2016-28 Norris Dam and Clinton Tennessee

2016-28

a new pillow for the camper

Norris Dam State Park, Tennessee
Clinton, Tn (antique shopping)

Kentucky into Tennessee MAP

Campground:  Norris Dam State Park.  $16.38 senior rate (25% discount), regular price $20.  Campsites do not have water views at least in the West campsites.  Good Tv reception, 28 channels over the air.  Good 4G Verizon signal.  I understand off season the senior discount goes to 50% off.

Norris Dam State Park, on top of a hill, quite a steep hill too

Distance Traveled:  67 miles

From Kentucky into Tennessee along the major I-75 route.  Not a bad stretch of the highway.  I stayed at my normal speed of 65 mph and got to my campsite by 10:30 in the morning.  The road leading to the campground has warning signs indicating “Steep grades and dangerous curves” and they were not kidding.  But slow and steady up the steep grades and winding roads brought me to the very top of a hill and the campground loop.  Glad they put me in one of the inside loop campsites as the outside campsites are barely large enough to fit a car.  With fairly steep drop offs.

they weren't kidding, 10+ grades and
a couple of really hairpin turns

I’m north of Knoxville where I will be bringing my camper in for repairs/adjustment of the slide that I had fixed a couple of months ago.  It basically needs to be aligned properly so the bottom portion of the slide opens all the way out.  It’s off only an inch or two but needs to be corrected before any damage is done.

In the mean time, I’ll try and find some things to write about in this weeks blog.  Already it’s a slower pace after the unofficial end to summer (Labor Day) this past week.  The campground I’m in has 50 campsites and a total of four campers including me.  Each day one or two additional campers will arrive for one night and be gone by the time I get out of bed in the morning and go downstairs to make coffee.

The Norris Dam was constructed in 1937 along with the town of Norris which was built as a planned community to house the construction workers for the dam.  It became the first all electric town in the country.  Utilizing the hydro power from the newly constructed dam.  It remains a quaint historic town near the dam today. Population:  1,500.

water tower next to my campsite.
apparently the observation deck was
open to the public at one time

Norris Dam Overlook, Appalachian Mountains

cudzoo vines

Norris Dam built in 1937, a TVA project

houseboats for rent

dam's water rises and falls as needed for electricity
and to control local flooding

After doing my laundry today, I continued onto the town of Clinton where I found dozens of antique shops.  Nice small town, easy to walk around and explore those shops and stores.  Some are much larger than they appear from the outside and include second floors and even basements filled with “vintage”  goodies.  I had to buy a neat pillow for my couch with the word CAMP on it.  Not a lot of room in the camper for too many “extras”  unless I get rid of something, so I don’t purchase too many things for it along the way.

a wheat thresher

the Thresher barn

Grist Mill, did you know that many of the grinding stones
came from Europe as ballast for the sailing ships

CLINTON TENNESSEE 

Clinton Tn, lots of great antique shops to browse

downtown Clinton TN

not many restaurants in town

Tennessee pearl history

nice size town to walk around

Now here’s something I’ve discovered recently.  Of course we all know that there’s online education. So when I was reading through one of my online news services regarding architecture I learned there is going to be an Introduction to Architecture class through MIT.  I’ve signed up for the course and it will start next week.  How exciting to be able to take a class online regarding a subject that I’ve had an interest in for so many years.  What fun. Imagine, I’m going to be an MIT student.   

Photos:

Norris Dam Tennessee