2017 July 4, Tuesday, Day Trip to Huntsville, Alabama

Hubby and I rode into Florence to eat breakfast at Cracker Barrel. I ordered one scrambled egg, two slices of bacon, and two slices of sourdough toast with strawberry jelly. I also ate hubby's fried apples.
Hubby ordered the big breakfast...
We traveled highway 72 east to Rogersville stopping at Foodland to pick up a couple of can drinks.
We rode to Rogersville's Park where they had just installed a splash pad for kids.

Splash Pad Rogersville 

Playground and restrooms Rogersville Park

In Huntsville, we rode through Providence Town Center where we saw Darth Vader and R2D2 statues standing in front of Mellow Mushroom Restaurant. (Characters from the Stars Wars Trilogy)

Darth Vader and R2D2 

I wanted to see the construction work, where the Old Huntsville Mall was once located, so we rode there next.
The mall is gone, piping and wiring all and dug up, with only dirt remaining.

No longer a mall 

Next, we rode through the Twickenham District to Monte Sano Mountain.
We paid the admission price to enter the park, stopping at the restrooms at the campsite. We stopped at the overlook, near the one-room CCC Museum which was closed. 

Over Look near Birding site 29 (overcast day)

 CCC Museum (one-room museum) 

We stopped and I took pictures of the Burritt Museum and Trough Springs Markers. 
We rode down the mountain onto Governors Drive passing the Hospitals. 
Next, we rode to Brahan Spring Recreation Center on Ivy Avenue Southwest.
We stopped at the park where we saw the  Merrimack Marker.
The marker told about the Merrimack Manufacturing Co., the Huntsville Manufacturing Co., and Springs Industries Inc., 1899 1991. It also told about the Merrimack School & the Joseph J. Bradley School 1900 1967.
Next, we stopped at Brahan Spring Park for a few pictures and to use the restrooms.

We started home, stopping in Athens at Zaxby's to eat dinner.
I ordered boneless wings and a side salad. Hubby ordered a boned chicken wings meal.

Boneless Wings 

Side Salad

We were home for about an hour when hubby got a call out to work.
Another trip to Huntsville. 
The job did not take long and we were home by 7PM. 

My son, Andy called and said mom we are going to shoot fireworks at 8:30PM so at 8:15PM we rode to my son's house.
We sprayed ourselves with bug spray grabbed our fold-out chairs and off we rode to my son's house.
We had a great time with family watching them shoot off fireworks.
These three bulldogs hated the sound of the fireworks and we had a hard time keeping them away from chasing the fireworks.

We were home by 10PM both of us dropped into bed from exhaustion.

2017 May 16, Tuesday, Day Trip to Huntsville, Alabama

Hubby and I rode to Tennessee to buy our bi-monthly lottery tickets. Hubby went inside scanned his tickets and came back to the van. 
He said I forgot my wallet do you have any cash? I had enough money to buy the tickets $28
We had an appointment at Champion Chrysler Dodge to get the oil changed in our Town and country in Athens at 11AM.
We had to ride back home to get his wallet.
We stopped in Elgin for B-12 shots and just made our 11AM appointment at Champion.

They finished our van but the oil light was still on. 
Hubby went back inside and told them, they had forgotten to reset the oil. 
The woman came out and tried she said the floor mat was too close to the gas peddle and was not letting it reset. 

Had to sit in the Slingshot sitting in the Showroom 

We rode to Huntsville, and our first stop was the Huntsville Train Depot/Museum.  The park area was open but the museum was closed. 
There was a school group visiting the park and earlier that morning there was a Civil War Re-Enactment there were still tents standing in the open field. 
We walked into the Museum store, Caboose, and Train Engine.
Huntsville Depot Museum Hours
Wednesday -Saturday 10-3PM 
Gates Open 
Monday - Sunday year-round 9-5PM
As we were leaving a train came rattling down the tracks.

The Huntsville Alabama Depot Museum 

Standing in the Engine Room 

Civil War Camps

Passenger Depot
Huntsville Alabama
Built 1860
Memphis and Charleston Railroad Company
Eastern Division headquarters in this passenger Depot,
Adjoining yards and shops were captured by the Union Army on April 11, 1861.
Vital east-west Confederate rial link served, CSA soldiers imprisoned here.
The depot was later used by Federals as a base for gathering supplies for Western Theater
military operations. After the Civil War returned to M & CRR Co
acquired by Southern Railway System in 1898, since1971
preserved by the City of Huntsville. 

The main reason for coming to Huntsville was to see the newly renovated Big Spring Park.
There is a concrete walkway around the reshaped lagoon, where the water flows so it can clean itself. 
There are park benches along the walkway, but no trees, (so it will be hot during the summer).
You can walk right up to the water's edge. We saw children leaning into the pond feeding the goldfish and ducks. 
We walked along the water's edge and the fish and ducks followed us. 
I saw a young man feeding the fish.
I made the comment I was going to buy some food but my hubby did not have any change. 
The young man gave me a quarter, I thanked him and I bought a quarter's worth of seeds. 
The fish and ducks gobbled the food right up.

Goldfish and ducks feeding 

Big Spring Park Oriental Bridge 

Newly reshaped lagoon

Fountain 

Kids feeding fish and ducks

Huntsville Art Center 

We rode south on Whitesburg Drive to Airport Road then onto Parkway stopping at 
Rosie's Mexican Cantina for a late lunch.
We ordered a white chip dip and shared a Chicken Fajita. 
Rosie's Mexican Cantina on South Parkway has a beautiful garden full of blooming flowers.

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden 

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden 

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden 

Rosie's Mexican Cantina Garden (Singing and playing Minstrels 

Parkway South is under construction (turning it into six lanes).

Road Construction on South Parkway 

Road Construction on South Parkway 

Road Construction on South Parkway 

We rode to Ditto Landing and saw a few geese, boats, and bridges.

Gaggle of Geese

Bridge Closed at Ditto Landing 

We rode down Drake Avenue to RSA where we filled up with gas and saw a few geese. 
We were home a little after 5PM
My granddaughter had been texting me all day wanting to know when we were coming home.
My granddaughter, her daughter, and a friend came over around 5:30PM to swim.
I did not get into the pool because I was too tired.