What I'm doing

[WolfVanZandt]

I'm going to open a thread on the far chance that someone might want to travel to join me in an occasional day or weekend outing.

I'm turning into a home body and have got to get back into the habit of being "out there". I once had the grand scheme of randomly visiting points within my 300 mile travel radius once a month - but after realizing that each such trip costs about $300, I was forced to rethink the idea.

So now I'm going to confine my trips to random counties in Alabama. Each month that I don't have a planned Howl, I'm going to visit a random county, take a considerable hike, look for interesting geological formations and local minerals, eat once at an outstanding restaurant, and car-camp. I'll also be taking my Excursions on the road. Those with a religious bent may want to hang around Sunday morning and take in a local church with me.

My first such trip isn't going to be random nor will it be as extensive as usual. There is (supposedly) a double natural bridge down here in Alabama in Thomasville. I'm going to see if I can find it and, afterward, eat at one of my favorite fast food joint, Bertile's Burgers and Biscuits in Grove Hill, Alabama. That will be next Weekend. I may be going with some friends from the office. If you're interested, get in touch and we'll figure some contact point. I'm also going to be letting the Werelist forum in on my plans.

In May, I plan to visit an old friend in Auburn and check out a new nature park near there. In June, I will visit my first random county - Talladega - and, probably check out the southern section of the Pinhoti trail.

[Pully]

That seems like a great idea to me. A good way to explore what Alabama has to offer. I hope you find the Double Natural Bridges. If you ever decide to head to Northwest Alabama, I may join you for a day.

[Joshua Szulecki]

This is what I do pretty regularly. I've always taken short trips to local areas. In fact, many years of that led me to photography, which got me back into hiking.

[WolfVanZandt]

I figured that was your MO, Joshua. For me, it's getting to the point of being a survival strategy.  I have all these outdoor activities that I'm responsible for, yet I'm not out there enough to be used to it. It'll take 2 weeks to be over last week up in the Sipsey area (of course, I only have 1 9 day campout each year.

Pully, I get up there occasionally and at least once a year. Brushy Lake is the home of the SEHowl, which I organize every year in March. It was the week before last so, unless by the toss of a die, or if I'm passing through, or  something comes up, I probably won't be back for awhile. I'll notate it here, though, if I do.

I still want to do some surveying up there if i get the chance (I do carry my equipment with me.)

[jedbear]

This really sounds like a rewarding means of gathering information and graphics for a presentation that
could fit several agendas. As your travels expand and as future visitations emerge, think of how others
can benefit from the people and places you visit. Alabama is a gem that is just surfacing and visitors to
our state are discovering the unexpected-a state with everything!

                  jed

[WolfVanZandt]

Heh, I'm not so sure I want Alabama to become a tourist state.....

Nevertheless, I'll be posting what I find here and on the Werelist.

One of my motivations is that there's so little posted outside of Pinhoti/Talladega and Bankhead, I thought I'd give some coverage over the rest of the state. The big problem for me is that I no longer have the endurance for long distance hikes (backpacking trips), so I will just have to leave those to the rest of you.

I do want to nail down some solid statistics, though, so one of these days, I'd like to take a hike with some of you that actually Know the names of the Bankhead falls so I know which fall I'm surveying when I survey them. Other falls don't offer that problem because they're usually fairly isolated. When I visit Falling Rocks Falls near Montevallo, there's no question which fall I'm looking for.

[jedbear]

I agree that our trails could be loved too much such as has happened to the AT. But if we don't seek and
develop those trail possibilities, making them attractions, those same areas may too easily find a parking lot
or highway as its treadway. Already a proposed evacuation route is suggested for some Forever Wild tracts
in Baldwin County. Some in Montgomery suffer from "Atlanta Envy"!

                             jed

[Uncle Wayne]

I'm going to open a thread on the far chance that someone might want to travel to join me in an occasional day or weekend outing.

I'm turning into a home body and have got to get back into the habit of being "out there". I once had the grand scheme of randomly visiting points within my 300 mile travel radius once a month - but after realizing that each such trip costs about $300, I was forced to rethink the idea.

So now I'm going to confine my trips to random counties in Alabama. Each month that I don't have a planned Howl, I'm going to visit a random county, take a considerable hike, look for interesting geological formations and local minerals, eat once at an outstanding restaurant, and car-camp. I'll also be taking my Excursions on the road. Those with a religious bent may want to hang around Sunday morning and take in a local church with me.

