October 15 Alabama toward home

 Tuesday, October 15

No signal again this morning, but we manage.  Pass Pine Torch Church, a log structure built in the 1840's.  

Finally get GPS which takes us onto a gravel road for a while, but eventually we are back on a main-ish road (hey, it's paved!).  We stop at the Bankhead Ranger district station because it is there.  Nice woman I talk with gives us a map and suggests we check out THEIR natural bridge.  Apparently there is another not too far away that charges admission.

We follow her directions and hike into this pretty arch.  It once was a cave, but the rear section collapsed, leaving it an arch.  Nice walk to it.

These leaves are everywhere - from a variety of magnolia found very few places.

We continue on and wonder about things....According to google there are 3,164 Southern Baptist churches in Alabama.  Alabama residents consider themselves 42% Baptist, 12% unaffiliated, 9% Methodist, 7% Catholic, and various others.    Then we wonder how many Dollar General stores there are in Alabama - 907.  

We stop for gas and Greg asks where we can get some good barbq.  Archibald's Barbq comes up, so we head there in Northport Alabama.  Everything is pork here - no brisket.  Quite an operation so we sample some ribs and sliced pork.  The sauce is vinegary with a little tomato and sugar.  Not our cup of tea, but still tasty. Of course, in our opinion, Texas Bbq is best.  

Next stop, because it is near the highway, is Alamuchee Bellamy Covered Bridge, built 1n at the 1861 and used during the civil war. Dismantled and moved here which is on the University of Western Alabama Campus.

A Great Blue Heron was hanging out near the bridge.

We decide to drive to the Walmart at Vicksburg. We called ahead and got the ok.  The GPS has us getting off the main highway and Greg wonders why until we see traffic stopped, probably for miles after we exit.  We take an alternate route and arrive at Walmart around 5:30. We park near a tree which is a roosting area for a hundred or more of these brown birds - and it wasn't even that huge of a tree!  Noisy, and I was carful not to walk under them!

Tomorrow we'll wrap up the 400 miles to home.