Roaming...Oct. 23 - Oct 26, 2017

Early this year, when we chose this week for a vacation, we assumed we'd go camping somewhere.  Life has a way of changing best-laid plans, and though we still took this week for a vacation, we did not go camping.  We batted around the idea of renting a cabin in the Ozark mountains, but the cabins where we wanted to go were all booked by the time we tried to make reservations.  It wasn't until the end of last week that we settled on a destination:  Poverty Point, a World Heritage site in Louisiana.

Monday morning, we hit the road to Louisiana.  We intended to try the tamales at Doe's Eat Place in Greenville, but discovered that it closes on Mondays.  We picked another spot and, to our delight, discovered that they served Doe's tamales.  YUM!  Bellies full, we headed on to Poverty Point.

Poverty Point is a site where a Native American community lived in the distant past, as early as 1600 BC.  That's BEE-CEE, folks - over 3,000 years ago.  The Mississippi River ran past the site when the people lived there.  The river has changed course since then; maybe that's why the people moved on.  In any case, what remains of the village are several mounds and faint indications of what once was a series of raised semi-circles, where it is thought that the people placed their tents.  Having lived near the Mississippi River all my life, I know that it regularly rises out of its banks, so I "get" the raised semi-circles.  What I would love to understand is the mounds.  There are five of them, the tallest of which seems to have had an earthen ramp built up to the summit.  The people would have built these mounds by hauling dirt in baskets - millions of basket loads.  Building these mounds was no small effort.  They brought in stones from as far away as Ohio (and maybe farther).  Why did they do it?  Standing atop the largest mound, over-looking the plaza below, it was easy to imagine people moving around, doing their everyday things.  But what happened on top of this mound?

The sun was starting to set as we left Poverty Point.  We had not made a hotel reservation anywhere - that's just how we roll, most of the time.  The closest town was Delhi, and the nice young woman at the Poverty Point visitor center said there was a motel there, but we decided to drive on to Monroe, Louisiana, thinking the hotel and dining choices might be better.  On the way to Monroe, I noticed "West Monroe" on the map.  I asked The Husband, "Why does 'West Monroe' sound familiar?"  His face lit up when he remembered that the Duck Dynasty folks (of TV fame) have their store in West Monroe.  We drove right on past Monroe.

It was dinner time when we checked into a hotel in West Monroe.  The friendly attendant gave us a book with restaurants and other points of interest.  Our first two restaurant choices were not open on Monday nights (do the folks in West Monroe not EAT on Monday, dang it?!), and when we arrived at the third choice, they wouldn't let us in because a private party had booked the whole place (double dang-it!).  We ended up at a place called "Copeland's," which was a happy accident.  The food was wonderful!  We had bits of duck stuffed with cream cheese and wrapped with bacon.  We had etouffe, and crab-stuffed beignets, and corn and crabmeat bisque.  And for dessert, we ordered (to go) a pumpkin bread pudding with dulce de leche sauce and candied pecans.  OMG!

Tuesday morning, we ate hotel breakfast food, then drove to the Duck Commander store.  We did a little shopping, watched a series of videos about the Duck Dynasty folks, had our picture made in front of a "green screen" - two rednecks holding shotguns.  We had lunch at Willie's Diner, then went downtown to shop Antique Alley.  Finally, about 2 p.m., we pointed the truck toward Tyler, Texas, where my cousin Tammy lives.  Tammy had offered to "put us up" for the night when she found out we were coming through Tyler.  We had a nice dinner with Tammy and her son, and kept her up too late talking about old times and catching up on the latest family news.  It was so good to see them both. 

Wednesday morning, we left for Waco, Texas, where TV personalities Chip and Joanna Gaines have their "Magnolia Market" store.  The place was crawling with people!  It was hard to move around without bumping into someone.  (I asked a cashier if it was always "this much of a mad-house," and he replied that Wednesdays were their "off" days.  I'm glad we were there on their "off" day; I don't like crowds.)  I was a bit disappointed by the inventory in the store - there wasn't a very big variety of stuff - but I thought that the store and the surrounding area were very "Chip and Joanna."  Behind the store was a big, open area, covered in astro-turf and dotted with striped bean bag chairs, where babies toddled and grown men tossed a football.  There was a covered pavilion lined with rows of picnic tables, and food trucks surrounding the lot.  We bought hot dogs and ate them under the pavilion, then drove around Waco to sight-see for a bit.  After that, we drove outside of town to JDH Designs, where metal worker Jimmy Don (who is sometimes featured on the show) has his business.  Jimmy Don was there, and he shook our hands and told us how honored he was that we'd driven all that way to see his shop.  I liked him!

