Smokies in May

In May we wrote no posts because we were too busy traveling! With Tabitha's family visiting, we embarked on a three week epic traveling event.  We started by renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains. 

Cabin in the Smokies

We rented a 4 bedroom cabin in Wears Valley, one of our favorite places.   The unincorporated, pastoral valley is located just outside the National Park.  It's a pretty, peaceful location that's away from the traffic and chaos of Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg.  Lyon Springs Road, in the middle of the valley, cuts south across the ridge and into the park, connecting up with Little River Road.  Or, you can go to either the east or west end of the valley and head south to enter the park.

Well-appointed kitchen.  Picture taken before we started cooking!

The cabin we stayed in, like all rental cabins, had a name.  Ours was "Dawsey's Dream," and we rented it from Cove Mountain Realty.  We've rented from Cove Mountain for years, and have never had a bad experience. 

Southeast view from the two-level, wrap around porch.

Their cabins are solid, well-furnished, and affordable, and if you look for it, they often have pretty good specials. Their office is right smack in the middle of Wears Valley, so if you're staying in Wears, it's very convenient to the cabin.

Southwest view.

Now, not every cabin has a view (you can specifically request one, or use the search on their website). Dawsey's Dream is situated high up on the northern side of the valley and commands a spectacular south-facing view of the Smoky Mountains. It was definitely one of the prettiest perspectives we've had here.

Looking straight south.  I could get used to this view.

With the exception of one rainy morning, we were blessed with great weather.  With such a great-looking base of operations, and with seeing family for the first time in a long time, it really was easy to linger and hard to leave the cabin and get out into the park. But we did.

View out the front windows.  Dining table on the left.

Driving around the park

I love driving down Little River Road, and enjoy taking friends and family to see it. Here are just a few pictures from that trip.

Little River.

Canadian geese: they really don't give a *@%#.

At one funny moment in the drive, we were stopped Little River Road, and a pickup truck narrowly avoided hitting a pair of Canadian geese that were landing on the road in front of him, whether he liked it or not.  These geese were amazing, in that they let us walk right up to them and take pictures.  I've since learned that these geese are notorious for their poor manners and indifference to people. 

View from Maloney Point, I believe.

Laurel Falls

We wanted an easy morning hike, so after the rain that wet the land one morning stopped, we headed out for a trip to Laurel Falls.

Laurel Falls Trail.

Laurel Falls is one of the most popular trails in the area.  The trailhead is very well marked, on Little River Road, with a good deal of parking.

View from the trail.

It's less than 2 miles to the falls, on a mostly paved trail with a steady, gentle incline.  When I was walking on the paved trail, I couldn't help but think of how much work it must have been to pave, probably by hand.

Laurel Falls

The falls themselves are probably as wide as they are tall.  There had been recent rain, so I assume the flow was up a little bit. 

It really is quite a drop.  But there is a sign in case you missed that.

Worth the walk.

After the Smoky Mountains, we headed east to North Carolina, then hopped a plane down south to do the tourist thing in Orlando.  More on that to come!

Upper Tellico Paddle

Tellico Lake

A great tip from a friend and near record-high temperatures brought us and our kayak to the upper Tellico Lake for a delightful paddle last Sunday.

The blue sky over my shoulder.

The water was clear, the sky was blue.  It was a bit gusty on the water; when the wind blew, there was a decent chop and plenty of spray off the paddles.  But then it would subside to total comfort for minutes at a time.

TVA sign about the archeological site on this island.

We chose to paddle out around the shallow islands first.  One had a sign indicating it was protected archeological property.  Someone told us that it was the site of an ancient Native American burial ground.  That of course didn't stop TVA from flooding the valley.

Underwater treelines.

For those that don't know, Tellico Lake, a.k.a. Tellico Reservoir, is a man-made lake created by the Tennessee Valley Authority via the Tellico Dam.  In parts you can still see the stumps of old treelines sticking up through the water. 

Old trees want to snag your boat.  Don't let them!

What that means for boaters is keep a sharp eye out for hidden sticks ready to ruin your day.  It also means there are plenty of shallow areas to explore that motorized boat traffic can't reach. 

A really serene channel three islands back from the boat launch.

We even had to get out a couple times to move the boat along.  It also made for challenging work on the rudder.

Not another soul on the water.

The best part was we had the entire lake to ourselves.  There were a few cars at the put-in, but the entire time on the water we saw only one boat.

Sunlight off the water at the end of the day.

