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  • him.andi.hippie

Tennessee

A 190-day adventure by him.andi.hippie Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 9, 2016
    him.andi.hippieTennesseeTraveler

    Clarksville

    July 9, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 30 °C

    Sometimes, and often, you don't have to travel far for an experience. And often times the experience presents itself entirely unexpectedly. We traveled just 15 minutes today out into the country to collect a gallon of blueberries from this little old lady that has several bushes on her property. We learned of her from her neighbor, Sarah Morias, that shared her sweet delectables on our amazing local community facebook page for, well, hippies of course! When I recieved the message that our blueberries were ready to be picked up, I never suspected I would be getting an experience with my gallon of perfectly picked berries. We pulled into the driveway of Betty Dunning and something pulled at my heart strings. Being an empath, this feeling didn't surprise me but I just had to talk to her and know more about her story. She stood there surrounded in her blueberry bushes with a sliced open milk jug at her side, picking berries one by one. A large straw hat kept the sun out of her face and wooded acres drapped behind her pulled together a beautiful country scene. Sarah pointed out the clearing in the wooded area behind her house where several blueberry bushes have resided for the last 20-25 years. Betty began to tell us how she tries to keep the bushes pruned and short enough for her to pick. "All this rain has made them gone bananas." It was inspiring to watch Betty at 85 seasoned years, working outside in the 90 degree weather in between severe thunderstorms. Betty's husband Claude left this beautiful world in 2008 but I don't think he went far. "These ones up here, [by the house], when my Husband was ill he didn't want me out of his sight so I planted these up here so he could watch me." Betty shared bits and pieces of her story as she contently picked organically grown blueberries for her community. We thanked Betty for her hard work and the bountiful fruit she provided us with and we were on our way. With love in my heart and berries already in Steve's mouth, we gently waved to Claude while he quietly continued to watch over his beautiful wife.Read more

  • him.andi.hippieTennesseeTraveler

    The Mountains are Calling...

    September 2, 2016 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    Growing up in Connecticut, I had the mountains at my fingertips to my North and the ocean at my toes to my East. Now living in Tennessee, the Mountains are hours away and the ocean doesn't show herself. A weekend away in Gatlinburg is pure bliss. We packed most of our food to cut down on food costs and because Gatlinburg doesn't offer a ton of great local restaurants. It's such a busy town and during this time of year, is crazy crammed. Being foodies, chain restaurant food is not our style. But we did spend one night out at the original Smoky Mountain Brewery trying their beers and digging into a non buffalo chicken pizza. Satisfying for sure. We took advantage of the rising sun while biking Cades Cove. Cades Cove is located south of Gatlinburg near Townsend and is a one way loop though the mountains. I would never make the loop in a car. We biked the 11 mile paved trail with some friends on a beautiful brisk morning. The sun was just coming up over the mountains. It looked like lava about to announce itself to the world. We saw very little wild life, no bears. We made our way to the Dark Island Campground swinging bridge to enjoy a picnic lunch. Upon crossing the bridge, we ran into a very sweet lady that took time to show us around and chat on her porch. So thankful for kind people in this world. We climbed a short trail down to some flat rocks calling our name to eat upon right on the Little River. Makes me wonder if I took it all for granted at one point in my life. Gatlinburg, until next time, stay beautiful.

    Hippie Tip: Definitely take the Cades Cove Bike Ride. Everyday Wednesday and Saturday, it is completely closed off to cars. This is the best time to make this journey. You can rent bikes but we saw many people having trouble with the rented bikes.    Read more

  • him.andi.hippieTennesseeTraveler

    History in the rain

    January 14, 2017 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    We often go someplace else to enjoy history and tend to neglect the fact that it can be found right in our backyard. It was a rainy Saturday but we were all itching to get out of the house. So we grabbed our rain coats, I put on my converse rain shoes (so excited anytime I can wear these) and packed the dogs in the car. In Clarksville, a growing city in TN bordering KY, on top a 200 ft bluff overlooking the Cumberland River stands Fort Defiance. A few rain drops fell through the tree covered winding .08 paved trail taking you over the ground. You'll pass over 2 very well constructed wooden bridges, many scenic overlooks (in winter) and if you look closely, you'll see many trees labeled for wilderness knowledge. Many know it was once a battle grounds during the civil war but the land has seen so much more, American Indians, trading center, settlement, runaway and freed slaves have all occupied this area. It was a beautiful way to spend a rainy day outside. I sit cozy in my home now with 2 tired dogs at my feet, listening to the down pour that has just begun and I am thankful for our sprinkles this morning.Read more

    Trip end
    January 14, 2017
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