Having Fun Away From Red Bay

While we have been here at Camp Red Bay we have gone on some interesting day trips. We have had a lot of fun and laughs with Jim and Ellie. Now, as I look back over this last week, here are a few of sights in and around and out from Red Bay we have discovered.

Mark's paternal grandparents and family were all from around this area...so we took a trip to the cemetery to see how many we could find.

This cemetery is in Red Bay

We found the markers for his great grandfather and grandmother

These are some more relatives

Now, we had so much fun wandering through this cemetery, we decided to visit another one the next day. However, I must admit that this was a bit different. This one is the Coon Dog Cemetery and only special dogs get to be buried here. There are over 185 dogs that have been laid to rest in the scenic "Freedom Hills"

Ellie is getting all the facts about this coon dog!

After seeing the Coon Dog Cemetery, we were off to Tuscumbia to find the Alabama Country Music Hall of Fame. All of the state's notable music achievers are honored here.

This is one of the 4 walls of fame. I saw several of my favorites including Jim Nabors, Jake Hess, and Bobby Goldsboro.

This is one of the tour buses used by "Alabama"

Looks like I've lost my driver to Alabama

Our next stop for the day was at the birth place of Helen Keller. This is also located in Tuscumbia, Alabama.

This is the cottage house where Helen was born on June 27, 1880

This is her childhood home. It was built in 1820 on 640 acres.

This is the actual well-pump where Helen spoke her first word w-a-t-e-r

Mark and Jim on the walking tour of the gardens at Helen Keller's

On with the day...we located the Old Railroad Bridge...

This is a pedestrian bridge that is 1,580 feet long and 14 feet high with a beautiful view of the Tennessee River. It dates back to 1832 and the superstructure to 1903. The original bridge opened in 1839 as a toll bridge and for almost a century was the only way in the area to cross the river. During this time, trains crossed on the upper deck while wagons, pedestrians, and herds of livestock crossed over the on the bottom deck.

What a enjoyable time! We ended the day with a great Mexican Food lunch.