These guys know how to shine!
After meeting Gavin, Colin, and Denver at the Oliver rally, we knew we were going to get these guys to ceramic coat our truck and trailer.  They are hard working, meticulous, friendly Christians and it is a pleasure knowing them.  The truck and trailer are now better than showroom quality. 

Gavin, Denver, and Colin pose with us, and you'd be right in guessing Gavin comes in handy getting to those high, hard to reach, spots!

Their "Guardian Turkey", made from old horse shoes, keeps watch over their property :) 

We were able to get in another hike.  It was supposed to only be 90 degrees today, but of course, the weather person was wrong... it was 99!  The hike turned into work.

2 casual observers kept an eye on us.

Someone needs to keep an eye on this bit of wild life :)

Colin suggested Jack Brown's Beer and Burgers for a meal.  It was delicious.  This disco ball, adorned with bras, is part of a yearly charitable fund raising event.  I had to take this picture for a dear friend, Veston, who is the world's best disco dancer :) 

We came here to escape the heat in Mississippi and were somewhat successful.  We'll be leaving today for Murfreesboro, TN, and then on to Ohio for the July 4th weekend.

We had to use these two spots so we could stay here for the week.

We had a great time with new friends Pat, Art, and Lexie.  They are still living the life at 85!  Very inspirational :)

I wish I had taken a picture of Patti and Bill.  They were very friendly people and were very interested in our trailer.   Bill was in aircraft maintenance in the Air Force, as were Wendy and I.  But Bill worked on reciprocating engine aircraft....the ones with propellers and pistons!  I went to tech school for those aircraft but the fleet was phased out before I could work on them up in Minot, ND.  Gosh...I go back a long way!

We were able to trek another 11 miles on 2 hikes.  If I remember correctly, it was a little easier 2 years ago.

"My Wonder Woman"

Wait....HOW many miles to go!

Thanks for joining us again, blessings to you all.

We've been at the Oliver Plant for close to a week for our 2 day service appointment.  The service team is top notch and we're leaving here as "happy campers".  We stayed at a Bed and Breakfast, "Meriwether's Retreat" in downtown Hohenwald, Tn.   Our hostess, Melissa, and her 4 dogs were so much fun to be around.  We really enjoyed our stay and we highly recommend them!

We talked Oliver into letting us stay for a couple more days since Hohenwald was hosting a one day music festival.

They like elephants here :) ​
A description from Wikipedia:
​​​The Elephant Sanctuary in Hohenwald, Tennessee, is a non-profit organization licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA). Founded in 1995, The Sanctuary has provided a home to 28 elephants, all retired from zoos and circuses. The Elephant Sanctuary provides these elephants with a natural habitat, individualized care for life, and the opportunity to live out their lives in a safe haven dedicated to their well being. The elephant habitats are not open to the public.
At over 2,700 acres (11 km2), the sanctuary consists of three separate and protected, natural habitat environments for Asian and African elephants; a 2,200-acre (9 km2) Asian facility, a 200-acre (0.81 km2) quarantine area and a 300-acre (1.2 km2) African habitat.

"The Mother Ship"

Wendy looks on as Hannah performs her magic!

As we were pulling away to leave, our hitch started making a terrible racket and we had to go back and have it tended to.  Good thing we hadn't left their parking lot!

All fixed and ready to rock 'n roll!

Our new friend, Mike, was there to pick up his Oliver.  He practiced driving up and down the adjacent road and backed into all 7 camping spots to prepare for his solo flight home to Texas.

Inside joke for Mike....he'll get it :) 

We also met Wanda and Victor.  We really enjoyed meeting them and listening to Victor's very talented voice and guitar!  Hope to jam with them again one day.

We've been to this campground a couple of times before.  Oliver used to have this spot reserved throughout the year for new owners to camp overnight before traveling on.

I'm in luck tonight!  My favorite cook is cooking my favorite meal...spaghetti :)

New friends, Genice, Rickey and Aubie, pose for a picture before departure.  I wish we were able to get pictures of Joe and Sheila before they left.

We were able to log 11 miles of hiking over the last 2 days.  Trails were marked by paint on trees and we still managed to miss some of them.

And then there were connection issues with our app...

Which led to obstacles...

And an encounter with Sasquatch?

The park actually had the nerve to put several exercise machines atop a hill climb of about 200 feet over 200 yards of travel!  Much like the "red path of pain" I chronicled a couple of years ago, I dubbed this the "asphalt path of pain".  We did not partake of this opportunity!!!!!

These waterfalls don't exactly match the grandeur of Niagara Falls but are nevertheless very peaceful and relaxing to be next to.

This campground is on National Forest property near Hohenwald, Tennessee.  Our plan was to stay here for 6 days but we felt uncomfortable leaving our camper unattended for an extended period of time to go hiking and exploring.  There were not many campers here and people drove through at all hours.  We also needed a bit more sunlight for our solar setup as we would be without power for those 6 days.  The area was very beautiful and relaxing but we promised ourselves long ago that if something just didn't feel right, we would move on.  And so we did.