Our Spot At Caney Creek RV Resort
We’ve been enjoying some much needed down time since we left Red Bay and the Tiffin Service Center. We are making our way north to visit some family, however, our reservations are not until the after Memorial Weekend. So we found Caney Creek RV Resort in Harriman, TN and it seemed the perfect place to stop for a week, relax and enjoy our kayak.
We have an awesome spot right on a peninsula overlooking the water. A perfect place to leave the kayak inflated and drop it in the water any time we want.
And that we did.
Kayaking Around The Area
Kayaking Around The Area
The RV park is located right on Caney Creek, hence the name. Although they call this a creek, it is large enough to be called a lake. Their is a marina, several boat slips and docks along the waterway, lots of wildlife and from what we’ve seen, lots of fisherman on the water every day. You would think with all the fisherman and their boats it would be noisy but alas, it is not. The fisherman just drift around all day long casting their lines and soaking up the sun.
There are a couple other creeks that lead into Caney Creek and then Caney Creek empties into the Caney Shoals, which then goes into Watts Bar Lake and eventually the Tennessee River. A large enough water system to keep us busy for days. Although, once we made it a few miles to the Caney Shoals waterway, we did turn back around. We did not want to over do ourselves and you have to remember, wherever you paddle to, you also have to paddle back. The park is also affiliated with the local marina down the road and they rent out Pontoon boats so maybe one day we’ll take one of those out and really see what’s around.
We’ve woken up to some beautiful mornings.
Foggy Misty Morning
Foggy Misty Morning
The first couple of mornings were a little cool and misty. Fog appeared and by the afternoon it was warm and sunny. Perfect for some more kayaking.
Enjoying The Kayak
Under A Bridge To Another Creek/Lake Area
We’ve had some beautiful sunsets as well to end our lovely days on the water.
Sunset At Caney Creek RV Resort
One overcast day we drove a few towns over to a place called, Oak Ridge, TN. I first heard of Oak Ridge when I was reading the book, “The Girls Of Atomic City”. It was a period piece on WWII and how Oak Ridge was specifically built, in secret, for the sole purpose of manufacturing Uranium and Plutonium and the Atomic Bomb. It was called the “Secret City” because even though it had a population of just over 75,000 and consumed more electricity than NYC, it did not appear on any map. It was built in secret and it was populated in secret. By that, I mean the people that were recruited to move and work there had no idea what they were working on. They were just promised high pay and a stable job. Back then, that’s all that you could ask for.
Sunset At Caney Creek RV Resort
Jobs were scarce and good pay was even harder to find with the war on. They had no idea they were a significant part of the Manhattan Project. They just knew that whatever they were doing was going to help us win the war. They couldn’t talk about what they’ve seen or what they did. They could not even talk amongst themselves because every job and every person was compartmentalized. The workers only knew what they were supposed to do. They did not know what everyone else was doing nor could they ask. It was a very interesting book.
So when I saw that we were within half an hour from Oak Ridge I had to go take a look. The American Museum of Science and History seemed the best place to start.
American Museum Of Science And History In Oak Ridge, TN
Inside The American Museum Of Science And History In Oak Ridge, TN
Although the museum gave the story of how Oak Ridge came about, I was a little disappointed in the overall experience. I was hoping for more history on the “Secret City” and the people’s contribution to helping end WWII, which it did have some. However, the museum had a lot of hands on science stuff for kids to play and learn from and more history on the overall energy that the US produces. All the way from coal, solar, nuclear and beyond.
The museum did however have an original “Flat Topped” house from that time era. These were brought in by the government to house all the employees and families living in the Secret City. Their were hundreds of them brought in that lined street after street. They were only around 575 sq ft. Slightly larger than the large motor homes out there, like ours, but not by much.
An Original "Flat Topped" House
Inside The "Flat Topped" House
Today the Department of Energy runs a nuclear and high-tech research establishment at the site and performs national security work. So it is still very much an active town.
It was a lovely day to explore a different part of Tennessee and see a little bit of history. You can learn a lot more about the history of Oak Ridge and it’s “Secret City” roots in various books and in this link.
More Kayaking Along Caney Creek
The RV Park From The Kayakers Perspective
All in all it’s been a lovely week here at Caney Creek. The people are nice. It’s super quiet (no train) and there’s grocery shopping and restaurants within a few miles from here.
David did manage to get in some flying too. He has a new quadcopter that he’s been testing along with some new FPV glasses.
David And His New Quadcopter
Getting Some Shots Of The New Coach
Here is a wonderful quadcopter video of the park here that I hope you will enjoy. You will see it is a great park for water views and we had such a wonderful site. If you call the park to stay, tell them you came because of the video view. :)
Hope you’re having a great time! We just left Clear Lake IA (where we met you guys) and are on our way to St. Cloud MN. Hope our paths cross some day!
We’re heading to Rochester, NY to visit with family for a month. Then we’re off to the west via a northern route. So hopefully we will run into each other again someday.
GLAD YOU ARE BACK ON THE ROAD AGAIN AND ALL YOUR TROUBLES ARE BEHIND YOU
We’re glad we’re back on the road too. It’s been way too long. So far so good as far as any trouble. We’re hopeful that all of that is behind us.
So you’ve left Red Bay??!! Woo-hoo!!! Instead of saying “Elvis has left the building”, I feel like yelling “The Botts have left the parking lot!” Super jealous of your kayak – I’ve been trying to talk Deas into getting one!
We did leave Red Bay! Yeah for us! We left last Wednesday, May 14th. Hoping all our troubles are behind us and we can look forward to some nice traveling. That is after we head back to Rochester, NY to visit family for a month.
As you can see from this blog post, we are enjoying our inflatable, folding kayak. We were able to leave it set up all week while we were there and just drop it in the water when ever we wanted. It fits nicely in it’s own bag in our basement area. It’s the paddles (that snap apart to make them smaller) and the life vests and such that is the pain of storing. Oh well. It is nice to have.
Oak Ridge and the “Secret City” sound fascinating! I am bummed to learn that it was so disappointing! That sounds like a place we would have loved to explore. I would love to learn more!
On a side note….at the risk of sounding like I hate kids….I get annoyed at all the kids stuff at museums and aquariums…in my experience, the kids simply run around touching everything, stepping on visitors in their way and not stopping to read or learn a darn thing. Meh…..
The museum was disappointing however, I am still glad that we went. It was worth the $5 admission fee. Their was a bunch of info from that time frame and the “Secret City”. It’s just stuff that I already knew from the book.
We totally agree with you on the kids and museums. If the parents actually took them around and showed them things and explained things that would be different. Their were kids their pretty young and the parents just let the kids run around and scream. Does not make for a nice experience. I’d have to blame a little bit of that on the museum staff too. Oh well, I digress. I agree but I digress :)
Irene’s father worked at Oak Ridge during WW II. He was a carpenter and never had any idea about what they were doing there but his job was still considered “critical” and exempted him from being drafted during the war. Irene was born in 1943, right in the middle of the war.
WOW! That is so cool!!!!
That is very interesting Jim. I did not know that. I really liked reading the book and learning all about the “Secret City” and that time era.
Saw that you guys were in Africa. Hope that is going well for you and you are enjoying yourselves. Travel safe!
Such a pretty place! Glad you are on the road again! Do you think you will have a hard time turning your coach to get out of your spot? Looks so tight from the video, but maybe that is due to perspective? Can’t wait to see you…got coffee!!!
Love and hugs…
It was all perspective. It was very easy backing up and turning around in that circular area. No issue at all.
We went to Oak Ridge last year also due to me reading that book. I can agree with you about the museum but the visitors building and the lady there (can’t remember her name) was very informative. I love WWII history so was so excited to be there. We also went to Jackson square and had ice cream in the former grocery store…had to picture what it was like in the 40’s. Such history. We also did drive to the other remaining places from the Secrete City and that was fun….LOVED walking through the flat house at the museum, that made you feel like you were back in time or walking through Grandma/Grandpas house from that time period. Thanks for the updates and glad you are back on the road. Where is your next stop with family? how far north? That is where I am from. Safe travels.
what kind Quadcopter is that u have in the pic and where can I get one like that
David And His New Quadcopter
what kind of cam are you using is it a GoPro Hero3+
In that case it was a DJI Phantom 2 Vision + that I just got. It comes with everything you need to fly and video and you use your smart phone to run an app to see the live video from the camera as you fly. It also gives you things you need to know like how much battery is left. Oh, the battery lasts about 20 mins or so…so be sure to get more than one battery.
http://www.dji.com/product/phantom-2-vision-plus
On the DJI site you will find videos on how to fly etc and it is very easy for beginners.
To keep it all nice and safe, this is a great case for travels…
http://www.amazon.com/Professional-Cases-Phantom-Vision-gopro/dp/B00H6BU3J4/?tag=af037-20&linkCode=w10&linkId=
In fact, the video on this blog post of the RV resort I took with a Phantom 2 Vision+. :) I had just got it as I wanted a smaller UAV for when we go backpacking or something where my large one is, well, to large. Hope this helps.
Hey David, I too got a DJI P2V+ and LOVE IT! I’ve already started modifying the transmitter/repeater to get more range (I’m getting 3000ft right now, and should be able to hit 2.5 miles with it when complete!)
I’m curious, which video goggles you’re using? I was thinking of getting some, so looking for suggestions. It looks like you may be using it on an iPhone.. I’d be looking for something that support MHL natively, or at least accepts HDMI input.
Thanks, and congrats on the new toy!
Just curious. Did you get the final fix on your radiator before you took off.
Yes. Running a prototype fan clutch that is working GREAT!!!