Free Bird's Adventures: April 2016

Thursday, April 14, 2016

🐐🐐🐐🐐2016 April 12, Tuesday, Touring the Belle Chevre Goat Cheese Factory in Elkmont, Alabama

We took to , a beautiful drive up and down hills.
We stopped at for lunch. Hubby was told to arrive before 11:00 A.M.
We both ordered off the lunch menu.
I ordered , , , , onion, and tea.
Hubby ordered white beans, turnip greens, , cornbread, and sweet tea.
I gave my meatloaf to Hubby. I ate only vegetables.
We both ordered a glass of tea to go.

Preston's Restaurant

We continued traveling 14 miles on Highway 64.
We turned right on for 2.3 miles.
We turned left on for 1.76 miles
We turned left on for 1.76 miles
We turned slightly right on for 7.63 miles
We turned left on , hwy 21 for .87 miles
We took the first right on , Hwy 1, 04 for 4.97 miles
We turned left onto , hwy 49 for .06 miles
Stopping at 18849 .

I took several pictures of the winding, hilly roads as we traveled to .
We saw several fields planted with crops and lots of cows and horses.
We stopped to take pictures of a couple of .

Sim Corder/Harrison Mil

Sim Corder/Harrison Mill

Simeon Corder is said to have contracted with George Hamilton to build the mill and operate it for him in 1909. The contract was sealed with no more than a handshake. After Corder died in 1923, his widow sold the mill to Aubrey Todd, who sold it to George Harrison in 1927. Harrison's descendants have owned it since that time. The waterwheel was sold and moved to Anderson, Alabama, in 1939, where it remained until 1996. After many years of deterioration and after major repairs, it was returned to its original position. With a new millrace, the mill was returned to its original appearance. This mill is one of many that once existed along the county's waterways, but it is the only one restored to its historic appearance, thanks to the dedication of its owners.

Sims Settlement

In the fall of 1806, a group of settlers led by William and James Sims traveled from east Tennessee on flatboats down the Tennessee River and up the Elk River to this area. They landed near Buck Island and spread out into the surrounding countryside, seeking home sites in what they thought was "government" land that would soon be for sale to settlers. The area they settled, which covered several square miles from Elk River to New Garden, became known as "Sims Settlement."

The Federal Government had settled the Cherokee claim to the area north of the Tennessee River in 1805, but the Chickasaw Nation maintained a claim to it until 1816. The settlement by the Sims party and others who continued to come to the area was illegal, and they became squatters or "intruders" on Indian land.

The growing number of white settlers entering the area alarmed the Chickasaws, who threatened war if the U.S. Federal Government did not remove them. To avoid bloodshed and to placate the Chickasaws, the government sent troops into this area to remove the settlers. This first removal was in April and May of 1809. Most of the settlers returned as soon as the soldiers left, and so the problem continued. (Continued on another side)

In response, the government sent an ultimatum dated August 4, 1810, to the settlers, stating that if they did not leave all land west of the Chickasaw boundary by December 15, they would be removed by force. This boundary was surveyed in the fall of 1807, starting at Hobbs Island in Madison County and running diagonally to a point near Maury County in Tennessee. This boundary was the source of all the settlers' problems because they were on the wrong side of it. Faced with the grave threat issued by the military, the settlers took the only action within their means.

On September 5, 1810, some 450 of them gathered at Sims Settlement and signed a lengthy letter or petition addressed to President James Madison and Congress. In it, they stated their honesty of intent and the strength of their character, and made passionate pleas to be allowed to stay. Even though they described the terrible condition they would be placed in, especially that of the widows and orphans among them, their entire pleading fell on deaf ears, however. The soldiers who were now stationed at the newly established Fort Hampton set about removing the settlers and burning the cabins and rail fences. This continued until 1817, and in 1818, the government finally offered land in Limestone County for sale.

canola fields

We saw canola fields covered with yellow blooms, so we stopped to take several pictures.

 We finally reached the Belle Chevre Goat Factory. The guided tour started at 1:00 P.M. While everyone was registering for the walk, my Hubby and I walked outside. I took several pictures of the three goats that were housed outside.

I tried to get a picture of the free-ranging chicken, but he was camera-shy.

When the tour began, we were told the building's history and the three goals, then led into a room to watch a five-minute video.

Our next stop was the cheese-making process. It was one huge room where four women were working.

We saw how they rolled, cut, and mixed the cheese.

We were given a sample of the cheese from the cheese roll.

Everyone was guided back to the front office, where we all lined up to sample the different cheeses.

Making the cheese

Chevre Cheese that we took home.

We each were given a sample of the goat cheese on a popsicle stick. We sampled coffee, honey, cinnamon, fig, an original, along with one sample of blackberry and jalapeño jelly atop the cheese on a cracker.

We selected the original and cinnamon goat cheese to take home.
We thanked our tour guide for the tour and the samples.
I took a few pictures of the surrounding area, and we took I-65 to Athens and hwy 72 home.

