2018 Dec 18, Christmas Trees, Cards, Cranes and Ducks Athens, Decatur, & Madison, Alabama

Today, Hubby and I visited the North Pole Christmas Tree Stroll at Big Spring Park, Athens.

North Pole Stroll Athens, Alabama 

Mallards, White Ducks, and goldfish greeted me as I approached the pond at Big Springs.

I enjoyed two(Grinch) buttermilk pancakes with a hint of green topped with sweet cream cheese icing and red candy hearts. Crowned with creamy green whipped topping & 2 link sausages at IHOP in Madison.
Hubby ordered fried Fish, shrimp, fries, toast, and a stack of 3 buttermilk pancakes.

Grinch Pancakes 

fish, shrimp, fries, toast 

Hubby drove us through the larger-than-life Christmas Card Lane that is showcased in front of some of the historic homes in Madison along Front and Chruch Streets.

Thank You for Visiting Christmas Card Lane

Magical Christmas Tree Trail Madison, Alabama Different sponsors of Madison decorate a tree, and the trees are located on both sides of the Main Street Cafe.

We rode to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge in Decatur via I-65 workers working on the bridge over the Tennessee River traffic backup. 

View of Decatur from the bridge where the traffic was backed up 

We walked down to the overlook to see the Cranes and ducks. Not as many sandhills and Whooping cranes as last year.  

We saw thousands of Sandhill Cranes but only one White Whooping Crane
The Whooping Crane, at 5 feet tall, is the tallest bird in North America and one of the most endangered. They are named for their whooping unison calls. 

Our last stop was Founders Park in front of Old Historic Bank to tour the Enchanted Forest Christmas Tree Stroll. 

Enchanted Forest Christmas Tree Stroll in Founders Park, Decatur 

By the time we finished, it was beginning to get dark, but the solar-powered lights had not come on. 
By the time we arrived home, it was dark. Hubby stopped at McDonald's for a hamburger, fries, apple pie, and Ice Cream. I ate a piece of the fish he had left over from lunch. 
Uploaded some of my pictures after I arrived home.

Sunset 

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.

Hiking & Birding Trails in Alabama 🦉🦆🦅

Hiking with granddaughter along the Tennessee River near Wilson Dam TVA

Bird Site 8 along the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam 

Jimmy Sims Birding Trail Joe Wheeler State Park
The original idea of Joe Wheeler State Park employee and Naturalist Jim Sims, the birding trail is an easy 1/2 mile hike to the back of Weaver Creek. During the winter months when the water levels are lowered, the formed mud flat becomes a haven and feeding ground for migrant and local wading birds and waterfowl.
The trail was built in the summer of 2007 incorporating the Eagle Scout project of Joshua Gray, BSA Troop #52 Rogersville, Alabama, and Joe Wheeler State Park.
The trail is dedicated to the memory of Jimmy Sims and his love of outdoor Alabama.

Birding site #3 Joe Wheeler State Park 

Wild Flower Hike with grandkids

Shoals Creek Preserve Track hiking trail with grandkids
Shoals Creek Preserve Track
Nature Preserve and Recreation Area
This track was protected through the efforts of Alabama's Forever Wild Land Trust, the Alabama State Lands of the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources with the assistance of the Lauderdale County Commission. The land is dedicated as the Billingsley-McClure Shoals Creek Preserve to provide Recreational Opportunities for all to enjoy.

Hiking on Bluff near Sheffield Water-tower.

Exploring the many animals along Deibert Park with Grandkids

Hiking in the Dismals with daughter and grandkids 

Hiking at TVA Rock-Pile

Bird Site 6  along the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam

Bird Site 7 along the Tennessee River below Wilson Dam

2009 September 5, Saturday, Native American Presentation & Birding trip

Saturday, September 5, 2009

I met several people at UNA for the Native American Presentation & Birding trip to Rock Springs, & Colbert Ferry.