Tammy's brother, Mike, lives in a little town near Waco, and we had arranged a visit with him and his wife, Liz.  Mike met us outside of town when his work day ended, and we followed him out to his place.  Mike and Liz own some land on which they built a house with their own hands.  It is a beautiful house, filled with Liz's paintings and Mike's wood-work.  Mike showed us his collection of arrow heads that he has found over the years, then we went out to the back porch, where we sat and visited until bedtime.  During the evening, Mike's brother Tommy joined us.  I had not seen Mike and Tommy since they were teenagers (too long ago to admit!), and it was wonderful to spend the evening with them and reminisce about old times. 

Mike had left for work when we got out of bed on Thursday morning.  Liz was still there, and we had a few minutes to chat with her before she had to leave for work.  When we were alone, we talked about what we might like to do for the rest of the day.  We had three more days to do as we pleased.  The Husband said, "I think I am ready to go home."  I was ready, too, so we threw our suitcases into the truck and struck out for Tennessee.

We'd planned to spend the night in Texarkana, but there was still a lot of daylight left when we arrived there, so we kept driving and ultimately decided to just come on home.  It was almost 10 p.m. by the time we pulled into our driveway.  We were both stiff and tired and ready for our own bed, and though we had enjoyed every day of our little vacation, it was good to be home!

Honeycomb Campground, Guntersville, AL - June 12 - 15, 2017

We're home from our first camping trip of the year.  We went to Honeycomb Campground, near Guntersville, Alabama.  My only complaint is that the trip wasn't long enough!  We were too late in deciding where to go, and too late in making reservations, and were not able to stay in the campsite past Wednesday night. 

We arrived Monday afternoon.  Although our telephone map programs estimated that it was a 4.5 hour drive, and although we pretty much drove the speed limit all the way, it turned out to be more like a 6-hour trip, driveway to campsite.  We stayed in campsite #44, which is right on the edge of Guntersville Lake.  It was plenty long enough for our 32-foot camper, plus the truck, with room for at least one more car.  The campground has water and electric hookups, but no sewer hookup.  The park has a poop truck that will come around and empty holding tanks for a small fee.

After setting up camp Monday afternoon, we pretty much did nothing but sit and look at the water.  To me, the area around Guntersville is one of the most beautiful places in the U.S.  Guntersville Lake is HUGE - somewhere around 60,000 acres, if I remember correctly.  It's good for boating and fishing.  We had a couple of rods & reels in the camper, and we broke them out and fished a little.  Unfortunately, the area of the lake immediately in front of our camper was crammed with vegetation.  I did snag one little bass out of the grass, but mostly I caught tree trout, stick salmon, and grass cat.  ;)

Tuesday morning, we drove to Steele, Alabama, where there's a little place called Horse Pens 40.  I have been wanting to check it out ever since I found out about it.  The main reason I wanted to go there was that my daddy's ancestors settled in that area in the early 1800s, and I wanted to see it.  The second reason was that they have music festivals there, and campsite hookups (just water and electricity), and I want to go to one of the festivals.  Besides the music festivals, the main attraction is rock climbing (which you will not catch me doing in this lifetime).  We were not thoroughly impressed with the campsites.  It's not the best place for lazy campers, like us, who just want to sit around and admire the scenery.  The rock formations were pretty unique, though, and the area, in general, is beautiful.  We walked the trails a little bit, took a few pictures.  It was hot, though, and we were there in the middle of the day, so we didn't hang around too long.  One word of caution if you're thinking of taking a camper up there:  don't try to get there from State Route 42.  That way is steep, with hairpin curves that will let you see your own tail lights before you make it around the bend!  Take highway 11, instead; it's must easier.

I said, "Climb that rock and let me take your picture."

This is as far as he got.  ;)

The stage at Horse Pens 40.

When we left Horse Pens 40, we decided to take Highway 11 to see what it was like.  It was just our luck that right up there on top of Chandler Mountain, there is ZERO cell phone service (at least, none that we could find).  When we got to the first intersection, we flipped a coin and, naturally, chose the wrong direction.  Still, it was an interesting drive.  They grow tomatoes on Chandler Mountain - acres and acres and ACRES of tomatoes.  I've never seen so many tomato plants in one place in my life!  Eventually, we found our way out.  By the time we to back to "civilization," we were starving.  We have a road rule:  no eating at chain restaurants while traveling.  This seriously limited our choices in Attalla, the first town we came to, so we kept driving up to Boaz, or maybe it was Albertville (hard to tell where one town stops and the other begins), and found a place called "Bubba Rito's."  Hmmm...why not?  It turned out to be pretty good.  They fixed us a big old quesadilla and a big old burrito that fed us for both lunch and dinner.  Good thing, too, because about all we had in the refrigerator was milk, butter, and eggs. 

Wednesday morning after breakfast, we fished a little more.  Caught a bunch of seaweed again, and two pretty good sunburns, but no fish.  Later that afternoon, my cousin Rhonda, who lives about 20 minutes away, came over with her cute little granddaughter and spent the afternoon with us.  Later, we all went to dinner at Top of the River restaurant in Guntersville.  Her husband, Clay, joined us.  The food was good!  The visit was even better!

