Helen Keller and Muscle Shoal's (10/22)

I am very excited to visit the birth place of Helen Keller. As a child I read everything I could find on her after seeing the movie "The Miracle Worker".  I didn't know that she was born that close to where Joe grew up.  It is a short drive from where we are staying.  Once inside we get the tour of the downstairs and are left to explore the upstairs and outside on our own.  The original pump where it all comes together for her is still here as well as the little cottage that she lived in with Anne Sullivan while learning to sign, talk and write.

 The type writer is a braille typewriter.

The bed is the actual bed she slept on growing up.

 This is the cottage the Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan lived in and Helen was actually born in this cottage.



I was really enjoyed this tour and the history that goes with it.  Helen died at age 87 after traveling around the world and being a huge influence on so many people.

Once we are done here we go to the Muscle Shoal's music studio.  Joe has always wanted to be able to go inside this historical studio where so much great music was made.  It isn't very big and it is hard to imagine that groups like Lenard Skynyrd, the Rolling Stones, Linda Ronstadt, to name a few, recorded here.  The recording rooms are very small and

then there is the basement where it is said all the partying took place.  Eventually the studio was moved and renamed Fame Recording Studio.

Now for lunch. We ate at Rick's BBQ.  Man what good food.  I had the ribs and they were so tender they just fell off the bones.  Joe had his BBQ pork sandwich but ended up eating part of my ribs because it was to much for me to finish.  He won't be hungry for a few days after all he ate.  LOL!

We decided that the day wouldn't be complete without going to the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.  We were so glad we did.  So much music history in one building.  I did not know so many artist came from Alabama. All the greats, Nat King Cole, Hank Williams Sr,Lionel Richie, to name a few.  Sun Records' Sam Phillips helped so many get their start here, like Elvis Presley.


They have the country band, Alabama's, touring bus and you get to go inside it.  They have six bunk beds in the middle for the band to sit and a music/TV area in the back of the bus.  The ceiling is even padded.

It was cool to see the songs written on the paper they were originally written on. Many of the original instruments were also on display.  On one cool car that had guns for the door handles.










Now it is time to head home I am tired and by back is really hurting today.  We stop at the visitor center and buy me a Sweet Home Alabama dirt shirt and Joe got a Muscle Shoals has got the Swampers shirt.  He takes me home and heads back to Muscle Shoals to tour the Fame recording studio at 4pm.  You will have to read is page to find out about the Fame recording studio.

Tomorrow we head to Memphis for 4 or 5 days.  Lot's to see and do there.

Florence AL (102/21)

We have an easy morning, we don't have far to go today.  It is only about a 2-3 hour drive to Florence.  We are staying at McFarlands Park and campgrounds.  What a nice park and only $18.40 a night with full hookups.  This campground is right on the Tennessee River.  I can see it out the back window.

Once we get set up we go into town for lunch.  Joe has been wanting some Krystal Burgers so that is where we go.  After lunch I am so full don't know if I'll want dinner.  We stop at a grocery store to pick up a few things then back to the park.

We take are chairs and go sit on the bank of the Tennessee River and have a beer.  Boy this is the life, at least until the wind picked up and it got a little cold.  I am such a wimp, Joe had to go get me a blanket so we could stay out a little longer.

He was hoping that a barge would come by and just as we were getting ready to go it here one comes, so we stayed out a little longer.

Watched a movie and did some reading and fell a sleep.  So I guess it is time for bed, to many hectic long days lately.

Tomorrow we will go to see Helen Keller's birth place it Tuscumbia then to Muscle Shoals to see the Muscle Shoals recording studio.

A nice reunion of friends (10/20/14)

This morning Joe was up early taking the truck in of an oil change and tire rotation.  This usually takes a good 2.5 hours.  Left on my own I catch up on my blog, glad to get caught up.  Then the part I was putting off, much needed house cleaning.  We stay so busy that the vacuuming and moping don't get done as often as they should. It feels so good to have that done and everything smells so good.

Once Joe gets home we go to have lunch with his mother and brother.  They serve good food at Brookdale, where his mom lives.  It was a nice lunch and a great last visit for this year.  We say our goodbye's  planning on returning tonight for dinner, but mom is feeling very tired, so dinner was canceled.

As we were discussing what to do Joe suddenly remembered that he wanted to look up his old high school buddy, Dexter McClure and his wife Joyce.  He gave them a call and before we knew it we were meeting for dinner at Rosie's Mexican Cantina.   We called Joe's brother, Jerry, to join us.  We all met at 5:30 for a very good meal.  It was nice to get some what caught with everyone.  After dinner we went to Dexter's house to see his baby.  Dexter builds trains, ones you can ride on.  He started when he was a teenager working with his dad.  He has a track laid around his property complete with tunnel.  He gives kids rides on it.  They even issue tickets that get punched and he has a depot and a work shop in his backyard.

This is the train Dexter and his dad workedon

We all got to do a couple of laps around his yard.  It was so much fun.  After our ride we toured his depot and work shop.                                                                                                                            

The work shop to the left and the model he is now working on to the right. He will be adding one more table to complete the track.







We really had a great time visiting with them and hated to leave, but it was getting late so we said our goodbye's with promises to get together next year when we return to Huntsville.

If anyone would like to read more on what he does, here is a link to the news paper article on the Heart of Dixie Railroad.

http://www.al.com/news/huntsville/index.ssf/2014/08/all_aboard_heart_of_dixie_rail.html

Tomorrow we head to Florence Alabama to see Muscle Shoals  recording studio and the birth place of Helen Keller.

