2021 Mar 9, Day trip Oak Mountain State Park Pelham, Alabama

Today, we rode to Pelham via hwy 43 through Russellville, ending on I-22 going into Birmingham. We filled up with gas at Loves Gas in Jasper and took a restroom break. We traveled through Birmingham I-65 to Pelham. We stopped at the Interpretive Center and Treetop Nature Trail, where we saw a Eurasian Eagle-Owl and Shelby the Bald Eagle. Most of the Interpretative Center was closed for renovations. We also saw several hawks and owls in another area.

Bald Eagle 

owl 

As we were coming back inside the center, we met a Park Ranger with a Red Tail Hawk that was blind in one eye. We talked to her for several minutes and watched while she fed the hawk. She said that its food comes to them frozen, so they just thaw it out for them. She was returning the hawk back to its cage. We thanked her for taking the time to show us and tell us about the habits of the red-tail hawk.

Red-tail Hawk 

We began our journey back home we had not eaten any dinner, and both agreed that we would like to stop at O'Bryan's in Hartselle. I ordered a petite Sirloin steak with a sweet potato. Hubby ordered a Delmonico Steak, baked potato, and salad bar. After we ate, we took pictures of the Blues Brothers statue and other memorabilia at the steak house.

O'Brien's Hartselle

We stopped at Krogers in Hartselle and headed for home. We traveled from Hartselle to Decatur, taking Hwy 20 alt 72 to Wheeler Dam. The sun was going down as we were near home.

Sunset

We had a great day both wore out from all the traveling.

2019 Jan 7, Day Trip to Guntersville, Alabama State Park

Hubby and I rode to Guntersville, but before we started our trip, we stopped to purchase our lottery tickets for the week and to get our weekly B12 Shots. We stopped at Foodland and purchased two canned drinks and again at McDonald's in Rogersville for two apple pies. 

What a way to start the day!

We traveled US 72 E to I65 S to I565 E to US 431 SE to Guntersville. 

We arrived in Guntersville around 11:30 AM, stopping at Lake Guntersville to take pictures of 100s of Cormorants and seagulls that were perched on the piers. 

Gulls

Cormorants

At 12:40PM, we stopped at KFC and ate from the buffet. 

I chose a chicken leg and wing, fried okra, and collard greens

After a hardy lunch, we began our adventure to Guntersville State Park.

We stopped at Guntersville State Park Birding Site #34 to take a few pictures.

Signs there said that we might see Signature Species, waterfowl, wading birds, shorebirds, and Birds of Prey sadly, we did not see a single bird at site #34.

We rode up the hill past the State Park Cabins and Lodge and down the hill to the Campgrounds, beach, and pavilion.

On our way down, we saw a doe hiding in the brush.

At the State Park Lagoon, we saw two goats and 3 Emus.

Five Donkeys 

The beach was desolate, but there were hundreds of American Coots and gulls. 

As we were leaving the beach, we saw these two do.
They came right up to the car and stopped for a picture
They were still there as we drove away.

We left Guntersville State Park around 2:30PM and headed to Bucks Pocket.
We missed our turn and rode 8 miles too far. 
Turned on our GPS, and it took us down several winding roads.

Waterfall @ Bucks Pocket State Park

We walked down to the overlook at Bucks Pocket State Park, where we saw a waterfall in the distance. 
We walked back to the car, and hubby plugged our home address into the GPS, which led us down this winding road that crossed the bridgeless South Sauty Creek. The creek water came from the waterfall we had seen earlier. Like so many backcountry roads in Tennessee, there was no bridge. There was only a poured concrete foundation where the creek flowed over the concrete. The road to the Ranger station was closed because of all the rain. Hubby said he saw tire tracks, so he felt the bridge was safe to cross. 

We stopped at Weathington Park Overlook Sections, Alabama
It overlooks the Tennessee River

The sun was setting as we entered Scottsboro, and a few clouds had drifted in, giving us a spot of rain.

It was getting dark when we stopped on the East side of Huntsville at McDonald's for dinner. 

We stopped at Dicks and Cabela's in Huntsville to look at Scopes.

We talked to a couple of employees at Dicks about scopes and camera lenses.

We watched an employee feed the fish at Cabela's.

We arrived home around 8:30PM. 

I was exhausted from all the traveling, took a shower, put on my PJs, climbed into bed, and was asleep in no time. 

On Feb 22, three young people drove across this South Sauty Creek, and their jeep was swept into the floodwaters two of the young people were rescued, and as of March 1, the third Koy Spears has not been found. 

