The Cumberland Gap

The sunrise was beautiful viewed from the front deck of our hillside Norris Lake, Tennessee home. I was the first one up by design. It must’ve been somewhere near 7am. I made quick work of my exercise then relaxed and enjoyed some coffee before setting out on my morning run. Mindy was up just after 7:30am to enjoy the early morning hours with me alone. Come 8am I set out for my run towards the east. The boat launch ramp was reported to be about a ¼ mile up the road. I figured I’d find it while on my run. Heading to the east, I encountered a fairly steep uphill right away. The entire terrain, as expected, was all very hilly. About a half mile down the road I found the boat launch. It was nothing more than a concrete drive into the lake – no dock. I continued my run eastward probably for about a mile and a half. During that stretch, I endured several more uphill/downhill treks, each requiring an altered running technique. Happily, I faired far better than I thought that I might. I was back after about 35 minutes. It was a fantastic workout to be sure. I noted several beautiful lakeside homes along the road, many far nicer than the one we were staying in. Mindy & Rene had breakfast all but ready by the time I returned home. We ate breakfast from the upper deck (French toast and maple sausage links). We wasted little time preparing for a day on the lake after clean-up. After all, that was our main purpose. Rene agreed to stay back with the kids while Mindy & I left to launch the boat. Since there was no dock, the plan was for me to launch the boat with Mindy already at the helm. I would then return to the home with the trailer while Mindy drove the boat t our private dock just down the steep hill from our home. The plan worked well. We were both back at the house loading the cooler & packing snacks 20 minutes later. We were on the lake by 11am. Our first objective was to find the closest marina in the event that we need gas or supplies. I had some idea after using google’s satellite maps the day before from home. I followed what looked familiar until we found Flat Hollow marina. Turned out, the marina was much closer than what the home owner told us. My guess is that it was less than two miles away by water. We scoped out their offerings and the price of gas. Gas was only $4.49 per gallon. Actually, I expected it to be far more. That was only about a $.75 premium over the local gas stations which the closest was about 20 miles away. After using up the current tank and then the two five-gallon containers I brought, I’d be buying gas at the marina. Being a Lake Cumberland veteran, I knew that having a lake map would prove its weight in gold. We sought one at the marina. They wanted $7.50 for a waterproof version. I went to retrieve my wallet to pay the price, but before I could return, Mindy came out with a free version with as much detail as the laminated version. We were happy to settle for that one. Off we went in search of fun. I can’t readily recall if we tubed/skied first, or if we headed directly for a private cove. Either way, we played in the sun and water all day long. We had a blast, too. Mindy saw to that my picking up several new floating devices. She brought two new floating loungers, two inner tubes for the kids, and a floating basketball hoop. We used them all. The rum punch I concocted didn’t hurt either. We shared a pitcher full. We decided to head back to the house around 4:30pm to prep for dinner. After a nap, some reading, and then a shower, I fired up the grill. We grilled filet mignon and sweet corn. Rene whipped up the salad. The filets turned out perfect. After dinner we retired to the lower level to watch a movie. Rene made her and I Jack & Cokes. Mindy called it a night first. I was the last one up, but still went to bed fairly early. It must’ve been 10:45pm.