I figured we ought to set up a thread for this so it doesn't get lost in the shuffle.

For anyone just dropping in on this scheme - several of us are interested in doing a combination Community Service and weekend GTG at Cedars of Lebanon State Park near Nashville (central TN).

It involves reversing some of the illegal dumping that has been going on at one of our parks, and camping out or RVing it overnight at the campsites there.

The exact date is still TBA, and other details and suggestions are more than welcome!


KUDOS to Maples01 for coming up with the idea!!!

 

Let me know i'll see if i can come.

DT

 

The guy flipped out last time I set it up and had volunteers in to clean up, but the Dec rain oly let us get one site done, seems there is little interest by the people living in the area to help clean it up. What rattles me the most about the dumping is, there are FREE dump area's all aound, one is rather close to the park. I think they'll get a dumpster brought to the station out front once they get a set date for us to show up. I'll hurry up and get a hitch setup on my truck to pull a trailer, and I may get someone to take the tool box off of the bed to open up some space. My wife is ready for another go at it, she wanted to get another group together for a second trip but couldn't.
I don't have much, but I have a footon and can let someone stay the night on it if they want.

 

I've stayed at COL several times. I can't believe people would dump there! Is is just household trash or industrial (ie toxic) waste? There is a slim chance the wife and I could squeeze in weekend. We are planning an aniversary trip somewhere, sometime at the end of September.

 

Junk from homes, things we hauled off were: busted aquarium, coffee table, old vehicle parts, busted waterbed, basically junk.

 

You said "Hauled"? Did I miss it already?

 

No, I was the one who brough up the suggestion to do this, when I was a member elsewhere, I set this up after the news reported the dumping, was Dec before last, the ranger had the news and paper notified, they came out to interview. It was on channel 2 here, I have the clip saved somewhere, my wife and other two guys involved were filmed, it wasn't but like a few minutes. I had no intention of doing it to get noticed, were were suprised when we rolled in to unload and there was a video camera set up. One of the guys who helped was from Cookville, the other Hendersonville, we live in Murfreesboro, about 20 minutes away from the park.

 

I still have a tent and a bedroll packed that I was going to use at the rally. I about climbed out of my own skin when I changed the bandage on my wrist & hand this morning though.

man how I hate burns...

Been doing some basic checking on facilities.
Basic campsites (before November first) are $18.50 per night. Around november they close the "Bath Houses", so we should keep that in mind.

Cabins are anywhere from $50 to $104 per night.

There's a group Cabin for $165, and it says something about a small additional charge for additional people in groups of more than thirty three people

 

I will try my best to be there. I'll watch this thread to see what date is picked.

 

I want Parks911's input on this especially. He's not due in until friday, and I-net at truckstops is five bucks a pop. Thus - the dates are unlikely to be set til the weekend at least.

My hand and arm are healing up well, might need another week but its way improved.

I know Parks was thinking in terms of get there on a saturday, do a few hours of clean up, have a lunch thing maybe somewhere local, a few more hours, and possibly a dinner.

I have been thinking from jump that "Hey... It's a PARK - with CAMPSITES!!!" and I would love to do a Saturday schedule like Parks911 suggested and a campout overnight (campfire and all!) and then maybe do something early sunday before packing out and hitting the road. Roughly two hundred miles at 70 is real close to three hours of ride time from Memphis.

 

It'll be 3 hours, I do trips to Knoxville to visit family, same distance. You do not want to do this in one day, ask Howard, it's hard on your body, be even rougher since you are going to work. The park has grills, so you can cook out there.

 

I'm not much worried about the length of the ride, only about 400 miles of fuel in a truck making about 12 to 14 per gallon! That would be the round-trip, and it comes down to about eighty bucks. I can start swapping out the back tank in one of my trucks and salvage fuel from some yard decorations to get a lot of it. Over time a number of machines have just been left here as if I was running a parking lot for relatives. Well- I deserve something for letting them rust on my back lawn. Whatever is in there tanks will do for starters!!!

The two fuel tanks should come out to about forty or fifty gallons, I might not have to stop either coming or going. It would be a strange trip that I did not keep going for twelve hours at least. I used to come from Norfolk to Memphis with one or two stops to stretch, refuel, and load up the coffee cup.

Plus breakfast. I've always had a thing for Waffle House - big stacks of waffles or pancakes with a fried egg and some bacon on the side and fresh coffee.

ALL that sugar, and lots of caffiene!!!

I'd like to do a cookout as the dinner saturday, for one I'm on a budget that's so tight it squeaks. For another I'm a cooking fiend! The kitchen is another area I got real interested in tinkering in. And if I bring a certain grill, I can prove a statement I once made...

 

I wasn't able to get home this weekend but I did manage to crack into my email. I haven't heard a word back from the conservation dept.

Perhaps maples01 can take a ride up there and chat with the folks. Live communication is a hell of alot better then this internet crap anyhow.

 

I'll do it next week, I should have saved the name and number, I know where to go now.

 

Best way to go is probably ground zero....

We'll be listening!


~Wolf