2024 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Decatur, Alabama

 What a beautiful day for traveling. We rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur, where we saw many Sandhill Cranes and various ducks at the Visitor's overlook buildings.

The newly remodeled Museum was opened. We saw Sandhills and whooping Cranes, Belted kingfishers, Snakes, Alligators, Geese, ducks, hawks, butterflies, otters, northern flickers, and many other animals.

Several empty display cases are waiting to be filled. We saw several friendly people. They were happy to be outside after this last cold spell. 

Sandhill & Whooping Cranes at the Museum 

Belted Kingfisher at the Museum

We stopped at Logan's Roadhouse for lunch. Hubby ordered a salad, steak, and baked potato. I ordered a chicken salad with Roadhouse dressing.

Steak and baked potato at Logans Roadhouse 

On our way home, we saw a Bald Eagle on a Paul Bunyan Power Line near the demolished Paper Mill in Town Creek. 

The eagle made a squawking sound when it saw me. It was letting me know to leave. 

We saw several terns perched on the light poles as we crossed Wheeler Dam. 

Our last stop was Wheeler Dam, where we saw a few White Pelicans, terns, and many cormorants.

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 Love's Gas in Jasper and took a restroom break. We traveled through Birmingham on I-65 to Pelham. We stopped at the Interpretive Center and then the 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-tailed hawk that was blind in one eye. We spoke with her for several minutes and watched as she fed the hawk. She said that the food comes to them frozen, so they just thaw it out for them. She was returning the hawk to its cage. We thanked her for taking the time to show us and tell us about the habits of the red-tailed hawk.

Red-tail Hawk 

We began our journey back home, having not eaten 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 steakhouse.

Oh' Brayn's Hartselle

We stopped at Kroger's in Hartselle and headed for home. We traveled from Hartselle to Decatur, taking Hwy 20 Alt 72 to Wheeler Dam. The sun was setting as we approached home.

Sunset

We had a great day; both of us were worn out from all the traveling.

2019 Oct 8-11, Luminights at Dollywood and Fall Harvest at Sevierville, & Pigeon Forge, Tennessee ( 4days)

To celebrate our birthdays, we decided to take a trip to the Mountains for a few days.

I had booked a room at La Quinta Inn by Wyndham (check-in time is after 3 P.M. Eastern time) in Sevierville.

We decided to eat a late lunch and early dinner at Texas Roadhouse on Collier Drive in Sevierville.

I ordered the lunch special: a 6-ounce sirloin steak medium-well, with Ceaser salad and a baked potato.

Hubby ordered 8 ounces of New York Strip medium with a baked potato and a salad.

We filled up with gas at Murphy Express before checking into our hotel.

Later that afternoon, we rode to Kroger's for a couple of Diet Cokes and a package of chocolate eclairs.

Harvest Festival Pigeon Forge 

We bought a small bag of freshly ground yellow cornmeal at the Old Mill General Store. We also stopped at Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. It was beautifully decorated with pumpkins & gourds of every size, shape, and color.

A great place to snap a photo

Welcome to Pigeon Forge.
Stopping for a rest break. 

I ate a waffle with syrup, sausage, and a glass of cranberry juice at the hotel's breakfast bar.

After breakfast, we rode to the Tanger Outlets. We stopped at the Disney Store, where I bought a long-sleeved Mickey Tee-shirt, a Halloween 2019 Minnie Doll, and a Halloween bag.

We also stopped at Victoria's Secret, where I bought two bras and a pair of panties.

Our next stop was at the Island, Hubby wanted a souvenir shirt from Margaretville.

Hubby let me out at Margaretville, and then he parked the car.

It was a beautiful day, people were enjoying the Smoky Mountain Ferris Wheel, the Spinning Parrot Coaster, Time Shot, the Island Express Train, the Flying Horse Carousel, the Thunder Dome, the Reverse Time Ride, Happy Swings, & Funny Cars. There was a lot to see and do on the Island. 

Pumpkins and Autumn Flowers Everywhere.
Lots of places for selfies on the Island.

Our fun did not stop with the Island. We rode the trolley to our car and then drove to Dollywood, where we stayed until closing.

It was fall break, and the parking lot was full of cars. We had to park in Lot D and wait in a long line to ride the trolley to the gate, where we purchased a two-day pass.

At 12:45, we watched the tail end of the Smoky Mountain String Band at the Gazebo.

At 1 P.M., we watched Candy & Jeremy perform at the Valley Theater.

It was after lunch, so we stopped at the Front Porch Cafe, where we ordered the Cheddar Bacon hamburger with yellow corn, coleslaw, and fried green tomatoes.

Dollywood
Welcome Pumpkins

Scarry Pumpkins
We saw pumpkins eating, reading, playing music (on rubboards and wash pans), painting, butterfly catching,
waking their dog, quilting, pumpkins made into a guitar, a large spider pumpkin with a web, and so much more.

We saw this steel Eagle statue standing tall as it watched the Wild Eagle Coaster soar through the air. 

Near the Eagle Ride, we saw the Eagle Sculpture, built by Canadian sculptor Kevin Stone, owner of Metal Animation Studio in Chilliwack, British Columbia, for $250,000 US dollars.

Outstanding Pumpkin Luminights Roaming Character was Patches the Scarecrow
Harvey the Pumpkin, PUMPKIN Master, Pumpkin Polly,  Jack-O-Juggler, and Pumpkin Penny.

Throughout the park, we saw the roaming Characters of Applejack, Frances, Clive Abernathy, & Miss Lillian.