Tennessee and Alabama have been flooded with rain. The ranger's station at this location was closed when we crossed South Sauty Creek in my opinion, the creek should have been closed. Thank God the creek was not roaring that day, but the creek was up, and you could not see the concrete. 

2017 Aug 22, Day Trip to Davey Crockett Park Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

Started the morning with a free Cheese, Egg, and Chicken Bagel (breakfast) from Chick-fil-A.
We stopped at Lowes, where we checked out their Halloween displays and bought some bird feed.

We stopped to get our pool water checked at CE Pools and to pick up some more chemicals.
We stopped at Helping Hands for our weekly B-12 shots.
We ate lunch at Long John Silver's in Lawrenceburg, and then we rode to Davey Crocket Park.

We rode through the campgrounds, across the covered bridge, along with the river banks, and checked out the cabins.

Covered Bridge

Creek and Swimming Hole

We stopped to take pictures of the markers along the way.

They Passed This Way

Long time we travel on the way to new land… Women's cry…Children Cry, and men cry…but they say nothing and just put their heads down and keep on going toward the west. Many days passed, and people died very.

Recollection of a survivor of the Trail of Tears

Federal Indian Removal Policy

After the passage of the Indian Removal Act of 1830, the United States government forced thousands of American Indians to leave their ancestral lands in the Southeast for new homes in the Indian Territory (present-day Oklahoma). 

They traveled by existing roads and by river. Many groups left in the fall, hoping to avoid the disease and heat of summer travel, and instead faced treacherous winter weather. Thousands died during the ordeal — remembered today as the Trail of Tears.

Despite the hardships of the journey, the people of the five tribes of the Southeast established new lives in the West. They stand now as successful sovereign nations, proudly preserving cultural traditions while adapting to the changes of the 21st century.

In the 1830s, the federal government forcibly removed approximately 15,000 Cherokee, 21,000 Muskogee (Creek), 9,000 Choctaw, 6,000 Chickasaw, and 4,000 Seminole from their ancestral homes in the southeastern United States.

Federal Indian removal policy aroused fierce and bitter debate. Supporters of the policy claimed it was a benevolent action to save the tribes east of the Mississippi River from being overwhelmed and lost in the onslaught of an expanding American population. 

Opponents described its inhumanity and the tragic consequences it would have for American Indians. One thing was certain: removal freed millions of acres of desired Indian lands for use by white settlers. 

Nearly 1,000 Cherokee died during the journey westward, and up to 4,000 died as a result of the forced removal process. Remember those who traveled the Trail of Tears by walking in their footsteps.

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail 

The National Park Service works with partners to administer the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. By helping to preserve historic sites and trail segments and developing areas for public use, the story of the forced removal of the Cherokee people and the American Indian tribes is remembered and told. 

You can visit sites along the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. 

Learn more at www.nps.gov/trte

David Crockett State Park 

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail National Park Service

National Park Foundation MTSU Center for Historic Preservation

Retracing the Trail of Tears 

Thank you for visiting David Crockett State Park and the Trail of Tears National Historic Trail. We hope you enjoy your outdoor experience. Please be respectful of other park visitors as well as the wildlife that you might encounter along the trail. 

The Bell Route

On October 11, 1838, 660 Cherokee led by John Adair Bell left Fort Cass (present-day Charleston, Tennessee) to begin an arduous 700-mile journey. Weak and miserable from being in removal camps, the people in the Bell detachment that passed through here banded together, staying close to a family member for the long trek.

Walk-in Their Footsteps

You are invited to walk along the same path the Cherokee traveled on the Trail of Tears in 1838. It was a cold and wet November as they trudged by, not even halfway to their destination in Indian Territory.

The Cherokee that passed through here left their home in North Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, and Tennessee with 56 wagons and 318 horses. 

The journey had already been a trying one, as they were faced with terrible road conditions that slowed their progress. Imagine how the numbers of people and wagons would have mired an already muddy road.

The Bell detachment that traveled through here lost 23 of its members along the route due to exhaustion and illness before the group of weary travelers arrived in Evansville, Arkansas, on January 7, 1839.

A Safe Visit 

The Trail of Tears interpretive retracement trail is just over 2,5 miles long one way. As you hike the trail, you will see signs indicating when you are on the original historic route.

For a safe and enjoyable visit, please:

.Pay attention to trail signs

.Stay on the trail

.Share you're hiking plans with friends or family

.Wear appropriate shoes and clothes for hiking

.Be aware of ticks, poison ivy, and snakes

.Carry a bottle of water and snacks

.Help keep the trail litter-free and leave no trace

Please help preserve the traces of the past for future generations.

