Day 19 – HD Farm, Eastaboga, Alabama

After a wonderful stay with Melissa, Mark and family, with a tearful goodbye we began our journey back to the west coast.

Our first stop was at a Harvest Host location, HD Farm in Eastaboga, Alabama, near the Talladega Superspeedway.  It was on our way to New Orleans, LA, where we plan to meet up with Noel and her husband Mike.

It was a long day of driving, but we crossed into the central time zone between Georgia and Alabama so we gained an hour!

Our hosts, Henry and his wife Paula, made us feel welcome.  Henry took us about a half mile down the road on his farm where we set up camp near a slow moving river with an incredible view of 500+ acres of farmland.

As soon as we parked, we heard a loud buzzing.  I asked Henry, "Do you hear that."  He said, "Yes, that's a swarm of bees. They swarm this time of year."  Fortunately they took off in a different direction and we never heard them again.

The location was very peaceful. Karen and I really enjoyed the chirping birds and quiet ambiance.

Our alarm was set for 5am the next morning, but we woke up at 3:50am and got moving.  The crescent moonrise was spectacular, although my iphone camera couldn't quite capture it's beauty, as with so many things in God's creation.

While Karen was getting the inside of the camper ready for departure, I got the outside ready.  While I was out there in the dark with my headlamp on, I heard a loud splash in the river below, as if someone had dropped a 50 pound rock into the water.  I was puzzled at what could have made that sound.  I continued preparing the outside for departure and heard another identical splash, maybe 20 feet down the embankment from where I stood.  I was armed, but still nervous at the prospect of what it was.  An alligator? Perhaps we'll never know.

We pulled out of the campsite and drove for an hour and a half in the dark, happy to get an early start towards New Orleans.