2025 March 25, Cooks Museum, Delano Park Wheeler Wildlife Refuge adventure with the great grandkids

Cooks Museum 

Cooks Museum

Today we rode to Decatur to visit the Cooks Museum.

We stopped to take a few pictures outside and inside.

The first thing River saw was the very tall, scary, big brown bear, which frightened him, so we hurried past him. 

The hallway was filled with school children, so we walked past them to the next area.

River didn't like the cave or the alligator. He kept saying he wanted to see the fish. 

We visited the fish aquarium, which has a 15,000-gallon saltwater tank. Two scuba divers were cleaning the tank. We saw Moon Jellyfish, Coral, and Nemo. 

In the forest area, River and  Ava climbed inside the Big tree, and we checked out all the birds and listened to them.

They both enjoyed the Wonderful World of Bugs, where they saw bugs of every size and shape, including butterflies and roaches.

We returned to the" Looking UP," which he liked very much. He especially liked the big blue ball that encompassed the Earth's core. 

Earth

They both tried to pick up the meteorite, but it was too heavy for just one hand. 

They both enjoyed the Foundation area, playing in the kinetic sand, creating an erupting volcano, mountains, and a flowing river. They also wanted the different rocks that they could touch.

After a couple of hours at the museum, they were ready to run and play at Delano Park. 

The park was filled with children, all bursting with energy. We did not stay long because it was near lunchtime, and everyone was hungry. 

We were going to OH' Bryan's in Hartselle for lunch.

Eating Lunch 

No one wanted the same thing to eat.

We stopped at Taco Bell for some cheese rollup and Sprite for River.

We stopped at McDonald's for a cheeseburger, nuggets, and fries with Dr. Pepper for Ava. 

We stopped at OH'Bryan's for our meal. I ordered a kids' grilled chicken finger meal with sweet potato and unsweetened tea. 

Hubby ordered a delmonico steak, with a sweet potato, and the salad bar. 

Our last stop before heading home was Wheeler Wildlife Refuge.

We walked through the museum, looking at all the wild animals and birds you might see at the park. Then we walked to one of the outside buildings with telescopes. There, the kids saw ducks, geese, and lots of turtles. 

One of the rangers said Alabama had the most freshwater turtles in the world. 

Wheeler Wildlife Refuge 

We began our journey home near the old Paper Mill. Hubby said one of our tires was losing air pressure. 

We watched the pressure steadily drop. Hubby said when it gets down to 8, I will have to stop and change the tire. 

We reached the Wheeler Dam with the pressure almost to 8.  

We finally arrived at the gas station, where Hubby filled the tire with air. 

We made it to Killen Tire just before they closed. They plugged the tire. The technician said we had run over a huge nail. 

Like in a good story, we ended up with our day of drama. 

Trip to San Antonio Feb 16-22, 2025 Diamonds in the Rough

 Day 1: Sunday, Feb 16,

Everyone meets at the Club bus, which arrives at 7:30 A.M., and we leave for Texarkana, AR, at 8:00 A.M.

We stopped at Jack's for Breakfast 

I ordered a single Gravy and biscuit with Diet Coke. 

Hubby ordered two steaks and biscuits, and he gave one to Fran.

The bus was loaded with all our luggage overnight, and log 

Hall bags. The bus was loaded with water, a cooler of ice, and snacks 

We were on the road around 8 A.M.

Stopping at Loves Walnut, Mississippi, for a restroom break.

We stopped for lunch at Cracker Barrel in West Memphis, AR

Hubby and I split a steak, baked potato, shrimp, and apples with cornbread. 

We stopped for dinner at 5:36 P.M. AT Flying Burger and Seafood, 5302 Summerhill in Texarkana, AR.

Hubby ordered a shrimp salad; I ordered a cup of shrimp gumbo 

Hubby and I split a cup of vanilla ice cream and ordered Diet Coke. We spent $30.36.

We stopped for lunch, and everyone paid for their meal. 

We arrived at the Best Western Plus Inn and Suites, 5219 Crossroads Parkway, Texarkana, AR, around 7:00 P.M.

I took a shower, and we watched TV

Photos:

3092-3103 iPad Air Downtown Memphis, TN 11:13 A.M.

5870 Cracker Barrel West Memphis, AR 12:05 P.M.

5871 Loves Gas Station North Little Rock, AL 2:51 P.M.

3104-3106 Traveling North Little Rock, AR 3:24 P.M.

5872-5875 Flying Hamburger, Seafood Restaurant Texarkana, AR 5:34 P.M.

