This weekend we attended an appreciation picnic for the Consauga Ranger District Volunteers which we joined last spring! We headed to the Pocket Campground early so we could set up camp before the picnic and then spend the night after. The picnic was great and we got to meet a lot of new people and eat some great food. I reached my goal of 20 hours and hopefully will double that next year when I get Phyllis working more. After we said goodbye to everyone, we went back to camp and relaxed for a little while, then hit the Pocket Loop Trail. A fairly short 2.5 mile hike with a little elevation and a neat pond. The leaves are just starting to get pretty so I got some good pics of those! After our hike, we made a good fire and relaxed before dinner! It was already getting a little chilly. Had some pork chops and mashed potatoes for dinner and then sat around the fire some more! We loved a good fire with some nice cold weather! By the time we headed to bed, it was COLD! By about 3 in the morning, it was VERY COLD! I rarely get cold, but I was freezing! I had given Phyllis the sleeping bags and bigger blankets and even after I stole one of those and put on a sweat shirt, I was still freezing! I slept pretty well, until about 6 and then woke up shaking! Phyllis was out cold, so I got up and cranked the truck and felt that nice warm heat and dozed for a while! Then off for another day’s adventure!

After a good breakfast of bacon and eggs on a tortilla, thanks to Marcial Alberto Soto for suggesting that instead of trying to make biscuits, which I have never been able to master while camping, we headed up to John’s Mountain Overlook. We did a little exploring for some future hikes and then headed on home for a little nap time and some rest! Sometimes fun can be exhausting! We had one more unusual experience as we drove home! We looked to our right and saw a steam train with Pullman cars going down the rails! We drove ahead and pulled over and got some good pictures of the train, which was from the Tennessee Valley Railroad in Chattanooga! We drove further down and stopped at Taco Bell in Summerville! As we sat there, we heard the train again and I jumped out of the car and got more pictures as the train rolled by again! I think the people taking pictures from the train recognized us from the last stop we had made taking pictures OF the train! Another great weekend as always!