NOT A RESCUE SITE------BUT

I guess everyone knows by now that I like dogs. I don't want to make this blog site a dog rescue site but I owe it to these two friends below to do my best for them. I have been fostering them now for months and can't seem to find anyone who is interested in them. They are not any particular breed, and they don't do fancy tricks, but they are loyal and better company than some humans I know. If any one of you know of someone who would like to adopt a great dog and make him or her your friend; please let me know through email or a message on this blog. Both these dogs are fantastic! They just aren't pure bred nor are they baby puppies. They are sweet, kind and ask only for a gentle touch occasionally. Please keep these two super dogs in mind as you meet and talk to your friends.. Boone is a hound of sorts. He is docile and lays around. He will come immediately to you if you approach. He is great with children and other dogs. He uses the dog door to go outside when necessary. As for cats; he stares at Homer and I have exercised caution with him. He tends to ignore cats on the whole. He is up to date on his shots, vaccinations, is neutered, heart worm is good to go and receives Front Line treatments. He is a very docile. Jazzie is also a super docile dog. She is slow at everything accept running. She takes her hand delivered treats in super slow motion, slowly biting down on it and gently removing the treat from your fingers. She makes eye contact and holds it throughout your involvement with her. This is a smart dog. She runs with grace and finesse. Her lean body stretches out and her feet gently touch the ground in what appears to be slow motion. She is a quiet dog. You never know she is there. Jazzie has had her shots and vaccinations, heart worm treated and is on Front Line. She is spayed. Again; her only problem is that she is not a puppy nor pure bred. She needs a break and a loving, forever home. She deserves it. This is Boone. His only crime is that he was born.

This is Jazzie. A great dog!!!

SHADE

This is Shade. I found her in the forest at Chilhowie Lake while camping off the boat last week. She was actually in the forest about half mile away from a public camping area. Her body was lean indicating she was starving. Of course, I picked her up after a little coaxing with Douglas's food. This dog is one of the most loving dogs I have ever had the pleasure of being with. She is like Velcro on me. It is said that they know and bond to the one who saves them. Maybe that is true. But Shade is exceptional in that area. She walks over and stands there with her muzzle laying on my knee. All she asks for is a hand to be laid on her head. She follows me everywhere. I am going to put effort to have her sit/stay and lay down. Her virtues are as follows: She is house trained (uses our dog door without prompting,) is super friendly and quiet, gets along well with cats and children, appears to be leash trained and walks calmly at your side on a leash. It seems she is about four years old. She is solid shiny black without a flaw in the paint. Shay has had her shots and vaccinations. She has been spayed only yesterday and was a bit lethargic today for the pictures I just took. She has a $150.00 adoption fee associated with her. The dogs that are saved from terrible fate receive only the best vet and feed from me. If any of you know of a good home for this gorgeous loving animal; please contact me through this blog or email me. My friends at Great Dog Rescue should have her pictures on their site as soon as I can send them. I get attached easily to these babies so I hope someone responds soon as I am tempted to increase my family with another permanent member. And look at those beautiful white teeth! Shade.

BIKES, BOATS, DOGS AND BARBER SHOPS

I wanted to go back to the Big South Fork today. I left in the morning and just rambled around North West of Oakridge. I found some fine roads and one in particular, route 127, is a real jewell of a motorcycle road. I picked a couple other roads and one lead me to Bill and Mikes Barber Shop in Jellico, Tennessee. Over a hundred years old. I don't know how much a hair cut is. That is big country up there and I need Kevin along as a guide.

So there we are, laying on the deck of the boat enjoying a peaceful evening and ready to fall asleep to the tune of a rambling brook way back in the cove when Douglas growls. He is staring into the thick stuff. Oh no! I immediately thought boars. Douglas stepped off the boat but didn't move toward the woods. He just stood there. Then a movement and a body black as coal came toward the boat cautiously. I gave her Douglas's food, loaded her up and came home and played pick off the tick for an hour. He is beautiful. What am I going to do with her?

What a sweet face. Who could throw her away?

Douglas and Happy are in for an evening swim. What a pair!

This is a little cove on Chillhowee Lake I found. A perfect spot for camping. We saw a pair of Boar here last week and I'm sleeping on the deck of the boat. No way am I going to risk running in to them again especially at night.

