2021 Jan 14, Day trip to Gadsden and Covered Bridges of Alabama

Today, the Hubby and I traveled US 72 to I-65 to 67 east to Priceville, stopping at Morgan County Memorial Park where they had a Hurley helicopter, a T-34 Mentor Plane on loan from Pensacola, FL, and an M60A1 Tank. There were several tall war memorials representing soldiers who had given their lives for our country.

 Morgan County Memorial Park, Priceville, Alabama 

We stopped at Jack's in Blountsville for lunch. Ordered a kid's chicken finger meal and a blueberry cream cheese pie. Saw a carved statue in the trees outside Jack's.

Swann Covered Bridge

We traveled to the Swann Covered Bridge, built in 1933, located on Swann Bridge Road in Cleveland, which spans the Locust Fork River.

 Easley Bridge

Our next stop was the Easley-covered bridge built in 1927. It was located at Easley Bridge Road in Oneonta. We met a couple, the man was in the car, and the woman was taking pictures. I asked them if they had been to the Swann Covered Bridge, and they said they hadn't been there today. We rode to Horton Mill Covered Bridge, built in 1934, which crossed over the Calvert Prong of the Little Warrior River.

Noccalula falls

Horton Covered Bridge 

We filled up with gas at Love's in Sneed. Then we rode another thirty minutes to Noccalula Falls in Gadsden, where we met a man on a motorcycle.  I asked him if he knew where the covered bridges were at the park. He said you're asking the wrong person. I'm from New York, and I'm enjoying this warm weather, but I said it gets cold here in north Alabama. He told them to enjoy their day and rode off. We walked around taking pictures of the roaring falls. The water was too rough for any waterfowl to be present. We started for home, the sun was going down and staring us right in the face, which didn't last long. Before we knew it, it was dark. We came home through Decatur, and the traffic was Heavy. It had been a beautiful day for traveling.

Traveling home

2020 Nov 28-Dec 1, Trip to Smoky Mountains with Sherry and Bobby (4 days)

November 28-December 1: Trip to Sevierville, TN, with Sherry and Bobby.  On Nov 28, November 28, Hubby and I ate breakfast at Jack's in Elgin. I ordered a sausage and biscuit, and Hubby ordered a big breakfast. We ordered Bobby a sausage and biscuit to go. We met them at the Hensley barbecue in Town Creek. We stopped at Jack's in Decatur for a restroom break; I bought three strawberry cheesecake pies for the three of us. We stopped at a couple of rest areas for restroom breaks. We filled up with gas at the new Wiggles in Sevierville, and we all ordered a sub sandwich from Wiggles. It had been a beautiful day for traveling. We checked into condo number 2514 at the Wyndham Condos.

Wyndham condos

Nov. 29, Sunday, Cloudy.  Today, we went to Shoe Carnival and Lee's. We ate lunch at Huck Fins; they don't have a lunch special on Sundays, and you have to pay the full price of $15.88 a plate. We all ordered a three-piece fried catfish meal with fixings of white beans, hushpuppies, pickles, onions, and coleslaw. We each got a takeaway box enough for supper. We stopped at Walmart, where I bought a small red Radio Flyer wagon for Haynes's upcoming birthday; I also bought a bag of peppermint bark.

Firehouse Sub in Sevierville

Nov 30, Monday.   Today, we went to Hammers in Sevierville. I bought some warm gloves, and Hubby got a shirt. We stopped at Firehouse Subs in Sevierville, located on Middle Creek Road, for lunch. I ordered a six-inch meatball sub, chips, and a Coke. My cousin ordered a sub, but they messed up her order. She complained, so they gave her a free sub and a brownie. We spent the afternoon watching Hallmark Christmas movies. That night, it snowed. On Tuesday, December 1, I went outside, and there was snow on the ground, but it was cold. However, the roads were clear. We were on our way home by 9 A.M. after checking out. We stopped at McDonald's in Lauden, Tennessee, for breakfast. I ordered a sausage muffin and a Coke.

Smoky Mountains

When we arrived in Town Creek, Hubby was waiting for me at Hensley Barbecue. After a bittersweet goodbye with my relatives, we began our journey. Hubby and I stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel in Athens.

Cracker Barrel Madison, Alabama 

For lunch, I ordered chicken and dumplings with Lima beans and cornbread. At Cracker Barrel, I purchased three summer tops that were on sale. I knew we wouldn't be going to many places, and the weather wasn't agreeable for outdoor activities, so I left my big camera at home. We spent the majority of our vacation watching Hallmark Movies, shopping, eating out, and reminiscing.

2020 Nov 11-14, Trip to Pigeon Forge, Tennessee (4 days) Dollywood Express Train Ride

Nov 11, Wednesday,  Hubby and I stopped at Cracker Barrel in Spring Hill for breakfast. We stopped several times for restroom breaks on our way to Pigeon Forge. We checked into Park Grove Inn in Pigeon Forge. What a view we could see the ferry wheel on the Island from our room.

Ferries Wheel 

Hubby took a shower, lay down, and took a nap. His stomach was giving him a fit, and he said I think I have a fever. After his nap, we rode to Applewood Farm House Restaurant for dinner.

Apple Barn 

For an appetizer, they brought apple fritters along with apple sauce and jute. I ordered a bowl of vegetable soup with cornbread. Hubby did not order anything but did eat some of my soup. That night, hubby ran a fever and had diarrhea all night.

The Incredible Christmas Store

Nov 12, Thursday:  The Incredible Christmas Store was just three blocks from our hotel, so I walked there while hubby slept. I walked across the Little Pigeon River, stopping to take pictures along the way. I bought a chocolate pretzel at the Christmas Candy Shop. When I returned, hubby was up, so we rode to the Old Mill, where I bought some stone-ground cornmeal and some apple fritter mix. We went to the Disney Store, where I bought Christmas toys for the great-grandkids. We ate lunch at Firehouse Sub and stopped in front of the Dixie stampede for a picture of the tall Christmas tree. We spent the rest of the day at Dollywood 2–9 PM. We rented a cart for hubby; he said he felt too weak to walk. We upgraded our tickets for the next year to $194.20 Our adventures began in the Wildwood Park area for children.

Santa @ Dollywood 

We meet Santa behind glass after we write him a letter and drop it into his mailbox. We watched a couple of shows outside, but all the inside shows were closed. We rode the Dollywood Express Train Ride up the mountain, and there were plastic shields between each seat. We had to get tickets for the last train ride because the virus seats were limited. We stopped at the ice cream shop for some Rockies Road ice cream in a chocolate waffle cone. We returned the cart and walked back to our car.

Eating catfish at Huck Fins

On Nov 13, Friday I ate French toast for breakfast at the hotel. We rode to the Bass Pro Shop in Kodak and then to Katom Restaurant Supplies, where I bought two bottle openers and a thermometer. We stopped at Huck Finn's for lunch, where I ordered a two-piece catfish dinner with fixings. (Fixings include a bowl of white beans, onion, pickles, coleslaw, and hushpuppies) We took the bypass in Gatlinburg and ordered over the Smoky Mountains. We rode through Cherokee out to I-40 back to Sevierville.

Hotel Pigeon Forge, TN

Nov 15, Saturday We began our travel home, stopping to fill up with gas at Flying J. I ate a bagel for breakfast before we left the hotel. We stopped at Five Guys in Spring Hill for a late lunch or early supper. There, we both ordered a fully-dressed hamburger and crispy fries. They have the best hamburgers in town. Our last stop was at Krogers in Lawrenceburg to pick up a few groceries. After that long ride home, we were both very tired.