First Real Vacation With Jacque

Long time coming, but better late than never...I hope you have had a chance to watch our morning program...we have been having a lot of fun visiting places that are close by and would make great vacation spots. We started with Lake Guntersville State Park, as you know, it is one of my favorite places. The view from atop the mountain overlooking the lake is breathtaking and the newly renovated rooms at the lodge are fantastic. The dining room and the food is even better than before. Terry Darcy and his crew won't let you leave hungry and the view from the restaurant is outstanding. From there, photojournalist Thad Blake and I went to Cathedral Caverns...wow, no matter how many times I visit the caverns, I come away amazed at the beauty of the rock formations. If you have never visited Cathedral Caverns or haven't been in a couple of years, you should go. The Welcome Center is just that, so welcoming and the tours are even better. Next we headed over to Joe Wheeler State Park and checked out the new cabins they have opened. Wow, they are something else! Great place to take the family for some real fun and relaxation. The rooms have a view of the lake and the restaurant faces the lake as well. The new boat docks are great for either staying for a few days or just coming in to grab a great meal. By the way, the fishing is great at either Wilson/Wheeler or Guntersville.
Then we got a close look at the new tour boat that the Tennessee Aquarium has purchased to start their Tennessee River Gorge tours. Awesome...it will hold 70 people at one time and can travel at 55mph on the river. The River Gorge Tour is a new addition to the Tennessee Aquarium and is really relaxing and educational. In the next few weeks, we will be bringing you more places to see and things to do within a one tank of gas area...including heading up to Desoto State Park on Lookout Mountain, Noccalula Falls in Gadsden and The Dismals over near the Mississppi line.
I hope you had a great 4th of July holiday, I certainly did. Jacque and I went on our first ever vacation where we were actually by ourselves. Let me explain, as many of you know, my stepson, Jeff, is autistic and can't stay by himself. Well, he went to camp for a week at Camp McDowell (gosh, what a great place and a great group of teens and adults that give their time to see that folks with special needs get to have a good time, too) and it just happened to be over the 4th. He had a great time and Jacque and I took the opportunity to take a little trip ourselves since Leslie, my stepdaughter, wanted to stay home by herself and take care of our menagerie..three cats and a dog. We went to Lake Guntersville State Lodge and spent the night before we headed up to Sewanee and Monteagle, Tennessee for their 4th of July celebration. Then we went to Chattanooga for two days and visited the Aquarium, took the River Gorge cruise, the Ghost walk around Chattanooga and then went out to the battlefield at Chickamauga. We searched and found where some of Jacque's ancestors fought in the battle. Then we rode the Incline up to the top of Lookout Mountain and walked around where the battle for Chattanooga was fought..."the battle above the clouds." We even found the spot where one of her ancestors led his men to set up and defend the lower ridge during the battle. Talk about getting your exercise, we walked and walked and walked...and had a great time doing it. We wrapped up our little trip by heading back to Lake Guntersville State Lodge and spent one more night there...sitting on the balcony and listening to the crickets, cicadas, loons and other wildlife...when it comes to pure relaxation, it just doesn't get any better. Then we headed down to Camp McDowell and picked up Jeff and headed home. He was so excited about camp, he was already talking about next year and so were we. It was great for everyone.
If you have any questions about any of the places I have mentioned, please log on and let me know and I will be happy to answer them, assuming I can.