Alabama - Day 9

Tannehill Ironworks State Historical Park
Monday, 9 December 2019

I decided to spend the day in the campground because I've got a good wifi signal here - not something I expected at all, being off in the woods.  But I'm seizing the opportunity now that it's presented itself.

The dogs and I walked along a paved pedestrian path that went steeply uphill for quite a long way.  Along the path, the park folks have put up markers identifying various species of trees and shrubs, so I'm able to say that there are at least 17 different species of trees here, ranging from Southern types like sassafras through various types of oaks up to several types of pines.  And the shrubs range from lowbush blueberry to several vines, wild azaleas and hydrangeas.  Even though the limbs are bare, it was still a pleasant walk and we all enjoyed it.

The park also has quite a few old houses - like dating to the mid-1800s - that have been moved here to preserve them.  They can be, and are, rented to stay in for a night or more.

And they've got a museum about the ironworks that stood here for at least 50 years, with much of the same equipment still here.  I'd like to go in, but it's at the other end of the campground and I hate to leave the dogs that long.  Maybe later this week.

Otherwise I just worked on the blog and tried to figure out where I'm going next.  That always takes time.  Montgomery's the next general area, and I can either get there directly on the interstate or via scenic routes on the east and west sides of the state.  The limiting factor once again is campground availability.  Being farther south, the state campgrounds are still open but I'm afraid most of them are too far out in the hinterlands to pick up a wifi signal, which I need to plan sightseeing trips.  Private campgrounds cost $40 and up, which is more than I'd prefer to pay.

I called several campgrounds and learned that they're relatively empty this time of year, so I think I'll just go check out several of them before committing.  I imagine it'll be even worse when I get closer to the coast.  The campgrounds there are likely to be pretty full, as well as expensive.  I'll see how it goes.

There are a lot of birds here, but they seem to be mostly crows and some kind of little warbler.  They're so tiny and blend in so well with the plants that I haven't been able to get a good look at them.  I mostly just see them when I'm out with the dogs, and we scare them away.

When I first drove into the campground yesterday, I met a man who told me when he'd been driving in at dusk he'd seen 4 or 5 deer along the road.  Since then I've been steeling myself every time I take the dogs out, but so far I've been lucky.