away in the attic.
We did quite well until the early afternoon, but the day was entirely too nice to stay in. So we drove to Black Mountain Recreation Area near the town of Crab Orchard, which is only about seven miles from the house. The recreation area is atop Black Mountain (I guess that makes sense) and features a 1.7 mile loop trail that connects two overlooks. There is also a connection with the Cumberland Trail, which, when completed, will be a north-south hiking trail across Tennessee.
We’ve been to Black Mountain several times. Betsy especially wanted to go back in the winter to see if it was possible to spot Fairfield Glade from the North Overlook when there were no leaves on the trees. The North Overlook provides a view of Crab Orchard Valley which lies between Black Mountain and the Glade. The picture above shows Betsy at the North Overlook, but we still couldn’t see much because of all the tree branches in the way.
We continued on around the loop to the South Overlook, which probably has the best view of the Cumberland Plateau and the Tennessee Ridge and Valley beyond. The South Overlook is our favorite place on Black Mountain, but we couldn’t stay long yesterday. It was getting late and I definitely did not want to drive down the narrow, one-lane road after dark!
Senior Moments 