In Wildwood Grove, we saw Flutter, Flit, Ned, and Benjamin the Bear. 

We also saw The Wildwood Tree with a collection of butterflies dancing colorfully in the breeze.

When the sun went down, the music brought the pumpkins to life with dancing and singing.

There were small pumpkins, large pumpkins, scary pumpkins, funny pumpkins, and pumpkins everywhere.

Dancing Pumpkins

We stayed at the park from 12 P.M. to close; we were worn out from all the walking. We walked to the trolley stop, waited in line to ride the trolley, and then rode to the hotel.

We had purchased a two-day pass, so we needed some rest for another day at Dollywood. 

For breakfast at the hotel, I had sausage, a cranberry bagel with cream cheese, and cranberry juice. 

We stopped at The Christmas Place, which was packed, and there were long lines at the checkout.

We did visit the bakery shop, where we purchased a chocolate pretzel, a box of saltwater taffy, and some fudge. 

We stopped at the Lodge outlet, where we bought a seven-stick corn stick pan.

We ate lunch at Long John Silver's, and we both ordered Shrimp meals. 

Harvest at The Christmas Store 

Day two at Dollywood, but at a slower pace. 

At 3:30 P.M., we watched the Hysongs at Show Street Palace Theater.

At 5:30 P.M., we watched the Erwins at DP's Celebrity Theater.

At 6:30 P.M., we watched Live @ the Back Porch at the Back Porch Theater (there was a young man from Muscle Shoals performing  there)

At 7 P.M., we watched the Cord Men at the Valley Theater.

When the last show ended, we walked through the Luminiights. 

We had a great three days, and I had never seen so many pumpkins in one place. I loved the Harvest Festival throughout Sevierville and Pigeon Forge.

Now for the long ride home.

I saw this beautiful pink Rose of Sharon when we stopped at the Nick Jack Rest Area in Chattanooga on our way home.

2018 Jan 9, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Sandhill Crane, & other waterfowl Decatur, Alabama

We ate lunch at Wendy's in Athens. Hubby ordered the four-dollar deal: cheeseburger, fries, chicken nuggets, and a drink. I ordered a junior cheeseburger and a small chocolate Frosty.

Then we rode to the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge via I-65 to Decatur to see  1,000s of Cranes and other waterfowl. We saw hundreds of Mallards, Ducks, and thousands of Cranes, with only three white cranes. 

It was cold and wet as we walked to the enclosed overlook. There were three people there, one with a telescope and the other two with nice cameras. The young man with the telescope was traveling from Atlanta, Georgia, to Nevada. He said he was ready for a change in his life. It sounded like he was walking away from his personal problems. 

Mallard Ducks

Cranes

Some signs read: U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge, National Wildlife Refuge System, &  the do's and don'ts on the Tennessee River & Decatur and Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge. 

We were invited to come back on Saturday for their workshop.

We stopped at Flint Creek Trail, which is part of the Wheeler Wildlife Refuge. 

Several men were fishing in the frozen Flint Creek. I was standing on the pier, and I heard something crackling below me. It was the frozen ice breaking up. There were several birds and cranes in the shallow water and along the banks.

Wildlife 
Y.O.U M.A.Y S.E.E
Watching wildlife can be a lot of fun. Many wildlife creatures are elusive and wary, so you will need to move slowly and quietly to avoid disturbing them. Early morning and late afternoon are usually the best times to see wildlife. A pair of binoculars is helpful. 

Even if you do not see the animal, you may see signs of its presence, such as tracks, scat (droppings), or feathers. And listen...in nature, you can hear a symphony of sounds.

Gray Squirrel, Eastern Box Turtle, Downy Woodpecker, Wood Duck, Eastern Garter Snake, Cooper's Hawk, White-tailed Deer, Common Five-lined Skink

I saw a sign that read: Alligators may live here. This is something you never want to run across while bird-watching.

Alligators may live here.
Be Gator Safe:
Do not approach, Feed, or Harass Alligators
Warning: it is UNLAWFUL to feed alligators!
Feeding, harassing, or the unlawful killing or taking of alligators can result in substantial fines and or jail time. 

Men Fishing in the icy water

Some signs read: U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Our History, 1838, 1934, 1938, 1950, 1933 & Present; How Can You Help? Flint Creek, Fishing, and Land: Watershed Project; Living in the Water, Fresh Water, and Wildlife You May See. 

We also stopped at the Wheeler Wildlife Complex, where we saw signs that read: U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Hunting, Fishing; Water level management and farming; map of the refuge and boating.

Wheeler Wildlife Complex 

We rode through Decatur, turning on the road that once housed the Paper Mill. My Hubby said to me that we might see a hawk or a Bald Eagle. We searched every tree and along every power line. We were nearing the Paul Bunyan power line, and I asked Hubby what that thing was on the power pole. We turned around to see a Bald Eagle sitting up on top of a Bald Eagle. He gave me a wink as if to say, I am on the lookout for food.

Bald Eagle

We stopped at Wheeler Dam, another great place to see a variety of birds. The power lines sitting in the river and the island were covered in white and blackbirds. There were waterfowl swimming, fishing, and flying over the Tennessee River. 

A bird was sitting on most of the light poles as we crossed the dam.

Wheeler Dam and Birds

Powerline and an Island full of waterfowl 

Ate dinner at Walton's Restaurant, and Hubby ordered a New York strip, salad 🥗, and baked potato 🥔.

I ordered a Ribeye steak salad and iced tea.

It rained on us on our way to Decatur, and it was cloudy all day, not the best day for taking pictures. We still had a great day, and before we arrived home, it was dark.