Alas, our time was up today, and we had to leave.  The trip home was fairly uneventful, except for the freak rain storm in Tishomingo County, Mississippi, that nearly blew us off the road once or twice.  Almost exactly 6 hours after leaving the campground, we arrived at home.  We hadn't taken much food or many clothes, and so unloading the camper was quick and easy.

It's good to be home!

Louisville, Kentucky - April 2017

The Husband attended a work-related seminar in Louisville, Kentucky this week, and I went along for the ride.  We left home around 10 a.m. Sunday, drove at a leisurely pace, and arrived in the middle of the afternoon.  We stayed at the Hyatt Regency on 4th Street, where the seminar was held.  Our room overlooked 4th street, part of which is sectioned off for pedestrian traffic and live music events.  Restaurants, bars, and hotels lined both sides of the street.

 In the early evening, we met up with some fellow seminar attendees and went to dinner at one of those Brazilian steakhouse restaurants where the waiters come around with meat on skewers and feed you until you can't hold another bite.  After dinner, we enjoyed a few drinks in the hotel bar.  Tired from the drive, I left The Husband in the bar and went upstairs to bed.

While he did seminar stuff on Monday, I drove around Louisville by myself, just arbitrarily taking lefts and rights.  I saw some nice things and some not-so-nice things.  My favorite street was Bardstown Road, where there were a lot of eclectic shops and coffee houses.  Dinner that night was "heavy hors d'oeuvres" and drinks in the seminar conference room, then we went out for drinks at a nearby sports bar. 

Tuesday, I drove around again, looking for something to wear to that night's party at Churchill Downs.  The seminar literature had suggested "Kentucky Derby attire" for the party.  Prior to leaving home, The Husband had bought himself a seersucker suit, and I had made a wide-brimmed hat but had not bought a dress.  Here's a secret:  I hate wearing dresses.  Instead of a dress, I opted for capris pants and a comfortable flowing shirt. 








At 6:30 p.m., we boarded a tour bus with about 50 other seminar folks.  We toured Churchill Downs, enjoyed a buffet dinner in the museum, and tasted mint juleps (plural).  The band was terrific.  I ditched the hat long before the evening was over.

 

Wednesday, while The Husband wrapped things up at the seminar, I headed across the river into Indiana, where I nosed around inside a huge flea market.  They let me out of there for under $50.  ;)  That evening, we had dinner at Guy Fieri's restaurant on 4th street (best meat loaf I ever tasted!) and called it a night fairly early. 

Love the black barns.  This one was NOT on stilts, as it appears.  ;)
 

Thursday kicked off the "footloose" part of our trip.  We visited a cousin in Sadieville, Kentucky, then drove through Georgetown, where we had burgers in a little restaurant on the town square.  Our plan was to spend the night in Lexington, then drive to Shepherdsville on Friday for a visit with our niece.  As luck would have it, some horse-racing track was opening on Friday, and all of the decent hotels in Lexington were full.  Since we discovered this fairly early in the evening, we had time to drive on to Shepherdsville, where we found a nice, clean room at a Best Western. 


After a leisurely breakfast Friday morning, we headed out to tour the Jim Beam Distillery.  We had to kill an hour and a half in order to do the tour.  We did that by sampling the wares - a Jalapeno Fizz and an Old Fashioned - on Jim's porch.  ;)  After the tour, we drove to Bardstown and shared a "hot brown" at the Old Talbott Inn.  Later in the evening, we met up with our niece and her husband and had a nice dinner at a nearby steakhouse.

Back at the motel, around midnight, I was awakened by loud voices.  At first, I couldn't tell whether the sound was coming from the hallway or the adjoining room, but as the minutes clicked by and the noises did not recede, I realized that the couple in the next room was having an argument.  I tossed and turned and finally put my pillow over my head, but even that did not drown out the noise.  A loud thump against our wall made both me and The Husband bolt upright.  I leapt out of bed and said, "I'm calling the front desk!" but The Husband was already beating me to it.  He told the desk clerk that there was a "heated argument" happening in the next room.  Within a minute or two, we heard a knock on the door of the adjoining room.  I could not hear the exact conversation, but I gathered that one of the fight participants had left the premises, and all was well.  The rest of the night was peaceful. 

This morning as we were preparing to leave, we noticed a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door of the adjoining room. 

The Husband stealthily removed this sign as we were leaving. 

It rained on us nearly all the way home. 

We made a couple of detours to inspect some potential camping spots we'd seen on the drive up, which added another hour or two to our travel time.  We had stayed at these parks about 20 years ago, when we had our first camper, a pop-up, and thought we might want to go back.  Unfortunately, the camper we have now won't fit into most of those campsites. 

We rolled into our driveway around 5 p.m., hungry and tired.  And there was no food in the house.

Still, it was good to be home.