Day 1: May 9, Friday 2008
I rode to Whigham, Georgia, with Ron to spend time with my youngest son and his family.
Ron was going to Panama City to play in a band at a wedding.
Ron arrived at 11:00 A.M., and we went to the ATM for cash.
We stopped at Foodland to get some chicken fingers for lunch.
Ron also bought some toiletries.
We traveled east on Highway 72, turned south onto I-65 to Montgomery, and took I-85 north toward Atlanta, Georgia. We then turned south onto Highway 231 to Dothan, Alabama.
We stopped at McDonald's in Dothan for a sandwich.
Andy was going to meet us around 5 P.M. at the Dothan Mall.
Andy loaded my luggage into his van, and we rode to Whigham, which took about an hour. Ron drove to Panama City.
After we arrived in Whigham, I took a quick shower, unpacked, and went to play with the grandkids.
Day 2: May 10, Saturday 2008
We ate a late breakfast around 10 A.M.
Then we rode to Bainbridge Park. They were having a festival called River Town Days. River Town Days is the largest yard sale in southwest Georgia, which is along the Flint River.
At the park, people were dressed like early Americans. At the festival, people were making soap, basket weaving, and spinning wool into yarn using a spinning wheel.
Andy, & Charity took the boys to the West Alligator Exhibition.
Sierra and I browsed through the yard sale items.
It was very hot outside, so I bought Sierra and myself a large, fresh, homemade glass of lemonade.
Andy bought the four kids an all-day armband for $5.00 each.
The kid's activities included all the inflatables, rock climbing, a pool slide, a castle bounce house, and a train ride.
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| The boys inside the tent |
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| The boys riding the train |
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| The grandkids in front of the tent |
Home Depot had a display tent, they were showing kids how to built birdhouses and sailboats.
Montana and Nevada built a sailboat, and Sierra built a bird. Sierra asked for an extra sailboat to take home to her brother Dak Ta. Dakota did not come with us; he went to a friend's house to fish.
The kids were begging for slushies. Andy told the kids that we were going to Walmart to buy a slushy machine, and he said, "You kids can make your own slushes."
The kids made slushies all afternoon.
It was very hot and muggy, and the gnats would not disappear.
After a hot afternoon at the park, I retired to Sierra's bedroom to read.
I read number 17 of the Trixie Beldon series. (The Mystery of the uninvited guest)
Andy grilled hamburgers and hotdogs and invited his friends over for supper.
Their friends attended the church where he preached, and they discussed some of the problems they were having there.
When the company left, Andy and Charity rode to Tallahassee and Sam's Club to purchase a new mattress for their bed.
The grandkids and I watched the movie Ella Enchanted.
Day 3: May 11, Sunday 2008
Everyone ate biscuits with honey for breakfast.
After breakfast, everyone was dressed, and we went to Church.
That morning, the preacher (my son) spoke about growing up. He said my parents divorced when I was a teenager.
He said, "I was told by a church member that my dad made a great big mistake when we left my mom. The church member said I knew both your parents. Your mother was a very good woman. She did everything for your dad and was a faithful Christian woman."
Today was Mother's Day, and I had gone to listen to my son preach. I was very proud of him.
Later that morning, Ron called and said he was going to Whigham but needed directions.
We waited for Ron to arrive before we ate lunch.
For supper, we ate snacks.
We all sat around enjoying a relaxing word game on the game channel.
Day May 4 12, Monday 2008
Everyone ate biscuits, ham, and honey for breakfast.
Ronald, Sierra, and I played Monopoly on the game channel.
Later that afternoon, everyone played two bowling games at the Bowling Alley.
The bowling alley was located across the street from the Riverbend Ford Dealership.
That afternoon, Ron wore a green shirt with Adidas on the front, Dakota wore a black shirt with "Don't hate the player," and Andy wore an orange shirt that said, "Vegetables are not food; vegetables are what food eats."
Montana was wearing a red shirt that said, Awesome God and the story about Daniel.
Sierra was wearing a tie-dyed t-shirt that read Florida, Pensacola Beach.
For supper, we ordered six pizzas and some hot wings.
After supper, Charity and I walked to the end of the road.
Again, I walked to the end of the road with Montana, Sierra, & Nevada.
I finished reading book number 17 of the Trixie Beldon series and started book 18. ( The Mystery of the Phantom Grasshopper)
We watched the Memoriam Emporium on V. After the movie, Charity and I played the word game on the game channel.
Day May 5 13, Tuesday 2008
On Tuesday, Charity went to work with A dy. Ron and I stayed home with the kids.