5876 Receipts at Hotel 7:17 P.M. Texarkana, AR 

Zone 48, Miles 1.83, cal. 1,454 steps 4,765

 

Day 2: Monday, Feb 17,

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel

I ate two sausages, a biscuit with syrup, a banana, and cranberry juice.

We stopped at Buccees for lunch. I got a soft chicken fajita taco and diet soda.

We listened to music and watched a Comedy show 

Mrs. Roberison.

We departed for Austin, TX. 

We stopped for lunch, and everyone paid for their meal.

We arrived at Luby's Restaurant around 4:45 P.M., where everyone enjoyed a prepaid meal from the Senior LuAnn menu. 

It is a buffet meal where I get boiled cabbage, a sweet potato, fried fish, and carrot cake. 

We departed for San Antonio, TX, around 6:15 P.M.

We arrived at the Pear Tree Inn-San Antonio Airport 143 Northeast Loop 410 San Antonio, TX., around 7:45 P.M.

5878-5883 View from Hotel Texarkana, Al 6:44 AM

5885 Breakfast at hotel 7:37 A.M.

5886-5890 Traveling Texarkana 9:06-09 AM

5891-5895 Campbell, AR 10:39-42 AM

5896-5901 Bucc-ees Royse City, TX 11:19–11:27 A.M.

5902—5909 Rockwell, TX lake Ray Hubbard 12:18–8 P.M.

5910-5911 Rowlett, TX 12:20 P.M.

5912-5922 Mesquite, TX 12:28-29 PM

5923 Dallas, TX 12:34 P.M.

5924-29 Mesquite, TX 12:37-44 PM

5930  Red Oak, TX 1:04 P.M.

5924 -29 Mesquite, TX 12:37-44 PM

5931 Waco, TX 2:06 P.M.

5932-37 Robinson, TX 2:09 P.M.

5938-46 We stopped at Pilot Robinson, TX 2:12-36 PM 

5947-52 Temple Wildcat Stadium 3:00–1 P.M. 

5953-58 Jarrell, TX 3:23–24 P.M.

5959-64 Georgetown, TX 3:35-38 PM

5966-68 Round Rock, TX 3:43-47 PM

5972-85 Austin, TX 3:49–4:05 P.M.

5986-88 Luby's Restaurant Austin, TX 3:49–4:05 P.M.

5989-6012 Austin, TX 5:31–5:44 P.M.

6022-6023 San Marcos, TX 6:15 P.M.

6025 New Braunfels, Tx 6:22 P.M.

6026-27 San Antonio, TX 7:40 P.M.

Zone 11 miles, 1.66, cal 1,404, Steps 4,442

Day 3: Tuesday, Feb 18,

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel.

I ate gravy and biscuits with sausage and juice. 

We board the bus around 8:30 and leave for River Center Mall, 849  E. Commerce Drive, San Antonio, arriving around 9:00 A.M.

Here, we pick up our guide between the Margarita Vall store and Yard House.  

On our ride to the Mission, we watched a film about Mission San Jose, known as the "Queen of the Missions."

We arrived around 9:30 A.M. at the Mission San Jose Visitor Center.

We were given a tour of the mission. We rode by Mission Conception, which was being worked on, so we did not stop. 

We walked down the 400-500 Historic District of King William Street and saw many historic homes. Then, we walked across Riverwalk back to the bus. 

Our next stop was the San Fernando Cathedral and Bexar Courthouse. 

We stopped at River Center Mall for lunch.

Hubby and I eat at Margaritaville, where we split a meal of coconut shrimp with creamed potatoes and order Diet Coke. 

After Lunch, everyone enjoyed an IMAX movie about the Alamo... The Prince of Freedom.

We left around 3:00 P.M. for a self-guided tour of the Alamo, the church, and the gift shop.

My cell phone battery ran down, and I forgot to bring my big camera, so I didn't get many photos at the Alamo. 

I pay eleven dollars to walk through the Ralston Family Museum. 

There were many people inside, so it was hard to see anything. 

The Alamo was inside a one-room building that was being repaired.  

It was also crowded. 

We are back on the bus headed for dinner and entertainment around 5:00. P.M. 

We arrived at the Old San Francisco Steakhouse, 10223 Sahara St, San Antonio, TX, around 5:30 P.M.

I ordered Taipei's fish, creamed potatoes, squash and zucchini veggies, and cherry crusted pie with pineapple. 

The food was good, the servers were excellent and a DJ played music. 

We departed for the hotel around 7:30 P.M. 

6028 Receipts at Hotel 7:08 A.M.

6030 Breakfast at hotel 7:25 A.M.

6032-37 San Antonio, TX 8:59-9:02 AM

6038-44 Mission San Jose 9:38–9:51 P.M. 

