Saturday I packed my stuff and the dog in my wife’s car and headed north to Asheville on my way to Golden Mountain Off-Road Park in Sparta, TN. The weather was great and her car had XM Radio. Some great tunes were heard on the way up. Unfortunately, I knew my trip was going to be longer than it should have. With I-40 West out up near the NC/ TN border, the only way around was up I- 26 to Hwy 81 in TN and then back down. This tacked on at least an hour to my trip. Luckily for those of you who are in NC and SC, I-40 will be back open at the end of the month.
I've never traveled in TN other than flying into Memphis for a few days for business. My perception of what TN was and what I saw were two totally different views. The mountains in East TN are just as breathtaking as the NC mountains. With views for miles. The trip up to Kingsport was really cool. The trip back down was even better. Just past Knoxville, the road starts to slowly rise. Just like the roads in NC that basically wind up the mountain, this was a long, slow, upward climb until I finally come around a corner, looked to my left and saw how far I had really gone up. Below me was the TN Valley I've heard so much about. Amazing views. Had I not had to be in Sparta that day, I think I would have just set camp up right there. I travelled over two more mountain ranges before hitting Cookeville and started heading south to Golden Mountain in Sparta.
Within minutes I was pulling off the highway and onto a country road. In front of me was a mountain. A couple more miles of farmlands, and I was at the entrance of Golden Mountain. Large rock pillars and heavy gates stood in front. As I pulled in, I could see a gate house at the end of this road. There, the caretaker met me and let me know the rest of my group had already arrived. I paid my $10 fee for camping that night and headed on up.
The first thing I saw was the circle track. It was a lot bigger than I expected with concrete bleachers large enough to hold thousands of people. Standing right beside the track were the bath houses - two showers for the men and two for the women. They weren’t yet painted as they’re brand new, but I was told they would be by GSMTR.
On the other side of the circle track were the bunk houses – in a brand new two-story building. Five small hotel-size rooms line the top story, and each room was equipped with a bunk bed that had a full- or queen-size mattress on the bottom and a single bunk on top. There were also a small refrigerator and microwave oven in each room in addition to a nice bathroom with stand up shower. Downstairs, there were three large rooms that are yet to be furnished, but I was told the large center one would have a large flat-screen TV and possibly a pool table. Another room was going to be furnished with bunk beds in it, and all are currently being wired for flat screen TVs. Oh yeah, and the entire building has the comforts of central air.
After my tour, I got back in the car and drove up the paved driveway to the top of the mountain. Along the way, on both sides of the road, you could see trails and rocks everywhere. After about 300 to 400 yards, I came to the top of the mountain. There in front of me was a sight I have never seen at an ORV park - a fully landscaped sports complex.
I drove and parked beside the main cabana – the main hub for GSMTR.
This is where we’ll be holding the dinners, raffle, music and other events. It's large with men’s and women’s bathrooms on one side and a very large rock fireplace and kitchen on the other.
In the middle of this cabana is a large elevated stage overlooking the pond below.
The pond was the first feature my golden retriever Jessie found, and it kept her allegiance pretty much the entire time.
The pond is at least three acres, and from what I could tell, it wasn't more than approximately six feet deep with most of it only being three or so feet. One thing I noticed as I walked around the boardwalk that wraps around the entire lake was that it’s full of fish.
Brim and bass. Big bass – some looked to be at least a couple pounds. There were several bridges that crossed the pond to give an easy cast into the water. I'm looking forward to casting a pumpkin seed worm and trying to hook up with a bass. I think my four-year-old will have fun with her Barbie rod.
Walking past the pond, you come up to what used to be a giant sand pit. With three volley ball courts complete with lights. The nets have long vanished, and the sand has been overtaken by dirt, but I'm working on something we can use this area for. If I can find a net and a ball I might convince the owner of the park to till up the dirt laced sand and have a softer surface for us to land in.
Past that the volleyball courts is a baseball field.
It's complete with a dugout for each team, benches and stadium lighting for night games. The grass has just been recently mowed and it looks ready to play. I think it might be fun to get a softball game up between some of the clubs that will be coming to GSMTR. I just need to find someone who’s willing to put it together - it would be a great way of getting to know new friends and having a great time with the family. Beside the baseball field is a full court basketball court. I kid you not.
After walking the bases I saw a building behind the field that I believe used to be a clubhouse for the park. Looking through the windows I could see a very nice - but empty - big room with a kitchen in the back.
