2023 Feb 22-24, Amelia Island, Kingsley Plantation, Fernandian Beach, St Augustine, FL. and Fountain of Youth (Diamond Travel Huey Town, AL) 5 Days

Day 3: Wednesday, February 22

Breakfast in the hotel was a cinnamon roll, sausage, milk, and cranberry juice.

Meet our guide, who is loaded onto the bus for an hour-long ride to Kingsley Plantation, which is located on Fort George Island along the St John's River. Two roads lead to the site: Palmetto Avenue, which is a dirt road that is often in rough condition, and Fort George Road, which is paved but subject to flooding during weather events and extreme tides.

 Kingsley Plantation  and our guide

The birds we heard were House Finch,  Yellow-rump Warbler, White-eyed Vireo, Yellow-throat Warble, Carolina Chickadee, Northern Cardinal, Blue-Gray Gnatcatcher, Boat-tailed Grackle, and a couple of Peacocks.

We had about 45 minutes to tour the house, barn, gift shop, and gardens, and we saw a gopher tortoise there.

Loaded back onto the bus and headed to Amelia Island, where we walked along the sandy beach.

Amelia Island Beach and sand

Loaded back onto the bus and headed to Fernandina Beach, where we walked through the town and stopped to eat lunch at "The Happy Tomato," where Hubby and I split a club sandwich, potato chips, and a couple bottles of water.

Club Sandwich with Lay's Chips

We walked along the pier, where we saw a great-gray heron and heard several grackles.

We saw several House sparrows and a yellow-tailed warbler.

Wall of Gray Butterflies 

Town of Fernandina Beach 

Loaded back onto the bus and headed back to the hotel to freshen up.

Our last stop for dinner was Apple Bees, where I had grilled Chicken, a Caesar salad, and Chicken.

FIESTA LIME CHICKEN

GrilledChickenn glazed with zesty lime sauce and drizzled with tangy Mexi-ranch is smothered with a rich blend of Cheddar cheeses on a bed of crispy tortilla strips. It is served with Spanish rice and house-made pico de gallo.

Day 4: Thursday, February 23, 

Breakfast at the hotel is a cinnamon roll, biscuit, and gravy with juice.

Loaded onto the bus and headed to St Augustine.

We stopped at the Visitor Center to pick up our guide. Inside the visitor center, we also shopped and toured the museum.

Our tour Guide

We loaded back onto the bus, and our guide told us about the many historic sites in St. Augustine.

We stopped at Flager College (the former Ponce de Leon Hotel) and several churches.

Flager College

We rode back to the Visitor Center and were alone for a few hours. 

We walked to St George Street, a pedestrian-only filled with unique shops and restaurants.

We ate lunch at  St. Augustine Seafood Company. We ordered a shrimp plate with fries, cole slaw, and water. I also bought 2 bottles of their hot sauce to take home to my son. 

Shrimp, Fries, and Cole Slaw at St Augustine Seafood Company

We walked several blocks on St George Street, stopping to take pictures of historic markers and sites.

We walked through the Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine and Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine.

Saint Photios Greek Orthodox National Shrine

Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

We walked inside a mall area where we saw several people dressed up like pirates.

I got my picture taken with them a few minutes later.

Me with the pirates

We walked back to the visitor center and did a little shopping. Hubby bought a hat, and I bought a kitchen towel. 

We loaded back onto the bus and headed to the Fountain of Youth.

At the Fountain of Youth, we walked around and stopped to taste the spring, suffer water, watch a show, watch a blacksmith at work, and the firing of a cannon.

Couple taking a sip from the Fountain of Youth 

Loaded back onto the bus and rode to Cucina Giovanni for dinner.

It took forever for them to take our orders, and the food was overcooked.

Salad 

Chicken Parmigiana topped with marinara sauce& mozzarella served with Spaghetti. 

Pasta Alfredo with creamy Alfredo sauce 

Cannoli

The salad and dessert were good. We were there too long to enjoy our meal.

Day 5: Friday, February 24, Travel Home 

Packed our bags and took them downstairs to be loaded onto the bus.

Ate breakfast and watched a couple of Scottish men play Amazing Grace on bagpipes.

Loaded onto the bus and headed for Hueytown, Al.

We stopped in Perry, Ga ate lunch at Fire House Sub.

