Alabama – Part II

So how do you decide where to go first? We spent many of hours dreaming of travel to so many places but got quickly overwhelmed when deciding what to do first. We didn’t want to go far from home at first because we wanted to learn about the new toy and we have a older fur friend Abbey (14 years and happy as ever). And so we continued with our exploration of Alabama. It has been very surprising to say the least at how beautiful it is. Our week…

On this trip, day 1, we visited Cheaha State Park for some hiking, followed by a visit to Anniston Alabama to see the Freedom Riders National Monument, Oak Mountain State Park for more hiking, and called it a night at a Harvest Host in Birmingham.

Day 2, we visited Little River Canyon, driving the rim and seeing the beautiful falls. We camped that night in Desoto State Park after an afternoon of hiking to see the more waterfalls and huge stones.

Day 3 – Neversink Pit (permit required), Unclaimed Baggage (yes, this is where your baggage goes if you don’t claim it from the airport), Stephens Gap Callahan Cave Preserve (another permit), and spent the night at the Cathedral Caverns State Park campground. We did the cave tour the next day. By far the best cave I have ever visited. A must see!

We wrapped up the trip with eating dinner at Rattlesnake Saloon, visiting Helen Keller’s birthplace and staying at McFarland Park campground on the Tennessee river.

Weekend Trip to Visit Dad

Who doesn’t go and show off the new toy to the family? I lost my mother in 2018, but dad is 87 and still lives just outside Columbus, GA on a 20 acre farm. I was born and raised there. I grew up with black angus cows, chickens, and horses. Many memories of fishing with dad, unloading the hay bails for the farm animals, and creating forts inside the woods. It was a great playground. I am sure my love for the outdoors started here.

On our way back we stopped in West Point to camp for the night at R. Shaefer Heard campground. It was very nice. A smaller campground with big lots, Verizon cell service excellent, right on the lake, and quiet. It was a night with camp fires, picnics and walks by the lake. There are many campgrounds in this area. It is just outside LaGrange, GA where my mom grew up and all of my family on that side still live.

Lake Lanier & Gainesville

Continuing the trend of sticking close to home, we traveled to Lake Lanier, about an hour from where we live, to enjoy the weekend. Before we went to the lake we stopped in downtown Gainesville at a Harvest Host – Remedy Distillery. Located right near downtown it was a great spot to stay the night.

After our night in Gainesville, we made our way to Lake Lanier. We stopped at Point Royale marina for lunch at Pelican Pete’s and then made our way to the Bald Ridge Creek campground. The campground was cozy, right on the water and easy to walk around. We enjoyed some cheese and tomato soup for dinner and watched the beautiful sunset! Our neighbor brought us some wood for the campfire (I guess our looked sad) so we finished up the night by the fire.

A storm was brewing so we headed out early the next morning to begin our new work week. Overall, a nice weekend getaway!

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