Working my way west

One of the biggest dangers I run into as your intrepid adventurer is that I lose track of time. It has happened again and now I haven’t posted in a while. To make matters worse, I have also failed to take adequate photos to entertain you. Alas. Thank goodness this is all free so you cannot claim you are not getting your money's worth for the content. 

When I last updated this blog with my tracking of Big Foot, et. al., I was in Virginia. From there I headed to Tennessee. I checked out eastern central Tennessee in my never-ending quest for the discoverable. I stopped by a limited number of breweries based upon the time of the week I was there plus the nearby state park was so pretty and had multiple hiking trails that I had to explore. There was no evidence of Big Foot on the trails (and why would there be as there has been no evidence of Big Foot on hiking trails) but I still had a lovely time enjoying the scenery.

Center Hill Lake. I have dozens of pictures but none capture how pretty this is. The trails were also excellent and gave me an inspiration for a tattoo if I decide to get another one.

I did have a nice visit to Red Silo Brewing in Cookeville. The beer was excellent, and I grabbed a growler of their brown ale for a later time when I knew it would come in handy. There was a pizza skoolie out front and I had a slice of the daily special. What was neat is that there was no charge for the pizza. Just pay for what you can afford and think it is worth, and I found it to be quite delicious. 

A nitro ale. The flyer was from a Rotary fundraiser. Amy was a Rotarian and those service clubs are the backbone of communities. 

I then made a slight detour to Kentucky which was not part of my original plan, but what are plans for but to be changed. I met one of the people I worked with in the remote DOD facility for wine and music. B brought along her friend J and it was nice to hang our with B again and to meet J. Unfortunately, B’s husband C didn’t make it, but it was a lovely day and he needed to go mountain biking. In any event, there are no photos which is fine since Big Foot was also not there. B was kind enough to bring along snacks, so J and I had a lovely time sharing a bottle of wine and having some munchies. 

I next spent a few days in western Tennessee at a campground that had their own disc golf course. I have seen people play this from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula down to Texas and I figured it’s been over 30 years; I should play it again. Apparently, the game has advanced since the olden days and they now have special weighted discs. Since I was completely clueless, I borrowed a couple from the club house and hit the course. The best thing I can say about my game is that I got better as time went on. To be clear, I was never good. I was rarely mediocre. I occasionally was awful but that was on my better holes. Despite what could have been one of the worst rounds of disc golf ever played, I had a great time. I can definitely see Big Foot playing this game and I will need to be more diligent when I am out to check other courses. I might even buy my own disc, but it will need to be reinforced to be able to take a good hit from a tree. 

My next stop was near Mountain Home, Arkansas. I met up with S&S who I had adventured with last winter in Texas and last summer in North Dakota. I can say that I was incredibly diligent at hunting Big Foot with them. Unfortunately, there was no success and not even a lot of pictures. I was a little distracted as I had a designated driver which is not something that comes along very often. I will do my best to share the names of the breweries. It is a little fuzzy but I think I am pretty close. I also shared the aforementioned growler plus the last of my Buffalo Trace Bourbon Cream. I should also mention that we did a nice hike and also went to a local cavern for a tour. But pictures of a cavern are never as satisfying as actually being there. 

We stopped at Norfolk Brewing and played scrabble and dominos and possibly had a beer or two,  The photo of S&S was at Gravity BrewWorks which was celebrating some anniversary. I don't recall which one but I am sure you can search for that online. This is a blog and not an encyclopedia. . We also stopped by Rapp's Barren Brewing Company several times for beer and dinner. The food was incredible and far above most places. Plus we were able to hang out upstairs on the leather couches and eat and drink. What more can you ask for? We also stopped at a local speakeasy bar. You need to know the passcode to get in, Without it, no entry. I assume this makes it a private club or something to stay within liquor laws, no clue. Stories Whisky Bar had incredible classic drinks prepared expertly. I would not say it was inexpensive, but since I wasn't driving, I didn't care. I would not miss this place if I was in town again.

View from my campsite. Yes, it was that pretty

S&S enjoying a beverage.

After that visit I went onto Branson, Missouri or as one local calls it – “Ned Flanders’ version of Las Vegas”. I found some nice places to hang out and some excellent hiking trails. There are a number of breweries in town and up towards Springfield. I will be here all month (more or less) and will be exploring as best as I can. No evidence of Big Foot yet, but one must be patient. 

Turkey Creek Brewery - decent beer and wood oven fired pizza made right there at the bar.

Vintage Paris coffee shop. Delightful coffees and teas. Relaxing place to hang out and spend some time after a hike. Didn't see Big Foot, but I will be back again.

I did have one detour already from my Branson stay. I went up to northern Iowa for a few days to get the slide mechanism addressed. It is all good now and the trailer got a clean bill of health from the dealership. I could have had someone closer work on it, but I have complete confidence in this family-owned dealership and their mechanics. There is value in trust and as this is currently my home, I felt it best to safe rather than sorry. Of course, that was a bit of a drive and after 1100 miles in 4 days and I am a little tired. Luckily, I had headwinds headed north one day (which means cold winds from the north while in Iowa) and headwinds on the way south (which means hot in Branson). This did nothing to help my gas mileage, but I am sure the oil companies appreciate the extra money. The important thing is that the trailer is back to good and is ready for a long life. 

That long life will probably not be with me owning it though. I am likely going to part with this trailer in the spring (or the third phase of winter for my Wisconsin friends – meaning March). I have my eye on several options. I am not ready to share what my leading option is but be rest assured, I will have thought long and hard before I make any decision. If someone is interested in a quality trailer let me know and I will give you a great deal. There is nothing wrong with the trailer, it just doesn't align with my future plans and having excessive gear is something I strive to avoid.

Until next time, 

Thor 

Braxwood.com