Club sub 

Small Philly Sub 

Stopped at the Rest Area at Lake Park Suwanee River Valley, Ga 

Rest Area at Lake Park Suwanee River Valley, Ga 

Arrived in Birmingham around 4:49 P.M.

We loaded our luggage into the car and headed home, which was a 2 1/2-hour drive.

I stopped at KFC in Athens at 7:01 P.M. and went home around 8 P.M.

Had a great trip but woke up Monday morning with COVID.

 

2023 Feb 20-21, Bus Trip to Jacksonville, and touring Jacksonville, Fl (Diamond Travel Hueytown, AL) (5day trip)

Day 1: Monday, February 20

Hubby and I traveled 2 1/2 hours to Hueytown, Al stopped at Jack's in Hueytown for gravy and biscuits.

Everyone checked in and was given a name tag: their ticket for meals, events, and lodging.

Around 7:30, the bus arrived, loaded our luggage along with 40 other people's luggage onto the bus, and 

By 8 A.M., we were on our way.

Our first restroom stop was I-20 at the Georgia Welcome Center in Waco, Georgia.

Georgia Welcome Center Waco, Georgia.

Our next stop was for lunch at the Arbor Mall in Douglasville, Georgia, where several different places to eat were available. We picked Chick-fil-A. I ordered a kid's chicken nugget meal, and Hubby ordered a chicken sandwich with waffle fries.

Arbor Mall in Douglasville, Georgia 

Our third stop was at I-75 Rest Area Southbound Forsyth, Georgia.

 I-75 Rest Area Southbound Forsyth, Georgia.

Our fourth stop was the Florida Welcome Center I-75 in Jennings, Florida. (They always have fresh orange juice here, but they close at 5 P.M., just a few minutes after 5).

Florida Welcome Center I-75 in Jennings, Florida

We stopped for dinner at Ole Times CountyBuffet in Lake City. Here, I ate collard greens, green lima beans, carrots, fish, cornbread, and a slice of chess pie.

Ole Times CountyBuffet in Lake City

We finally arrived at the hotel, were given our room keys, and took our luggage to our room.

Exhausted from the long ride, they showered and went to bed. 

Holiday Inn Express room 310.

Day 2: Tuesday, February 21,

Breakfast at the hotel: omelet, sausage, biscuit with grape jelly, and milk.

At 8:00, we were on the bus headed to St John's Town Center to pick up our guide.

Our first stop was Memorial Park along the St John's River. 

St John's Memorial Park along the St John's River

Our next stop was Sweet Pete's Candies, where they have 100s of candies & chocolates.

Sweet Pete's Candies 

We walked to Weldon Johnson Park, near the Art Museum and City Hall in the center of town.

James Weldon Johnson Park

Our next stop was Jessie Ball Dupont Park to see Jacksonville's Favorite 70-foot tall, 25-foot trunk Oak Tree.

The so-called Treaty Oak is at least two centuries old.

Treat Oak 70 Feet 25-foot trunk. 

We loaded onto the bus and returned to St John's Town Center to drop off our guide and get lunch.

We chose M-Shack's gourmet burger made with all-natural, hormone-free ground beef. 

Hubby and I split the M-Shack's hamburger. 

Our next stop was the Miss Headley River Boat Cruise along St John's River.

Miss Headley River Boat Cruise 

We loaded back onto the bus and headed to the hotel to freshen up, for we were going to the Double Tree by Hilton for a buffet dinner and show.

There was no place to sit with our group when we filled our plates. We set up in front of a band with a fun group from Louisiana.

One of the women was a librarian. The one sitting beside me had red hair, and she said her husband didn't care for traveling. She told me my dad would take me to the pub with him when I was growing up. He would give her money to play Pack Man games, and he would go and drink. Her dad was much older than her mom. Her dad had passed several years back, and her mom remarried, and she didn't care much for her new husband.

She said she would never remarry if anything happened to her husband. Their group had already visited the Fountain of Youth, and she said the water tasted like sulfur. This group was a lot of fun, and we all danced around the room waving our napkins to the Saints Go Marching In. 

2022 Oct 9-14, Carnival Ecstasy Final Voyage 5 Days Western Caribbean Cruise Cozumel, Progresso from Mobile, Al

Day 1, Sunday, October 9, 2022 

Hubby took me to my friend's house, loaded our luggage into her car, and began our journey to Mobile.

