DATE: April 10, 2007, 9:21 pm / MOOD: Planning a trip

Anyone have suggestions for a campground in Pearl or Jackson, MS?  Needs to be witnin 15-30 minutes of Pearl.

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DATE: March 24, 2007, 6:28 pm / MOOD: Happy

Day three is almost over and the fact that we leave tomorrow is beginning to set in.  It has been another wonderful day, however, and there are still steaks to grill and marshmellows to roast. 

We began today a little late, we actually decided to sleep in a little.  We headed out around nine and began our day at the Chattanooga Zoo.  It is one of those great small zoos that we seem to enjoy even better than the really big ones.  Keith knew to be on the lookout for a penny machine and he wasn't dissappointed.  A great train-shaped machine in the zoo gift shop provided me with four new additions to my collection.  The Red Pandas were the highlight for Keith while Kelly had a great time in the petting area.  We took some great pictures and will share some of them soon.  After the zoo, Kelly took advantage of Keith by dragging him to a scrapbook store for more paper and embellishments.  After a relaxed lunch, we headed to Coolidge Park to see the carousel.  This is a great park and we wished aloud that we had thought to bring a frisbee, a kite, or even just a blanket to take advantage of this area that overlooks the Tennesse River.  We spent a few minutes exploring a few of the shops, even stopping for some treats for our Fur-Kids at Bone Appetite, a gourmet pet snack shop.  As we had planned on a night of steaks around the campfire, we soon headed back to camp.  Kelly is wrapping up her work, the steaks are marinating, and it is almost time for the Grillmaster to don his apron and light the grill!

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DATE: March 24, 2007, 8:38 am / MOOD: Happy

Day two began with a trip to the Tennesse Valley Railroad Museum for a scenic train excursion.  We were both a little dissappointed to show up and find 3 school buses of third graders already in line.  Thankfully, they were herded onto two cars and a third car was added for everyone not on the field trip.  The ride was great! Led by diesel engine 1869, the trip ran us from the Grand Junction station to the TVRR shops at East Chattanooga.  There we disembarked from the train to watch them us an 80 foot turntable to re-orient the locomotive.  A quick tour of the shops, and we were back on track!  The trip took us over Chickamauga Creek and through the Missionary Ridge tunnel.
On the way back to camp, we grabbed lunch at Shapiro's Deli, a nice little deli in St. Elmo's. Soon we were heading to the Chattanooga Nature Center and Reflection Riding.  We strolled through the grounds taking pictures, including some of a great horned owl, before heading to the trails.  Along the trails, they have a small wildlife sanctuary that included a Bald Eagle, a very showy Vulture and a couple of Red Wolves.
Then it was back into the truck to drive the Reflection Riding nature drive.  This trip proved to be an exciting one becuase for half of the trip we were stalking a Blue Heron trying to get a few nice shots of him.  However, he had wings and we did not, so a few quick shots of him on the ground is all we were able to snag.
Back at camp, Kelly tried to catch up on a little work while Keith stretched out on the bed to "meditate."  Before long, we were getting ready for what we both think will be the highlight of the trip- a riverboat dinner cruise aboard the "Southern Belle."  Captain Vita gave us a wonderful trip while his crew served a delicious meal of prime rib and shrimp creole.  The Riverboat Ramblers kept us entertained and after desert and coffee, we went topside to take in the night.  Standing on the top deck, arm in arm, it was easy to see why we started this journey four years ago!

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DATE: March 22, 2007, 9:42 pm / MOOD: Happy

Happy Anniversary to us!  One of the great things about getting married during spring break is the opportunity for our annual anniversary trip.  This year it's Chattanooga!

We arrived at the KOA Chattanooga West around 11:00 and set up camp.  Had a little electrical problem, but the campground staff reset their breaker and we were up and running.  The campground is very nice, very picturesque.  We fixed a quick lunch and then headed out.  Keith, as always, has a schedule for us, but it never takes as long as planned.  We headed first to "See Rock City" again.  We enjoyed the hike and Kelly got a chance to give her new camera a good workout.  We saw the elusive Rock City gnome (aka Kelly) and Keith made it through Fat Man's Squeeze a little easier this time.  Only one penny machine was working, the second was out of order.  We got dozens of great pictures and even saw a couple of eagles.

After Rock City, we headed over to Raccoon Mountain Caverns.  This cave is great, Kelly likes it even more than Ruby Falls, which we had visited back in 2004.  We saw several interesting formations, a few salamanders, and even some bats.  They looked much different than the Bats w saw play baseball in Louisville!

After the cave tour, we spent a few minutes grubbin' for gems.  For about $18.00, we ended the day with several nice specimens, including several emeralds, a couple of Topazs and even some soladite.  Dinner at a local buffet and then back to camp for a little rest and a little work.

Check back for tomorrow's update!

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DATE: March 19, 2007, 12:31 pm / MOOD: Planning a trip

As a teacher, my wife and I were married during Spring Break, and in Alabama that comes early. . . this week.  So, as she has every year, Kelly expects an anniversary trip.  We head to Chattanooga for a extra long weekend beginning Thursday, since Kelly has some loose ends to tie up for her work.

