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Tammy & Judy
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Northern Alabama Attractions
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We spent a little time in northern Alabama this past spring. We were totally shocked at some of the cool things we got to see while we were there. I can't wait to go back and visit again.
Dismals Canyon
Located in northwest Alabama, in Phil Campbell, Dismals Canyon was originally occupied nearly 10,000 years ago by Paleoamericans. From artifacts found scattered among bluff shelters, grottos, and other sanctuaries, we've learned that many cultures of Stone-Age humans were at Dismals Canyon.
The canyon floor contains a rich diversity of native plant life, including a stand of old-growth virgin timber composed chiefly of Hemlock, Tulip Poplar, Sweetgum, Bigleaf Magnolia, and Beech.
You can take the 1.5 mile hike that leads you through the canyon floor and follows the stream through sky-reaching boulders, past thundering waterfalls, into a secret world of mossy-green and pearl gray filled with ferns and giant trees. Its waterfalls, natural bridges, cliffs and boulders give this place a magnificent splendor.
You can explore the strange and beautiful labyrinth of caverns, grottos and small slot canyons formed by massive house-size boulders broken off the towering bluffs and strewn about by geological events going back to the Paleozoic era - 300 million years ago. - from the website
You can explore the strange and beautiful labyrinth of caverns, grottos and small slot canyons formed by massive house-size boulders broken off the towering bluffs and strewn about by geological events going back to the Paleozoic era - 300 million years ago. - from the website
When I say this was a cool hike and one of my favorites to date, I'm not exaggerating. I would go back to Alabama just to visit this place again.
Something that we didn't get to experience at Dismals Canyon, but would love to, was seeing the dismalites. They are the larvae stage of a unique, native, and endemic species of insect (North American Orfelia fultoni) that emits a bright blue-green light to attract food, in the form of other flying insects.
Past twilight the canyon lights up with these tiny bioluminescent creatures. These "glowworms" require a select habitat to survive and are unique to only a few places on Earth.
They offer nighttime guided tours to see the dismalites. Don't miss doing this if you visit the canyon.
Ave Maria Grotto
The Ave Maria Grotto is located on the grounds of St. Bernard Abbey, in Cullman, the only Benedictine monastery of men in the State of Alabama. The Abbey was founded in 1891. The Grotto consists of a landscaped hillside of 125 small stone and cement structures, the handiwork of the creative genius, Brother Joseph Zoetl, O.S.B., a monk of the Abbey for almost 70 years.
A pleasant two-block pathway winds beside these miniature buildings, passing in front of a large cavern-like grotto (Italian word for cave) on the lower level of the hillside. Opened in 1934 on the site of a former stone quarry used by the Abbey, the Grotto was a continuation of the work of Brother Joseph, who built his first replicas in about 1912 and his last, the miniature of the beautiful Lourdes Basilica Church, in 1958. It was constructed when he was 80 years old.
His works of art are pretty amazing and totally worth seeing when in Cullman, Alabama.
Cathedral Caverns State Park
Originally called Bat Cave, Cathedral Caverns was opened to the public by Jacob Gurley in the 1950's. The cave was renamed because of its cathedral-like appearance. Purchased by the state in 1987, it was opened as a State Park in the summer of 2000. The first feature most people notice about Cathedral Caverns is its massive entrance. The huge opening measures 126 feet wide and 25 feet high, a possible world record for commercial caves. The grand entrance is only the beginning. Inside the cavern are some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has ever created including “Goliath”- one of the largest stalagmites in the world measuring 45 feet tall and 243 feet in circumference. Cathedral Caverns features many amazing sites: a "caveman" perched atop a flowstone wall, a "frozen" waterfall, a large stalagmite forest and a most improbable stone formation - a stalagmite that is 27 feet tall and 3 inches wide!
The walk is mostly paved and takes you almost one mile into the cave. It is almost impossible to keep up with the tour because you want to stop and stare at the jaw-dropping formations that are perfectly lit for maximum drama. Once you are all the way in, at the end of the tour, the guide turns off all of the lights in the cave. There is literally zero light. You can't see your hand in front of your face. It's definitely a weird feeling not seeing any light at all.
This place blew me away! I was not expecting it to be as spectacular as it was. This is another stop that I wouldn't miss if I were in northern Alabama.