Legend

Main Road through Park

Trail of Tears National Historic Trail - Retracement Trail

Shoals Creek Trail/Waterfall Trail

Connector Trails

Bike Trail

Fitness Trail 

Cabin Trail

Wayside Exhibit 

We stopped at the wild-bird sanctuary where we saw the Red-tail hawk, Red-shoulder Hawk, Two barn Owls, The Great Horned Owl, and the Barred Owl.

The museum was closed it is only open on weekends.

Red-Tailed Hawk

Red-tailed hawks are probably the most common hawk in North America. If you’ve got sharp eyes, you’ll see several individuals on almost any long car ride, anywhere. Red-tailed Hawks are often seen soaring above open fields, gracefully turning circles on their broad, rounded wings.

Other times, you’ll see them atop telephone poles, eyes fixed on the ground to catch the movements of a vole or rabbit, or simply waiting out the cold weather before climbing a thermal updraft into the sky.

The Red-tailed Hawk has a thrilling, raspy scream that sounds exactly like a raptor should sound. At least, that’s what Hollywood directors seem to think.

Whenever a hawk or eagle appears onscreen, no matter what species, the shrill cry in movies is almost always a Red-tailed Hawk. 

Male 

Length 18-22 in

Wingspan 45-52 in

Weight 1 lb. 9oz-2 lb. 14 oz

Female 

Length 20-26 in

Wingspan 45-52 in

Weight 1 lb. 14 oz - 3 lb. 4 oz

David Crocket State Park, Tennessee 

Red Shoulder Hawk

Barn Owls

Great Horned Owl

Crockett Museum & Bird Aviaries 

Red Tail Hawk

Welcome to David Crocket State Park 

Lawrenceburg, Tennessee

In the summer of 1817, just before his 31st birthday, David Crockett entered Lawrence County with his second wife Elizabeth (his first wife, Polly, died in 1815), her two children from her first husband (James Patton, who died in the Creek Indian War in late 1813), David’s three young children from his first marriage, plus an infant boy he and Elizabeth had together. Before David and his family would leave Lawrence County five years later, two more Crockett girls would enter the backcountry world of Tennessee. Although it was a time of great danger and uncertainty, this growing frontier clan quickly and decisively made an immediate impact on Lawrence County. Just the same, the events taking place in Lawrence Count would change David Crockett and his family forever.

The man whose personality and unique humor would capture the imagination of an entire nation conditioned his winning ways not by hunting wild game or fighting Indians but through his tenure of public service, and that started here in Lawrenceburg. When David Crockett first arrived in this area, he could barely read or write with any consistency, and he was not a successful farmer. He was also fortunate just to be alive. Although he had survived the brutal Indian Wars and the loss of his wife, he had also recently suffered two severe bouts of malaria. One was so severe that his own friends reported him dead for nearly two weeks.

But despite his setbacks, what made David Crockett entirely different from most men of his time was a fierce determination that matched his impressive physical stature along with a sense of humor that worked in tandem with a real desire to help those less fortunate.

Politics finds Crockett

When the Crockett family traveled the eighty miles from Bean Creek to “The head of Shoals Creek” near Lawrenceburg in 1817, a winning environment awaited them. 

“We remained here…without any law at all, and so many bad characters began to flock in upon us that we found it necessary to set up a sort of temporary government of our own.”

In four and a half short years, Crockett became a renaissance man of sorts for Lawrence County. Not only did he provide for his growing family, but he was also appointed or elected to a series of political positions, including Justice of the Peace, town commissioner, colonel/commandant of the 57th Regiment of Militia, and member of the Tennessee state legislature. While constantly engaged with local and state politics, he and his wife also created, built, and operated a small industrial complex consisting of a gristmill, gunpowder, factory, and a distillery until a flash flood destroyed it. Unable to financially recover from this natural disaster, David and his family reluctantly moved to Gibson County (near Rutherford) in 1822 to start their news anew.

“I became so well pleased with the country about there that I resolved to settle in it. And so moved and settled me down at the head of Shoals Creek.”

We left Davey Crockett Park and rode down the Natchez Trace to the Welcome Center in Collinwood.

We were kindly greeted by the hostess, ate two sugar cookies, and drank some fresh water. I took several pictures inside and picked up several brochures.

Welcome Center Collinwood

Welcome Center Collinwood

The quilt hanging at the Welcome Center Collinwood

The quilt hanging at the Welcome Center Collinwood

We returned to  Natchez Trace and followed it down to Chislom Highway.