Roadtrip in AL, TN and MS

It’s been another fun week in Alabama. The people down here are so nice, beautiful weather, great scenery and we couldn’t ask for anything more.  We rented a car for a few days and ended up driving over 1,200 miles.  We took in many sites each day and tried the local cuisine including alligator, catfish and BBQ.  The kids tried it all and Jaxon ate more alligator than anyone (he didn’t understand the mental part of what it really was - ha ha). 

Morgan and Ryann went tubing together and when Morgan fell off Ryann was laughing so hard I thought she might fall off.

Ave Maria Grotto in Cullman, AL consists of 125 small stone and cement sculptures created by Brother Joseph over 75 years ago.

Eveyln Burrow Museum at Wallace College had over $9.5 million dollars worth of sculptures from around the world.  We were able to take in a Holocaust exhibit and video too which was all very educational for the children.

Lawlers BBQ is a very well known for locals and tourists. The meat was really spicy, and without a kids menu to select the regular options, we all enjoyed something besides mom’s cooking. 

Unclaimed Baggage is a 40,000 square foot building that housed lost treasures from around the world.  They stock over 7,000 items of everything imaginable ALL from people who lost their luggage or cargo of sorts. They’ve been on Oprah, CNN, CBS, David Letterman, etc. The kids loved seeing all of the Nintendo DS’s, a huge surfboard, purses, camera cases, etc. that were available for very low prices to purchase. 

Incline Railroad is a mile high ride in a trolley car to the top of Lookout Mountain.  It is the steepest railway in the world at a 73% incline that was created in 1895.

There was a great panoramic view from the observation deck.

Point Park, just down from the railway was the location of the Battle Above the Clouds.

Going down the Incline Railroad was just as much fun!

Chattanooga had a beautiful riverfront area. It was very spread out and clean as could be.

 The longest glass pedestrian bridge in the US.

 Great place for a good burger!

 We had ordered more school books from a local book store and the kids had fun putting on plays for eachother.

 Chattanooga Choo Choo Train with a wood burning engine was established in 1880 and ran from Cincinnati to Chattanooga.  It was last used in 1940 for service in the Smokey Mountains.

 

The Jack Daniels Distillery tour in Lynchberg, TN was quite an experience.  Every drop of this famous whiskey has been made here since 1866.  The grounds were kept in their rustic appearance, but well maintained and a well versed tour guide lead us through the grounds for over an hour.  At one point we took the blue canister here and squirted 140 proof whiskey into our hands for a drink. A smell from the kids made for funny faces. 

 Dad, this one if for you....a 1919 American Lafrance firetruck that was so similar to your old 1929..very fun to see.

 The cave pictured here is the reason Jack Daniel picked this particular location. From the beginning until now the fresh spring water is drawn from here to give it the unique flavor it has. 

 This is the only part of the tour where you will have a Jack Daniels on the rocks as Lynchburg is a dry county. 

You can purchase an entire barrel of Select Barrel whiskey for between $9,000-$12,000.  They have a wall full of plaques from clients that have come to purchase a barrel, going into their testing area and getting special treatment.  The handmade barrels are sold for $80.

 The lemonade at the end of the tour was a big hit.

 

The Old Jail Museum in downtown Lynchberg housed inmates from 1893-1990. What a unique experience for the kids to see the inside of an actual jailhouse.  The local Sherrif and his/her family lived there as well. 

 

George Dickel Tennessee Whisky Distillery in Tullahoma, TN was founded in 1870.  There is no “e” in whiskey for this distillery, because George thought his whiskey was of the same quality of a Scottish one (which doesn’t use the “e”).  With only 26 employed it was amazing how unbelievably low-tech the process was.

 Dad, another one for you...we came out into the parking lot one morning to find over a dozen of these electric cars!

 

Downtown Rogersville held their annual Fall Jubilee with a car and engine show, live music, crafts, chili cook-off and a tractor pull.  Ryann was first in the 7-8 age group category, but the boys in her division out weighed her terribly.  Morgan however was the strongest in the 9-10 age category and did almost a “full pull” and won first place.  The Mayor of Rogersville awarded her with a trophy and certificate. 

