Category: Driving

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Blogging Driving Geography Music Nature Photography Travel

My American Splendor Cruise – Part 3

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. My journey continues in Decatur Alabama on the south bank of the Tennessee River in the north-central part of the state a little over 30 miles south of the Tennessee state line.

We arrived just after 12 Noon on Thursday October 01ST 2026. What a great way to kickoff the first day of October – by arriving at my first port-of-call on my first river cruise. (The embarkation port of Chattanooga doesn’t technically count as a port-of-call since all of my fellow cruise passengers either flew there or drove there from all around the country.)

I signed-up for the shore excursion to the Huntsville Botanical Garden. This was a self-guided excursion, so everyone was on their own to see and do what they wanted to at their own pace. (We got free transportation to and from there as well as free admission.) I think I saw much of the botanical garden walking around, and I was not particularly impressed with it. I’ve been to some very nice botanical gardens in Florida. This was not as nice as any of them. There were a lot of workers there preparing for some type of special social event coming up. There were many tables set up along walkways with lots of party supplies on them. It looks like they were also preparing for the upcoming holiday season. Overall – the place didn’t really look too inviting to me as a first-time visitor.

The trek back to the cruise ship from Huntsville was actually more fascinating than the botanical garden. Due to extremely slow and congested afternoon rush hour traffic headed westbound out of Huntsville, and actually headed towards Decatur – our #ACL luxury coach driver decided to take a detour around much of the mess on I-565. He took the backroads (which is what I would’ve done as well, since I no longer drive any Interstates). He unknowingly took the luxury coach and all of us passengers on a couple of miles of dirty dusty unpaved public roadway. (Our driver apologized to all of us stating that he had no idea his Google Maps detour would eventually take us “off-road”, and he couldn’t back-up once the road suddenly went unpaved.)

It was quite the rocky ride before we made it back onto modern U.S. 31 into Decatur – where we connected with the heavy traffic again (going southbound). As it turns out – it was the opening night of “Rock The South” – a popular 4-day country music festival that was making its debut 7 miles away on the other side of Decatur. (That’s where all of the traffic was headed.)

Fun Facts: American Cruise Lines maintains its own large fleet of distinctive high-end luxury coach buses – at least one per ship, and in some cases 2 or 3. (My American Splendor cruise ship had 3 assigned, as we are one of their largest ships of nearly 180 passengers.) The buses follow or shadow their assigned ships, and they are utilized to transport the passengers to the ship on embarkation day, from the ship on debarkation day, and to and from shore excursions in-between. That makes #ACL unique in that they don’t rely on unpredictable locally-chartered buses. Their own employees drive their own buses around to each port. In some cases – for premium shore excursions – the operator of a local tour company will utilize their own private vans to transport cruise passengers. (I took such a tour the next day.)

Tomorrow on Facebook (#FollowUpFriday) I’ll write about the Irish entertainer that sung for us on that 2ND night on the ship. Oh – and I’ll tell you all about one of the greatest shore excursions I’ve ever been on – next – #TravelThursday. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Geography Internet Music Travel

My American Splendor Cruise – Part 1

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. For 6 weeks – I wrote about “The Bluegrass State” (June 25TH), “The Hoosier State” (July 02ND), “The Buckeye State” (July 09TH), “The Mountain State” (July 16TH), “The Keystone State” (July 23RD), and “My Ohio River Cruise” (July 30TH) – that was unfortunately cancelled.

So I rebooked a replacement cruise, and for the next 10 weeks I wrote about “My Replacement Cruise” (August 06TH), “The Volunteer State” (August 13TH), “The Yellowhammer State” (August 20TH), “The Bluegrass State” (August 27TH), “The Scenic City” (September 03RD), “The River City & The Rocket City” (September 10TH), “The Renaissance City” (September 17TH), “Catfish Capital Of The World” (September 24TH), “Village Between The Lakes” (October 01ST), and finally “Music City U.S.A.” (October 08TH).

And of course last week I revealed that I had returned back home from Nashville and that replacement cruise. A few of you close to me knew that I was away, but most of you found out last #TravelThursday – after the fact. For those of you on Social Media (which is all of you, since you’re reading this blog) – you never ever want to announce to the whole world that you’re away on vacation. Wait until after you’ve returned, and then reveal it to the masses, and then of course tell us all about it, or as much as you wish to share. That’s what I plan to do starting with this edition and probably continuing every Thursday through the end of the year.

