Alabama Road Trip Part One

Hi everyone, it's Mea'Ola again. We recently got back from a long weekend road trip to Alabama for mom's birthday. One of her very good friends joined us and we had a fun time. 

It was my longest car ride ever, 7-1/2 hours, plus a detour and some additional time for getting lost because Google Maps forgot to include a jog in the road. We even stopped to ask a man for directions and he admitted that the road numbers made no sense.

Anyway, we left early on the morning of June 24th and met up with mom's friend Savannah at a gas station. Once we had Savannah's stuff in the car and introductions were made we hit the road. 

Mom and Savannah were really happy to see this sign because it meant we were almost to the house,,,,then we got lost and spent an hour driving around until mom finally got a cell signal and was able to get the house address into her phone.  

This was one of the roads we traveled down trying to find the house. It sure is pretty here. 

Once we got to the house, I was walked and the car was unloaded mom and her friend got drinks. Since it was mom's birthday she had a bottle of cava and she put little umbrellas in their drinks. 

The house was a lot bigger than mom's condo. 

I just got into the swing of things and chillaxed on the floor until it was my dinner time. 

The next morning mom filled up the camelbac with water and some granola bars and we headed off to DeSoto State Park to go hiking. 

This was at the trailhead and it told us how far it was to certain spots. We went out some, then took the Blue Trail to Lost Falls, then down to a stream, across a bridge on the Red Trail and back to the starting point on the Orange Trail. Good thing mom can see all the colors. 

I was enjoying all the scents and sounds.

We passed a tree where there were two woodpecker nests. That's what those round holes in the tree trunk are. 

Lost Falls. We stopped here and I got to have some water. I love my new bowl my mom got me for trips and long walks.

After DeSoto State Park we drove to DeSoto Falls Park. There was  this big marker, mom read it to me. What's a dam??

This was the spillway part of the dam. The water sure looked nice and cool but the signs said no swimming.

And this is why. Mom and Savannah talked about how beautiful this was. 

As we headed back to the car, mom pointed out the risers on the stairs to Savannah and they talked about all the different things they said. 

In the middle of the staircase you can see where the blue stops for a bit. There is a quote from John Muir there. Mom likes him. 

The quote reads:

Everybody needs beauty as well as bread, places to play in and pray in, where nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.

Stay tuned for Part Two of my Alabama Road Trip.