(Click to enlarge pictures)
The John Noel SNA (State Natural
Area) has been in existence for about a year now and I have been there several
times. It is the closest SNA to my home, being about two miles I think as the
bat flies. It’s an extremely interesting place and is well worth a visit. First
point of interest is this,
This is a shot of the cave itself, taken
from just inside the gate. The passage is a low crawl and is not anyone’s idea
of a good time cave. You’ll get the water dirty and annoy the neighbors, so stay out!
The water as it pours from the pipe. I’ve never known
this spring to run dry, even in the worst droughts. Probably it’s not entirely
sanitary, but the water is always cold, and I have been drinking out of it for
years and it hasn’t made me sick yet. Your mileage may vary.
P. J. at the sign erected by TDEC. This area has been deserving
of protection for some time so this was a most welcome sight.
Here’s Dan
McDowell at the trailhead. From here the walk is mostly uphill for a few
hundred yards till it levels out. There’s room for three cars in the parking
area, so if you visit, please be considerate and leave space for us!
Me, where I feel most
comfortable…on the trail.
Along the trail leading up the hill Dan
was pleased to see a couple of nice specimens of Spotted Wintergreen…
…as well as Cranefly Orchids. A close look reveals rather
distinctive parallel veining and purple underside.
There are
wildflowers, yes, and sinkholes, and there’s even caves running under and
around the area, but what John Noel SNA is best known for is trees. Lots of them, and big ones
too. I am a big lad, and I am dwarfed by this giant…and it’s not even the
biggest of the lot.
This one may be, though. I’m not sure. I can
guess that some of these trees, while not virgin, might well be second or third
growth, which would make them hundreds of years old. The things they have seen…
You must stop from time to time and gaze
upward to get a real feel for just how big some of these trees really are. It
makes me feel so small and insignificant. Also grateful, that Mr. Noel saw fit
to save this area for future generations to enjoy.
Further down the trail you pass this odd
pile of rocks. Leftovers from a pioneer’s wall, perhaps?
An Indian structure of some kind? A
collapsed chimney? Just a plain old pile of rock?
Who knows?
In some places the canopy is sparse, which
makes for a nice stroll on a sunny day.
So, exactly what is this itty-bitty thing
Peej is pointing out here? An egg of some kind? We
have no earthly idea. Just another little wonder at John Noel.
I like pictures with character. Here is some shots of fungus growing on fallen trees…
…and some moss on another. Sights like this all come together so well at John Noel because it
is so clean and free of trash. I am doing my best to make sure it stays
that way, and you can help by picking up and packing out any that you might
find.
Just leaves on the forest floor, but they
made for a nice picture for fall!
I believe this is called “reindeer moss”.
Appropriate for the season…as I write this, Christmas is just nine days
away…and this is the John Noel
wilderness, after all!
Leaves everywhere.
There’s a trail under them somewhere!
Yes, it’s only tree bark, but what
texture! I am a self-confessed fanatic for this sort of thing. It’s the same
portion of tree, just with slightly different lighting. It makes a fine
computer desktop!
So does this, though! So many pictures, so
little time!
Bon Aqua was at one time a pretty tony resort where the hoi
polloi would come and “take the cure” from the sulfur springs found in the
valley. There was a big hotel that would host the likes of Thomas Edison, among
others, who would ride in on the train from Dickson to Lyles/Bon Aqua. The
hotel went through several
incarnations till it was finally pulled down in the 1940s. What Dan is
looking down into is what is left of the old swimming pool.
No, really, that’s what this is. The
waters of Spring Creek were dammed to fill the walled up pool, seen below…
…from which you can
still look down the hollow and see what is left of the old sulfur springs,
which are mostly dried up. You can smell
them, though, if the wind is blowing right.
Looking toward the “deep
end” of the pool. My father-in-law used to come swim here and helped the
family clean the pool for the visitors back in the day, and in the spring the
water was very, very cold! Having explored
Me and P. J. after a
walk at John Noel. The trail is a pleasant one mile stroll and just begs
to be done a couple of times in one day. And why not?
Do it once clockwise, then counter. You never know
what you might see differently walking it the opposite way.
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