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

2016 April 5, Tuesday, Touring the Tiffen Motor Home Plant Red Bay, AL

In , we took to to , arriving a few minutes before the tour began.
was like a roller coaster ride as we were going up and down the hills.
A beautiful spring day, when we saw many trees turning green while others were still naked from winter.

Traveling down 247 Hwy

offers a one-hour tour daily, beginning at 9 A.M., Monday - Friday.
We were a group of about 20 people from every walk of life, mostly older people looking to buy their dream travel home.
For most of us, this will be our last major purchase.

There was a pot of hot coffee and several friendly faces awaiting everyone as they entered the .

We were told we would need a pair of for the dusty plant tour.
We were also given a radio so we could hear our two curators as we walked into the noisy plant.

We watched a short video about how the Tiffen plant began and how .
Red from the and Bay from the many located in the area.

We were also asked what means. A musical term that means brisk tempo.
's wife was taking music lessons, and she suggested the first motorhome be called Allegro so they would not be listed at the end of the telephone book.

Everyone was wearing their safety glasses and listening to their radios, which we were all given, as we followed our tour guides to the plant.

The Visitor Center had four , on display when gas prices were , and your gas was pumped into your car for you.

Under the porch was one of the first built using the inside the coach.

Visitor Center

The Slide Out

Cabin Shop

Plumbing

Chassis: The rectangular, usually steel frame, supported on springs and attached to the axles, that holds the body and motor ...

Diesel Motor

Waiting for final inspection

When the tour ended, we were told we could tour the many finished motorhomes.
Some of the motorhomes were inside getting the finishing touches, while others were outside waiting for a final inspection.

We walked back to the Visitor Center to use the restroom before heading home.
While inside the Visitor Center, I picked up a postcard that was a replica of the picture hanging on the wall. We were told that the postcards were free.

Depicts the history of Tiffen

We stopped at for a quick lunch.

We had a wonderful day meeting new people, taking a tour of the , and the pleasant ride down 247.

If you are looking to buy a motorhome, then you should take a tour. If you order a motorhome from Tiffen, you can actually watch it being built.

The tour is well worth your time.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

2016 April 2, Saturday Mule Day Parade in Columbia, TN

I once again find myself on the road alone. I rode to , to watch the . I found a parking spot and whipped my van into it. I got my camera, cell phone, coat, and chair, and walked across the road.

I picked out a spot, opened my chair, and sat down. Decided it was too cold, so I went back to the van for my bigger coat.

Both sides of the road started filling up.

I went back to my chair, and I sat patiently waiting for the parade.

A couple from sat right next to me. They said this was their first time coming to the parade. We discussed which direction the parade was coming from; neither of us was sure.

The woman's husband said he was going to walk down the road to to use the restroom and get some snacks.

The woman placed two chairs next to mine, and we began to talk.

It never fails that I meet someone I know or someone from the same area. She asked me where I went to church, and I told her, thinking she had never heard of our church. Wrong! She knew a couple who had been attending our church for years. It shows that we should behave wherever we go. The Lord is watching us, and he is sending his angels to make sure we behave.

The man returned, stayed only a few minutes, then put on short pants and told his wife it was too cold to sit outside, so he went back to his car.

He told his wife to call him on his cell phone when the parade began.

There were over 200 entries in the parade, making it very long.

I was taking pictures with my big camera and videos with my cell phone.

Once, I heard a man say the horse almost sniffed your butt. I had turned around and was taking pictures of the parade that had already passed. I was standing very close to the road so I could get photos of the parade. The parade started with a motorcycle police escort. Next were men & women dressed in black pants and vest-wearing yellow shirts carrying the US Flag and three other flags. One was red, white, and blue with three stars in the middle. It may have been the . The other two were different shades of blue.

Mule Day Parade

Next, we saw the riding in a wagon being pulled by two dark gray and black mules.

Next, we saw a couple of brown mules pulling the first, second, third, and fourth runners-up of the . The girls were dressed in orange, green, purple, and white gowns.
Next was a couple of white mules pulling a red wagon.
We saw wagons being pulled by one mule, two mules, three mules, and four mules.
We saw people riding mules, horses, & ponies in every shape and color.
We saw a young girl dressed in blue. She was riding a brown-and-white horse and waving to the crowd. Many riders were dressed in western attire. Many of the horses and mules were harnessed in black and silver.
A couple of riders were pulling a horse without a rider. They said that they lost their rider.

We saw floats, horses, and riders.
We saw a with wheels rolling down the road.

We saw a in the parade.
We saw a man wearing a red, white, and blue flag shirt. He had an American flag hanging on the back of his wagon, which was pulled by two miniature mules.
He was smiling.

Mule Day Parade

We saw a group of terrifying clowns. Their float turns at the entrance of the academy just before they reach us.

Mule Day Parade

We saw a man riding a brown mule. He was wearing a red shirt and a long white beard. He could be .

We saw a girl riding a horse with orange hoofs, orange ears, and a tail.
We saw a float with "," a mule, and a man singing.
We saw an all-white male with orange hooves.
We saw a wagon train.

Mule Day Parade

In the distance, we could see the wagon train, the crowds of people watching the parade as it passed, crossed the highway, and headed up the hill to the .