We stopped at Circle K in Mount Vernon for fuel and restroom breaks.

We stopped at Jack's in Jackson for breakfast of biscuits and gravy. 

We stopped in Demopolis to take pictures of the historic markers and buildings. 

We arrived at the Renaissance Hotel in Mobile around 1:40, checked in, and took our overnight bags to our room.

Our room wasBaycing the bay, so we could see Carnival Ecstasy when she entered port.

History Museum of Mobile 

We walked to the History Museum on the corner of Church and South Royal Street and bought tickets for the museum and Colonial Fort Conde, which is atop the Mobile Bay Tunnel. We then walked through Mardi Gras Park, stopping to take pictures of the markers and statues.

Mardi Gras Park 

We ate supper at Loda Bier Garden around 5:18 P.M. We ordered a hamburger with lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, onion, and a soft bun with fries at the intersection of Dauphin and Joachim Street.

Loda Bier Garden

The restaurant was crowded, and people were waiting to be seated. On our way back to the hotel, we saw several Oyster Shell sculptures depicting famous Alabama Cultures. Mobile is called the "Big Oyster."

It was getting dark, so we returned to the hotel.

Day 2, Monday, October 10, 2022 

We walked down the street to Chick-fil-A for breakfast. I ordered a free cookie and Lemonade. 

We walked to Coopers Riverside Park, where several homeless people were sleeping. We also saw our Cruise ship, doBayd, in the bay.

Carnival Ecstasy Cruise Ship docked in Mobile Bay.

Earlier this morning, we had watched the Cruise ship coBayinto the bay.

We returned to the hotel to take the shuttle(about 10 people, including luggage) with several other people to the terminal.

We got in line to be processed with passports, tickets, and proof of vaccines for COVID-19. 

Mobile had a farewell party for the crew and captain, with girls dressed in Antebellum gowns and music playing. Many took pictures with the Cruise Ambassador, John Head, and ship captain Michele Coppola. 

Cruise Ambassador John Head and Ships Captain Michele Coppola. 

Around 11:00, we were boarding the ship along with many others.

State Room E155 Deck E Muster Station F.

Our first stop was Five Guys, where we ordered a Mushroom burger with fixings and fries. 

We walked around the ship until it was time for our room to be ready. Then, we walked back to the upper deck to watch the boat leave Mobile Bay. It was such a beautiful sunset watching the birds follow the ship, stirring the water to feed on the fish.

The sun had gone down, and we were headed out to the Gulf, so we returned to our room to dress for dinner.

Dinner Mobile Bay as we are leaving 

We had dinner at iDinnerWinstar Dining Room, where I ordered Grilled Salmon, a Caesar Salad with veggies, and a Shrimp Cocktail. 

Day 3, Tuesday, October 11, Sea Day

Ate a cinnamon roll with nuts and chocolate milk for breakfast.

We had brunch in the Winstar Dining Room. 

Skillet Cake (i.e., ricotta, guava, preserve, marshmallows, and maple butter) with bacon. 

Late lunch of taco and slice German chocolate cake. 

I went to a show (Crimson String Trio)and relaxed on the deck. I also bought Excursion Passion Island and finished reading Matthew. 

Dressed for dinner at iDinnerWinstar Dining Room, where I ordered shrimp cocktail, Garlic Shrimp, veggies, and dessert.

 Day 4, Wednesday, October 12,

Breakfast of yogurt with nuts, raisins and pastry, chocolate milk, and apple juice. 

Docket at Cozumel waited for Catamaran to take us to Passion Island.

Took pictures in front of Statues, Jester, Zonkey, Alligator, boat,  Fat Tuesday, and Purta May Cozumel.

Cozumel & Cruise Ship 

Ticket 

Foli MS Carnival Ecstasy all-inclusive Passion Island Catamaran 

operated by Peninsula De LA Passion Folio 56900

Cabin 155 Departs End of the Pier Sign

at 10 A.M. Excursion # 3041391001 

Carnival Adventure

It was about an hour's ride to Passion Island, where we enjoyed three Margaritas, avocado dip, chips, tocos, veggies, and slices of watermelon.

On the island, I saw a couple of Trash Pandas and several long-tail Grackles.

After a couple of hours, everyone loaded back into the Catamaran.

We began our journey back to Cozumel, through customs and back on the ship.

