Vacation Planning

The requests for states are rolling in – we’ll explore Missouri this week, then Alaska, Georgia, and Alabama. If you’d like to get your state in the line-up, just leave me a comment or send me an e-mail and we’ll put you on the list.

A great “home-base” for exploring much of this great state is Stover, Missouri, located about halfway between St. Louis and Kansas City. The downtown area is the perfect small town setting, with friendly folks and a peaceful atmosphere.

Stay at the Nestle Down Inn,  just three miles south of town. The Inn offers two guest rooms, but if you only book one, the other one will remain empty for your privacy, or if you bring guests, there’s plenty of room for all of you. This bed-and-breakfast offers amenities to pamper you, privacy to restore you, and the personal touch to make you feel right at home.

Courtesy of NDI - Used with Permission 

Toss a fishing line in the 2-acre lake. Unwind in the 4-person Jacuzzi and then sleep late the next morning. You’ll enjoy yourself so much, you won’t want to go home!

Less than an hour south of Stover is the Ha Ha Tonka State Park.  Check out the castle ruins, sinkholes, caves, and miles of hiking trails – just don’t forget your camera.

Less than an hour southeast is the Lake of the Ozarks area. Osage Beach has a great Christmas parade (2008’s is December 13th at 1 p.m.) and Santa will arrive in a BOAT! They hold a “Lake Lights Festival” during the holidays that you’ll definitely want to check out.

I’ll have more Missouri outings in my next post – and I’d love to hear about some of your own experiences, so leave them in the comments below.

Yesterday, I was surfing around Today’s travel blogs, and noticed all the beautiful fall photos - be sure to check them out. The links are at the right.

Here in south Alabama, the leaves haven’t started changing yet, but within the next few days they should. Last night we had rain for the first time in over 30 days. It lasted only about 5 minutes, but sometime during the night, it started up again, and it’s still raining this morning. One of those slow, peaceful rains that our earth - and sometimes our bodies and souls - just need for refreshment. So I expect the leaves will soon show their colors.

Last year, we took a trip towards the Asheville, North Carolina area. I say “towards” because we actually didn’t go that far. We stopped in the Dillsboro, Sylva, and Bryson City areas of NC to explore their funky little towns, and had a great time. I’ll share some of my photos from there. I was experimenting with my new camera on this trip, and the memory card/CF card froze up. Before I realized what was happening, I took photos on top of photos. We tried a recovery effort, and got some of them back, but not all.

Tip of the day: always carry more than one CF card with you.

Our favorite part of the trip was to Darnell Farms - they have a produce stand, corn maze, boiled peanuts and more. But the best part was standing around the fire next to the pot of peanuts, listening to Darnell and all his cronies tell stories. We laughed ’til we cried, and didn’t want to leave!

On our way there, we discovered a fun little restaurant I’ll tell you about on Friday!

We had hoped to take a ride on the Great Smoky Mountain Railway, but our timing didn’t work out. Definitely something we’ll do on our next trip.

This area isn’t one for you if you like a fast-paced trip with lots of activities. Here, it’s laid-back, lots of nature, peaceful, quiet, and hometown.

Have you ever been to this area? What did you like best?

Do you like road trips? I love them, but don’t get to take them often enough these days.

Today, I’d like to share my hometown with you. Guntersville, Alabama truly is one of the most beautiful spots on earth - at the foot of the Appalachian Mountains, the lake was built as part of the Tennessee River.

If you like to boat, fish or camp, Guntersville is the place for you. The 69,000-acre lake provides some of the best fishing - bass, bream, crappie, and catfish - of anywhere in the country. Numerous tournaments are held there each year, and the city prides itself on the cleanliness of the water. If you don’t own a boat, you can rent one at a local marina by the hour, the day, or even longer.

Campgrounds are plentiful in the area too - from luxury RV and tent camping at Lake Guntersville State Park to primitive campsites at various spots around the lake and everything in between. Several campgrounds have tent sites along the water, which make for great fishing from your own “backyard.”

Just don’t forget to purchase a fishing license before casting a line - the fees are pretty hefty if you get caught without one. You can even buy them online and print them out from your computer before you leave home.

Of course, if you like golf, Guntersville is a great destination, too. The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the largest golf construction project ever built and consisting of 26 different courses, runs through the state, with one of the top courses just 30 miles northwest of Guntersville. 

Downtown Guntersville has that old-town feel to it, with a wide variety of shops, but if you’re a bargain-hunter, head for Mike’s Merchandise on the south side of town. Mike took over an old cotton mill, and soon filled that monstrosity with everything imaginable, new and used. You’ll find everything from clothing and household items, to tools and home improvement. You’ll also find construction materials, and things you never even thought about buying. Need sports lockers to add a fun touch to your basement? Mike’s got ‘em. Need a street light - or rather, gigantic interstate light? He had one during one visit! Plan to spend a couple of hours - and you still won’t see it all. The best part - most everything he sells is a great bargain. Oh, every now and then, you’ll find something that’s not, but for the most part, you’ll save money.

On Friday, I’ll discuss some of the restaurants in the area, so be sure to check out that post.

Here are a few more links you’ll want to explore:

Cathedral Caverns

Art on the Lake Show

The Whole Backstage

North Alabama Birding Trail

NASA - Marshall Space Center, Huntsville

For more information, visit the Lake Guntersville Chamber of Commerce.

If you head to Guntersville, do me a favor. Tell the fish I said hello!

I think I’m ready for another road trip. How about you?