Bald River Falls - Cherokee National Forest

We had a great time today visiting with my friends John and Kathy Winter. John took us out for a ride to Bald River Falls in the Cherokee National Forest. Later we went back to there house for a grilled stake dinner and wine.

  

 

Niota/Sweetwater, Tennessee

We were on the road leaving Chattanooga by 9:30 this morning. Our next destination was only 68 miles north on I-75 at the Tennessee Country Campground in Niota, Tennessee. We got to the park at 11:00 but there was no one at the office. I called the cell phone number on the office door and the owner told me to park in the only site open, site #8. I pulled into the site and got the pickup unhooked and then started to get my services hooked up. I didn't empty my holding tanks before leaving the last RV park so that was one of the first things I wanted to do here. I hooked up the drain hose and pulled the handle to empty the black (sewage) tank. Almost instantly sewage started overflowing out of the park's sewer connection. There was a clog in their pipe. If you have ever watched Robin Williams' movie "RV", you might get the picture of the mess it made. Luckily I was right there on it and got the valve closed before it made too much of a mess. This was one of the many times while RVing the word "OWFISH" literally came to mind. The park's staff was able to soon unclog the lines and I washed off the spilled sewage from the concrete parking pad and had everything else hooked up and took a shower before my friends John and Kathy Winter arrived from Sweetwater.

Rock City - Lookout Mountain

After Nancy and I walked through Ruby Falls Cavern, we drove to the top of Lookout Mountain and toured Rock City Gardens.

  

 

Ruby Falls

This morning after breakfast, Nancy and I set off to see Ruby Falls and Rock City. It's spring break here in the area and the place was crawling with kids. My last time here was in April 2004 with my late wife Barb.

 

Chattanooga, Tennessee

We are at the Raccoon Mountain RV Park & Campground in Chattanooga, Tennessee for a couple of days. While here Nancy and I will tour Ruby Falls and Rock City.

Hinesville, GA

We are at Happy Campers RV Park in Hinesville, Georgia until March 28th. Then will start heading towards home first stopping in Chattanooga, TN for a couple of days to visit Ruby Falls and Rock City. Hinesville is known to have been the home of three signatories of the Declaration of Independance: Lyman Hall, George Walton and Button Gwinnett. Nearby is Fort Stewart.

Saint Augustine, FL

We made it to Saint Augustine just before noon today where we are staying at St. John's RV Park. After having lunch and setting up, we took a trip around the area stopping at a beach.

http://staugustinefleamarket.com/index.php/rv-park

Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort in Madison, Florida

We left Fort Rucler, Alabama this morning and have check into the Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park™ Camp-Resort in Madison, Florida. We'll be here overnight and then continue our trip to Saint Augustine, Florida tomorrow.  Nancy​ told me she wanted her picture taken with Yogi.

http://www.jellystonefla.com/

Enterprise, Alabama Boll Weevil Monument

On our travels today I took Nancy to the City of Enterprise, Alabama. Enterprise is famous for the Boll Weevil Monument, a large monument of a woman holding a boll weevil, which is located in the middle of Main Street. The city erected the statue because the destruction of the cotton crop by the boll weevil had led to agricultural diversity, starting with peanuts and more prosperity than had ever come from cotton alone. It is said to be the only statue to an insect pest in the world. Enterprise is right outside of Fort Rucker, an Army base which is the home of Army Aviation.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enterprise%2C_Alabama

 

Fort Rucker, AL

We are at the Engineer Beach Campground at Fort Rucker, Alabama for a couple of days. I was stationed here at Fort Rucker back in 1970-1971 before going to Vietnam. Fort Rucker is the home of Army Aviation. Anyone in the US Army that has anything to do with flying will at some point in their military career come to Fort Rucker. To most of us it is known as Mother Rucker. This place brings back a lot of memories for me, some good, some bad. I was stationed here when I first met my late wife Barb. No she didn't live around here. She lived in California, I was at home on leave in California when I met her. I went to Helicopter Maintenance School here and to Flight Operations School here back in 1970-1971. After I finished my schooling I was assigned here and worked at one of the many airfields here. I left here in July 1971 for Vietnam. I came back here in 1990 to attend Non-Commissioned Officers Academy. While I was here in 1990, the US Army National Guard and Reserves were activated to active duty for Desert Shield. That's when I decided to find a different career. Twenty years in the military with a tour in Vietnam I felt was enough time that I gave to my country. I wasn't going to war again. It was time for someone much younger than me to have Fun, Travel & Adventure with the Army. I went back to collage to earn a degree to get a real job. I earned a degree in Avionics Engineering from Oklahoma State University and in 1995 I was hired by the Federal Aviation Administration as an Air Transportation Systems Specialists.

Arnett's Gulfside Stables

Nothing like going out riding after breakfast. We even found a Grady size horse. We will be leaving here tomorrow with a change in our itinerary. Instead of going to Keaton Beach from here we're going up to Fort Rucker, Alabama for a couple of days, then an overnight stop at Yogi Bears Jellystone Park in Madison, FL before getting to St. Augustine. I was stationed at Ft. Rucker back in 1970/1971 before going to Vietnam.

 

  

  

Santa Rosa Beach, Florida

We made it to Florida this morning. Nancy went into the Welcome Center and got her free cup of Florida Orange Juice. We are staying at Arnett's Gulfside Stables in Santa Rosa Beach, FL for a couple of days before heading next to Keaton Beach, FL for a couple of days.

 

Dauphin Island, Alabama

We had another beautiful day today. I took Nancy down to Dauphin Island and toured the old Civil War Fort Gaines. The construction of Fort Gaines started in 1819 and took 40 years to build.

Dauphin Island was first known by the French as Massacre Island until they changed it name in 1707 to Dauphin in honor of heir of the French throne: "Dauphin." The island was also the first capital of the Louisiana Territory.

After our tour I took Nancy to a little seafood cafe I knew of on the island for lunch. I became a little teary eyed while there because this was the same little cafe I took Barb to after we toured the island four years ago and started planning our Hawaiian trip.

After lunch I took Nancy for a half hour ferry cruise across the bay and came back to the RV park through Gulf Shores and Foley but not before stopping at a produce stand in Loxley where I picked up some hot boiled peanuts. I don't think Nancy cared for them that much.

Just before getting back to the RV we stopped and picked up a couple loaves of bread so Nancy could feed the ducks and geese back at the RV park.