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Sunday, November 16, 2014

A Cabin In The Mountains

I really needed to get away from it all, so rather than make the RV trip south with two women and four dogs, I elected to book a cabin in Cumberland Mountains State Park for just Bev and I and we left Madison and the dogs in the hands of our house sitter.  As it turned out, this trip matched up with the arrival of the cold snap that moved into the area and the temperature dropped five degrees from the valley floor (where we live) as we went up on the Cumberland Plateau – the Cumberland mountains are the southern name for the same range called the Allegheny’s in the North and along with the Blue Ridge (and Smoky’s) to the east of the valley and some others in New England, they make up the Appalachian Mountains.  The state park lies just a few miles south of Crossville, TN along US-127.


I reserved a one bedroom, rustic cabin with a wood burning fireplace thinking it would be nice to pile up in front of the fire, do some blogging, and hope for snow.  This is my shot of the cabin outside and some of the inside from the park’s website.




The cabins are nestled in the woods with plenty of space between them but it soon became evident that this was a summertime park as we found only four cabins occupied in the entire cabin area containing 37 rustic and modern cabins.  While it had everything we needed to live, ours was definitely a rustic cabin, had been there for several years, and could stand a few improvements such as weather stripping around the door to reduce the drafts – I could see light around the door, which is not good in sub-freezing weather.  This is the cabin area around us and I can imagine it being very pretty with leaves on the trees.




This one of the modern cabins.


One of the things I promised Bev was that we would do very little cooking to minimize kitchen clean-up, which she usually does, and even though she just got home from two weeks at a condo in Marco Island I wanted this trip to be as stress and work free as possible for both of us. The first night, we ate dinner at the park restaurant where they provide a buffet for $9.25 and they had a pretty good crowd for a Thursday night.  They had a good salad bar and even though the hot food was about what you would expect from a state park, we still managed to eat too much - I hate buffets as I always believe I have to try some of everything and to get my money’s worth.  The restaurant building is very nice and sits on the lake with that side all glass.




And the best parts for Bev – no one was calling her name, no dogs were demanding her attention, and she got to stay in bed every day until ready to get up.

Photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

11/13/14 date

14 comments:

  1. No one calling your name or wanting something is always the best part of getting away, at least for me it is. Your cabin reminds me of a similar one we stayed in once at a state park on Edisto Island, SC. The one we rented was an older one much like yours only a bit larger with another bedroom which we didn't need. But It was clean & near the beach and we accepted that that was the best we could expect from a state park..Now it's "been there, done that" and will stay in a nice hotel next time. The best part is that you got away.

    Sorry we won't get to see you in Florida, but totally understand your reasoning.
    Sam

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  2. Ur cabin looks amazing,best planning,nice clicks,wish I could be there once with my family

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  3. Sounds like a very relaxing time cabin in the wood and a nice wood fire.

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  4. I love that cabin! When we're not in Estes Park at the cabins you stayed in, this reminds me of the type of cabin I look for when we visit destination on the other side of the divide.

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  5. Larry, Congratulations on really getting away from it all! We really like this park and we've eaten some pretty decent fried chicken in that restaurant. Hope that ya'll decompressed a bit! Take Care, Big Daddy Dave & Laurie

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  6. Sounds like a nice get away even though the weather was a tad cold. Get aways are so important :-)

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  7. Hi, I'm just sick about the weather this weekend. As I told you, we have had Australian Friends who had heard me talk about 'my' Smokies so much that they came with a couple of friends to see the area. They started in CA to visit family and then went to Nashville for a couple of days. They came to the Smokies yesterday --and luckily, they stopped by here to see us and see our little home. Stayed about a couple of hours --and then headed to their B&B in Gatlinburg. We were supposed to go up there today to be with them.. We had hopes of taking them over the mountain to Cherokee and back.. BUT--it was icy when we woke up --and has rained all day long (as you know) ---so we opted to stay home. I hope they found something to do today --and I hate reading about the weather tomorrow and Tuesday for them. We won't get there either Monday or Tuesday either, but I gave them TONS of options of things to do. They HATE cold weather... They leave on Wed. for Memphis. I'm just sick that the weather has turned out this way now...

    I'm sorry for you and Bev also ---but I will say that it is a good place for a getaway when one needs a few days just to do NOTHING.... I have stayed in one of those cabins (I know how rustic it is)---with 3 girlfriends who came to visit for several days. We had one of the rustic ones also--but with 2 bedrooms... It was in an October and not as cold as it is for you all. But--we enjoyed the wood-burning fireplace. Hope you have gotten some rest. We have also eaten that buffet many times ---and like you, I do NOT enjoy buffets since I tend to overeat....

    Hope your weather cooperates tomorrow..... We all need getaways at times.. GE and I will have one after Thanksgiving.

    Hugs,
    Betsy

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  8. I think it sounds like a fun time - rustic cabin and time in nature with your favorite person.

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  9. Rustic getaways are right up my alley. I hope you were able to have a fire in your cozy cabin. We are taking a little getaway to historic Savannah over Thanksgiving. Will not be with the family and friends are scattering. So I thought, get a small apartment downtown, cook a simple Thanksgiving for two and then shop at all my favorite places on Friday. A change of scenery is sometimes needed.

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  10. A nice romantic getaway! That was a nice treat for both of you. I wouldn't want to cook much in that tiny kitchen, either. I can't believe you have fewer leaves on the trees than we do, especially because we are in the mountains, just as you were then. Great pictures, Larry.

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  11. Great getaway for just the two of you! No demands makes it work! Have a good week!

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  12. Bill and I love to find cabins tucked away in the mountains and woods, especially in the heat of August and then again in the fall. We're definitely going to have to look up this place! Thanks Larry!

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  13. We are going to have to try this place out, didn't realize that they had these accommodations. It was brutally cold so I imagine those drafts were a pain.

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  14. That looks like a wonderful place to get away, but I bet it was cold with those drafts. Still it would be nice to just do what you want, when you want.

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