The ship left port around 4:00 P.M.

I was dressed for dinner in the iDinnerWinstar Dining room, where I ordered a shrimp Cocktail, grilled Flounder, veggies, and a banana split.

Day 5, Thursday, October 13, 2022

Beautiful sunrise at 7 A.M.

Breakfast Yogurt with raisins and nuts with pastries, chocolate milk

The ship docked around 8:30 A.M., and we took the bus into Progresso.

Walked through the shopping area to the beach, stopping for a full body massage on the beach.

We saw several birds, a statue, and several murals. 

We had to use the restroom, so we stopped at one of the stores. They said we could use what we bought, so I bought a pair of sunglasses. 

We walked through the flea market, where I bought a bag for $10.00.

We took the bus back to the dock, taking pictures of Marilyn Monroe, Yucatan, Flamingos, Azul Temple, a boat, a cheetah, and a burrito.

Went to Guys for lunch with hamburgers and fries.

The ship was supposed to leave around 4 P.M., but several people were late, so it was more like 5 P.M. before we left Progresso.

Progresso Yucatan 

We dressed for dinner in the iDinnerWinstar Dining room, where I ordered Ribs, fries, beans, and apple pie with vanilla ice cream.

Day 6, Friday, October 14, Sea Day

We had a beautiful cloudy Sunrise. 

Brunch in Winstar Dining Room of Skilled Cake with linked sausage.

Relaxed on the Lido deck, meet several ladies from Georgia, Destin and Fair Hope, Al, and one from lower California.

At 4 P.M., we went to the Platinum farewell Party, where we enjoyed free mixed drinks.

Recognized a father and son who traveled the most days on Carnival cruise ships.

We listened to Crimson String Trio before going to the Winstar dining room.

Crimson String Trio 

I ordered grilled salmon, veggies, and Carnival Baboloo 50th Anniversary Cake. (a white frosting with three layers of cake. The cake frosting has chewy chunks throughout the frosting.)

Carnival Baboloo 50th Anniversary Cake. (a white frosting with three layers of cake. The cake frosting has chewy chunks throughout the frosting.)

Day 7, Saturday, October 15, Travel Home

At 8 A.M., we stopped at Jack in Jackson for breakfast sausage and gravy with strawberry pie. We filled up with gas at Texaco and bought Almond Joy and Diet Sprite. 

Carnival Ecstasy Stateroom E155 Deck E Muster Station F 

Hotel Renaissance Mobile Riverfront Plaza Hotel 64 South Water St Mobile, Al 36602

2022 April 26-29, Trip to Knoxville, Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg, TN (4 days)

 Travel to Knoxville, stopping at Baxter's Botanical Gardens. The gardens are only open to the public during April as part of the Dogwood Arts Festival in Knoxville. 

Baxter's Azalea Garden

We visited the White Garden, the Maze, the Bluebird Garden, the Lotus Pond, the Dogwood Rambol, the Gazebo, the Azalea Garden, the Iris Garden, the Asian Garden, the Ellipse Garden, the Fuji Garden, the Balustiade Garden, the Hannah Garden, and the Birds of Baxter's Garden. 

We spent about 30 to 45 minutes here. 

We then traveled to Pigeon Forge and checked in at Margaritaville's The Island Inn.

We walked around the Island and stopped at Mellowmushroom for dinner. 

Mellow Mushroom at the Island Pigeon Forge, TN

We ordered a Hawaiian Pizza with a drink and spent $30.57.

Day 2 Wednesday, April 27

Ate scrambled eggs, 2 slices of bacon, fried potatoes, biscuits with strawberry jelly, and cranberry juice for breakfast at the hotel.

We rode to the Trolley Center at 186 Old Mill Ave beside Patriot Park, where we bought tickets for the day to take the trolley to Dollywood. The cost for all day was $3 each.

We bought senior tickets at Dollywood, which cost $166.10 for the day. 

All throughout the park, we saw flowers designed in character form. We saw Busy, Busy Bees, Ring-tailed Rascals(Raccoons), Family Times (bear family), Round as a Peacock, Turtle, Frogs, butterflies, a Coat of many colors, Colorful umbrellas, Duck Days, The Dolly Wood Tree, Fines Farm, Doctor I. B. Painless Dentist, and Topsy Turvy.

