Spring
time of year
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We’re passing right by the highest point in Mississippi so we stopped to check it out. It’s on Woodall Mountain, Iuka, MS at a not very impressive 807’ above sea level. The whole place is a bit of a let down to be honest. I don’t often do a lot of research on places we visit because I like to be surprised when we get there but the surprise can go both ways. At the top are multiple transmission towers, a mailbox and a sliver of a view along the power lines. Oh well… onwards and east…
2
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Springs Park, Tuscumbria, AL is a city park built around a spring. The very pretty waterfall is the “largest man made natural stone waterfall known to be in existence” at 80’ wide and 48’ tall, 4,320,000 gallons of water flowing over it daily. There are 2 amazing petrified wood former trees, 1 85 million years old and 1 that’s 325 millions years old. The park has a BBQ joint, a playground and in the summer runs a tiny train, a beautiful old Merry Go Round and a sketchy looking tiny roller coaster.
7.5
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It turns out that Tuscumbria, AL is the birthplace of Helen Keller. We stopped to see the house and the tributes built around it.
https://www.afb.org/about-afb/history/helen-keller/biography-and-chronology/biography
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Just up the road is Muscle Shoals Sound Studios where songs were recorded for The Rolling Stones, Aretha Franklin, Duane Allman, George Michael, Wilson Pickett, Willie Nelson, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Joe Cocker, Levon Helm, Paul Simon, Bob Seger, Rod Stewart, Tamiko Jones, Cher and Cat Stevens. There’s a great documentary on them, if you get a chance, watch it. The National Register of Historic Places now recognizes building, where they still record music and offer tours of the studio. We had to stop by and get a couple pics. It’s estimated that over 400 Gold records have been recorded in the Muscles Shoals area. Fame Sound Studios was about 2 blocks from our hotel.
8.2
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Old Railroad Bridge gave us a chance to stretch our legs. This 2 layer bridge was once a railway across the Tennessee River with a toll road for wagons and walkers underneath it.
7
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We stopped at Publix for sandwiches for dinner and brought them to the hotel to eat and settle in.
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We’re spending the night at Days Inn, Muscle Shoals, AL $120/night. The other hotels around here are $200 and up. This one seems a little dated outside but it’s updated inside and it has a high ratings on Booking.com.
Price: $120/night
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Trowbridges’s Ice Cream Bar is an old fashioned deli and ice cream spot, the oldest in Alabama, in fact. . We got old fashioned sundaes made with old fashioned vanilla ice cream, warm butterscotch and caramel sauce, whipped cream and 1/2 a cherry.
7
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Then we walked a couple of blocks to Graffiti Alley to see the artwork.
7
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