GUNTERSVILLE LAKE, ALABAMA...AREA

We really enjoyed the trip to Guntersville and the surrounding area. We hooked up with our good friends Benny and Fran Flynn. Fran was born and raised in this area. We met some of Fran's family and found them to be so very nice and friendly. If we ever get back this way I hope to see how Chuck and Bob are doing with the buffalo. Benny and Fran showed us some of the most beautiful and scenic areas I have ever witnessed. We covered a lot ground in a short time.

Noccalula Falls was a great place to start. We drove out to the Falls early in the morning and took a picnic lunch with us. I thought the trail to the bottom of the falls was good but the falls were even better. There is a legend that about the falls. It seems a young Indian maid was promised to a rich chief of a powerful neighboring tribe. She already had a young brave she wanted to marry. The chief banished the young brave from the tribe and promised her to the other chief. Noccalula slipped away on her wedding day and leaped from the brink of the falls.

We took trip to the Unclaimed Baggage Center, in Scottsboro. This is where the airlines sell the merchandise that goes unclaimed. It turns out that they have no idea what used merchandise should cost. In some cases they were asking more for used than you could purchase for new.

We traveled to Little River Canyon National Preserve. It offered some scenic vistas and waterfalls. It offered a 23 mile drive along the canyon's rim. This is one of those places you just want to hang around all day.

We enjoyed the trip to the Cathedral Caverns State Park. It is billed North Alabama's Hidden Treasure, and lives up to its name. Located near the north Alabama towns of Grant and Woodville it is a great day trip destination. The cave's massive 126-foot-wide, 25-foot-high entrance makes a lasting impression.See the beauty of stalagmite formations and hear the sound of water as Mystery River crosses the caverns. It takes about an hour and a half to tour the cave. The cave temperature is a constant 60 degrees all year.

I like the Desoto Falls, its part of Desoto State Park. We couldn't figure a way to get to the bottom of the falls, I guess that's something we will figure out the next time. There is supposed to be a large cave underneath the falls. There is nothing like a good cave to make a person want to return.

When you go exploring with the Flaps, you never know where you might end up. Benny decided that Georgia wasn't that far. We ended up visiting Cloudland Canyon State Park, and it was worth the drive.

CORNERSVILLE TENNESSE AREA

We left Illinois and traveled to Cornersville, Tennessee. It is a small town in south central Tennessee. We camped at the Texas T RV Park, its right off Interstate 65 at the 27 mile marker. We parked the motorhome and used the truck to explore the area. We enjoyed our tour of the Jack Daniels Distillery. The distillery is located in the town of Lynchburg. The town square has a few restaurants that are very nice and they people are so pleasant.

We also liked David Crockett State Park. Shoal Creek runs through the middle of the park and there are trails that run along side. Linda and I hiked the 3 mile trail that starts at Crockett Falls.

We also found the Meriwether Lewis Memorial, its located on the Natchez Trace Parkway. The parkway is a 444 mile stretch that runs from Natchez, Mississippi to Nashville, Tennessee.

Some of our other discoveries were a family of snakes that lived in the creek that runs behind the campground, we liked the pioneer cemetery that had concrete covers over the graves. If anyone knows why they did that we would sure like to know?

WAYNE FITZGERALD STATE PARK

Linda and I made it home to see the new grand baby. She is such a miracle, I couldn't get enough. I can't wait for her to get old enough to take her with us.

It was a great visit with the kids but it was time to get back on the road. We visited Wayne Fitzgerald State Park in Southern Illinois. Its a nice park located on Rend Lake. Its a great place for fishing as the campground is located, on the lake.

It has a very nice paved bicycle/hiking trail. The park is just loaded with deer and turkey. We saw deer on every hike we took. I look forward to visiting Wayne Fitzgerald State Park again.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park Texas

Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. Texas' best kept secert, is what everyone says. It has spectacular geologic wonders and panoramic colors that can only be seen here. It is a very large park, 29,000 plus acres with 16 miles of paved roadway that take you through the park.

Linda and I hiked about 10 miles of trails and enjoyed the longhorns, turkeys, lizards and butterflys. We hiked the Lighthouse Trail (6miles), Rojo Grande Trail (2miles) and several overlooks, that you had to hike out to.

I would recommend this park to anyone who likes to hike, mountain bike, or horse ride.

THE GRAND CANYON

The Rim Trail extends from the village area to Hermits Rest. The trail offers excellent walking for a quiet view of the inner canyon and for those who desire an easy hike.

The Grand Canyon, is one of my favorite places. Over 5 million people visit here every year, so I guess I'm in good company. We hiked the south rim and come across a few Elk and even the California Condor. We had hiked the Bright Angel Trail in 97 and I hiked the South Kaibab Trail in 05, this time we just walked the rim and enjoyed the scenery.

RED CLIFFS RECREATION AREA

Red Cliffs Recreation Area is located just off of Interstate 15, 15 miles north of St. George, Utah. Red Cliffs offers several marked hiking trails that will lead you through beautiful red rock formations and narrow canyons filled with pools of water. There are 10 overnight camping sites, and a picnic area next to the creek

We stayed at the St. George RV Park, just across interstate 15, from the Red Cliffs Recreation Area. I talked to the man in charge of renovating the entire park. He allowed me to hike the area and even showed me where the good hiking trails were. I really liked this park, as I was the only one using the trails. I look forward to returning someday after all the work finished.