Lake Guntersville Alabama (5/3-5/9)

When we last left our intrepid travelers...they were headed into dark and stormy skies. Through some stroke of luck, we only had a light rain fall on us on our trip to Guntersville.  There were storms and dark shelf clouds all around and Mike had to hold tight to the steering wheel with a few strong wind gusts, but we made it with minimal rain.  

The trip to Guntersville State Park was mostly highway until we got on the roads to the park itself.  The two lane curvy, hilly road to the park let us know we were heading further from the flat lands of Florida. Mike drove them masterfully, while I sat quietly in the passengers seat. 

We rolled into the park in the early afternoon.  The first thing you see is the gorgeous lake stretching in both directions as far as the eye can see.  I had called ahead to confirm directions and confirm we could fit in the campsite assigned. Good thing I did.  We would have been a tight fit in our original site so they adjusted our spot and it actually gave us a view facing the lake. BONUS!  We settled in for a nice long stay.  

Spot E13

Stormy days can make for beautiful sunsets.

The campground was huge with many sections and nice amenities.  There was an actual tornado touch down there about 10 years ago and wiped out the trees and facilities so were new trees planted and new bathroom structures erected.  Our first day there was a wash out with rain but it gave us time to catch up on laundry.  

Aside from the very large campground, there was a lovely lodge up on the bluff and some chalets and cabins to rent.  We walked around the lodge one afternoon and took in the beautiful view.

As always, Mike found a great group of folks to play pickleball with in Guntersville.  Their courts are right on the lake.  Pretty nice spot.  There was also a fishing tournament on the lake near our campground.  Mike was awakened a couple of early mornings by the announcements and the boats racing off to their secret fishing spots.  I seemed to sleep through it somehow. 

One afternoon we headed to a place called Cathedral Caverns.  Below are some pics that gave it its name.  It was a lovely tour in a very cool place, truly a natural wonder.  We ended our day at the locals favorite, Top of the River for some fried seafood.  Not the healthiest dinner we had, but it was very good.

The cavern opening is 126ft wide and 25ft high

I tried to focus on the beauty, not how far underground we were.

This formation was called "cave bacon". Yes!

One of our fellow campers were riding their e-bikes around the park.  Mike struck up a conversation about them as we had been considering replacing mine with one. They were super nice and let us ride theirs around to try them out.  Just so happens his wife had ordered another one that would fit her better and she was selling hers.  Guess what I got?  Loving it so far. 

Janice's new e-bike. Mike still has to peddle the hard way.

This park offered some nice hiking opportunities.  We hiked the Terrell Trail which ended in a cemetery in the woods for the Terrell family it seems.  We were on the lookout for bears, but saw only squirrels and birds. 

We had tried to sell my bike while at the campground, but no takers so we donated it to a local charity on our last day. We played a little pickle ball and then before you know it, it was time to say goodbye to Guntersville and hello to Nashville, Tennessee.