Tuesday, September 16, 2014

Sweet Home Alabama

Monday, September 15, 2014

The weather was a bit unsettled today so we decided to head down to Talladega to see the International Motorsports Hall of Fame (IMSHoF), and take a track tour.  On the way we made a couple of stops, the first was the Kymulga Grist Mill and Covered Bridge in Childersburg.  The Mill was closed but we walked around the grounds. It was built in 1864 by a Confederate Army Captain who died before completing it, so his wife hired a contractor to finish it.  There is no water wheel typical of grist mills.  Instead it uses 3 underwater turbines to power the grinding stones.  Until recently, grits and corn meal made at the mill were sold at local stores in Childersburg.

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The covered bridge was renovated in the 60s, so it lacks the character we saw in the Vermont bridges in 2007.

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The next stop was the “Walk of Fame”, in Talladega honoring Davey Allison.  The park has plaques of drivers, and others who impacted stock car racing,  It was OK, but not a destination.

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The Museum and Hall of Fame, along with the track tour, were the highlight of the day.  The museum had a large collection of early to late model year stock cars.  The one thing that stood out to us was the difference in cockpit safety and driver protection from the 50’s to now.  Those guys were nuts to drive those older cars.  The following is a car driven on the Daytona Beach track in 1948.  It’s a Mercury 8 driven by Sam Packard.

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There was a late model Jeff Gordon Monte Carlo for sale, $18K.  It could be raced in ARCA.  It’s the one to the right.  Hmmmm…

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The track tour was interesting.  The Talladega track is about 2.7 miles in length.  Each straight is a mile long.  The turns are banked at 33 degrees.  To get an idea of what that is, the tour van could not enter the banking as it would tip over, rolling down to the center of the track.  It would need to go close to 100 mph to create enough centrifugal force to stay on the track,  When standing on the flat in the center of the track, the outside rail is 40 feet over your head.

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Buddy Baker broke 200 mph in a Dodge in 1970.  While speeds are in that range today, restrictor plates keep the cars from producing their maximum power, limiting (intended) speed to less than 200.

Tuesday, September 16, 2014

There were three things we wanted to do today.  The first was Natural Bridge, a rock formation created from erosion said to be the largest rock arch in the US east of the Rockies. 

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Some of the rocks had an interesting surface texture.

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Our second stop was to be Dismals Canyon, a National Historic Landmark, with a hiking trail through a canyon with interesting formations and plant life.  After a one hour drive searching for it. Garmin couldn’t find it and Mapquest took us to the wrong place.  We finally get to the gate to find it closed!!  Only open on weekends after Labor Day.  All info we had indicated they were supposed to be open.  A definite “Wally World” moment!

So we headed to Mooresville, not far from Huntsville.  Billed as the “Williamsburg” of Alabama, it is a small town inhabited by maybe 50 people living in homes built in the early 19th century. Many of the resident’s families have been there for generations.  The clocked stopped here around 1818.

Although you can’t tour these homes, a walk around town (its only about 5 square blocks) is an experience.  They have the oldest operating post office in Alabama.

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The Mooresville Brick Church with Greek Revival architecture was built in 1839.  It was of Presbyterian denomination.

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A few of the other homes in Mooresville.

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For our faithful followers back home, it was 90F here today!

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Our Adventure–First Leg

Saturday September 13

Our first day was spent driving toward Louisville.  We had a slightly late start because it was raining until about 8AM.  I have got to comment on Michigan’s crappy roads.  I-75 south of Detroit is terribly bumpy and pocked with half filled potholes.  You really notice it when you cross into Ohio, which is pretty smooth.  The difference…they were rebuilding close to 100 miles of I-75, oh, and did I mention, gas there was $3.14/gal, 40 cents cheaper than Michigan.

The destination tonight is Camp Wal-Mart off I-265 south of Louisville.

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Along the way was the big hill as you enter Kentucky.  In 2006 when we had the GMC 454 van and the Prowler trailer, it was 40 mph, 2nd gear, and 250F coolant temp.  Today it was a non-event, 4th gear 50-55 mph. We love the way this Ford tows, and almost 11 mpg!  On I-265 we saluted as we passed the Truckie’s birthplace.

Sunday, September 14, 2014

Today’s destination is Cullman, Alabama.  The 300 miles or so went pretty well except in Nashville where road construction and traffic created a big back-up.  We are at the Cullman Campground, a smaller campground really back off in the boonies, but seems pretty nice.

After getting situated’ we went into Cullman to see the Ave Maria Grotto.  It is located on the grounds of the St. Bernard Abbey.  It consists of a collection of miniature replicas of cities, churches, and biblical scenes all hand carved or cast from sand, stone, cement, and various discarded materials.  They were all created by Brother Joseph Zoetl from Landshut, Bavaria from 1892 until his death in 1961.  The collection was moved to it’s current site in 1934.

These sculptures are amazing!  There are hundreds of items.  Considering they were built in his free time, Brother Joseph put in some very long days.  A few pictures follow.

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Amazing aren’t they!  This last one is a statue of Brother Joseph.