Northgate RV Travel Park, Athens, Alabama
Ahhhh . . . the scent here takes me back to the farm!
Well. I never actually lived on a farm, but I did go to the Stark County Fair every year. The smell? It’s kinda like that!
There’s a goat farm right next door. Honestly, though, it’s not that bad, just wafting on the wind occasionally. Who knows? Maybe by the time we finish our week here, they’ll come and visit. We’ve already been visited by a friendly little dog.
We drove about 3 hours in traffic fraught with terrible drivers to get here. The beginning of our journey took us through the town of Eutaw. What do you make of that? Eutaw or Utah?
The tower says it’s the “Gateway to the Black Belt”. OK. So what’s that?
In the 1820s and 30s, the Black Belt identified a strip of rich, dark, cotton-growing dirt drawing immigrants primarily from Georgia and the Carolinas in an epidemic of “Alabama Fever.” Following the forced removal of Native Americans, the Black Belt emerged as the core of a rapidly expanding plantation area. Geologically, the region lies within the Gulf South’s Coastal Plain in a crescent some twenty to twenty-five miles wide that stretches from eastern, south-central Alabama into northwestern Mississippi. The unusually fertile Black Belt soil is produced by the weathering of an exposed limestone base known as the Selma Chalk, the remnant of an ancient ocean floor.
They’re doing some massive work on the bridges in Birmingham.
Another area we passed through
There was some concern about traffic noise at our new place since the expressway is pretty close, but we really don’t hear much except an occasional train. And we’re facing a field with woods across from that.
There are lots of song birds here too, but we suspect most of what we hear are mocking birds. 😊 Such an incredible creature God made! You can look right at it and hear all kinds of different bird sounds as it changes from one to the other right before your eyes!
We were hungry for pizza, so I located a place in town. Village Pizza.
Off we went. Approximately 10 minutes from the campground. We parked down the street from the restaurant and were getting out when Blaine realized he’d forgotten his wallet.
On the way back, we witnessed an accident that had just happened since we’d left home. A woman ran into the back of a commercial dump truck. The police had just arrived, but we saw that her head was slumped over where she sat. We said a prayer for her. These people in Alabama drive so close behind, I imagine things like this happen all the time. They also fail to use turn signals, and weave in and out quite a bit, or turn and cross several lanes with no warning. It’s crazy (and not safe) to drive in this state!
Back to dinner. With wallet in his pocket this time.
Several people online mentioned their “Fire and Ice” wings. The pizza was pretty good, but the wings were fantastic! I asked the waitress about them and she said they make their own hot sauce. But the most interesting thing was the white sauce that is poured over them. She said, “It’s white BBQ sauce.” When I asked what that was, she thought it funny that I didn’t know.
Here’s something new.
White BBQ sauce is a staple of Northern Alabama. I’ve found that people who live here have no idea that others don’t eat it all the time. They put it on lots of things. (and since I’m behind on my posting, I can tell you that there was some bottled in another restaurant we’ll share about later)
Here’s a recipe I found online, but I have no idea how accurate it is. There were a couple to choose from that were slightly different. The main ingredients seem to be Miracle Whip and vinegar. And they always seem to make a lot! 😊
1 quart Miracle Whip
¾ quart apple cider vinegar
½ C. light corn syrup
¼ T. cayenne pepper
2-3 T. horseradish
2 T. lemon juice
Salt and pepper
I need to advise you that the amounts of horseradish and lemon juice are uncertain – strictly just my guess. None of the recipes I found gave the actual amounts of either of these. Must be the secret in everyone’s “secret recipe”. 😊
Ever since Sunday, I’ve had the song “What a Beautiful Name It Is” in my head. If I could figure out how to put the song in the blog, I would. It’s beautiful.
You were the Word at the beginning
One With God the Lord Most High
Your hidden glory in creation
Now revealed in You our Christ
What a beautiful Name it is
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a beautiful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a beautiful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
You didn’t want heaven without us
So Jesus, You brought heaven down
My sin was great, Your love was greater
What could separate us now
What a wonderful Name it is
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a wonderful Name it is
Nothing compares to this
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a wonderful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
How sweet is your name, Lord, how good You are
Love to sing in the name of the Lord, love to sing for you all?
Death could not hold You, the veil tore before You
You silenced the boast, of sin and grave
The heavens are roaring, the praise of Your glory
For You are raised to life again
You have no rival, You have no equal
Now and forever, Our God reigns
Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name, above all names
What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
You have no rival, You have no equal
Now and forever, Our God reigns
Yours is the Kingdom, Yours is the glory
Yours is the Name, above all names
What a powerful Name it is
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus Christ my King
What a powerful Name it is
Nothing can stand against
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
What a powerful Name it is
The Name of Jesus
It also got me wondering about all the names of Jesus in scripture. I found lists of anywhere from 50 to over 200.
With a list that long, I think we’ll each do our own search. I think it’s a worthwhile study, don’t you?
TOTAL HIKING MILES: 0
Year To Date: 247.5
Daily Average: 2.69