I did some research on smaller roads to take from Asheville NC to just outside Sweetwater TN. I watched CBS This Morning a few weeks prior and came across a place I wanted to stop and see – The Lost Sea Adventure.
One of the roads I took was US Route 129. Here are some pretty photos from the route along the way:
This bridge led to the sign for Fontana Dam.
This rock wall is what I was looking straight at when I was driving over the bridge.
A look back at the bridge
It was a Saturday and the road started to be really overrun with tons of motorcycles, a few corvettes, and clueless people like me who didn’t know why there were so many people driving on it.
I saw a few tents along the way with “129PHOTOS.COM” on them. After I got home, I looked them up.
Apparently I was driving on a section of road known as The Tail of the Dragon. Here is some text from the 129PHOTOS.com website:
What is “the Dragon” (aka “the Tail of the Dragon”, “Deals Gap” and “Tale of the Dragon”)?
The Dragon is a portion of US 129 in Tennessee that features 318 curves in 11 miles. Riders and drivers from all over the world visit the Dragon in hopes of conquering its many twists and turns. Beginning just beyond Punkin Center where US 129 and State Road 72 meet, the Dragon winds its way through a portion of the east Tennessee mountains and ends at the TN/NC state line. Beyond the state line lies Deals Gap, the Tail of the Dragon, Fontana Dam, Cherohala Skyway and many other points of interest.
To say the road was windy and hilly was an understatement. At one point, the car in front of me pulled over so I could pass her (I wasn’t tailgating but I think she was probably driving her big SUV faster than she wanted to). At another point a motorcycle passed me, crossing into the oncoming lane and catching air!
So, if you go to this site: https://xtremesportsphotography.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=0QAK03GP053039&po=3043&pc=8674
and make sure you go to “Cars and Trucks” on 8/31 at 12:32 and 12:33pm, you’ll see photos of my car (this link should be direct to my car though)! I didn’t know what time I had driven through there so I had to do a little bit of searching, but, obviously I found it! There are 6 photos total. Here is one of them:
Finally I got off of the curvy part, 318 curves later, and stopped to take a breather and take some more pretty photos:
Finally I made it to The Lost Sea Adventure!
Although I bought my ticket ahead of time online, it was not at a reserved time. Luckily, because it was just me, I only had to wait about 20 minutes to get on a tour. Some people had to wait an hour or more!
At the appointed time those of us on the tour lined up.
After a short briefing, we were on our way. We had about a 3/4 mile hike ahead of us before we would get in the boat. Here are some stalagtite and stalagmite photos for you to enjoy!
They also have an Adventure where you can stay overnight in the cave. This sign shows some of the different little trails you can try to do (shimmying and crawling required!)
An old still from long ago. At one point there was a bar in the cave, but apparently when you drink alcohol below ground, you don’t feel it. But as soon as you go back up, you fall on your face drunk! The bar lasted about a month before it was shut down.
Now it was time to get on the boats! But first a little history. Even though the caves were used by the Confederate Army to mine saltpeter during the Civil War (to make explosives), and even though there were consistent rumors of a large underground lake somewhere, it wasn’t until 1905 that it was discovered. Ben Sands, a 13 year old boy, wiggled thru a tiny muddy opening in the cave 300 ft underground, and found himself in a huge room half filled with water. At the time there was a drought, and he didn’t tell his father about it for about 2 weeks. By the time he told his dad and they went back together, the water had receded to a puddle and his dad didn’t believe his story. Eventually the water did fill back up, but Ben didn’t receive credit for finding the lake until he was 73 years old!
The visible portion of the lake is 800 ft long by 220 ft wide.
The boat ride was about 10-15 minutes. We were allowed to touch the water – a chilly 58oF!
After the tour it was time to get back on the road and head to McMinnville.
Kenn and I got there in the late afternoon and hung out on the back porch with our friends.
I have a few more photos of McMinnville, but I will share them in the next post which will include my visit to a local yoga campus and a visit to the McMinnville birthing tree! Stay tuned!