Nitty Gritty

Friday

Next Friday the 11th, we're picking up out-of-towners at the airport at 1:30 and then heading east. Our Friday destination is a deer farm outside of Livingston, Tennessee just north of Cookeville. We'll be staying in a barn. It's a nice barn, though, and it means we don't have to unpack our gear before Saturday.

We can caravan out, but some of you may arrive separately. If you do, you should still come out as early as possible while there is still daylight. Like I said - it's a nice barn.

We'll recreate the dinner from the turkey farm on the Green River: brats on the grill.



Friday Directions

Take I-40 East toward Knoxville

Take Exit 288 (Highway 111, "Livingston/Sparta") just past Cookeville

Go LEFT at top of exit ramp on Hwy. 111

At 19.0 miles continue STRAIGHT on Hwy 85 into Livingston (Hwy 111 bears left)

Go 1/2 mile farther into the Courthouse square

Continue STRAIGHT out of the Courthouse square onto Hwy 52 EAST (and Hwy 85 EAST) following signs to "Jamestown"

Go 1 mile and take RIGHT fork at the Overton Motel following Hwy 52 EAST

Go 8.0 miles and take RIGHT turn on Hwy 85 EAST at the "West Fork General Store" (a bona fide Ser.Sta.Gro. and our breakfast on Saturday)

Go 3.5 miles to the "Falling Springs Missionary Baptist Church" and cemetery.

Turn LEFT immediately after the cemetery onto gravel road

Take immediate RIGHT to follow gravel fork down hill (instead of fork going up hill behind the cemetery)

Cross the "bridge."*

The barn is white or grey and is the first major building at the top of the hill. Don't travel down to the two farm houses. Our host, if you get there first, is Rob Daniels. Our rent is one bottle of Basil Hayden (BM please procure). The two stoners are the caretakers Johnny and Vanessa.



(* If you can't get comfortable with the idea of crossing this bridge and you're in a 4x4 you can ford the Obey River underneath the bridge. If not, and you're in an Acura Vigor, you'll have to just close your eyes and go for it. Actually, closing your eyes is a really bad idea - just go for it.)






Saturday

Breakfast is at 7:30 am at the "West Fork General Store" (see above) then we head south into the Sequatchie valley.

The put-in is on Hwy 127 in Dunlap, Tennessee. There is a commercial canoe livery on the highway ("Canoe the Sequatchie") that charges $5 per person to launch there. Not crazy about that violation of the federal navigation servitude and Public Trust Doctrine for the liberty of fishing in the sea, or creeks, or arms thereof, as a public common of piscary but it's the bridge we need and the pen may be mightier than the sword but it's not mightier than the shotgun. To get there, it's best to backtrack to Livingston and cross I-40 on Hwy. 111 instead of trying to continue east over the mountain. Hwy. 111 will take you all the way into Dunlap. Then just find Hwy. 127 and take it a couple of miles to the river.

Any questions?