We will be at the Chattanooga West KOA and plan on the normal tourist traps (Rock City, the zoo, etc.) as well as an anniverary dinner aboard the Chattanooga Riverboat "Southern Belle"

Along the way, we'll try out Kelly's new camera and add to Keith's ever going collection of "squished pennies."  If anyone is in the area, drop us a line!

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DATE: December 31, 2006, 6:00 pm / MOOD: Happy

Check out the pictures I have posted from our trip to Callaway Garden Festival of Lights!

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DATE: December 28, 2006, 7:13 pm / MOOD: On-the-road

We arrived at Pine Mountain Campground around 4:00 on Tuesday only to discover that we were out of LP, so right back to the office after checking in to get the tanks filled up.  No big deal, I am not going to let it bother me.  That night, as planned, we made the short drive to Columbus to see the Columbus Cottonmouths, a minor league hockey team, take on the Florida Seals.  The Cottonmouths won after coming from behind.  This was Kelly's first hockey game, but based on her reaction, it might not be her last!

On Wednesday, the reason for the trip affter all, Kelly had to work so I dropped her off at the hospital where she was to take a deposition.  It actually cancelled, but we decided to stay around since we were planning a few things to do. Before they decided to cancel, I had already headed to the Port Columbus National Civil War Naval Museum.  Kelly and I had both been before, but I had heard that they had added a squished penny machine so I stopped by.  They had and I picked up a complete set.

That night, after Kelly finished up, we went to Callaway Gardens for the Festival of Lights.  This was incredible!  An eight-mile drive through the park with 1000's of lights.  They even have a little shopping and craft area.  We picked up some personalized ornaments for the camper tree and enjoyed some hot coffee and homemade treats.

On Thursday, we stayed around Pine Mountain visiting the antique shops.  We ate lunch at the Callaway Country Store and then headed back to camp for an afternoon siesta.  Kelly had already checked in with work and was scheduled off on Friday.

Then the phone rang.  They needed Kelly to cover a job in Macon, Georgia.  Before she had the chance to panic, I had decided that instead of hurring home and her turning around to head back in the morning, we would just stay an extra night in Macon.

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DATE: December 18, 2006, 2:12 pm / MOOD: Stuck at home

It's just after 1:00 PM and, as a school teacher, I am on my first day of the winter holidays.  That's a good thing becuase after last night, I don't think I could have made it to work at 7:00 AM.

I was reading through the forum and came across tbthebald's recipe for BBQ sauce and for a dry rub.  I added my rib recipe to the forum and it got me thinking, ribs would really taste good tonight.  So off we went to the grocery.  They didn't have a great selection, but I found a decent slab of baby backs, picked up a few spices called for by TB and headed home.

I followed his sauce recipe first, and it was great.  I still think I have some on my chin!   Then we mixed up the dry rub and prepared the ribs.  It was a much "lighter" rub, in that it didn't seem to have the traditional red or orange color, so, I have to be honest, I was wondering about it.  An hour in the oven and 30 minutes or so on the grill and they were ready.

OH MY GOSH!  The rub was great, a nice peppery taste and my wife went back for seconds on the sauce.  She had thought my ribs were good, and I wasn't sure about trying any changes, but these ribs were great.  My wife has nicknamed me the "ribmaster"

Tonight, I am going to try the rub on some chicken and try to mix up a batch of Alabama White BBQ Sauce.  If it turns out okay, I'll add the recipe to the forum.

 

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DATE: December 12, 2006, 7:26 pm / MOOD: Planning a trip

We just got the news that Kelly has to work a few days over the holidays so we are planning a quick trip just after Christmas to Columbus, Georgia.  We have been to Callaway Gardens before, but never for their Christmas light presentation, so we hope to have a couple of days to ourselves.

The down side is that for at least part of one day, I will be roaming solo in the Columbus area.  I am already looking for things to do that my DW might not be as interested in doing.  We both are looking forward to taking in  ahockey game while we are in town as well.

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DATE: December 12, 2006, 7:13 pm / MOOD: On-the-road

Navarre Beach Florida, June 2006
After what had seemed like years, we finally had a chance to get back to camping.  We had gotten spoiled in '04 when money and schedules worked out perfectly to allow us to camp almost every month.  A variety of things conspired against us in '05 to limit our travels, although we did make several day trips, camping just never seemed to fit our schedules.
We had been looking at purchasing a new camper, the heavy use of '04 followed by the extended storage of '05 was beginning to show on our trusty Hi-Lo.  We were waiting on word of our new rig, and had actually thought it wasn't going to work out this time, so it was off to Florida for another Teacher's conference for Keith.  To cut down on travel hassles, we made a stop over in Troy, Alabama, revisiting the folks at Deer Run RV Park for a second time. 
In Florida, we stayed at Emerald Beach RV Park and commuted to Destin for the Conference.  We had a wonderful time even though a tropical storm was threatening in the Gulf.
We visited the Gulfarium, took a dolphin cruise, and even had time for a couple of walks on the beach.

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