Nevada rode his bicycle, and I walked to the end of the road.
That day, I washed several loads of clothes, swept and mopped the floors, and cleaned the bathrooms.
I took the cushions off the couch and used the vacuum to clean inside, Montana said,
"We never clean out the couch."
For lunch, we ate leftover hamburgers and hotdogs.
Ron and Dakota went to Wal-Mart. I gave Ron twenty dollars. I said, "Get two boxes of chocolate pudding, two gallons of ice cream, some strawberries, a case of doctor pibs, cheese, and chips."
Later that day, I made two chocolate pies and some cheese dip.
The kids make milkshakes with ice cream.
I cut up some oranges and apples with a camera for dipping.
For supper, I cooked a ham.
Andy brought a box of donuts home for the kids.
Everyone joined in playing word games on the game channel.
Day 6: May 14, Wednesday 2008
We rode to Lake Seminole State Park.
Sierra, Nevada, and Montana enjoyed a swim in Lake Seminole.
Ron and Dakota tried to fish, but the kids were splashing and making a racket.
We stopped at Wal-Mart on our way to Lake Seminole to buy items the kids could use in the Lake. We bought green and orange tubes and a yellow skiboard.
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| Ron & Dakota Fishing and the grandkids swimming in Lake Seminole |
Lake Seminole has a sandy beach; the water is shallow enough for the kids to swim but not over their heads.
The fish were not biting; they were frightened away by all the splashing.
After everyone had left the Lake and changed into dry clothes, we rode around the Lake, taking in the sights.
We played word games on the game channel later that evening.
Day 7: May 15, Thursday 2008
We enjoyed the whole day at Wild Adventures Theme Park in Valdosta, Georgia.
We took two cars, Sierra Nevada, and I rode with Ron.
Dakota, Montana, and Andy rode with Charity.
The charity was darting in and out of traffic, and we had difficulty keeping up with her.
She did a quick merge into the right lane. She was going to turn, but the traffic was too heavy, and we could not get over.
So we lost them; Ron nor I had brought our cell phones.
What was worse was neither Ron nor I knew their cell numbers.
We stopped at a payphone booth; I called Hubby and had him call Andy.
He told Andy where we were.
Finally, they arrived, and Dakota gave Ron his cell phone in case we got lost again.
The entrance to the park was half-price for homeschoolers and their families.
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| Passing out tickets |
Wild Adventures Theme Park is located at 3766 Old Clyattville Rd, Valdosta, GA 31601, and its phone number is (229) 219-7080.
The kids stopped long enough for me to take their pictures.
I took a picture of Sierra and Nevada with their heads inside a monkey's birthday. Nevada is on the right, Sierra is on the left, and there is a picture of monkeys in the middle.
The two end monkeys were putting their fingers inside the ears of the middle monkeys.
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| Making Monkey Faces |
Dakota wanted to ride the big rides, so Charity, Andy, and Ron went with him, and I took the smaller kids with me.
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| Trying to decide where to go! |
I bought a large turkey leg and shared it with the boys.
The kids and I waited in line for twenty minutes to ride the Safari Train. On the ride, we saw Zebras, elephants, giraffes, elk, antelope, addax, alligators, bobcats, pythons, Oryx, and waterbucks.
We saw the West African crowned crane, sheep, goats, macaw, donkeys, and water buffalos.
We rode the swings. The bug-out coaster ride, which had a 180-degree turn at 50 feet in, was in the Bugsville area.
There was no one in line at the Frog Hopper, so Nevada and Montana rode it about ten times.
After the first ride, the lady who controlled the Frog Hopper asked the kids if they wanted to ride again, and they all said yes.
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| Riding the Frog Hopper |
Finally, I said, "Let's ride something else; we rode the bumper cars.
Sierra rode a silver car, Nevada rode a black, and Montana rode with me in a purple car. We had fun bumping into one another.
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| Riding the bumper cars |
We rode the Gold Rush Roller Coaster four times.
We rode the Merry-o-round, the Shoo Fly Carousel, and the crazy bus.
The crazy bus went up, down, round, and round. It was so much fun that we rode it three times.
We rode the crop duster airplanes two times and the frontier flume log ride two times.
We walked through the mystery maze, where we got lost and had to ask how to get out.
We rode the safari jeeps twice, the tilt-a-wheel twice, and the Venus Flytrap twice, and we watched one show, the creature show with snakes and alligators.
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| Watching the snake show |
When we were on the Century Wheel Fairies Wheel, we saw Andy, Ron, Charity, and Dakota walking below us.