We loaded into our vehicle and followed one another to the different areas. 

Mary Keller Alexandria she rode with me on this trip.

Our first stop was Tom Hendrix the Wall. Located just off the Natchez Trace is this amazing rock wall that Tom Hendrix has been in the process of building for the last thirty years. It is dedicated to his great great grandmother Te-lah-nay who was among many that were taken to Oklahoma in the Trail of Tears. It took her five years to walk back to her roots in Florence Alabama. 

Charlie Two Moons a spiritual person told Tom that the wall belongs to all the people. You are just the keeper. Some will come and some with ask, Why does it bend, why is it higher and wider in some places that others?’ Tell them it is like your great great grandmother’s journey and their journey through life… it is never straight.”

We sat in a group while he told us the story about why and how he started building the wall. 

If the Legend Fade

Tom Hendrix showing us a Basket

Walking within the walls

Wall of faces

We thanked Tom and began our journey to Rock Springs were we went in search of different species of birds. 

Tiny Jewels of the air

Rock Spring Trail 

Walking the trail

We ate lunch at Rock Springs.

Our last stop was Colbert Park on the Lauderdale County side of the Tennessee River. We were looking for water fowl. 

Colbert Ferry Bridge

Fowls of the air

When we finished here we rode back to UNA and Mary thanked me for the ride. We said good-by and departed ways.

👣👣👣👣 2009 June 6 - August 9 Historic Markers and Walking Tours

2009 Saturday, June 6 Walking tours of Wood Avenue & Frontier Days at Popes Tavern

2009 Saturday, June 13 Walking Tour of North Court and Seminary St homes

2009 Saturday, June 20 Walking of Florence Cemetery

2009 Saturday, June 27 Walking tour of Forks of Cypress.

June 17, 2009

Hubby and I went to music in the park from 11:00AM to 1:00PM. we ate lunch at Subway.

In Tuscumbia, I took pictures of different markers

Alabama Institute for the Blind 

Yellow Fever Victims 

Ivy Green (Home of Helen Keller)

St John's Episcopal Church  

Train Depot  

Tuscumbia Courthouse & KIA War markers  

Governor Lindsey Home

In Sheffield, I took pictures of the historic markers of  

FDR & Furnace Hill

At Rogers High School I took a picture of the 

KIA World War II

June 23, 2009

Hubby worked on his sister’s swimming pool and we ate at a restaurant in Cloverdale. 

Hubby drove and stopped to take pictures of Historic Markers

General Coffee me 

Governor Hugh McVay  

St Florian  

     

June 25, 2009 

In the Florence area, I took pictures of Historic Makers

Wood Avenue Church of Christ 1886 

Wood Avenue Historic District 

Sculpture and Relief Books and Learning 1921, 

First Baptist Church 1888, all these markers are near the Florence Library. 

Picture of the statue of W.C. Handy that stands at the entrance of Wilson Park. 

(Near the Florence Post Office the following markers)

First Presbyterian Church 1818 

Justice John McKinley Federal Building   

Mountain Tom Clark Hanged September 4,1872

This marker is located in front of the Florence Cemetery where Tom Clark said nobody will ever run over me. So it is said he was buried under Florence Boulevard/Tennessee Street. 

June 28, 2009 

In the Florence area, I took pictures of 

A County Older Than the State Lauderdale County created Feb 6,l 1818, The Civil War Statue and Inscription (located in front of the Florence Courthouse)

Downtown Florence Historic District 

South Hall Drugs

Sannoner Historic Medical Arts Building

City of Florence

Burrell Normal School Burrell High School Burrell~Slater High School 1903-1969, Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church, 

Dred Scott 

Historic downtown Florence 

Wednesday, July 1, 2009

Hubby's granddaughter and I ate breakfast at Hardies spending $16.16 and on to Huntsville stopping along the way for me to make pictures of historic markers.

Next to the Bluewater Creek Polo Club and near Bluewater Cemetery were located two markers.