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Are you ready to hit the road full-time in an RV? Use these tips to simplify your life and make the process of purging your belongings easier. From setting up donation, selling, and giveaway boxes to getting rid of items that don't fit or are broken, we've got you covered. Plus, we've included advice on purging clothes, closets, the kitchen, and electronics, as well as tips on how to sell items and recycle responsibly. Follow these tips to make the process of purging for RV living as stress-free as possible.
How many times have you gone on an RV or camping trip and spent most of your time preparing and cleaning up after meals? I’ve been there too and while I have no problem thinking about food, I don’t want to spend my entire vacation preparing meals. I do a lot of cooking in our RV and learned a trick or two when it comes to preparing meals in a tiny kitchen. A few things I keep in mind when meal planning while RVing in remote areas are, keep it simple, the Instant Pot is my best friend, foil packet meals are also a huge help and not to plan any meals with exotic ingredients. Why? Because sometimes you find yourself in the mountains, shopping at an itty bitty grocery store and there’s a good chance they won’t have chia seeds or if they do, they will be super expensive. With that being said here are 30 easy RV meals that I hope will help you with your meal planning. And some of these might even work well as camping meals too.
Our visits to some of Florida's beautiful springs
Incorporated in 1925, the city of Jupiter is in northern Palm Beach County, with just under 65,000 residents. Ranked as one of the country’s most pleasant and livable coastal towns by a well-known travel magazine, it’s full of beautiful beaches, cultural and natural attractions.
Savannah is one of my favorite cities, so far. I spent one afternoon there a few years ago, just on a whim, driving home from Florida. Ever since then, I have dreamed of the day I could go back and spend a little more time exploring. We were booked in Savannah for 7 days over Christmas. The weather was a little chilly and rainy, but we got 3 really nice days to get out and about and see as much as we could. On a side note, we stayed at a really nice RV park called Creekfire Motor Coach Resort. I wish I would have remembered to take picture of our spot and all the amenities, but of course, I thought about that as we were driving down the road leaving. It was a little more spacious than a normal RV parks, and there were a ton of amenities from tennis courts to large lawn chess set to a heated, winding pool and hot tub. The "office" was more like a lodge and was very inviting and cozy. We would definitely stay there again. We were also able to use our Passport America discount to make this stop pretty affordable. Forsyth Park On our first day out, we headed to Forsyth Park. We strolled through the 30 acre park located in the historic district of Savannah. It has a nice sized cafe with a large outdoor dining area, a few tennis courts, spacious open grassy area and a large play area for kids. I was excited to see the large fountain, added to the north end of the park in 1858. It was a little crowded with people taking pictures, but I was able to snap a couple pictures of my own without a bunch of people in them. There are also a couple of monuments in the park as well, The Confederate Monument and the Spanish-American War Memorial. The history in this area is just amazing.
Travel and vacations can get expensive. When you are in a new area, you want to see and do everything so you can experience every little thing the town has to offer. As we all know, that can add up quickly. I always start out by searching for the things we can do and experience in each area that are free. If we can fill up time with cool stuff to do and see that doesn't cost us anything, then we can really pick and choose what we want to spend our money on. Also, if you get to know the area a little better by experiencing the free stuff, you might run across things to do that you weren't even aware of. We had very limited time in Charleston, unfortunately, so we had one day to pack in as much as we could see. Here is our free tour of the charming city.....
We spent about two weeks on the eastern side of South Carolina and most of our adventures revolved around the beach, or close to it. Shocking, I know!
CAMPGROUND: Crossroads Coach Resort at the ROB WEBSITE: https://www.lakecityrv.com/ LOCATION: 243 S. Church Street, Lake City, SC 29560 DATE OF OUR VISIT: November, 2020 PROS: Full hook ups Accepts Passport America Brand new park Clean laundry facility with nice machines Wifi was good CONS: The train! Not much to do locally No campfires allowed ONSITE AMENITIES: Laundry Showers and bathrooms Picnic tables NIGHTLY COST: With PA, our average was $24 a night
As we quickly learned, good trip planning can make moving day relaxing and enjoyable or totally stressful. Driving a large RV is already a little more mentally stressful than a car, so you sure don't want to add to it by having issues with your route. These tools help us with our budget, route planning, fuel stops and overnight stays.
Our visit to the Smoky Mountains National Park
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