6045 -51 Mission San Jose 10:17–10:21 A.M. 

6052-58 San Antonio King Williams Riverwalk 11:37–11:44 A.M.

6059-63 Traveling 11:51 AM 

6064-65 San Fernando Cathedral San Antonio 12:05–06 P.M.

6066-69 Bexar County Courthouse 12:10–12 P.M.

6070-77 Margaritaville San Antonio 12:48-1:34 PM

6078-84 AMC Theatre 1:49–2:55 P.M.

6085-93 The Alamo  2:50-3:22 

6094 River Walk 3:54 P.M.

6095-6103 Traveling 4:53–4:58 P.M.

6104-08 Dinner at Old San Francisco Steakhouse 5:18–5:43 P.M.

Zone 137 Miles 4.45 cal 1799, steps 12,099

Day 4: Wednesday, Feb 19, 

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel.

I ate gravy, sausage, and biscuits with apple juice 

Everyone loaded onto the bus, and we departed for Rim Shopping Center at 8:30, arriving around 9:00.

We picked up our guide near Best Buy, 17414 La Cantera Parkway, San Antonio, and headed for Fredericksburg, the "Jewel of the Texas Hill Country."

Around 10:15, we arrived at the National Museum of the Pacific War, 340 East Main St Fredericksburg. 

We were split into two groups to go through the museum. 

When we finished, we walked a couple of blocks uptown. It was bitter cold, and the wind was blowing. 

We stopped at the Old General Drug Store, where we spent $20.00 on a steak sandwich and a bottle of Diet Coke.

We walked up one side of the town and down the other, stopping to take photos. 

We walked to the visitor Center, where Hubby stayed while I returned to the WWII museum. Outside the museum, there were hundreds of war memorials. 

The bus arrived around 2:00 P.M.; we departed for Lyndon B. Johnson Historic Park Stonewall, TX. 

We made a quick stop at Luckenbach, TX, which is a neat little hole-in-the-wall community. 

We stopped at the Johnson Cemetery, and several of us got off the bus to take photos.

We saw several wineries on our way to Johnson City, TX.

Everyone enjoyed browsing the visitor center in Johnson City, which was full of memorabilia about former President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird Johnson. 

We arrived for dinner at the County Line on I-10, 4334 Hyatt Place Drive, San Antonio. 

We were served BBQ brisket, chicken, Pinto beans, potato salad, slaw, and peach cobbler. 

Around 7:30 P.M., we headed back to our hotel. 

Photos:

6109 Breakfast at the hotel 7:30 A.M. 

6110-65 Fedricksburg, TX 9:52-10:05AM

6166-85 National Museum of the Pacific War 10:07–11 A.M.

6186-6200 Fredericksburg, TX 12:14–2:11 P.M. 

6201-6229 Luckenbuch, TX 2:18-2:30 PM

6230-46 Fredricksburg, TX 2:45-2:51 PM

6247-65 LBJ National Park 2:56–3:17 P.M. 

6266-73 Hyde/Johnson City 3:50–4 P.M.

6274-6317 Visitor Center Johnson City, Tx 4:05–4:50 P.M.

6318-19 Johnson City 4:50-51 PM

6322-25 County Line Restaurant San Antonio, TX 6:16–6:55 P.M.

Zone 176 miles 3.5 cal 1,723 steps 9,331

Day 5:Thursday, Feb 20,

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel.

I ate gravy, biscuits, potatoes, sausage, and apple juice.

Everyone loaded onto the bus around 8:30, departing for River Center Mall and arriving around 9:00 A.M. 

We picked up our guide and headed to Mission Conception, where we rang the mission bell and sang Amazing Grace. 

Next, we rode to the SAS General store, where we bought two syrup bottles, a peach cobbler bottle, and Blueberry.

Hubby and I both bought a pair of compression socks. 

I walked outside to take pictures of the old cars, trucks, Hurst & other vehicles.

We rode to the Historic Market Square, where we walked around.

We ate lunch at Mi Tierra Cafe; we ordered the Corrida lunch special.

The Corrida is $14.95 and includes your choice of Auga Fresca, a cup of soup, an entreé, and a mini dessert.

The Comida Corrida, also known as menu del di'a, has been a fixture in fondas across Mexico, especially in Mexico City, since the late 1800s. Our modern take on this classic features a prix-fixe three-course meal, including a soup, arroz or pasta, an entrée, a dessert, and an Auga Fressca as a pilo'n. 

Around 1:00 P.M., we rode back to the San Fernando Cathedral because they were having service that day, so we did not go inside.