After we left the theme park, we stopped for supper at Sonny's BBQ, 14293 US HWY 19, South Thomasville, Georgia.
We ordered their signature BBQ smoked pork plates, including homemade coleslaw, BBQ beans, French toast, and iced tea.
We were home by 9:00 P.M.
Day 8: May 16, Friday 2008
I was up at 6:30 A.M., took a shower, and packed my bag.
Ron loaded our luggage into his car. When it started to rain, we both jumped into his car and left.
I picked up my cell phone and called Andy. I told him we were on our way home and told him to tell the grandkids goodbye; they were still in bed.
We bought gas at Wal-Mart in Dothan. I walked inside Walmart and bought a box of Kashia cookies, a can of Mountain Dew, and a can of Doctor Pepper for Ron.
We stopped at Chick-fil-A in Athens for lunch.
We had a good visit with family, and Ron played in a band in Panama.
Later that day, after we arrived home, I went to Deibert Park to walk 2 1/2 miles.
Hubby and I ate supper at Red Lobster.
While we were out, we stopped at Walgreens, Walmart, Target, and Sam's.
It had been a long day, and I was ready to go home.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for protecting and conserving our country's wild birds, mammals, and fish for the enjoyment of all people. Cooperating with states and other countries, the Fish and Wildlife Service carries out several programs to preserve our priceless wildlife heritage.
Refuges
Migratory Birds
Fisheries
Federal Aid
Law Enforcement
Ecological Services
U. S. Department of the Interior
Established in 1938, Wheeler Wild Life Refuge protects and manages 35,000 acres of wetlands and forests for wildlife and provides various recreational opportunities for visitors.
Waterfowl and wildlife
Thousands of migratory waterfowl each fall, including 26 species of ducks and four species of geese, arrive at the refuge to overwinter. Sandhill cranes are numbering in the thousands, and it is also winter here.
More than 500 wildlife species, including songbirds, wading birds, hawks, deer, turtles, and snakes, inhabit the refuge. Twelve of these species are federally listed as threatened or endangered.
Habitat
Wheeler Wild Life Refuge comprises diverse habitat types, including bottomland hardwoods, wetlands, pine uplands, shoreline or riparian woodlands, agricultural fields, and backwater embayments. These habitats provide excellent feeding, resting, and roosting sites for wintering waterfowl and Sandhill cranes as well as nesting sites for migratory songbirds and many species of resident wildlife.
Wildlife Management
Local farmers cultivate several thousand acres of cropland on a share agreement. During harvest, a portion of the crop is left in the field as a food source for waterfowl and other wildlife. Each fall, the refuge plants wheat to provide green browse for wintering geese.
Water control structures are used in wet areas to control water levels. This type of management provides food for waterfowl by encouraging the growth of native plants in moist areas.
Refuge Lands Within Redstone Arsenal
Highways
Secondary Roads
Refuge Boundary
Visitor Center
Wildlife Observation
Boating
Flint Creek Environmental Area & Universally Accessible Fishing Pier
Recreational Opportunity
The Visitor Center offers wildlife exhibits, a gift shop, a large auditorium, two walking trails, special events, and refuge information.
The Wildlife Observation Building located a short walk from the Visitor Center, offers a unique setting for viewing wildlife. December through February, when large concentrations of waterfowl and Sandhill cranes are in the area, is a good time for viewing, especially just before sunset.
Fishing is a very popular activity on the refuge. Six improved boat launch areas provide access to miles of water in Wheeler Reservoir and adjacent creeks where bass, crappie, bream, and catfish are often caught.
Hunting for deer, squirrel, rabbit, opossum, raccoon, feral hog, and quail is allowed on Wheeler NWR. Special regulations apply, and a refuge hunting permit is required. Waterfowl hunting is not permitted on the refuge.
Wildlife Photography is encouraged on the refuge. One fully enclosed, permanent bend near the observation pond may be reserved for a special use permit.
Environmental Education/Interpretation is an essential program at Wheeler NWR. Organized groups may reserve dates for presentations, wildlife tours, and outdoor classroom activities.
Nature Trails, ranging in length from 200 yards to 3 miles, provide opportunities to observe birds and other wildlife. The Visitor Center has maps and additional information.
The Visitor Center is open daily, October through February, from Rufrom ary to 9 A.The hours are from March through September 9–4 P.M., Tuesday through Saturday. Closed Sunday and Monday
Phone:256-350-6639
Website: www.fws.gov/wheeler