Wandering America
April, May 2009
| Strawberry Festival In Loxley, Alabama Loxley, Alabama holds an annual Strawberry Festival in early April each year which we attended with our neighbors, Bill and Kathy. There's entertainment, displays, and vendors displaying their wares in tents throughout the park. We spent a few hours walking about and looking at the various crafts, listening to some of the music, and, of course, eating the obligatory strawberry shortcake. We bumped into fellow East Travelers Street residents, Jerry and Diane, at the shortcake line. This is a nice little festival that we'll want to attend again if we are in the area.     Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama We pulled out of Rainbow Plantation at around 9:00 on April 14th slowly making our way north for the summer. The first stop was at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama (about 15 miles south of Birmingham). Oak Mountain State Park is Alabama's largest state park with just under 10,000 acres to explore. The park is located on the south most part of the Appalachian Chain and encompasses Double Oak Mountain which provides scenic views comparable to those found in the Great Smoky Mountains. We arrived at the park entrance at a little after one o'clock but found that we had another five and half miles to travel in order to get to the campground within the park. The park which is located 15 miles south of Birmingham was developed under the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) during the 1930's. It consists of a demonstration farm featuring a variety of animals for viewing and petting, an 18 hole championship golf course, horse riding trails, biking and hiking trails, three lakes with a marina and a beach on the largest lake, and a BMX bike course. The park itself is really nice but, the campground doesn't have the "It" factor, however, it is located on the banks of Beaver Lake which is one of three lakes within the park.   Our first evening we took a drive up Double Oak Mountain to Peavine Waterfalls. We started to hike down to the waterfalls but, I only had on my crocks and the trail was steep and slippery so we didn't make it all the way to the falls. We had planned to come back another time but never made it.  On our first full day of exploration we went for a hike on the North ("Yellow") Trail which is an 8 mile trail along the ridges of Double Oak Mountain. I love walking in the woods in the spring time while listening to the gentle breeze blowing through the trees which fills your nostrils with the fragrance of evergreen and hearing the birds singing their melodious tunes while the warm rays of sunlight shines down on you through the trees.   After hiking up and down the side of the mountain for about four miles we came home for a small snack before heading out to kayak Double Oak Lake. It was a little cool out on the water so we only spent about an hour before coming back to the truck for a little more sightseeing.   One of our stops was at the beach and picnic area which has unique little pavilions made of stone with charcoal grills and tables. Some of the larger ones had stone fireplaces in the center which would make them sort of cozy on those cooler fall days.     Also, housed within the park is The Wildlife Center which is Alabama's oldest and largest wildlife rehabilitation center where injured and/or orphaned native wild creatures are cared for. Most of the birds and animals are returned to the wild after being rehabilitated, however, some are deemed "non-releasable" and remain for long term care. We weren't really impressed with our visit even though the effort of the center is admirable. A Blow Out Along I-65 In Tennessee We entered Tennessee with a bang - a blow out that is. When you purchase a unit be sure to check out the tires. We had 10 ply LT (Light Truck) tires rated for 3042 pounds each and have been very conscience of maintaining the correct pressure (we even installed a Pressure Pro tire monitoring system). This is the second blow out that we've had and I think that, even though we are "under" the weight for the axles, we may have been exceeding the amount of weight on individual wheels; especially when cornering or making sharp turns. However, we were traveling at about 60 MPH and going straight down the highway when the blow out occurred. When the tire blew, it did considerable damage to the coach. It broke a big hole in one of the underbelly panels, tore up the insulation above the wheel, dented up a panel, and disintegrated the plastic fender skirt - estimated at over $900. Cedar Creek had used Merit Radial tires on the coach with a GVWR of 14,000 pounds ; a tire, that in my opinion, had no business being on a coach in the first place. We continued to travel (without a spare) and when we got to Michigan began seeking out new tires. The manager at Discount Tires was very knowledgeable and steered us away from Light Truck tires recommending instead a 12 (or 14) ply Carlisle trailer tire with a 3950 weight rating. These tires will carry more weight than the coach is rated for and should accommodate any excess stress placed upon them due to turning, etc..     Cedars Of Lebanon State Park In Lebanon, Tennessee We stayed at Cedars of Lebanon State Park which is about 8 miles from our son's house and a grand daughter fix. As always, that was primary on our list of things to do. On Saturday we all (Grandpa, Grandma, Matthew, Jackie, Catia, and Kalina) went over to our daughter's boy friend's (Joel) house, which is a little over an hour away, for a cookout.   Joel is the manager of the Public Affairs Office at Arnold Engineering Development Center located at Arnold Air Force Base in Tullahoma, Tennessee. The air base sits on 40,000 acres in Middle Tennessee and encompasses Woods Reservoir which is a 3,980 acre impoundment of the Elk River that was built by the United States Air Force in 1952 to supply cooling water to the Development Center. After lunch we caravaned over to the base so we could go to the recreation area which is located on the reservoir. Here are some pictures from our afternoon at the beach on Arnold Air Force Base.         General Butler State Park In Carrollton, Kentucky General Butler State Resort Park is a tribute to one of Kentucky's foremost military families. The Park is named for General William Butler whose family spans the time across the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Mexican War, and the Civil War. The Park is located at the confluence of the Kentucky and Ohio Rivers at Carrollton, Kentucky. There is a scenic overlook, which was built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which is one of the highest points in Carrollton County. It was a rainy, overcast day so the pictures aren't all that impressive.   Also, located in the Park is a nine hole golf course and the Butler-Turpin State Historic House . The
Butler-Turpin Historic House is the center of remembrance of a family
of soldiers that won fame for its exploits in the Revolutionary War,
the War of 1812, and the Mexican War. - taken from a Kentucky State Parks Pamphlet We walked around the house but didn't take the inside tour.   While at General Butler State Park we took a drive over to the Smith Berry Winery in New Castle, Kentucky. Unfortunately they weren't doing tours, however, the tasting room was open. After trying several varieties of their wares, we found a couple of wines that we absolutely adored so we bought a case. This winery will go into our "must return to when passing by" file along with Georgia Winery in Ringold, Georgia.   Projects In Michigan It seems that whenever we get together with Shirley and Warren we end up doing projects; either one of Warren's or one of mine. This time I had a couple of projects to complete; one was new lambrequins for the windows and the other was refinishing the dining room table. Warren and I went to the local lumber yard where I purchased both Oak and Clear Pine for the lambrequins and some water based polyurethane for the lambrequins and table. We then took the supplies to the shop where we first ran everything through Warren's large belt sander - came out smoother than a katt's behind. Then everything was cut to size and glued together. I refinished the table while we were there but saved finishing the lambrequins for when we got to New York. While we were at Lake George Escape I hand sanded, applied several coats of finish, and hung the lambrequins in the coach. A job well done, I must admit.        A Trip Up North We left the coach (and the katts) at Shirley and Warren's and took a two day trip up to visit Judy's brother and his wife (John and Della). While we were there Mable, Judy's niece, and J. P. (John), Judy's nephew stopped by for a visit. We did take pictures of John and Della but they came out horrible (see October 2009 Part I for a picture of them).   From Michigan to New Hampshire The time for us to head east for a summer of workamping finally came upon us. But, before returning to Lake George Escape we had one final visit to make. That is, you guessed it, another grand child fix. This time it we had a new member in the family. Rocco was just a week old when we arrived so he wasn't really getting into too much trouble, he left that to his big sisters, Lola and Briana. Her are a few pictures from our visit.      Next Stop, Lake George Escape which is to be continued in the June, July, and August Travelogue. |