Talladega and NASCAR (10/19)

We are up early and on our way by 8:30. It takes about 2 hours to drive there through some beautiful country.  I like traveling these back roads.

It was very easy to get to the track and parking is well signed.  We park and take the shuttle the rest of the way to the track.  Do a little shopping for Talladega t-shirts.  Then get some lunch and head up to our seats.  We are in the Gadsden grandstands in turn 4, section E row 13.  We are only 5 rows up from the track. We get a good view of turn 4 and heading into the tri-oval.  The we seen them go into turn 2 and not again until they come out of turn 3.  It takes a while for them to come all the way around.  I usually don't like to watch the re-stricter plate races because they can get very long and boring.  But today's race is the exception from the minute the green flag was thrown.

before race festivities

There was a lot of strategy going on to see who could push who to the front.  One of these, Dale Jr, Mat Kennseth, Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski have to win in order to stay in the chase.  The whole grandstands went wild when Dale Jr took the lead.  He lead for quite a few laps then lost his line and faded back.  He would fight his way to the front many times but never lead again.  Jimmy Johnson lead much of the race and I was sure he would win.  But rocket man Brad Keselowski with help from his team mate, Joey Logano,  was pushed to the front and ended up winning the race.  We were very disappointed.  After his temper tantrum last week, I didn't want to see him win.

 This gives you an idea of what we could see from our seats.  I don't like these big tracks where you can't see the whole track.

 We were ready to go as soon as the checkered flag was thrown.  We hurry back to the tram loading zone and managed to get on the third tram.  Talladega really knows how to move the traffic out.  Once in the truck and on the road, they have sighs strung across the road showing which lane you need to be in depending on where you are going. The roads are four lanes wide and traffic is for only the race track until you get past the I 20 then it is open for local traffic as well.  This is the fastest we have ever gotten out of a track and there were thousands of people leaving the track after the race.  We stay on the 77 until Attalta, then we catch the 278 to the 231.  We stop at a Hardee's for hamburgers in Attalta and are back home by 8 pm.  Not bad since the race got over with at 5 pm.  We are both tired and make it an early night.  Joe has to take the truck in for an oil change by 8 am in the morning.

Townsend TN to Huntsville AL (10/18)

Today is a travel day. Not to far to go, around 200 miles.  It is a beautiful sunny day for traveling.  I am still tried from yesterdays hike and could use a do nothing day.  I don't think that is going to happen for a while.  The drive seems long today, mostly freeway but the scenery is beautiful.  We came this way to AL when we left Bristol several months ago.

We arrive at the Ditto Landing campground on the Tennessee River.  We can not find the office, but we were told we would be in site 16.  We drive around the campground until we find our site, but there is a problem someone is already camped there.  Joe walks around trying to find the camp host, but there isn't one.  Finally he is able to ask someone where we go to check in.  It seems you have to go to the marina.  A sign would have been nice.  Joe comes back and says the guy who handles reservations took the weekend off and they don't know anything about our reservation. The campground is not full so we are told just to find a spot and come back and let them know which site we picked and pay for it.  We get a nice site and were happy to discover that the fee is only $19 a night.  We only have electric and water, but will only be here a few days.

Once we set up we go to see Joe's mom and brother.  We had a very nice visit with them and a nice dinner.  I was glad to get back home and just relax a little before going to bed.  Tomorrow we are going to the NASCAR race at Talladega.  This will be my first supper track. It is 2.66 miles around it. I was here years ago with Kristy and Joe's dad.  We did a tour of the track but I have never seen a race on it.

Rich Mountain Loop Trail (10/17)

When we woke this morning there was a thick layer of fog throughout the valley we are staying in.  It is suppose to be sunny today so I am confident it will burn off.  We are ready to leave by 9:00 and it is 46 degrees out.  We don't get far down the road when the fog lifts and the sun comes out.  We know it is going to be a glorious day for a good hike.

We have to drive to Cades Cove and park just before the one way loop drive we were on the other day.  The traffic is already backing up, sure am glad I am not doing that loop again.  The trail head is just across the street.  This is an 8.5 mile loop hike. There aren't many loop hikes here most of them you go in and out on the same trail.  Joe talks to the ranger and he says most people go clockwise on the loop.  If you go counter clockwise it is pretty steep up hill, or you get the steep down hill coming off it when you go clockwise.  Of course Joe wants to do the steep uphill.  This is about 2.2 miles of up hill with very little flat or down hill areas.  But it is really beautiful and once up to the top I am glad we went this way.  My knees would be in bad shape if I had to go down this side.

I was never so glad to finally reach the top of the ridge and start around the other side.  This side is a little up and down but nothing very steep.  

 The views of Cades Cove were amazing when you could get them.  The trees are so thick that the views are few and far between. We finally see two other hikers coming from the other way, then a couple on horse back.  I think we saw about 20 people all day, all coming from the other direction.

We stop for some much needed nourishment, a ham sandwich never tasted so good.  Then continue on down the trail.  At lunch we were about half way.  The colors in of the trees a very nice, especially the reds.  The chilly fall temps are also wonderful.

 The down hill on this side is still steep in places but not as steep as it would of been coming down the Crooked Arm Trail. We have several streams to cross, which I did better with than usual on.  I did step in the water a couple of times.  The down hill was also very rocky.  Once at the bottom we came upon one of the settlers cabins that we had seen from the road.

 What a great hike.  I thought about all my hiking buddies back home and wished you could of been with us on this hike.  I am really sad to leave this area in the morning.

Happy trails everyone