Alabama 2009

Troop 45 Alabama Trip June 27 - July 2, 2009
	We arrived in Williams Hollow Campground right after noon on Saturday, and set up our campsites. Micah was the test subject for the new camera purchased for this trip. We put ten people into the two sites, two each in three tents, three adults in one tent, and the SPL in a hammock between two trees.
	Silas does his favorite "angry monkey" expression.
	The campground has a beach a few hundred yards away. After setting up camp, the boys took a long swim while the adults kept a watchful eye from the shore. The troop followed Guide to Safe Scouting processes the whole trip, especially while in the water.
	A Scout is reverent. We went to church Saturday night in Tuscumbia, Alabama at Our Lady of the Shoals. A lady in the parking lot offered to take our photo as a group.
	Each afternoon/evening we'd go to the Russellville, AL Wal-Mart to pick up provisions for the next three meals. Saturday night we had Cowboy Chili with tortillas, the substitute for Cowboy Beans. We had the menu change due to a bean malfunction, but it all worked out okay.
	SPL racked out in his hammock in camp, under his rain cover.
	Sunday started out with fresh fried beignets with powdered sugar, country sausage, and fruit for breakfast. We packed a sandwich lunch for the canoe trip, and that night Silas and Davis put together a steak and Rice-A-Roni dinner. It was different, but good.
	Scouts ready to get on the river around 10:00 Sunday morning. The TVA releases water only on the weekends, so Sunday was the only day we had a chance for any fast water,
	The canoe trip was great. We were on the river about five hours in five canoes.
	We stopped several times so the guys could swim in Bear Creek. The water was cold. Silas (BSA Certified Lifeguard) estimated the temperature to be about 70 degrees in most places. Isaiah is doing his George Washington hair imitation.
	We had to stop about halfway down river and portage our canoes about 30 yards. You can see the state of the water behind Silas.
	Chilling under a rock overhang near the portage area.
	Micah and Mr. Huff man-handle their canoes over the rocks at the portage area near Factory Falls.
	There were interesting rock formations all along the river. This jutting rock looks like a turtle head.
	Monday started out with a breakfast of Toad in the Hole. We went to Birmingham and saw the McWane Center. We packed a sandwich lunch for the trip (food at the McWane Center is very expensive), and ate just before going to the IMAX.
	There were more exhibits than we could see in the three hours before the movie started.
	The World of Water exhibit at McWane had a lot of aquariums to see.
	A really, really big fish.
	There were several virtual image displays. This is the blue screen for one of them. Scouts stand in front of the screen, and watch themselves on a monitor.
	Here's what the audience sees, which is them playing a virtual drumset, complete with sound.
	Seated in the middle of the IMAX theater waiting for Transformers: Rise of the Fallen to start. The movie was huge, and lasted almost three hours. There's nothing quite like a giant robot crashing into another robot when the screen fills the entire room. After the movie we spent a bit of time at the mall, then picked up provisions at Bruno's, and finished the day with a meal of spaghetti and meatballs. The boys counted 18 bingo parlors between Birmingham and Jasper as we drove back. Three of them had giant inflatable gorillas out front.
	Tuesday. French toast topped with bananas, cinnamon and sugar, and cane syrup. This was a random day, where the boys picked the agenda as we went along. We headed to Tuscumbia to Mike's Merchandise (seconds and overruns), where we found a lot of cool stuff. Taco Bell lunch was next, and then we headed to the art museum.
	Tennessee Valley Art Gallery has a huge exhibit of art. One room was done by visually impaired children, and one room was an exhibit of art done by blind adults who drew what they heard as they listened to music. Another room was conventional art (see photo at left), and one was a display of petroglyphs found in Alabama.
	The group in front of the gallery. The Helen Keller home, Ivy Green, was right next door.
	The Scouts spotted an American flag in front of the Tuscumbia City Hall hanging askew, and immediately called out that we need to stop and fix the flag.
	After getting permission from city hall, we took down their flags, and repaired the snap swivels that had come apart and caused the American flag to hang by one end.
	Thomas raised the repaired flags as the assembled group stood at attention.
	A job well done by Troop 45. We left the city hall, and went to a really great old hardware store down the street, where they had maybe two or three hundred Case knives on display. GREAT old hardware store.
	The next stop the boys selected was the Coon Dog Cemetery. There are 185 champion coon dogs here from all over the country. All are either Champion, Nite Champion, or Grand Nite Champions. (It really is spelled "Nite".) The first one buried there was a coon dog named Troop, in 1937.
	One of the many coon dog tombstones in the cemetery. Tuesday finished with a wonderful meal prepared by Chefs Isaiah and Evan. We had grilled teriyaki chicken breasts, English peas, mashed potatoes, and a fresh baguette of bread.
	Wednesday started with a breakfast of grits, fried beef smoked sausage, and fruit. We traveled about 30 miles and hiked in to Caney Creek, about a one mile hike. John picked fresh blackberries on the way in.
	The trail to Caney Creek.
	The Scouts arrive at the waterfalls, and decide to swim first, eat our picnic lunch later. We spent four hours there. Our official water temperature monitor (Silas) estimated the water to be about 65, it was really, really cold.
	The Scouts climbed to the top of the falls, and sat in the water where Caney Creek spilled over the rocks.
	Another view of the falls.
	View of the swimming area from the top of the falls.
	Davis reflects upon his empire. After visiting Caney Creek, we stopped off at a great old junk store, with several buildings full of stuff. The place was run by a nice man named Mr. Gilbert, who complimented the Scouts several times for their polite manners and he thanked them for coming by, shaking hands with each one. Dinner that night was slow cooked beef pot roast, cooked in Dutch ovens with carrots, red potatoes, and onions. The roast was seasoned with Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, salt, and black pepper. Hot buttered rosemary bread was served with the roast, and we finished it off with a fresh peach cobbler.
	Miss Brenda and Mr. R.B, our campgrounds hosts.
	Our favorite sign from the trip, in front of the Williams Hollow camp store.
	Thursday we had a light breakfast of pastries and fruit, and then headed to Tuscaloosa. After a short visit to the University Mall, we had a great final meal together at the Olive Garden. We made it back to the Scout Hut at 4:30 Thursday.