Ramp in, ramp out.

As we were heading back to take out, I realized that although I've lived in Knoxville for almost 12 years, I only recently discovered that the ability to paddle beautiful bodies of water like this, especially on a weekend in early April, is the best part of living in East Tennessee.  I'm really looking forward to next weekend and many more trips this summer.

Loaded up.  Heading home.

First Paddle of the Season!

As we have discussed before, sometimes you don't have to travel far for an adventure.  

What car doesn't look better with a kayak on top?

This winter we picked up a used kayak.  Last weekend's unseasonably warm temperatures gave us our first chance of the year to get out on the water with it.

The other folks.

 We joined a group from River Sports to paddle up from downtown Knoxville.

Heading downriver, downtown.

Looking forward to more!

Ole Smoky Moonshine

A couple weeks ago while visiting the Smoky Mountains, we stopped in at a local burger and wing bar for some wings. Seeing an advertisement for an Ole Smoky Moonshine sampler, we opted to give it a try.

We were very pleasantly surprised.  I had seen Ole Smoky products around Knoxville, but I had assumed they were, well, to be honest, a liquor version of many of the local wines you find in the area around the Gatlinburg / Pigeon Forge area; that is, cheaply made from "good enough" ingredients, probably a little harsh or a little too sweet, and marketed at tourists.  (I mean, come on - it comes in a jar!)

Instead, we found the flavors delightful.  The lower alcohol, flavored varieties that we tried (apple pie, peach, blackberry, and some kind of cherry concoction - they were out of lemon so we had two apple pies) were delicately flavored, not thick or syrupy like I expected.  Our waitress said they were about 40 proof.  The 100 proof "white lightnin'" was also very mellow for such a strong unflavored liquor. 

Clearly these were carefully crafted, well-balanced spirits, and I'm keeping them in mind next time I need an adult gift for someone outside of Tennessee.

Cigar City Brewery

Come in here, dear boy, have a Cigar City beer.

Christmas time usually finds us in Florida, where we escape the cold and visit family.  The day after Christmas last year we made our first trip to Cigar City Brewing with some brew friends.  We liked it; lots of great beer, and seems like it's being run by good people.  This year, on December 26th, we made a trip back. I snapped a few pictures on both trips.

Yeah, it's a tank (MLT?) on a forklift, in the parking lot.

The Brewery

For those who don't know, the name Cigar City comes from an old nickname for Tampa.  In 2012, we took the tour of the brewery.  Now, it's been a year since then, but here's what I can remember.  

Whichever you believe, they certainly go great together.

First, I was surprised to learn that this facility (the one you're at if you drive to the main Cigar City Brewing address online),  is no longer the primary brewing facility.   

The main brew room.

They continue to make a small amount of beer here, but as of last Christmas they had recently expanded into a larger commercial facility up the road.

Cigar City was the first place I ever saw a plastic keg.  Becoming more common with the price of steel, I wager.

That works out for us customers, because they continue to provide tours and serve great beer in their taproom(s).

Honey, will this fit in my trunk?

The tour was standard fare, I think it was about $5-7, but you got a beer and a Cigar City shaker glass to take home with you.  I do remember the guide was really nice and answered all my dumb questions.

Variety.

One of my dumb questions was about Cigar City's predominant use of cans.  Cigar City is a huge proponent of cans, for several reasons that were mentioned on the tour, including their portability, cost, environmental considerations, and the fact that they don't let light in to break down the beer.  I've noticed other craft breweries have similarly embraced the aluminum in greater numbers.  But since he was listing all of the benefits of cans, I figured that was a good time to ask how, given the recent (this was 2012, remember)  revelations about BPAs in can liners, they reassure their customers on that number.  Our guide was a little stumped, but handled it graciously as I recall.

Quantity.

Since then, I've done my own research, and I'm currently falling on the "generally avoid all food and drink in cans" side of the fence.  That said, I didn't let that stop me from taking a pack of my favorite Jai Alai IPA home with me to TN.

Jai Alai at home.  Beer somehow always tastes better 100s of miles from where you can get it.

The Taproom(s)

There are two sets of taps and two bars at the brewery.  The smaller one (perhaps the original one?) is on the left, and it seems to have more of the standard, year-round Cigar City beers on tap. The larger room, on the right, has more taps with a greater variety and a cool monitor with info about what's being served.

Smaller taproom (2012).

When we went a year ago, we got there early, did the tour, and had a few beers, and the place really started to fill up.  This Christmas, the place was already hopping when we arrived, and quickly filled. 