 

After the raccoon incident last week we’ve been contemplating getting a dog to make us aware if someone or something is onboard.  The kids have been asking for one for years and it’s never really fit into our busy ever-changing lifestyle.  We want to think it through and make the right decision for our family so time will tell on this one.  There are a ton of people that travel with animals so we’re gathering a lot of advice everyday from fellow Loopers. At the Jubilee there was a woman giving away 12 lil puppies for free....it was tempting, they were really cute!

 

 Our car was an HHR....Ryann called it "Her Hot Ride"

 Helen Keller Birthplace in Tuscumbia, AL.

 We happened upon this little paradise in Tuscumbia.

 

Corinth, Mississippi was the site of a Civil War Battle. The kids were able to do the Junior Ranger Program and learned a lot more that way.    

 Shiloh National Military Park in Tennessee was yet another bloody battle ground of the Civil War.  The girls did another Junior Ranger Program, took in a movie, and were even able to try a uniform on.       

Rogersville, Alabama

Joe Wheeler State Park Marina in Rogersville, Alabama is where we’ll call “home” for the next month.  It is 60 miles upstream on the Tennessee River past our turn to go down the Tenn-Tom Waterway.  It is also the location for the annual Looper Rendezvous.  There are already a ton of Loopers here to stay for a month (the event goes from Oct. 24-28).  

Pictured here is the main building with convention center, hotel and restaurant (our boat is in the middle).

 

 The boat pictured here at the marina took over 19 years to build and was quite impressive.

 The pool was gorgeous…but cold!  We all tried hard to stay in it, but even on the 90 degree days it was still rather refreshing!  It’s been unseasonably warm here all summer and fall (over 90 degrees every day we’ve been here and will continue through the week).

 Kids loved running through the water spouts.  They made friends at different times over the weekend which was fun to see. 

 We walked by the convention center one evening and they were having a square dancing event.  They were insistent that we come in to watch and had the girls up there doing the electric slide and river dance. 

 The two sisters pictured here were especially nice to the girls and introduced them to other kids their age that night. 

 Out for a dinghy ride and saw this ideal location for a picture. Look closely to find the girls.

 The girls didn’t even hesitate for us to leave them on this rock. 

 The kids all worked hard this week with studying so we wanted to make this weekend extra special.  The weather has been so nice that we took a dinghy down to Athens and swam in the warm water. 

 All day long we saw these “school of fish” swimming by the hundreds. Hard to get a good picture of it, but they were little and would swim in the same direction constantly. Morgan caught two of them with a net and each time Jaxon said, "we got a Schoolfish"!

 

At 2:00 am Sun. morning I heard a bucket drop.  I ran to the cockpit of the boat to check it out and a raccoon was staring back at me. After over thirty minutes of trying to get him out of the boat, he left after a big meal.  The kids four little baby turtle pets were eaten along with all the grasshoppers we caught that day for bait.  It was a sad morning telling them the news, but showing them the videos and pictures gave them a little laugh. 

 Sunday we had to make a fun day out of rough morning.  We brought the boat out of the slip and anchored in the middle of Wilson Lake for yet another 90 degree day of playing in the water....complete with water and BB guns, water balloon launching, music, a picnic on the bow, lot’s of swimming, fishing, etc.   

This week we plan to rent a car and take in the sights of lower Tennessee and upper Alabama area. Next posting will be on Monday!  Thank you all for your support and continuing to watch my blog!! 
This map is a request from Carrie!  Here's the map so you can follow where we're at! I know its tough to see, but hope it works!!

Tennessee River

 

Our trip down the Tennessee River was very enjoyable.  Full of great scenery, beautiful waters, less tow barges and really nice people everywhere we went.  We anchored out all week long and felt like this was exactly what the trip would be like. 

This is an anchorage in Cane Creek where half of the railway bridge was taken down and they were building a house over the tracks. 

On the other side of the entrance to Cane Creek was an abandoned dock.

