Alabama – Page 2 – Wandering Dawgs

First stop on our Fall Football Road Trip

September 18, 2016Posted in Alabama, Nature, RVing, State ParksTagged Birmingham, Georgia Bulldogs Football, Oak Mountain State Park, Peavine Falls Road, Pelham, Scenic Drive13 Comments

After enjoying a relaxing summer at home, we are once again on a fall road trip to watch the Georgia Bulldogs play an away football game. This year we are on our way to Oxford, Mississippi to see the Dawgs play the Ole Miss Rebels. But in true Wandering Dawgs fashion, we are not taking a direct route to get there.

We started the trip in Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, Alabama, a few miles south of Birmingham. This is Alabama’s largest state park and it has something for everyone – mountain bike trails, golf course, lake with a beach, hiking trails, a scenic drive, a beautiful campground and more.

Wandering Dawgs in Oak Mountain State Park Site A28

Every day Blondie and I walked on the trails around our campground loop.

Moccasin Nature Trail behind our campsite

One day we drove to the dead end of Peavine Falls Road on Double Oak Mountain. As we wound our way up the narrow road I was reminded of some of the drives we have made in the Great Smoky Mountains.

This sign was at the parking lot at the dead end at the top of the road

We had a picnic at the Peavine Falls Overlook

We enjoyed our stay and were even able to do a little shopping in nearby Pelham and Birmingham before continuing our journey west to our next destination.

A stop beside the Alabama River

May 7, 2015Posted in Alabama, COE Park, Road Trip, RVing, Sunset, WildflowersTagged Alabama River, Lownesboro Alabama, Mississippi River, Prairie Creek Campground9 Comments

As we traveled east from Louisiana to Alabama on I-20 we crossed the Mississippi River into Vicksburg and stopped at the Welcome Center to take a break. It was drizzling rain but we were still able to have a beautiful view of the mighty Mississippi.

The mighty Mississippi River in Vicksburg, Mississippi

Cannon display at the Mississippi Welcome Center in Vicksburg

Barge in the rain on the Mississippi River

After our short stop we continued on our journey. Our destination was Prairie Creek Campground near Lownesboro, Alabama, the first Corps of Engineers park we ever stayed in. Were we pleasantly surprised back in 2007 to find big sites, paved pads and a well maintained park. Ever since that first stay in a COE campground we look for them whenever we are traveling.

Our second visit to the campground did not disappoint. When we weren’t enjoying the view of the Alabama River from our site we took a drive to explore the dam.

Robert F. Henry Lock and Dam

Walking down to the river

Alabama Wildflowers

Alabama River

The sunsets were gorgeous right from our site.

What a great ending to our spring road trip!

On the Road Again

March 9, 2015June 21, 2015Posted in Alabama, City Park, Parks, Road Trip, RVingTagged Greenville Alabama, Sherling Lake Park, Spanish Moss12 Comments

After several months at home taking care of doctor’s appointments and chores we are finally on the road again for our much anticipated spring road trip!

I am calling this the Lonesome Dove Cattle Trail, Gulf Coast, Cajun Country, Whooping Crane, Bluebonnet and Brisket Tour. Can you guess where we will be going?

Our first stop was Sherling Lake City Park, a wonderful city park just a few miles from I-65 in Greenville, Alabama. For $25 we had a full hookup, paved pull through site with a nice little deck. There was even WiFi at the site!

After setting up camp we took a short hike on the walking trail along the lake. Spanish moss draped trees surround the lake. Campers can fish without a permit.

Taking a walk beside the lake at Sherling Lake Park

It’s great to get out and walk after a day of driving

Sunset at Sherling Lake

Sherling Lake

Early morning at Sherling Lake

Campers can fish without a permit

Sherling Lake

As we traveled from Georgia to Alabama we entered the Central Time Zone the weekend we were supposed to spring forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time. So on Saturday we were on Central Time an hour behind Eastern and on Sunday we had to spring forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time and were back to the same time as we were before we left home. We didn’t have to change our clocks at all!

Two COE campgrounds in Alabama

November 18, 2014October 24, 2016Posted in Alabama, COE Park, Parks, Road Trip, RVingTagged Deerlick Creek COE, Gunter Hill COE, R. E. Bob Wooddruff Lake, Spanish Moss4 Comments

Our last two stops on the way home to Georgia were two Corps of Engineers campgrounds in Alabama. I made last minute reservations for two nights in Tuscaloosa and two nights in Montgomery. Our drive from Arkansas to Tuscaloosa was pretty long for us. We drove east through the entire state of Mississippi with fields of cotton still on the vine on both sides of the road. As we traveled through Mississippi we passed by several places of interest:

The Jim Henson Museum near his birthplace in Leland, Mississippi
B.B. King’s birthplace of Itta Bena, Mississippi
Greenwood, Mississippi with signs proclaiming it the cotton capital of the world
Tennessee Williams’ birthplace of Columbus, Mississippi.

We arrived at Deerlick Creek on Holt Lake on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway in the rolling hills northeast of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Behind our RV were a few steps up to a patio area with fire ring and picnic table. With trees all around we felt like the only campers there. Our two nights there were quiet and peaceful.

Holt Lake, Tuscaloosa, Alabama

Dam at Deerlick Creek

Wildflowers at Deerlick Creek

View from our patio at Deerlick Creek

We had to make this tight turn and go down the hill to turn around before we could exit the campground

Our site 28 was on a hill in the RBLU loop. We enjoyed this park but I would not recommend staying in this loop with a big rig. Getting out of the loop was a challenge. We drove down the hill, made a sharp left turn to continue down the hill, and turned around in a very tight turnaround to go back up the hill to exit the park. We had an audience watching but I never doubted Henry’s towing skills! Our second Alabama COE park was Gunter Hill on R. E. Bob Woodruff Lake in Montgomery, Alabama. I really felt at home when I saw Spanish Moss on the trees. We were in site 99 in the older section of the campground in a beautiful lake front site. There is a newer section which has been renovated with paved sites and full hookups. When we arrived the Saturday before Halloween we discovered the park was full for their traditional Halloween Trick-or-Treat. Families reserve their site six months in advance for this popular event. Elaborate Halloween decorations were seen throughout the park. I love it when we stumble upon an unexpected event! It was a great place to end our fall trip.