#351 TANNEHILL STATE PARK MCCALLA AL

I was trying to find something about 2 hours away and I saw Tannehill State Park McCalla Alabama. I always hesitate when I find that some stop is all about the Confederacy. All Heil to general Lee and all that gives me a weird feeling. We found ourselves visiting there for practical reasons because it was a place to stay for a reasonable price in the woods. As we arrived the guy was a little bit nosey in that we were in the midst of the Black lives matter moment. Because of George Floyd a lot of people were protesting and really pissed off and this was a Confederacy thing. The park assumed that people might come in and try to burn it down so they were really on kind of a lockdown. No one in after dark and they just kind of looked at us and we were older folks from North Carolina and white so I guess we were harmless. They figured we're not part of that radical liberal protesting crowd they hate so the whole entry was just a little weird

We went on in me and found a site and settled in. We stayed for two nights because we needed to just kind of drive 2 hours and stay 2 nights because we wanted to be back on that routine. We decided to go out to dinner and it’s the tiniest of small towns. Something popped up as a restaurant and when we got there, we found it was a gas station/ convenience store.

This would normally be a no-go but it was the only thing within 10 miles so hey maybe let's just make the best of it and see what they’ve got.

In the back of the store, they had a table or two and a display counter with home-cooked meals. You just sit down and they had a buffet-type place that had a meat, two vegetables, biscuit, and tea. You know it wasn’t much on atmosphere but it was a nice meal and they were friendly enough. The next day went to see what we thought was the museum and did a little hiking but the museum was closed. All we really could do is read all of the information on the outside which was quite a bit. I did not know but learned that all about Alabama there was a rich iron ore vein that helped the Confederacy to make iron and that also made it good for Birmingham. The Alabama area is known for making steel and forging cast iron and I would have not known that had we not stopped in. It was all quite interesting. So even though it wasn't a lot of bowing down to the confederacy I think being here was pleasant and we learned a few things. We hiked around a bit and didn't see any protesting but I am a protester at heart so it wouldn't have bothered me anyway.

Black lives do matter and I hope we get our heads on straight someday.