Busted Bear

The local media outlets have reported that a bear was menacing a lady who lives up in Townsend. According to the News Sentinel's Bob Wilson, authorities trapped the bear in Sevier County Friday afternoon. In addition to the M&M's that baited the trap, the bear is being treated to a nice trip to Cherokee National Forest where he can hopefully find better food to eat than household garbage.

Fire on the Mountain

There's been a fire burning in the mountains for the past several days, and the smoke from it has been visible via the webcam at Look Rock Tower off of Foothills Parkway. I read somewhere that a wildfire is burning in the area that was hit by a tornado this spring, and the authorities are letting the fire burn up some of the debris.

Restaurant Review: Becky's Grocery & Grill, Maryville, Tennessee

A year ago I said I wanted to have a meal at Becky's Grocery and Grill, 3856 Laws Chapel Road, Maryville, Tennessee, and last week I finally got around to it. I found it using MapQuest, but it took me a couple of tries, because it is way out in the country in the eastern part of Blount County. One of the roads you travel on to get there is unmarked, so look for the signs to Laws Chapel. Parking is also pretty tight, but it is worth the drive, which is part of the experience. To be honest, I'd never been in that particular part of the county before, and it is quite beautiful, consisting of rolling farmland at the very foot of the mountains.



Upon the recommendation of many, my first meal at Becky's was a hamburger, which I had with milk. The milk was poured from a gallon jug, and the hamburger was quickly cooked to order on a grill that was in plain sight. I noticed a sign on the wall boasting of a 100% health department score, and everyone was friendly and welcoming. I overheard the proprietor, Becky, tell another first-timer who commented on the long, winding drive, "The road gets straighter and shorter every time you drive it." There was also a friendly patron in the place showing a photograph of a raccoon he caught in a coyote trap on his property nearby. It doesn't get much more country than that. He said he eats there about every day, and highly recommended the macaroni and cheese, which Sarah will like.



I thought Becky's place was wonderful, and the prices were about what you'd expect to pay for lunch. The drive from the justice center was about twenty minutes, not counting the time I spent wandering around lost. They are open 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays through Fridays and 11:a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on Saturdays. The business is yet another Blount County treasure.

Satellite Image of the Smokies

This is an image from Landsat 7. According to NASA's Earth Observatory website,

This Landsat scene shows the park, with its southern boundary along Lake Fontana. The central high ridgeline through the spine of the park is evident, with the light green forests of the lower lands and slopes giving way to the darker green regions of the ridges and peaks. The lower region forests are dominated by deciduous leafy trees (which strongly reflect near-infrared radiation, which is colored green in this image). At higher altitudes, deciduous forests give way to coniferous trees like Fraser Firs, which are less dramatically reflective at near-infrared wavelengths, and so appear darker in the scene.

Mountain Springs Chalet

While Sherry was in Nashville visiting Jake and Joey and Grams, Sarah and I spent the weekend at La and Stew's new rental chalet on Ski Mountain, which Laura has dubbed Mountain Springs Chalet. The place is already renting, but they plan to install a hot tub to sweeten the deal. Although Sarah and I strolled Gatlinburg, spent money on tacky merchandise (see her purchases below) and visited the Noah "Bud" Ogle home, we spent most of our weekend in the chalet. La and Stew haven't added it to their website yet, but they can be contacted about renting any of their three cabins with the information listed there.

Sarah waives a greeting from the front steps.

They see you.

You shall not pass!

The spring on the property is really just a trickle, but Sarah had a good time exploring the ditch through which it flows along the driveway. She found a salamander, which pleased her greatly.