Scenery and Shopping

Early spring just about anywhere is a beautiful time of the year.  Our back road explorations here in East Tennessee coincide with spring and daylight savings time.  The latter makes longer drives possible and even allows for later starts.  

Spring also 'pops up’ the greenery and flowers and make any drive more interesting.  So on this early spring day we decided to take advantage of nice weather and recent rains…to check out a large local and very accessible waterfall.

This is Bald River Falls.  Yes, I have blogged about the falls before.  We tend to take all visitors here the first time they come to see us here in East Tennessee. 

Bald River flows into the Tellico River just below the falls.  In turn, the Tellico River flows into the Little Tennessee River and the Tellico Lake/TVA’s Tellico Reservoir…which, as you may have guessed, then flows into the Tennessee River.  

Bald River Falls can be easily reached and viewed by just about anyone.  From Tellico Plains Tennessee, all visitors have to do is follow the Cherohala Skyway to Forest Service Road/FS210 aka Tellico River Road and follow FS210 (paved road) for about 6 miles.  The falls are visible from the bridge shown above.  In the photo the falls are to the left and the Tellico River is to the right.

Tellico River Road was built on the old logging railroad bed and it winds along following the river’s course.   FYI…the Tellico River is widely recognized as a premiere trout stream, renowned for brook, brown and rainbow trout.  

As you can see, we took photos of each other with Bald River Falls in the background.  The 80 + foot high falls are considered by many to be the most impressive and scenic waterfall in East Tennessee.  While the Bald River is short, it’s powerful.  It flows through a steep densely wooded valley that is regularly replenished by mountain rains.  The big pool at the base of the falls is a popular place for swimming in warmer weather.

The Bald River and 3,721 acres of its watershed are part of the Bald River Gorge Wilderness.  It was designated as a wilderness area in 1984.  For hikers, the Bald River Trail begins at Bald River Falls.  This 10.2 mile round trip trail is moderately difficult with waterfall views.  Wildlife is plentiful in the gorge.  To learn more, you can go to https://rootsrated.com/knoxville-tn/hiking/bald-river-gorge-hiking.

After Bald River Falls, I did something unusual…for me.  I decided to check out a store that Laurie and others had mentioned in glowing terms.  I am not a shopper by any means, but something truly different, in retailing terms, does tend to raise my curiosity.  

Everhart Lumber in Tellico Plains Tennessee has been in the lumber business for more than a hundred years…but they changed their strategic business plan many years ago.

Note: The walls on either side of the entrance are covered with bark…a first sign of what follows inside the store.

Many years ago, after a crash in the housing market, business for Everhart became very challenging.  So they decided to specialize and focus their skills on decorative yet utilitarian slabs of wood for furniture and decorative accent pieces. 

Everhart uses locally harvest hardwoods in their specialized business.  These include oak, maple, cherry, sycamore, ash, pecan, beech, elm, poplar, sassafras…and as you can see above…cedar.

The company carefully selects local trees that have fallen or have to be cut down.  These may be trees that die from natural causes, trees felled by storms, or removed by utility/municipal workers that could damage property or injure people. 

Laurie had been looking for a mirror for use in our enclosed breezeway near the entrance to our garage…and Everhart builds these attractive mirrors using the wood and bark that they harvest. 

I was sure that I was going to ‘own’ one of those mirrors at Everhart Lumber.  Laurie liked a lot of what she saw here and she truly wanted a mirror in our enclosed and heated breezeway!  But when we got home and she started thinking about it, she remembered that we had 3 or more mirrors in the upstairs storage closet that we weren’t using.  So, after checking them out, she decided to re purpose this antique mirror that's from her family!  It’s much bigger than the ones at the store…and we already owned it.  Yea for me/us!  FYI, she is planning to ‘distress’ the frame so it works a little better with the room.

I love this big long plank.  The wood grain and colors are terrific.

Everhart mills trunks, logs and big burls into slabs that are up to 6” thick.  They cut them vertically or horizontally from the trees.  Customers include woodworkers, hobbyists, home owners, designers and architects.  They can select from dried, sanded and filled slabs or from thick slabs of fresh sawn lumber.  Every piece is unique…with its own texture, patterns and natural designs.

The store offers a lot of variety, with sample items that can stir a customer’s designer inner self!  I can imagine this sink or one like it that would be perfect in the right home… Those candlesticks are pretty classy too.

Everhart’s also features decorative items for the home…picture frames, pillows, lamps, lamp shades and a plethora of choices for hanging coats and other items in hallways or mudrooms.

I like this cedar bench with variations on the lamp tables, more pillows, a big handsome wooden framed picture and more…  

Need a new mantle for your fireplace?  Perhaps something unique…old logs, barnwood beams, finished ‘new’ logs, rough edge, finished edge, etc.  Those huge logs on the floor are impressive too…but they’d have to be for a mantle for a! huge stone fireplace!

This beautiful piece of furniture would look great in someone’s country kitchen!

As you may have surmised by now, Everhart’s has its own custom furniture shop.  They create unique and striking one-of a kind table tops, kitchen islands and countertops, headboards, benches, sofa tables, coffee tables, dining tables, end tables, conference tables, dividers, floor inlays, door frames, lazy susans,   and more!  No two pieces are exactly alike so anything you purchase is an exclusive…

In one corner of the store, we found this decorative gift display featuring teddy bears… There were some very appealing furry critters looking for a home!

Fortunately for me, since Laurie already has over 100 bears, additions to the menagerie aren’t needed or wanted.  Until very recently, this little representative group of bears were on display in our front hallway…

This store is worth the visit, even if you don’t like shopping.  It is different, its products are natural art…as well as the company’s ‘constructed’ art…plus there is the opportunity to find an item for your home that is like no other…

Everhart Lumber Company, LLC is located a t 911 Veterans Memorial Drive in Tellico Plains Tennessee.  Phone: 423-253-2323.  Their website (with lots of photos) is at http://everhart-lumber.com/. 

…another early spring day in paradise and another sunset to mark its end.  There is so much more for us to explore and experience here in our little piece of the world!

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave