This story is the continuation of the adventures of Marie and Fred, a retired couple from Connecticut. Earlier adventures are posted under the authorship of Longwalk as well as Longwalk2.
Marie and I had just arrived at our favorite golf timeshare location, Fairfield Glade, in mid Tennessee, halfway between Knoxville and Nashville. The resort has five well designed and well-maintained golf courses, one that is championship caliber. This is not our first time here. Once we discovered all it had to offer, we returned every 2 to 3 years. It fit our vacation style perfectly, with an early 18 holes in the morning, local exploring in the afternoon, and evenings available filled with sex before the redo the next day. The area is short on fine dining, but there is a state park just to the south with plenty of hiking trails. We have taken afternoon drives to Chattanooga, as well as Knoxville and Nashville. We just plan based on how we feel after golf and react spontaneously.
Check-in for a timeshare can be a hassle, but we just say no to the sales pitch. It seen one "no" is never enough, but after we finished running the gauntlet, I needed a bathroom break before we left to find our condo. When I returned, I had to look around the facility for a while to find Marie. When I did locate her, she was finishing a discussion with one of the female locals working at the resort. As we walked out to the car, she said, "I've got some great leads on hiking trails that we have not seen before. I'm thinking about Tuesday, if the weather turns out to be as good as it is currently predicted."
"Sounds good to me. I always open to a new trail."
"I knew you would be."
We got our tee times for the week and moved our stuff into our assigned condo. With a few hours left on our Sunday afternoon, we drove into Crossville, the nearest town with a supermarket for breakfast fixings. After a stop for takeout barbeque, we headed back to start our vacation routine. I was looking forward to the golf the next day, but sex away from home is always something special.
Monday morning, we were paired with a local couple. The Glade has a lot of retirees, and most of them are golfers. That is why our tee time was later than we would have preferred. The late tee time meant slower play due to the large number of people ahead of us. When we finished the round, our playing partners invited us to join them for a beer at the club house, which we did and enjoyed completely. But when we left the course, it was too late for any afternoon adventure, so we decided on an early dinner after quick showers. There is a good restaurant just south of Crossville. It is the best restaurant I have ever been to, that allowed, no required, you to bring your own wine.
The early return to the condo was an advantage. The Tuesday tee time was the earliest one of the week on a course a little further away from most of the retirement housing. When we arrived, we found we would be playing as a twosome, and there was no one in front of us. For me it was pure bliss. And to top it off, the weather was perfect, with low humidity. We finished close to 11, with the temperature just under 80.
Driving to the condo, we both were delighted with our round and looking forward to an adventure that we missed the day before. Marie said, "We should try that new trail I heard about at check-in."
"Ok with me. Where is it? Do you have a trail map?"
"No map, but I was told that it is right off the road with a marked parking spot. We drive north on the main road through the resort about 10 miles."
"Didn't we drive that road a few years ago and turn around because we were uncomfortable with what we saw. The pickups and the buildings look like the belonged in the movie Deliverance."
"Yes, I remember, but the girl I got the information from said we didn't drive far enough. Further up the road is almost all forest with trails. That year we went south to the state park. This will be all new for us."
"Ok, but I want to change clothes. Don't want to mess up my golf shorts."
"Of course, I want to change as well and get a quick bite."
After I changed and had eaten, I moved the clubs into the outer room of the condo. When Marie came out, I was more than surprised. She had her hiking shoes on, but instead of shorts, she was dressed in a sundress.
"Marie, are you sure you want to hike in a dress?'
"Yes, in this weather, this perfect. Not too hot, or too chilly. I have more freedom of movement than in shorts. And this isn't my best sundress."
"Ok, it's your call, let's go."
Driving north, it seemed that we were leaving civilization behind, but after about 5 miles we were surrounded by trees. We were in a forest. About 10 miles up we found a parking spot for two or three cars with a trail leading into the forest.
"That's the spot she described."
Following Marie's wishes, I pulled in and stopped the car. It looked like many of the trail heads that we frequented in CT. So off we went down the trail with Marie leading the way with a spring in her steps. After about 100 yds, the trail merged with a dirt road. It appeared that the trail followed the road, so we continued up the road for 400 yds of so, seeing nothing but trees.
Suddenly, a man stepped into our path. "You guys are trespassing."
I replied, "Sorry, we didn't know. We will leave."
I looked behind us and there was a second man behind us, and this one carried a shotgun.
"Not so fast. You have to pay the toll."
"Are you serious? Well, what is the toll?"
"I don't know. You have to see Pa. He set the toll."