Our next stop was the Japanese Tea Garden, where we stayed about 30 minutes. 

Our next stop was the Witte Museum, which is located at 3801 Broadway in San Antonio. 

We were dropped off at the Riverwalk around 3:30 P.M., where we boarded the Go Rio Cruise at 202 E Nueva St, San Antonio.

We enjoyed a cruise along the River Walk (Paseo de Rio)

It was very cold and windy; everyone was bundled up.

This is a spring-fed part of a vat underground lake called Edwards Aquifer, discovered in 1691. 

We departed for dinner around 4:45 P.M. at the Lone Star Cafe, 237 Losoya San Antonio.

I was served catfish, French fries, salad, bread, and apple cobbler with ice cream. This was a delightful meal. 

Hubby was served Steak, potatoes, veggies, salad, and apple cobbler with ice cream. 

We departed for our hotel around 8:00 P.M. 

Photos

6326 Breakfast 7:31 AM

6327-30 Traveling San Antonio 8:40-8:52 AM

6331-49 Mission Conception 9:07-9:31 AM

6350-84 SAS General Store 9:45-10:36 AM

6385-87 Historic Market Square 11:15–17 A.M.

6388-92 Mi Tierra Cafe San Antonio 11:19-12:13 PM

6393-98 Historic Market Square 12:32-42 PM

6399-6413 Main Plaza San Fernando Cathedral 

6414-15 Bexar County Courthouse 1:11 P.M.

6416 -25 The Japanese Tea Garden 1:31-35 PM

6426-6518 The Witte Museum 1:55–2:43 P.M.

6519-6576 Riverwalk Cruise 3:30–3:59 P.M.

6577-87 The Alamo 4:27-37 PM

6588-91 Dinner Lone Stare Cafe 4:45–5:34 P.M.

Zone 59, Miles 3.82 cal 1,724, steps 10,060 

Day 6: Friday, Feb 21,

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the hotel, where I ate a cup of yogurt and drank juice. 

We met a couple from Wisconsin who were staying two weeks. We told them about the SAS General Store, where they could get great shoes and tour the store and factory.

Everyone loaded onto the bus with our luggage and departed for Waco, TX, around 8:30 A.M. 

We stopped at a Rest Stop in Salado, Texas. At 10:42 A.M., they had the remains of a Grist Mill inside.

We arrive at the Magnolia Market at the Silos 601 Webster Ave Waco, TX. Magnolia Market is two city blocks of endless shopping and dining. 

We ordered Chicken quesadillas and a salad from Backyard Bar, Stage & Grill for lunch. 

After lunch, we walked through the Magnolia Market. We didn't buy anything but took lots of photos. 

Everyone loaded back onto the bus around 2:15 P.M. We headed to Texarkana, Arkansas.

We stopped at Loves for restroom break at 3:59 P.M. in Rockwall, TX. 

We stopped at Texas Roadhouse for dinner around 7:50 P.M. Hubby and I shared Steak, shrimp, Sweet potato, baked potato, rolls, and iced tea. 

We arrived at the Best Western Plus Inn and Suites, 5219 Crossroads Pky, Texarkana, AR, around 8:30 P.M.

Photos

6592-6613 Receipts 7:13 AM

6614-42 Traveling Austin, TX 9:52–9:59 A.M. 

6643-56 Rest Stop Salado, TX 10:42-1052 AM

6657-62 Backyard Hamburgers, Sea Food, Bar & Grill Waco, TX 12:10–12:44 P.M.

6663-6702 Magnolia Market Waco, TX 12:48–2:06 P.M. 

6703-04 Leaving Waco 3:43 P.M.

6705-06 Loves Rockwall, TX 3:50 P.M. 

6708-09 Texas Roadhouse Texarkana, AR 7:50 P.M.

Zone 95, miles 3.34, Cal. 1,658, steps 8994

Day 7: Saturday, Feb 22, 

We enjoyed a continental breakfast at the Best Western Inn, where I ate link sausage, biscuits, honey, and cream cheese.

Everyone loaded onto the bus with all their luggage, and we headed home around 8:30 A.M. 

We took several restroom breaks.

We stopped for lunch, and everyone paid for their meal.

We should arrive back at the Club around 5:30 P.M. 

Photos

6710 breakfast 7:04 AM

6711-13 Loves North Little Rock, AR 10:37-38AM

6714 Lunch at IHOP West Memphis, AR 1:39 P.M.

6715-16 Passing Bass Pro Shop Memphis, TN. 2:14 P.M. 

Zone 33, miles 1.97, cal 1,418, steps 5,200

End of another good trip