Taps in 2012.

There's plenty of seating, and they needed it, as everyone who wanted a break from their families (or a drink with them!) the day after Christmas made an early start of it, like us.

The big taproom

The beer, as we expected, was excellent.  One of the most interesting brews I had was a 7% IPA called Hopped on the High Seas.  It had a different malt character than I expected, and may the first Simcoe IPA that I actually like.

Flight paddle from 2012. Write down what you want and give it to the bartender.

A little blurry, but the new flight tray.  Progress!

They do flights of small pours, so between the 5 of us, we made it through almost everything we hadn't tried before. Everyone was happy.

The colorful, live tap feed makes ordering beer in the busy taproom much easier.

Now let's eat, down the street, at a Brick House

Although the taproom at the brewery now does have a limited food selection (sandwiches and chips - Tabitha loved the malanga chips), we opted to hop down the street to the Brick House Tavern & Tap, which is apparently a national chain but which we don't have around home.
 

One of the neat things about this place is that they do have a decent beer selection, including some local brews.  Sitting outside to enjoy the warm winter sun, we enjoyed a beer "bong" of the Cigar City Jai Alai, which none of us had gotten to drink at Cigar City, what with all of the limited selections to choose from.  FYI, a beer bong here is basically a cylinder of beer with a tap at the bottom, resting on a heavy base so it can't tip over.

Celebrate the beer!

All in all, a great afternoon.  Florida in the winter and Cigar City, both the brewery and their beer, we highly recommend.

Happy Christmas Eve Eve!

Great Divide Brewing Company

Take the Highway...

Or, if you're in Denver, take the trolley, then take the sidewalk.  It's worth the trip.

While Tabitha and I were in Denver, we had the chance to walk to the Great Divide Brewing Company.   Tabitha and I have been to quite a few breweries over the last few years.  (Read about one of our favorites from earlier this summer).  Great Divide, however, was one of the most interesting and satisfying visits we've had, and here's why.

The tapwall at Great Divide.  Too many good beers, too little time.

First, the beers. From what I know, Great Divide doesn't specifically bill itself as a "high gravity" beer place, but it definitely has one of the largest spreads of big beers I've seen. From classics like the big brown Yeti and the delicious Titan IPA, to more obscure (at least here in TN) brews like the Old Ruffian Barleywine and Peach Grand Cru (which I tasted last and loved - wish I'd tasted it first), I could have spent all day in their taproom.

I Believe... this was an awesome beer.  Peach Grand Cru (I believe).

Unfortunately, their taproom's hours are limited, closing around 8 on weekdays, if I recall correctly. Also, no food served, but there was a food truck camped outside on a Tuesday evening, so I imagine you could easily make an evening of it.

Grabbed a couple brews and joined the tour.  Safety glasses required.

Brewery tours run a couple times daily. The last one of the day for us was at 4, and we got there just in time to grab a couple brews (no free samples on the free tour) and get in line.

The brew room at Great Divide

Brew room - Lauter tank

Some smaller batch fermenters

The tour was very interesting for a few reasons.  We usually visit breweries on weekends, so we usually don't see much going on.  This being a weekday, and/or the Great Divide folks being very industrious, we saw quite a few things going on.

Cleaning some sixth barrels

Bottling in progress!

Forklift!

The source of all bottles.

Inside, we got to see several things in motion. There was someone working what looked like a sixth barrel cleaning and prep setup shown above. I also saw my first bottling line in use, and took some pictures as they forklifted a pallet full of cases by us. Very cool.

For scale, look at the 1/6 barrels on the left.  This tank was HUGE.

Outside, the scale of their operation was apparent.  From a giant liquid CO2 storage tank, to the rows of massive fermenters, it's clear that GD means business.  In fact, from what the tour guide said, they are currently under capacity at their brewery, pushing hard to reach capacity, and already planning their next facility.  Given the quality of their beers, I was pleased to hear this.

Mile-high fermenters.

One of the most interesting things to me was the fact that all of this was outside.  Yes, these tanks are temp-regulated, but still, you couldn't do this in the south.  All of these fermenters breathing the mile-high air.

Yeast have no problem with the thinner air, I guess.  Now that's a blowoff.

I really needed more time than we had to experience their full menu.  When next we return to Denver, visiting Great Divide will definitely be on my list. That, and I'll be sure to better prepare a method for getting some of their more obscure delicious brews back with us. Maybe we'll drive...