Daniel White Settle Here in 1818 

Cherokee Chief Doublehead’s Village Around 1800

Fort Hampton 

We rode to Redstone Arsenal where we saw the Historic Redstone Test Site, Liquid Hydrogen Tanks, Historic Saturn I, Saturn I-B Test Stand, Miniature Columbia NASA Shuttle, and Rockets.

Hubby bought a new cell phone at AT&T. 

We finished the day by going shopping at Victoria Secret Bridge Street.
We ate dinner at Red Robbin, Hubby ordered a fully dressed hamburger and fries. I ordered 

Salsa, avocado dip with colorful chips.
After a long day of sightseeing, shopping, and eating we needed to relax in our swimming pool at home.

Thursday, July 2, 2009 

I rode around downtown Florence taking pictures of historic markers

Cherry Street

First Baptist Church 1888

First United Methodist Church

Taking pictures outside the Kennedy Douglas Art Center

Killen Park Sign

Muscle Shoals Canal

Regions Bank (Replica of the Forks of Cypress who was built by James Jackson)

Sculpture Relief Books and Learning

Trinity Episcopal Church 

Walnut Street 

And the flow of Wilson Park Foundation

Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Hubby and I enjoyed listening to music in Wilson Park from 11-1PM

I took a picnic lunch.

After the music ended we rode around Florence so I could take a couple of pictures of 

Andrew Jackson Military Road

115th Single Battalion Organized in 1940

Tuesday, July 13, 2009

I rode with my daughter to Heritage Park located next to the Marriott Hotel for an Ice Cream Social where the Stroke Conference was being held.
We had met several people from the Conference the day before inside the Marriott.

I walked down the River Heritage Walk of Honor to take pictures. This marker had been placed on a plaque honoring people of notable importance that had an impact on our community.

Lt. Col. R. Edward Yeilding

Thomas Sigismund Stribling

James Thomas Rapier

Samuel Cornelius Phillips

Edward Ashbury O’Neal

Dr. Ethelbert Brinkley Norton

Justice John A. McKinley

William D. “Buddy” Killen

Harlan Hill

Caroline Lee Hentz 

William Christopher Handy

Major General George W. Goethals 

Ronnie Gene Flippo

General John Coffee

Ezra Lee Culver

General Arthur E. Brown, Jr

The day was hot and there were many people with swimsuits and playing in the fountain trying to keep cool. While others lay on towels or blankets sunning. 

The water show began after dark, where the water danced InSync with the music. 

Monday, July 24, 2009 

Hubby and I rode throughout Florence to get the following markers.

1. Father of Rock ‘n’ Roll, & Sam Phillips in Florence, 
2. The Florence Early Water Tower
3. The Ante Bellum Cotton Marker
4. College Palace Historic District 
5. Original Site historic of Florence Wagons    
6. East Florence Historic 
7. Site of Fame Recording Studio  
8. St Joseph Catholic Church
9. Lone Cedar Church  
10. John McKinney Marker 

Friday, July 25, 2009

Hubby and I rode around the Florence area taking pictures of historic markers

Colonel Picket Place 

Florence Bethel Cumberland Presbyterian Church in America 

Florence Little League Baseball 1951 Coach Presley Robbins Field 1972

Homer Givens 1898-1971 

Major General George Washington Goethals Home  

The Greater Mount Moriah Primitive Baptist Church  

UNA Football Program NCAA Div II titles 1993-1994-1995 

Wheeler Rifles Organized in 1888 

Wood Ave Historic  

Monday, July 27, 2009 

Hubby and I rode around in Colbert & Lauderdale Counties taking pictures of sites and historic markers.

I took pictures of the W.C. Handy Home Museum outside. 

I took pictures of the abandoned train tressel, now used as a walkway. 

