2011-3 Amish Farms, Tennessee & Catfish Tournament, Alabama
Hello All,
Mid February through mid April found us staying pretty close to home. We had no major trips planned until late April. However, we did manage a few short trips and adventures in the local area.
Our first outing took us to Ethridge, Tennessee, just across the Alabama stateline to the north. Ethridge and the surrounding countryside have a large Amish population. With the weather starting to turn nice we suspected these hard working folks would be busy tilling their fields in preparation for spring planting. It was also a good excuse to get out of the house and take a drive. The Amish have lovely farms and strive to maintain a simple life. Traveling the narrow country roads makes for a nice relaxing afternoon drive.
As we passed the local Wal-Mart store in the area we noticed there were a number of Amish wagons parked there. This is one of the few Wal-Mart stores in this country that has a parking area restricted for horse drawn wagons only. So we stopped and snapped a couple of photos while the folks were inside shopping.
Mid February through mid April found us staying pretty close to home. We had no major trips planned until late April. However, we did manage a few short trips and adventures in the local area.
Our first outing took us to Ethridge, Tennessee, just across the Alabama stateline to the north. Ethridge and the surrounding countryside have a large Amish population. With the weather starting to turn nice we suspected these hard working folks would be busy tilling their fields in preparation for spring planting. It was also a good excuse to get out of the house and take a drive. The Amish have lovely farms and strive to maintain a simple life. Traveling the narrow country roads makes for a nice relaxing afternoon drive.
As we passed the local Wal-Mart store in the area we noticed there were a number of Amish wagons parked there. This is one of the few Wal-Mart stores in this country that has a parking area restricted for horse drawn wagons only. So we stopped and snapped a couple of photos while the folks were inside shopping.
We then cruised along the country roads to see
if any of the fields were being worked. They did not disappoint. As you can see
this is the real meaning of horsepower!
Here is one of their horses
that had the day off. What a strong beautiful animal he is, still sporting his
winter coat.
Our next adventure took us
across the Tennessee River to Riverfront Park in Sheffield, Alabama. This is
where the catfish weigh-in for the Cabela’s King Kat Tournament Trail event
would take place. The fishing tournament was held on Pickwick and Wilson Lakes,
which are part of the Tennessee River drainage. It was the second event of the
King Kat tournament season and it is the only time the catfish trail passes
through the local area this year. We have tried to make the weigh-ins the past
two years but always ended up with a schedule conflict. This year we put it on
the calendar and scheduled around it. Over 100 anglers from 13 states were
competing.
The tournament runs from 6:30AM till 3:00PM. All anglers must be in the weigh-in line by 4:00PM with a 5-fish limit per team. To help preserve the sport only live fish are weighed in and all fish are released immediately after being weighed.
We were there waiting with cameras in hand as the teams, one by one, pulled their boats up and started unloading fish. There were some real dandies to say the least! Each team’s fish were put into a large aluminum box and carried to the scale. After the official weigh-in the fish were then carried to the river and released. The process was repeated over and over until all the different team’s fish had been weighed and recorded.
The tournament runs from 6:30AM till 3:00PM. All anglers must be in the weigh-in line by 4:00PM with a 5-fish limit per team. To help preserve the sport only live fish are weighed in and all fish are released immediately after being weighed.
We were there waiting with cameras in hand as the teams, one by one, pulled their boats up and started unloading fish. There were some real dandies to say the least! Each team’s fish were put into a large aluminum box and carried to the scale. After the official weigh-in the fish were then carried to the river and released. The process was repeated over and over until all the different team’s fish had been weighed and recorded.
Taking first place in the
tournament was a team from Kentucky with a weight of 152.75 pounds for the day.
An Alabama team landed the biggest fish of the day--a whopping 65 1/2-pounder.
That evening when we got home we read in the newspaper about a “super moon” occurrence happening that evening. Yup, it doesn’t take much to excite us. By definition, a super moon is simply a full moon that happens to be close to the earth. It was to be of “rare size and beauty.” The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993. The moon’s orbit around the earth is oval; therefore, sometimes it’s closer to the earth and sometime it’s farther away. After dark we were out in the backyard taking photos of it. It was lovely.
That evening when we got home we read in the newspaper about a “super moon” occurrence happening that evening. Yup, it doesn’t take much to excite us. By definition, a super moon is simply a full moon that happens to be close to the earth. It was to be of “rare size and beauty.” The last full moon so big and close to Earth occurred in March of 1993. The moon’s orbit around the earth is oval; therefore, sometimes it’s closer to the earth and sometime it’s farther away. After dark we were out in the backyard taking photos of it. It was lovely.
Our next adventure found us at
McFarland Park on the Tennessee River in Florence, Alabama, where a Bass
Masters Elite Series event was taking place. This 4-day fishing tournament
known as the “Alabama Charge,” featured all the big names in bass fishing such
as Kevin VanDam and Denny Brauer.
Davey Hite picked up his
eighth Elite Series title and took home the $101,000 payoff--not bad for four
days work!
No expense is spared by
sponsors when it comes to the competitors’ boats and trucks towing them.
With the sun setting over the
Tennessee River it ended a beautiful day.
In our next write-up we will
talk about making one of our “bucket list” trips--to China--but, more on that
later.
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns
Until next time,
Dave & Barb
The Traveling Browns