My first such trip isn't going to be random nor will it be as extensive as usual. There is (supposedly) a double natural bridge down here in Alabama in Thomasville. I'm going to see if I can find it and, afterward, eat at one of my favorite fast food joint, Bertile's Burgers and Biscuits in Grove Hill, Alabama. That will be next Weekend. I may be going with some friends from the office. If you're interested, get in touch and we'll figure some contact point. I'm also going to be letting the Werelist forum in on my plans.

In May, I plan to visit an old friend in Auburn and check out a new nature park near there. In June, I will visit my first random county - Talladega - and, probably check out the southern section of the Pinhoti trail.

Good luck, I'd love to have that opportunity.  So much to see / and so little time is my biggest problem.

[WolfVanZandt]

I've just read on another forum that there is a natural bridge with a waterfall and swimming hole near Thomasville....a nd that it's on a gated and locked road. This trip may not pan out....not that I'm not going to check it out. There's always Bertile's....

[Pathfinder]

Bertile's definitely won't help you stay in good hiking shape.  However, it is worth paying that price.

[WolfVanZandt]

I dunno. Those burgers probably have a lot of muscle growing protein in them. I can walk the milkshake off...

[WolfVanZandt]

Okay......I think I'm done with the Thomasville/Grove Hill area. There seems to be two big waterfalls and a double natural bridge and they're all on private property. In addition, Bertile's has changed. They now have plastic milkshakes. The burgers are still a little better than average but not as good as I remember them - maybe just a bad day....

The positive - if yo like dirt roads, the country between Thomasville and Grove Hill is beautiful. Everything's posted though, so don't get out of your vehicle. There is a park on Silver Creek at the Grove Hill end that has some nice short hiking trails. (I walked them when I was looking for the waterfalls - which are not there.)

Next month, I'm planning to check out Louise Kreher near Auburn. That should, at least, be accessible.

[Joshua Szulecki]

Crud... I think I knew about those waterfalls being on private property. Found out about them when researching the two in the area around Gullet's Bluff.

[WolfVanZandt]

Don't worry. I found out about those waterfalls last year. They're on scotch land and there's actually people you can contact to gain access, but I'm looking for things I can share with people. I was going solely for the bridges this time and I figured I wasn't going to get to them. Exploring for me is sorta like fishing - sometimes you catch one, sometimes you don't.

My exasperation extends to the Camden area also, though. From what I hear, there are scores of waterfalls in the area but they're all on private property. Gullett's Bluff, though, isn't and it's a beauty.

If society ever collapses, I'm going to spend my time going through all the areas that used to be private property....

[Joshua Szulecki]

There is supposed to be a decent waterfall near the ones on Scotch property that is on private property owned by a family. They used to allow visitation but stopped allowing it due to all the garbage, if I recall correctly.

[WolfVanZandt]

Which is exactly why I avoid trespassing. I figure that's why so many people don't allow others onto their property.

[WolfVanZandt]

I'm going to be trying out Auburn Forest Ecology Preserve (Louise Kreher) in Auburn on the 15th. If anybody's going to be around, we can set up a meeting time and place (probably Joe's Muggs).

[ednotmilkman]

a wonderful idea wolf

On my bucket list is to ride my bicycle across backroads of every county in the state stopping to visit at least 2 or 3 interesting towns and places in each that I've never seen. I have all the DOT county maps, where I hightlight the roads I've traveled. Probably have successfully seen 25 so far.  Like you said, doing this kinda thing requires lots of gas and a car to get to the point of interest, but I try to spend at least 3 days pedaling and see more than 3 counties per trip.

Also hope to ride my bike across every state in the union, but that plan is actually easier because I can find groups to go with to see a lot of US.

[WolfVanZandt]

That sounds like fun. If I were somewhat younger with fewer malfunctioning parts, I'd join you....



If you're ever through Selma, stop by the rehab center and look me up.

[WolfVanZandt]

I visited the Louise Kreher Environmental Preserve in Auburn, Alabama this weekend (and the Arboretum, and Amsterdam Cafe, and a friend, and my brother, and my old church) and enjoyed it very much. I'll give a rundown of the trails later. For now, I've set up a gallery:

http://www.alatrails.com/...hotos/index.php?cat=10202

which contains a few shots from the Preserve - especially of the waterfall and some of the interpretive stations.