The American Legion 1919

The American Legion Florence ~Lauderdale Post Number II Department of Alabama 1919 (both located next to the American Red Cross building in Florence)

Saint Paul African Methodist Episcopal Church

Seminary ~O’Neal Historic District 

William Winston Home (Now a part of Deshler High School)

First Baptist Church 

First Presbyterian Church

Tuscumbia’s Oakwood Cemetery

Village One (Sheffield)

Winston Cemetery(When I was a child my cousin would hurriedly run past this cemetery we were afraid of ghosts. Our grandfather told many stories about ghosts. 

Thursday, July 30, 2009

Hubby and I rode to different areas in the Shoals taking pictures. 

Weeden Heights 

Lagrange Mountain Park and war markers

Coon Dog Cemetery, Cherokee (where only coon dogs are buried)

Barton Cemetery (Where there is evidence of a battle)

The Civil War Skirmish at Barton Cemetery

Jerry Scott Marker at Railroad Station in Muscle Shoals  

We ate lunch at Chopps in Tuscumbia. 

Saturday, August 1, 2009 

Hubby and I rode to Waterloo I was taking pictures along the way.

The Trail of Tears 

Capture of John A Murrell 

Pestilence and Pesthouse and Cemetery  

Waterloo Settled 1819  

Edith Newman Culver Museum

Wilson's Headquarters and Camp   

Macedonia Church of Christ Marker

That evening we went to Heritage Park splash pad to watch the water explode into colors of yellow, red, and blue. 

Monday, August 3, 2009

Hubby and I rode to Limestone County, so I could take pictures of historic markers   

Harris/Pryor House (Flower Hill Farm)  

General Nathanael Bedford Forrest CSA Raid  

Oakland United Methodist Church 

Hitt's Home Decor Cabinets Granite Mansion Burned    

Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Hubby and I rode to Athens so I could take pictures of historic markers

Athens Sacked and Plundered  

Athens University Athens

Limestone Athens Courthouse 

Old Town Cemetery Historic  

Saturday, August 8, 2009 

Hubby and I rode to Decatur where we toured the Cook's Natural Science Museum.

In the Cooks Museum, we saw every kind of bug and spider known to man.

We saw many species of birds, fossils, shells, animal skeletons, and a collection of butterflies.

In the Blue & Gray Civil War Museum, we saw cases full of items used during the Civil War and pictures hanging on the wall depicting officers, and battles.

We stopped along the way so I could take pictures of sites and historic markers.

Decatur Train depot 

Princess Theater 

Morgan Courthouse Markers 

Old State Bank

Historic Decatur

General Joseph, Annie Wheeler     

General Wheeler 

In Lawrence County we went to Jessie Owens Park we saw a statue of Jesse Owens Olympic Champion of 1956 and we toured the museum, his boyhood home, and a sand pit depicting his winning jump.

James Cleveland “Jesse” Owens

At Oakville Indian Mounds I took pictures of several mounds, a park, a Museum and several markers. 

Straights Raid

Creek Indian Removal

Cherokee Indian Removal

Oakville Indian Mound

Cherokee Council House Museum

Town of Oakville

Cope-an Burial Mound

Historic Indians

Doublehead

Saunders Hall (Located In Town Creek) 

Sunday, August 9, 2009 

We rode to Fort Payne Alabama where we toured the Alabama Fan Club and Museum. We walked in the park looking at the statues of the famous Alabama band and historic markers. We ate lunch at Cracker Barrel.

Statues of Group Alabama Band

The Alabama Fan Club and Museum 

Trail of Tears at Bridge Port

Willis Town Historic Marker

Fort Payne's Fort

RR Depot Fort Payne 

Fort Payne City Park

CSA Marker Fort Payne Park 

We rode to Ruby Falls to take the elevator down into the cave we were told about the formations of the rocks and the grand fanatic was the colorful Ruby Falls which was a small hole where water was coming out.

Ruby Falls

Crow Town Stevenson  

Sequoyah Historic Marker 

Decatur County 1821-1825 

Battle of Wauhatchie Historic Marker