Noccalula Falls

Noccalula Falls is located in Gadsden and we stopped in here. This is one of those “wonders” which everyone is supposed to see on the one wonder per state list. Again the same cavern underneath the falls, the same general shape but this one was easily the highest and biggest of all the ones we saw. There is the inevitable legend of the Indian princess who leaps from the falls into the water to avoid a marriage she can’t stand. What was interesting is this legend is supposedly true. The Cherokee were forced eastward and were crowding and fighting with the Creek so the wedding was to make peace. She jumped instead. The statue has a maiden ugly enough that it should have been the Creek warrior she was betrothed to who would have been the one jumping. No matter. The park is lovely and has a campground. The problem is they were all closed up for their break between Halloween and the preparations for their Christmas festival so we could only see the falls and then leave. The cold arctic air has arrived and after days of T shirt weather we had to bundle up warmly. We will spend the night in Oxford and move along to Milledgeville Georgia in the morning.

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Desoto State Park

We spent the night in Desoto State Park. This is a large park near the falls. It has it’s own multiple waterfalls. We went to see all the close by waterfalls. After a day of walking the Cathedral Cavern we weren’t going to try walking miles and miles to see all the falls. In Desoto State Park we visited the Azalea falls, the Indian Falls and Lodge Falls. Lodge falls was just a trifle.

The State Park is up high on the Tennessee Hills plateau. The ride was up long and slow to spare our transmission. At the top the foliage was in full fall glory and a pleasure to see.

Indian Falls from the top.

Indian falls from below. All the waterfalls here have this characteristic cave underneath.

Mistletoe

Azalea falls.

Fall reds.

Lodge falls was dry.