Sitting at Starbucks in Gallatin, TN

We arrived at our destination yesterday very early - 1:30 PM. The trip from Elizabethtown, KY,  was a fairly short one - 129 miles - and we were happy we set it up that way. The campground we are staying in - Bledsoe Creek State Park - is just fantastic. There were no discount campgrounds that we have any affiliation with that were nearby, so we searched the state park system and came upon this park, just outside of Nashville in Gallatin, TN. Not only is it a beautiful spot, but it is inexpensive - $15. We have electric and water hookups which are all we need. Below are a couple shots of our space:

It is very spacious and private and we have a view of the lake from our side windows:

This will be our space until we leave for Campbellsville on Monday morning. After we set up in our space, we went exploring in the campground. We found the laundry and bathhouses and then we discovered a hiking trail that went along the lake. Why not try it - so we did. We did get some shots as we started out from along the shoeline. This first one is of a strange variety of duck (?) that we have never seen before:

Then we stopped at a dock to get a shot of the huge lake:

Actually, the lake is a lot bigger than the picture shows. This shot was taken of one end, so you can imagine the overall size. There were boats on the water but out of sight from the dock. We continued on the trail as it followed the shoreline for quite a distance. It then started to get further into the woods and we caught this last shot of what looked like a bunch of cranes in the cove across the way:

The trail then went into the woods and we hiked for what seemed like 5 miles. It was a beautiful trail through the woods and about halfway through the hike we had to climb a steep hill that had steps made out of railroad ties that went from the bottom all the way to the top of what was probably a 500 foot climb. We certainly didn't count on a hike like this but we sure did need the excercise. We finally came out at the end of the campground and while walking back to our sight came across several deer. This is the only one that I had my camera ready to capture before it ran off:

That was the extent of our first afternoon in Gallatin, TN. The only negative so far is the weak connection for our wifi. We keep dropping the signal so we are obviously in a fringe area for reception which prompted us to go into town (Gallatin) and find a Starbucks where we are now enjoying a latte and free wifi. I will have to try and locate a store where I can get a booster antenna to use in situations like this.

We did get a message from Patty with the results of Austin's first playoff game last night. His team won, 33 - 7, and Austin scored a 96 yard touchdown in the game. How great is that? We wished we could have been there to see it and cheer him on. The games get tougher now as they move up in the playoff bracket.

Anyway, we are off to explore Nashville today and should have some interesting things to relate tomorrow. Until then...