We went from hot sunny days to really cool evenings. It didn’t stop the kids from fishing though.  We popped bubbles to keep our energy going and stay warm while we were fishing.

It turned into a dance party and it really scared the fish away.

A homemade river paddleboat passed by one afternoon. 

Jaxon takes his school work very seriously.

Ryann with her usual dress attire - a life jacket.  The kids have never complained about putting it on, we’re so lucky.  It’s automatic just to grab them before coming out of the boat. 

The rock formations were found in various forms all down the river way.

Morgan lost her tenth tooth. She was very concerned that the tooth fairy might not find her that she left a note in her journal for her.

The town of Clifton was a day stop for us. Waiting for the fuel truck to arrive, we biked into town. There are a lot of historical stops down the river and battle sights for the Civil War.     

Waiting for the fuel truck at the marina we put our hooks in hoping to catch a keeper…Ryann found these fish eggs to study. She’s not afraid to pick up anything.

We saw a lot of animals down the river.  There were a dozen cows right by the water and soon after Craig spotted a fox and then what looked like a coyote. 

Extreme Carnival has been going on all this week that includes several imaginative games that Morgan and Ryann put together. Craig and I have attended every night, buying our tickets, playing games, earning a punch card to turn in points for prizes in the end.  When homework is done for the day or there’s a study break, it’s the first thing they want to do.  

Every morning there’s been thick fog that’s burned off by 9:00 am or so.

Leaving our anchorage in Swallow Bluff there were two goats on the island finding warmth in the morning sun.

The Pickwick Lock held us up for over four hours. Luckily we were able to tie to a “cell” and have some fun catching fish.  There were fishermen everywhere, but we were able to catch two big catfish. The girls each reeled in one and they were pretty heavy so it was exciting.

Craig is chief in charge of getting the fish off the hooks. We’ve been fishing everyday now, but haven’t kept any. Our latest task has been catching grasshoppers for bait...the fish love it (and the kids love catching the grasshoppers)!

Ryann and Jaxon by the “cell” we were tied to.  We were able to fish, make dinner and talk to some local fishermen before it was our turn to lock through.  The Tennessee River trip south is considered upstream so our locks have felt so different (filling up the chamber with water now).  

Ryann loves to takes her little bare hands and rip the nightcrawlers apart.

Exiting the lock into Pickwick Lake there were some of the most beautiful large homes on the water yet. 

As we anchored in Dry Creek for the evening with our Looper friends in “Satisfaction” we saw yet another beautiful sunset. 

Ryann reads to Jaxon everyday from her school books.  They are so close and can connect on so many different levels.  One minute they’re playing pretend, another gaming with Nintendos, reading books to coloring or singing and dancing.  She insists most days on teaching him his schoolwork too.  He trusts her and they seem to be the best of friends. 

I’ve been captaining the boat a lot more these days.  Now we’re heading upstream at a slower pace, no logs to dodge and tows to contend with.  It’s peaceful and great scenery including my “boat boy” Craig (hehe) that scrubs the boat while underway.  Complete with his hose in holster (using river water). 

The Wilson Lock and Dam pictured here is the largest lock we’ve been through. Raising us 93’ you can see to the left of the picture what once was a double lock system used long ago. 

It seems that blue herons/cranes like to hang out at the locks a lot as we see them everywhere (must be good fishing/eating).  Pictured here are four (Morgan spotted the fourth one on the far right).

During this trip it seems that ALL of our routines have changed.  One thing is consistent…every time we tell the kids that a lock is coming they head for the bow of the boat.  They’ve made up a dance routine and song (luckily we have a great captain that doesn’t mind the chaos on the front of the boat during a time where he needs to be communicating with the lock, following the signals, contending with currents, etc.).  However, once we’ve tied a midship line to a floating bollard the kids sit down and enjoy the ride.

Between the Florence and Joe Wheeler lock we all (except Jaxon) took the opportunity to cool down in the refreshing water for a quick swim.  The heat has been intense, but finding ways to cool off has been easy!  

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