A GREAT RIDE WITH ANOTHER NEW FRIEND AND A NEW HORSE

The sky is purple and black with yellow and orange around the edges. Thor's hammer strikes an invisible anvil somewhere up there, where it's vertical and dark. Long, sharp spears of light flash toward the earth as though thrown from black clouds that linger just above the tallest trees and gray granite peaks. The hammer strikes are repetitive and grow in volume as the lightning bolts become brighter and occur more immediate after the deafening roar of the thunder. The storm is growing near. Thor's lake in the clouds overflows it's spillway and the cold water pours down to earth as if a gray, wet, solid wall of liquid has descended from the heavens. The storm appears to be impenetrable. The thunder and lightning occur simultaneously, and the water fall intensifies. The purple and black sky appears to be moving toward the only approaching object in the vicinity. A shape vaguely appears on the horizon. It moves with grace, yet with determination. Unafraid it plunges into the depths of black. A halo appears around the front of it as it moves along at a brisk pace through the dark world. It throws out its own beam of light as if to push back the angry storm colors. The outline of it is not crisp as the fall of rain has all but erased the form and shape of it. But it preservers and continues it's forward movement. Water is thrown to the left and right sides of it, resembling aliquots fountains, as the machine increases speed to try to penetrate the wall of wind and water. It can not be stopped. Thor's efforts are in vain. Gradually the lines of it can be seen and its origin determined. It rockets out through the back side of the storm in silence. No loud boasting is needed. It's strength and determination has been tested. And the storm has been bested. This apparition is below.

Motorcycling is great fun but it is particularly enjoyable when one can ride with another experienced veteran. This gentleman below is Perry. He is a friend I made here in Tennessee. I trust him at my back while riding. He uses his head and not the throttle. I don't have to constantly look in my rear view mirror to see if a companion is riding too close or too far away. Perry is a perfect road companion. He like Kevin, whom you met here on the blog before, are road smart. They know what and how to do it and do it right the first time. Perry is one of the most "with it guys" I know. He doesn't care where we go, or how fast, or how long it takes. He doesn't care if it rains, or if it doesn't. He will stop when you do and he's ready to go when you are. He is sensible and knowledgeable. He's my friend. And I his............Proud of it!!!!!!!!!!

Perry is standing proudly behind his 2007 Harley Davidson Ultra Glide. Harley owners are proud of their horses. This Harley is Perry's baby and he'll tell you too. We stopped here to take a breather and to decide weather to put on rain suits. Na, heck with the rain suits. Boy, was that a mistake.....

He says; "yep, I think we're gonna get wet..

Here are two adventure machines. Or could it be trouble looking for a place to happen? This is an overlook on the Cherohalla Sky way somewhere between Tellico Plains and Robbinsville, NC.

This is a closer view of my friend Perry's horse. It's a 2007 Harley Davidson Ultra Glide. This machine is the flag ship for Harley Davidson. Perry bought his bike from me one day when he visited Smoky Mountain Harley Davidson and Buell to get out of the rain. He left on this machine. We were friends ever since.

No it's not Red's replacement. This girl is an evolution to a new day. She is bright with promise of future excitement and adventure. She is proving her worth today. A wonderful horse indeed.

Oh ya! We're driving right into a pretty good rain fall. Doesn't matter. Great Friend along, great machine to ride. What could be better?!

Everything is so green and sweet up here on the Cherohalla. It is a reminder of why I moved here in the first place.

HEART BROKEN!

I made a financial move today concerning motorcycles that was and is still very painful. I traded Big Red, my 2001 Harley Davidson Road King, in on a new Harley Davidson Road Glide. What should be a joyous, happy and thrilling experience has turned out to be a depressing and sad state of affairs. Big Red has carried me on endless roads reliably since I purchased her in 2001. She cost me $17,500 then. By the end of 2002 I had over $34,000 total in her chrome and engine as add on equipment. The machine has class and she has a nostalgic appearance of yesteryear. She has been maintained and kept in a flawless condition. I was and am proud of her. When she was parked on the street or along the road; she represented my personality. She represented everything I am. Who I am. She has heart and soul. She has character. She exuded excitement and the promise of adventure. She delivered relaxation, thrills and new experiences each and every time I took her out for a run. She always brought me back dependably. She asked for nothing. Always there for me. Always ready. She has 70,000 miles on her speedometer now and far from being worn out. But things have been needing attention and Harley parts and accessories are costly. If I were ever going to upgrade it would have to be now or I would have to keep her until she turned to dust, as no one would want to buy a motorcycle with 100,000 miles on it. I could have opted for another Road King but I don't have the finances anymore to secure the chrome and additional parts I would need to personalize it. It would be just a Road King. After having Big Red, just another Road King would not do. So my replacement machine would be purchased more for utility reasons and practicality rather than for nostalgic romantic reasons. Looks will be a secondary concern. Function will be primary concern. The 2007 Harley Road Glide is in reality a Road King with a frame mounted fairing. It is a solid machine less affected by side winds and severe turbulence. It does have a radio that I care little about. The cruise control will come in handy as I am developing arthritis in my right wrist. Not bad though. But the biggest reason I traded for this bike is the fact that my price is right. I work for Harley and I get a great break on the bikes. The difference money was absolutely right. I found I could buy a new bike with all the up to date technology for the cost of repairs and preventative maintenance on Big Red. It is a decision based around money only. There is no comparison between the two machines. Big Red is a gorgeous Harley Davidson. The new Road Glide is just a bike; at least at this point. Maybe when it earns my respect through reliable performance I'll grow closer to it. But right now its just a bike. And it will be the last motorcycle I will ever own in my life. I am sure of that. And I am sure I selected the correct model. It is not a particularly pretty bike. It borders on ugly. I have already been told it is ugly by someone close to me. But I know it will get the job done. There is just enough chrome to separate it from average motorcycle. Nothing out of the ordinary. Big Red made me feel great when I sat in the saddle. I could look down and see total chrome and Red. She is beautiful. She can not be replaced. She was and is one of a kind. She was and remains special. She is in my blood. Something else really worries me. If I feel this way about an inanimate object; how will I feel when Douglas begins to decline with age and eventually passes from my life? With all that being said you can compare the two machines yourself. They are below:

CHILLHOWIE LAKE AND A "BOARING" DAY

Today would normally be a Big Red day but she's in the hospital so I decided to cruise Chillhowie Lake in search of a great camp spot. I'm not even sure it is permissible to camp on that lake as it is in such close proximity to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. I think its alright. I leave no traces from my campsites anyway. I noticed a spot from the lake where a divide might exist between two foothills and headed over to see what I could find out. As the boat drew closer to the two hills a cove entrance appeared. It was narrow and appeared interesting enough to investigate. If only the water depth would hold. The boat entered and the water depth held until I touched bottom with the boat in one foot of water. The nose of the boat was on dry land. Great! Ahead lay a very shaded flat area that was raised above the water level at least two feet. Huge boulders were present with plenty of tent spaces. The overhanging foliage would hide the boat even in the daytime. Perfect. I tied the boat off and Douglas, the world famous adventurous Golden Retriever, and I disembarked to walk up a deserted logging path to the right side of the potential camp area. The path gained altitude very quickly. The views to the left were beautiful because there was a little stream that meandered among large boulders there. It would disappear and reappear among the rocks and trees. We kept climbing. I noticed the dried leaves along the path were turned over as if turkeys had scratched through them as turkeys do. If it were turkeys, it was a lot of them because they scratched leaves clear into the forest on both sides of the path for twenty or thirty feet. Douglas and I rounded a ninety degree turn to the left when we both stopped in amazement. There, not twenty feet ahead, stood two wild Boar's routing along the trail. Black as coal. They did not immediately hear us walking. They twisted around to face us in an instant. Low grunts from the larger Boar made the hair on my neck stand up. I grabbed Douglas's collar in an instant to hold him. Funny thing; he wasn't pulling at all. But I wanted to take no chances. They would kill him surely if they could. Both Boar stared at Douglas for a count of one thousand one, one thousand two, one thousand three. Then they turned in a flash and bolted away through the brush. Their black backs would appear and disappear from time to time as they would come out of the thick shrub and cross a short opening in the forest. They could be heard crashing through the woods for the next five minutes. They ran directly away from us and turned up hill a hundred feet away. We could hear them until they went completely over the top and down the other side. I still held Douglas by the collar and turned back down the path toward the boat. He would turn his head a couple time to look back over his shoulders and then he let it all go and became calm and compliant. At the boat, he swam in the cool mountain water. I untied the boat and called "Douglas; Come!) He instantly swam to the boat and lept in to take his place on the point. I took only Douglas today because I wanted "one on one" time with him. Happy stayed home. Its funny how things work. If I had taken Happy; the whole scenerio would have been very different. I could not have grabbed both dogs by their collars at once and the Boar is not afraid to exert lethal energy in his defense. What a day! Pictures of this were impossible because I had my hands full with Douglas and only a short time to access the situation. Pigs are faster then either Douglas or myself. Camera's were not at the top of my list of things to worry about. Now if Happy were along, we may have never had the encounter. She is a Yippie Yappie little thing when playing. Today is just another memory............ This sign is located on the opposite side of the lake from where Route 129 runs. It is the reason the land here is pristine and without litter. There are no beer cans and soda cans strewing the countryside. There are no McDonald food bags and associated french fry containers laying about everywhere. All that stuff is on the Route 129 side of the lake where road pull offs are located for tourists.

The camping spot I have been looking for lies directly between those two hills ahead. There is a cove there that leads to a beautiful shaded flat area that starts ascending after a two hundred foot walk away from the lake. The area is in a photo directly below. I must do an overnighter here. I hope Wild Boars sleep at night.

This is the camping area I have been looking for. The lake to the immediate left has ideal docking possibilities. And the land is flat with beautiful rock formations in the cliff sides. Great place. I took this snap shot from the old deserted logging path that Douglas and I walked onto the two Boars.

There are many lakes in Tennessee but none more primitive looking than Chillhowie

I love to just creep along beside the lake banks. There are so many things to see. Snakes, turtles, birds, deer among just a few. It is shaded here and many of the daytime creatures are active under the shade of the foliage

This is the view one has when coming down Abrams Creek toward the main lake. Ahead is the overpass for route 129.

This little deserted boat ramp is closed down. I don't know why because it is a perfect little creation and blends well with the scenery. No one seems to ever go here. The ramp has a gate closed at the top of it and can not be used. There is a little floating dock that is of great quality and construction. The only one I have ever seen here is a TWRA Officer and that was last year.