Posts Tagged ‘Waterfalls’

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Falls Creek Falls

March 16, 2009
Falls Creek Falls, Lake Catherine State Park, Arkansas. March 9, 2009.

Falls Creek Falls, Lake Catherine State Park, Arkansas. March 9, 2009.

On my birthday Betsy and I were able to do some hiking in beautiful 80° weather.  We got to western Arkansas fairly early in the day and went to St. Catherine State Park (near Hot Springs)  to check out a waterfall, Falls Creek Falls.

Falls Creek Falls is used to advertise Arkansas State Parks, so we were interested in seeing it.  Of course, there was also something of a personal connection as well.  Our ‘special’ place is Fall Creek Falls here in Tennessee, so we were eager to see what that extra ‘s’ would mean.  Actually, I guess we’re just gluttons for punishment, having to keep Fall Creek Falls separate from Falls Creek Falls!

We had a nice hike of just under a mile from the parking area to the falls.  Much of the trail followed the shore line of Lake Catherine,  which made for a nice hike.  Once we got to the falls we were able to enjoy the falls and the setting.

You can enlarge the collage above to get a better view of our visit to Falls Creek Falls.

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Riding With Us Can Be An Adventure

March 2, 2009
Dunn's Falls, Enterprise, Mississippi. April, 2008.

Dunn's Falls, Enterprise, Mississippi. April, 2008.

Traveling with Betsy and me can be an exciting adventure.  We like to take back roads whenever possible, but even when we drive the interstate unexpected adventures can occur.

Last April Betsy and I drove to Texas to visit her two sons who lived near Houston and Galveston at the time.  We invited Betsy’s third son, Jeff, who lives in Chattanooga to go along with us so he could visit his brothers.

Because of the length of the trip we decided to take the fastest route, which meant we were on the interstate from Chattanooga to Houston.  The ride was very uneventful until we got near Enterprise, Mississippi.  We were tooling along (at the speed limit) when we saw one of those brown attraction signs that said ‘Dunns Falls.

We looked at each other and wondered aloud if Dunns Falls could be a waterfall — we didn’t have any Mississippi waterfalls in our collection.  We didn’t have much time to make a decision, but deciding that a town with that name would be on a green sign, we turned off the interstate and began following the signs.

I’m not sure what Jeff thought, but after about ten minutes we arrived at Dunns Falls Water Park.  From the road all we could see was a large pond and what appeared to be a grist mill.  But nothing ventured, nothing gained.  We paid the small entrance fee, entered the park and found the waterfall pictured above.  Another beauty for our collection.

If you would like to see more pictures of Dunns Falls, click HERE.

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Just a reminder that you are invited to visit my photo blog, Photos by Senior Hiker, by clicking HERE.

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Twin Falls

February 28, 2009

Twin Falls, Rock Island State Park, Tennessee. June, 2006.

Twin Falls, Rock Island State Park, Tennessee. June, 2006.

On my last Watery Wednesday post (HERE) I mentioned that the Caney Fork River flows past the base of Twin Falls in Rock Island State Park here in Tennessee.  Several people said they would like to see the falls, so Twin Falls are the subject of this posting.

Twin Falls is formed by water gushing from a steep hillside and tumbling 65 to 80 feet into the Caney Fork.  Twin Falls did not appear until after the construction of Great Falls Dam.  The Collins River is immediately behind the hill from the Caney Fork, and it is speculated that when the dam was built forming Great Falls Lake, water began seeping into caverns thought to be inside the hill.  The water had to go somewhere, so it proceeded to ‘leak’ out the other side, forming the falls.

Attempts were made to patch up the leaks, but to no avail.  Hydrologic engineers have concluded that the hill is not in danger of collapse, so Rock Island now has a ‘quasi-natural’ waterfall.  Regardless how it was formed, we think Twin Falls is a pretty addition to our collection.

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On a slightly different note, I have started a second blog.  I have long wanted a place where I could post pictures that I like.  I anticipate that this will continue to be my main blog and that the new blog will be mostly pictures with enough information to identify what is being shown.  I probably will not post every day, but I will add new pictures as I find them in my files.  If you would like to visit Photos by Senior Hiker click HERE.

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Watery Wednesday # 23

February 17, 2009
Wetumpka Falls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 14, 2009.