Wildwood Grove at Dollywood 

We rode the train and carousel. 

We bought cinnamon bread with coke at Dollywood Grist Mill and spent $15

We ate supper at Huck Finn with green beans, catfish, creamed potatoes, and shrimp.

We stopped at the Margaritaville Store, where we bought 2 tee shirts. 

Coat of Many Colors Flowers

Day 3, Thursday, April 28

Today, we ate breakfast at the hotel: Muffins, sausage, & potatoes.

We rode to Old Mill Park, where we saw pigeons, geese, and mallard ducks.

We rode to Parrot Mountain and paid $53.11 for tickets, where we saw and fed many exotic birds. 

Parrot Mountain

Some of the birds we saw were the red-billed Tucan, Swanson Tucan, Keel-Billed Tucan, Kookaburra, Scarlett McCaw, Catalina McCow, African Pied Crow, Von Der Dickens Hornbill, Green-wing McCaw, Sun Conure, Mustache Parakeet, Golden Conure, just to name a few. 

We ate lunch at Firehouse Sub, ordering a small Steak and Cheese meal and a Medium Italian Sub meal. $21.75

We rode back to the Trolley Center at 186 Old Mill Ave to buy tickets to ride the trolley to the Gatlinburg Trolley Center.

At the Gatlinburg Trolley Center, we rode the trolley to Gatlinburg. We had a very entertaining driver, which made the ride enjoyable. 

Ankeesta and Black Bear 

We bought tickets for Ankeesta, where we rode the skylift up the mountain for $58.08. We bought lemonade and walked around, then took the Treetop Skywalk, which had a beautiful view. 

We rode the skylift back down the mountain and walked around Gatlinburg, stopping at Bubba Gumps for supper. There, we ordered a Forest Seafood Feast, which we split. It included shrimp, fish, fries, and Cole slaw. 

Forrest Seafood Feast at Bubba Gumps

We returned the trolley to Gatlinburg Trolley Center and Pigeon Forge Trolley Center.

At the Old Mill, we bought Relish and a self-rising Corn Meal. $12.91

Day 4, Friday, April 29

We ate breakfast in the hotel: bacon, eggs, biscuits, jelly, fried potatoes, and cranberry juice.

We traveled home, stopping in Athens for Gas.

2023 Jan 7, Wheeler Wildlife Refuge Event

 Yesterday, Hubby and I went to Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, an event with Joe Wheeler State Park. 

There, we meet up with a group from Oak Mountain in Birmingham. 

Groups were coming from several other places.

There were so many cars that the park ranger had to direct traffic. Many parked along the side of the road, and many parked across the highway. Next week is the big event for Wheeler Wildlife Refuge, and I'm glad we went today. 

Hubby and I walked to the new observation building, where we saw the five Whooping Cranes with my new scope.

We also saw thousands of Sandhill Cranes, Ducks, and geese. 

Cypress Trees 

Next, we took the Cypress Tree Trail, a walkway across a wooden bridge surrounded by Cypress Trees.

We could loudly hear Blue Jay calling out to each other. We heard White-breasted Nuthatches (what we call upside-down birds). We heard Red-winged Blackbirds, European Starlings, and Eastern Phoebe, and we saw and heard a Yellow-bellied Sapsucker.

We walked to another observation station and saw no cranes, but we saw several Robins hopping around looking for food.

Hubby returned to the car, and I walked to the two-story Observation building that offers a fantastic enclosed view of our winter surroundings.

View of Sandhill Cranes, Ducks, and Geese from the Observation building

I met several members of a Gatlinburg photo club there. They said they would set up a booth at Gatlinburg's Wildlife Week and told me to look for them if I went that week. 

I saw a small boy enjoying kicking and picking up gravel as his family walked to the Observation building.

We returned to the car and rode across the road to see more cranes.

We only saw a few but met several women from the Birmingham Area.

They were taking pictures. We did see a couple of white egrets.

Our next stop was a target to pick up a couple boxes of Skinny Popcorn. 

For lunch, we stopped at Whataburger, where I ordered a #1 Hamburger with tomatoes, lettuce, onions, mustard, and pickles with fries.

It was an overcast day with rain hanging in the air.

Later that night, Hubby and I enjoyed dinner with my sisters and brother-in-law. After the meal, we girls played UNO and dominoes.

Had a wonderful day.