Year Three - Day Six

Sam's View

Today we packed up and left at about 10:00 and drove about 120 miles to Chattanooga TN. We got there at about 12:00 and at about 1:30 we went to Cracker Barrel again :)

Summer's View

He forgot to tell you it was raining AGAIN!  :(  As you can see, we like Cracker Barrel. lol

When we got set up at the campground, we saw an ad that said Chattanooga has the fastest internet in the country.  They are right - it was awesome!!

Year Three - Day Five

Sam's View

Today we hiked on a couple of birding trails with Buster. I wanted to do it because I am doing a minor big year but we didn’t see any new birds :( After that we went back to the rv for the rest of the day. I did a little minecrafting :)

Summer's View

The morning view of the lake from the campground was breathtaking!

Buster loves to go on the hikes with us when we can take him.  He has to be in the front, however, so he and Sam are constantly competing for the lead.  :)  Everything in GA is lush and green from all the rain - just beautiful!

 

Sam said I need to explain what a "big year" is all about.  There is a fairly recent movie out called the "Big Year" that explains it all, but it is what avid birders call it when they go for the gusto and record every bird they have seen in one year, and they try to see as many as possible.  The movie is pretty good, by the way - Steve Martin, Owen Wilson, and Jack Black.

Year Three - Day Four

Sam's View

Today we hiked 1.5 miles up Stone Mtn! When we got to the top we ate at the highest restaurant in GA! Then we took the tram down. It was pretty cool. After we got to the bottom we drove back to the rv and on the way back it started raining again! L

 

 

Summer's View

It stopped raining - woo hoo!  We took advantage of the clear skies to hike up Stone Mountain, and it was a great hike.  Sam doesn't remember but he hiked up when he was two years old.  There was actually less whining that time.  LOL

He said we ate at the restaurant at the top, but I recall him having a slushie - we definitely have different views on what constitutes "food."  :)

There is now an amusement park at the bottom of Stone Mountain, and that was not the case the last time we were here.  A lot can change in 8 years!  It was all closed up because the season has not officially started, so it was like being in a ghost town.

Year Three - Day Three

Sam's View

Today we went to the GA Aquarium. They had whale sharks and manta rays there! We also saw other sea creatures like starfish, beluga whales, sea otters, lionfish, and lots of other fish and animals. We also got to watch a dolphin show! It was awesomeJ J Also I got an inch away from a penguin!

Summer's View

The GA Aquarium was really great, and it is billed as the largest aquarium in the world.  It took an entire day to see it all.  The HUGE tank that held the four whale sharks, and a variety of other fish was large enough to hold 6.3 million gallons of water.

 

 

 

Year Three - Day Two

Sam's View

We left at about 11:00 to go to Atlanta, GA. The drive was about 290 miles and the campground we stayed at was in Stone Mtn State Park! About 50 miles before we got to the campground it started raining L and it was raining the entire day!

Summer's View

What he said...LOL.  It didn't just rain, it RAINED the whole night, and most of the next day, actually.  Stone Mountain was beautiful, as always, and the weather was nice and cool.  Nothing like a cool, rainy night for some great sleep!

Year Three - Day One

Ok, we are back!!!!  This year, Sam has decided to write his view on the blog, as well as me writing mine, soooooo....let's get started!

Sam's View

We left at about 2:00 and probably drove about 200 miles. We stopped at Lake City, FL for the night and we ate at Cracker Barrel yay! We also saw 22 different states on license plates just in FL. That’s cool!

 

Summer's View

 

April 27th was the official launch day, and our first "real" stop is Atlanta, GA.  We will not make that drive in one day, so we basically drove until we got hungry, and stopped for the night.

 

Sam is going to record the birds he sees again this year, and he has already started!

Year Two - Days Fifty-Eight thru Sixty-Two

We spent a few days in Fort Collins to visit friends, and relax.  Our friend Carl came by one night and we grilled some steaks and caught up on everything.   Unfortunately, I felt bad the next couple of days, so I didn’t get out anymore after that.  Jim and Sam went over to Carl’s place one afternoon and had a good time.  Jim also got to visit some other old friends of his, Jeff and Kim, while we were in town.  That was awesome!