One Year In Tennessee - 20 Observations (Johnson City, Oak Ridge: hotel, neighborhood, to buy)

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by LauraC

1. Time to take the shovel out of the trunk of the car. Don’t think I’ll be digging myself out of the snow anywhere in Tennessee. I used my ice scraper once last year and that was the brush end, to brush the snow off my car. (Note: I’m retired. If you are outside at 6:00A or earlier, every morning in the winter, you may have a different take on this.)

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I would make sure to have the shovel in your trunk if you are doing some traveling during the winter across the Cumberland Plateau or the Smoky Mountains. (The weather in those areas can be more unpredicatable) It can snow in those areas even in March sometimes. By the way, low temperatures can get as low as -22F out on the Cumberland Plateau. Many people don't realize that it does get very cold ocassionally in eastern areas of Tennessee.

[jabogitlu]

They shut down I-26 over the mountains around the Sam's Gap area two or three times this past season. Yep, if truly live in the remote areas (Viking Mtn, Black Mtn, up around Mtn City) you might really need that shovel!

[JMT]

Originally Posted by Plains10

I would make sure to have the shovel in your trunk if you are doing some traveling during the winter across the Cumberland Plateau or the Smoky Mountains. (The weather in those areas can be more unpredicatable) It can snow in those areas even in March sometimes. By the way, low temperatures can get as low as -22F out on the Cumberland Plateau. Many people don't realize that it does get very cold ocassionally in eastern areas of Tennessee.

Yes, the temperatures on the Cumberland Plateau can get as low as -22F, maybe once every 50 years. It's been some 25 years since the last time it was that cold on the Cumberland Plateau, and it stayed cold for about 3 days before warming back up to normal winter temperatures.

It's also been in the 70s in February on the Cumberland Plateau. So you never know!

[fallfanatic]

Thank you Laura for writing this. We have not moved there yet... will be there by October. But, I have spent much time in NETN and many extended vacations. I agree 100% with you (except the birds, I never noticed that they were fat until your pictures). I have been visting that area for over 30 years and always knew that one day it would be my home.
I can not wait till we are out of the military so we can get home to NETN. I have always said "I may have been TX born, but TN is my home." And finally it is comming true! Thank You again for your wonderful post.

[GraniteStater]

Originally Posted by JMT

Yes, the temperatures on the Cumberland Plateau can get as low as -22F, maybe once every 50 years. It's been some 25 years since the last time it was that cold on the Cumberland Plateau, and it stayed cold for about 3 days before warming back up to normal winter temperatures.

It's also been in the 70s in February on the Cumberland Plateau. So you never know!

It is true that it can be quite mild in the winter sometimes. I found the rural areas around Crossville to be very scenic with forested hills and scattered farms. I did notice that kudzu seems to be taking over a lot of the forests, though

[Grizzlybear34]

Hey, no one answered my other question. What is the bird in the last picture of LauraC's thread? It's got kind of a big beak...not a fluffy beak, a big beak. It looks like you don't want to make it angry.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Grizzlybear34

Hey, no one answered my other question. What is the bird in the last picture of LauraC's thread? It's got kind of a big beak...not a fluffy beak, a big beak. It looks like you don't want to make it angry.

I'm sorry I didn't ID it. It's just a male house sparrow. You can identify them by the brown near the eyes and the bib under the throat. The females look a lot different and both look altogether different than a song sparrow.

[LauraC]

Originally Posted by Plains10

I would make sure to have the shovel in your trunk if you are doing some traveling during the winter across the Cumberland Plateau or the Smoky Mountains. (The weather in those areas can be more unpredicatable) It can snow in those areas even in March sometimes. By the way, low temperatures can get as low as -22F out on the Cumberland Plateau. Many people don't realize that it does get very cold ocassionally in eastern areas of Tennessee.

My thing with the shovel was always having to dig out the car after the snow plow plowed you in. Last year, I didn't see enough snow for a plow but being retired, I don't have to go out if it snows, either.

[Grizzlybear34]

That's a sparrow? I've never seen one like it...

Nice pics.

[iris_queen]

Awwwww....