Wetumpka Falls, Tullahoma, Tennessee. February 14, 2009.

This is my entry for Watery Wednesday, a weekly meme that features scenes from around our watery world.  To see more pictures, or to join and post pictures of your own, click HERE.

There isn’t a great deal of water in this picture (which can be enlarged), but I am posting it since it is the latest waterfall that Betsy and I have added to our waterfall ‘collection’.  Wetumpka Falls is the 301st waterfall in our collection.

Sunday I wrote about Pond Falls, which was 300th in our collection.  Wetumpka Falls was a footnote in our waterfall book and is located about half a mile from Ledford Mill.  We went right past it the first time we tried to find it, but spotted it the second time.  It can be seen from the road if you know where to look.  Wetumpka Falls might be small, but it’s a nice start to our second 300 waterfalls.

In trying to find more information on Tennessee’s Wetumpka Falls, I found two more waterfalls with the same name — one in Alabama and one in New Jersey.  So it looks like we have a couple of more waterfalling trips to make.

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Scenic Sunday # 31

February 15, 2009
Pond Falls at Ledford Mill, Tullahoma, TN. February 14, 2009.

Pond Falls at Ledford Mill, Tullahoma, Tennessee.February 14, 2009.

This is my entry for this weeks’ Scenic Sunday.  To see more pictures from our beautiful world, or to join in the fun and contribute your own pictures, click HERE.

Betsy and I just got back this evening from our Valentine’s Day trip.  For the second year in a row we have gone waterfalling.  This year we managed to see six new waterfalls.  Saturday started out rainy in southern Tennessee, but it cleared up enough to make hiking very enjoyable.  We had one moderate-length hike and several short hikes in our search for these six waterfalls.

The waterfall in the picture above is the 300th waterfall in our ‘collection’.  It is Pond Falls, one of two that can be seen from the Ledford Mill near Tullahoma, Tennessee.  This falls is formed by overflow from the retention pond that supplied power for the mill.  The Ledford Mill is a gristmill built in 1884 and is listed on the National Historic Register and on the Tennessee Heritage Trail.  Restored in 1996, the mill is now both a museum and a bed and breakfast.

Betsy and I were delighted to add this pretty little waterfall to our collection.  We are also looking forward to adding more waterfalls to our collection in the weeks and months ahead.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 31 Comments »

Watery Wednesday # 20

January 27, 2009
Spruce Flat Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. January 25, 2008.

Spruce Flat Falls, Great Smoky Mountains National Park. January 25, 2008.

We’re still in the grip of winter here on the Plateau — gray skies, rain and ice, but no snow for now.  So I thought I would stay with winter for Watery Wednesday.  The pictures can be enlarged if desired.

Last January Betsy and I hiked to Spruce Flat Falls in the Smoky Mountains.  Spruce Flat Falls is behind the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, not far from the Townsend entrance to the park.  The institute sponsors workshops and programs throughout the year and there are signs pointing the way.

The hike to the falls was not bad  — a little under a mile.  The trail was fairly steep near the trailhead at the institute but it soon leveled off.  It was a good day for a hike — crisp, but not particularly cold.

When we got to the falls we were delighted to find water, snow and ice.  It was quite a visual delight.  The falls actually contains three steps — the picture above shows the main portion of the falls.

Water and ice at Spruce Flat Falls. January 25, 2008.

Water and ice at Spruce Flat Falls. January 25, 2008.

This second picture shows the water and ice of the falls in a little more detail.  Spruce Flat Falls was a very nice addition to our waterfall collection.

To see more of our watery world, or to join by posting your own pictures, click HERE.

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Ozone Falls and What We’ve Missed

January 8, 2009
Ozone Falls, Ozone, Tennessee. January 7, 2008.

Ozone Falls, Ozone, Tennessee. January 7, 2008.

Betsy had a great idea yesterday.  The heavy rains had stopped and, although there were still sprinkles and an occasional snow flurry, she suggested that we go see Ozone Falls.

Ozone Falls is the nearest ‘major’ waterfall to our house.  We’ve been there several times  — a couple of times when there wasn’t much water going over the falls and once when there was a great deal of snow and ice around the falls.

Yesterday, as the picture above shows, there was a great deal of water going over the falls — much more than we’ve ever seen.  But the big surprise for me was something I hadn’t seen before.

A new (for me) small waterfall with Ozone Falls in the background.

A new (for me) small waterfall with Ozone Falls in the background.

I hiked down to the vantage point I’ve visited before, but this time there was enough water in the stream that I could see rapids below the falls.  Since there were no leaves on the trees I could see a way to get to the stream below the falls, and so I set off down the side of the cove.  I hiked down to the stream below the falls and found a second, smaller fall below the main one as shown in the picture on the right.  I had no idea it was there.

Since I was now most of the way down into the cove I decided to go a little more further downstream and found several additional small falls and cascades.

I reluctantly left the stream and started to climb back up out of the cove.  For some reason it was much harder climbing up than it was walking down, but I think my new discoveries were worth it.

A small fall downstream from Ozone Falls.

A small fall downstream from Ozone Falls.

As I said, Betsy had a great idea!

Betsy has more about our trip to Ozone Falls.  You can read her blog click HERE.

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Watery Wednesday 16

December 30, 2008
Upper Cove Creek Cascade, Wears Valley, Tennessee. December 30, 2008.

Upper Cove Creek Cascade, Wears Valley, Tennessee. December 30, 2008.

Tuesday was a beautiful day here in eastern Tennessee, so Betsy and I decided to drive over to Great Smoky Mountains National Park to check out some waterfalls.  We haven’t been over there since late October and we hoped that the rains of the past couple of weeks would have replenished some of the streams in the mountains.

We visited several falls that we had seen before and then later in the afternoon drove through Wears Valley.  We drove along Cove Creek for a short

Secret Falls, Wears Valley, Tennessee. December 30, 2008.

Secret Falls, Wears Valley, Tennessee. December 30, 2008.

distance, and, seeing a fair amount of water flowing, stopped to walk along the creek.  We enjoyed the cascade shown above and then noticed a small sign pointing to Secret Falls.  Secret Falls was unknown to us, so we just had to investigate.  A short walk led us to the pretty little waterfall shown on the right.

It was as close to a perfect day as we could possibly get — cool temperatures, a brilliant blue sky, and the sound of rushing water.  What more could a person ask for?

To see more of our trip to the Smokies check Betsy’s blog HERE.

To see more  pictures on the Watery Wednesday meme click here or on the logo below.

waterywed2c

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Waterfalls Have Water!

December 29, 2008
Water tumbling down the escarpment near Grandview, Tennessee.

Water tumbling down the escarpment near Grandview, Tennessee.

Betsy and I traveled to Chattanooga yesterday to spend some time with son Jeff and grandchildren Landon and Avery.

To get to Chattanooga we took the back way down off the Plateau and on the way we saw something that we haven’t seen in a couple of years — water coming down the escarpment.

We’ve been in a severe drought in this part of Tennessee for the past two years and most of the waterfalls and cascades have been dry or nearly dry.  However, we’ve had quite a bit of rain over the past two weeks and our rainfall total is now close to normal for the year.  Lakes and streams are higher than they’ve been for quite some time.  It’s a good time for waterfall enthusiasts!

Betsy and I were so excited to see water cascading down the escarpment that we stopped on the way back home to get the picture above.

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Watery Wednesday 15

December 23, 2008

fallcreekfalls020421There’s water going over the falls, so I hope this will qualify as an entry.  Betsy and I collect waterfalls and this is the one that started it all.

This picture of Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee was taken April 21, 2001.  A day trip to Fall Creek Falls State Park was our first big date.  Betsy and I had gone to dinner a couple of times, but that was it.

This date turned out to be a big one.  I hadn’t even held Betsy’s hand before then, but I did as we walked in the park.  I even got my first kiss before the day was over!

Fall Creek Falls is one of five major falls in the park.  It has a drop of 256 feet, which makes it one of the falls with the greatest vertical drop east of the Rocky Mountains.  As you can see, it drops into a huge sandstone amphitheater.

That date to Fall Creek Falls not only led to our marriage, but also to our waterfall collection.  We’ve now seen a total of 287 different waterfalls and are still finding more to visit!

To see more pictures on the Watery Wednesday meme click here or on the logo below.

waterywed2c

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Posted in Waterfalls | 22 Comments »

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