Yours Truly Frenchies

09/19/2026

In West Virginia, a visit to Blackwater Falls State Park brings waterfalls, mountain overlooks, rock formations, and miles of trails together in one beautiful place. The main attraction is Blackwater Falls, which drops 57 feet into the rugged Blackwater Canyon. Its dark amber color comes from tannic acid released by fallen hemlock and red spruce needles, giving the water its famous tea-like look. You can also follow the short Elakala Trail to a bridge overlooking Elakala Falls, a series of cascades that tumble through the forest toward the Blackwater River. For one of the park’s biggest views, Lindy Point sits about 3,000 feet above sea level and looks across the wide canyon below. Another stop is Balanced Rock, where large sandstone rocks create one of the park’s most unusual sights. You can also take a photo on the Almost Heaven Swing near the walkway to the main falls. The park was officially established in 1937 and today has around 20 miles of hiking trails to explore.

09/01/2026

At Foster Falls in Tennessee, you can view one of the Volunteer State’s most stunning waterfalls directly from the suspension bridge you’ll cross to reach it! The 60-foot waterfall drops over a high cliff into a beautiful pool below, where visitors often cool off during warmer weather. A short walk leads to an overlook above the falls, while the steeper trail into the gorge takes you across the bridge and down near the base for an even closer view. Foster Falls is now part of Fiery Gizzard State Park, which became its own Tennessee state park in October 2025 after previously being part of South Cumberland State Park. The falls also sit at the southern end of the roughly 12-mile Fiery Gizzard Trail, known for waterfalls, rocky gorges and scenic overlooks. Nearby, Foster Falls Campground has 25 sites for tents and small trailers, making it easy to stay overnight and explore more of the area.

08/26/2026

You can wade in West Virginia’s beautiful, natural warm springs at Berkeley Springs State Park, where clear mineral water bubbles through the heart of downtown at a steady 74.3 degrees all year long. The public springs are free to enter year-round, making it easy to slip off your shoes and cool your feet in water that has drawn visitors here for centuries. Native Americans were using the springs long before European settlers arrived, and 16-year-old George Washington stopped here with a surveying party in 1748 before returning many times later in life. Today, you can see a replica of the simple stone bathing spot connected to his visits. For a longer soak, the Old Roman and Main bathhouses offer private mineral baths, massages, saunas, and other spa treatments, with some bath water heated to 102 degrees. The springs produce about 2,000 gallons of clear water every minute. You can also visit the free museum upstairs in the Old Roman Bathhouse, open March through December, stroll the small park, or swim in the spring-fed outdoor pool during summer.

08/25/2026

The Tallest Waterfalls of Tennessee Road Trip takes you to view 12 of the grandest waterfalls across the Volunteer State, with towering drops, deep gorges, and mountain scenery packed into one adventure.

📍Fall Creek Falls (256 feet)
📍C**n Creek Falls (250 feet)
📍Burgess Falls (136 feet)
📍Rockhouse Falls (125 feet)
📍Virgin Falls (110 feet)
📍Ozone Falls (110 feet)
📍Ramsey Cascades (100 feet)
📍Piney Creek Falls (95 feet)
📍Hen Wallow Falls (90 feet)
📍Bald River Falls (90 feet)
📍Cane Creek Falls (85 feet)
📍Cummins Falls (75 feet)

Fall Creek Falls plunges 256 feet and ranks among the highest waterfalls in the eastern United States, while nearby C**n Creek Falls drops 250 feet beside it. Burgess Falls crashes 136 feet over the final ledge of the Falling Water River, and Rockhouse Falls drops 125 feet into Cane Creek Gorge. Virgin Falls is a remarkable 110-foot waterfall formed by a stream that comes from a cave and disappears into another cave below. Ozone Falls also drops 110 feet into a rocky amphitheater and was used for scenes in The Jungle Book. Ramsey Cascades, the tallest waterfall in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, tumbles 105 feet down a rugged rock face. Piney Creek Falls follows at 95 feet, Hen Wallow Falls and Bald River Falls each reach 90 feet, Cane Creek Falls drops 85 feet, and Cummins Falls finishes the collection with a beautiful 75-foot cascade and swimming hole.

07/27/2026

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07/27/2026

In Tennessee, you can find the Narrows of Harpeth Tunnel in Harpeth River State Park, where a short walk leads to one of the state’s most unusual historic sights. Also called the Montgomery Bell Tunnel, this 290-foot passage was cut through limestone in 1819 to move water across a narrow ridge. The diverted flow powered Pattison Forge, an early iron operation owned by Montgomery Bell. Enslaved workers completed the digging by hand, making the tunnel’s history as important as its appearance. It is believed to be the first full-size water-diversion tunnel built in the United States and became a National Historic Landmark in 1994. Today, three short trails begin near the same parking area and cover about 0.8 miles altogether. The Tunnel Trail leads toward the dark stone opening and small waterfall below it, while the Bluff Trail climbs to a view over the winding Harpeth River. Water spilling from the tunnel can range from a steady cascade after rainy weather to only a light trickle during dry stretches. Even when the flow is low, the hand-cut tunnel, rocky riverbank, wooded paths, and high bluff make this a memorable stop.

07/27/2026

Archaeologists studying Lake Tesse in southern Norway uncovered ancient wooden fish traps dating to around 5000 BC. But the traps revealed something even bigger. Brown trout could never have reached this mountain lake on their own because waterfalls blocked their path. That means Mesolithic hunter gatherers deliberately carried live fish into the lake thousands of years before farming arrived in Scandinavia.

The effort created a reliable food source close to their camps, showing remarkable planning and long term thinking. Even more incredible, the trout living in Lake Tesse today are believed to be descendants of those first fish introduced nearly 7,000 years ago.

It is another reminder that hunter gatherers were deliberately shaping their environment thousands of years before farming reached northern Europe.

What other achievements from prehistory are we still missing?

📸 Top: Mjærum et al. | Antiquity (2026)

06/20/2026

Chili peppers evolved to be hot, but their capsaicin isn't designed to hurt birds—it's designed to keep mammals away. Birds lack the TRPV1 receptor, the protein that triggers the burning sensation in humans and other mammals.

This means a bird can eat an entire chili without any discomfort, while a human feels the burn almost instantly. The seeds pass through the bird's digestive tract unharmed and are dropped far from the parent plant, helping the pepper spread. It's a clever evolutionary partnership: the plant gets to reproduce, and the bird gets a nutritious meal. A natural design where one species' pain is another's gain. 🌶️🐦

06/01/2026