Devil’s Backbone State Natural Area, Fall Hollow, Keg Springs, and Amber Falls

On October 23, 2010, we went hiking with friends at Devil’s Backbone State Natural Area near Hohenwald. It was an unseasonably hot day, with temperatures climbing to near 80 degrees, but the fall foliage was at near-peak for Tennessee autumn. The trail was covered with a thick layer of fallen leaves, so each step filled the air with loud crunching sounds. We took the 3-mile moderate loop and stopped to take pictures every thirty seconds or so. I quickly learned to cheat by using a photo filter on my camera to enhance the fall colors.

Once we finished the loop, we drove a couple miles to Fall Hollow, where we took the steep trail down about a quarter mile or so and enjoyed the small waterfalls.

Afterward, we felt hungry, so we drove into Hohenwald and ate at Junkyard Dog Steakhouse. I got the chicken parmesan, which was a disappointment; everyone else got steak and loved it.  

We then drove to Keg Springs Winery, where we encountered a black pony in the middle of the road, regarding us serenely. Desira and I got out of the car and shooed him back toward the pasture. When we got up to the winery building, we informed them that their pony was out, and they waved their hands nonchalantly. “He always stays out,” one woman drawled. “It’s fine.” This annoyed me. He could have been hit on the road.

We did a tasting; the wines were all decent. We bought a blackberry wine, a peach wine, and the Crusade, a semi-sweet red which, due to its Concord origins, reminded me of my favorite wine on the planet, the Highland Manor Sunset red table wine. We didn’t deign to stop and listen to the live bluegrass music out on the patio.

Now slightly buzzing from all the wine we’d tasted, we headed out to Amber Falls Winery. This place had an immediately classier feel. The tasting room was packed with people. We tried all the semi-drys and the sweets, and ended up purchasing the three-grape red Ruby Trillium, the dark rosé Cottage Rose, and the spicy red Piquant Rouge, which is a limited edition with flavors of pepper. We hung around while the entertainment on their patio played Celtic violin, but as it degenerated into bluegrass, we left.

Filled with wine and food, with three and a half miles of moderate to strenuous hiking behind us, everyone but the driver nodded off on the hour and a half drive back home.

Philadelphia: Radicchio Café

For lunch on our penultimate day in Philadelphia, we brought a bottle of Chaddsford Sangri-La Sangria to the Radicchio Café. This was our first experience bringing our own bottle to a BYOB restaurant. We sat outside and popped our bottle of wine while we ate an appetizer of Focaccia Caprese, which was a divine twist on tricolore salad by adding focaccia and prosciutto. The wine was a bold, sweet red with a robust fragrance of cloves.

The breeze had the merest autumn bite in it, but the wine warmed us up as we soaked in the feel of the city. All too soon, our meals arrived. I had the Linguine Pomodoro, which was excellent after I added some crushed red pepper. He had the Paccheri Bolognese, which he said was terrific.

We finished the wine and headed off to our next destination. It was a quiet moment in the shade breaking up the bustling of a hectic day.