So let’s get started. My journey began at 6:50 AM on Tuesday September 29TH 2026 when I began my drive to my favorite airport – Sarasota-Bradenton (#SRQ). Of course my patience was tested early on in my journey leaving Avon Park on Florida State Road 64. I was trapped behind a slow truck carrying a giant boat on a trailer (from U.S. 27 to U.S. 17). How ironic since I’d be enjoying a cruise on a giant boat in a little over 24 hours. After the truck / boat combo pulled off – a school bus making multiple stops to pick-up Hardee County kids took its place – followed by a small fuel truck. Of course I was tailgated by multiple different vehicles while being trapped behind all three slower-moving vehicles.

Finding a parking space in the main long-term lot at #SRQ was easy. Check-in was a breeze (as always), and I was inside the terminal sitting at my gate a little over 15 minutes after shutting off my car in the parking lot. As always – #SRQ was catering to their most common demographics by playing the greatest radio hits of the 1970s loudly over their sound system. As usual – I was lip-syncing and subtly dancing in my chair.

The Delta flights from #SRQ to #ATL, and from #ATL to #CHA were uneventful. They each took off and landed early. The baggage carousel in Chattanooga gets started with the sound of a choo-choo train approaching. It took a while for my Uber to arrive. I didn’t order it until after I retrieved my luggage. I should’ve ordered it as I was walking off the plane. The Uber ride along I-75, I-24, and U.S. 27 was somewhat terrifying, but I arrived safely and securely at the pre-cruise hotel within 25 minutes.

Fun Facts: That was only my 2ND time ever using Uber. My first time was 8½ years ago after a previous (Disney) cruise out of Miami with my brother, sister-in-law, and nieces.

Tomorrow on Facebook (#FollowUpFriday) I’ll write about my hotel and dinner in downtown Chattanooga, and next #TravelThursday I’ll finally board the American Splendor cruise ship on the Tennessee River. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Geography History Music Nature Photography Travel Weather

The Renaissance City

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about Huntsville and Decatur Alabama. On my upcoming American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler ship we will cruise from Decatur westward less than 40 miles to our next port-of-call. It’ll be a slow and meticulous 40 miles over the course of 6 hours as we drop nearly 140 feet in elevation. We’ll essentially be dropping from the Upper Tennessee River to the Lower Tennessee River via a couple of dams and locks that will lower the ship gradually like an elevator. Before the dams were constructed from the late-1910s to the mid-1930s that stretch of river was shallow and rocky with steep sudden drops creating rapids and waterfalls.

That 6-hour trek downstream will occur late at night, so unless I’m out on my balcony watching us enter the locks, lower, and exit the locks – I’ll probably be sleeping right through it.

As the dawn of a new day arrives I’ll be waking up in Alabama’s Renaissance City – Florence. It’s actually 1 of 4 cities that form what locals affectionately call “The Shoals”. Florence (about 45,000 residents), Muscle Shoals (about 18,000), Sheffield (about 9,000), and Tuscumbia (about 9,000) make up the region that collectively include well over 150,000 residents including adjacent smaller towns and communities.

Fun Facts: Historic routes U.S. 43 and U.S. 72 meet in the region, and they form a concurrency through The Shoals. U.S. 43 runs 410 miles from Columbia Tennessee southward to Mobile. U.S. 72 runs 318 miles from Memphis eastward to Chattanooga. There are long-term plans to upgrade U.S. 43 along the entire western Alabama corridor from Florence to Mobile to Interstate standards. Decades from now it could perhaps be I-63 (not currently in-use).

That day will be busy for me in Florence. (The ship will be docked at Florence Harbor Marina adjacent to McFarland Park.) I’ll be part of a guided tour of multiple historic Shoals music studios in the morning. That afternoon I’ll be visiting Ivy Green – a historic house museum in Tuscumbia. It’s the birthplace and childhood home of Helen Keller.

I’m looking forward to my two days of cruising the Tennessee River in northern Alabama (203 miles across the state). Hopefully the Fall weather is nice, so that I can fully enjoy Huntsville, Decatur, and The Shoals.

And that’s a hint as to when this cruise will actually occur. Some of you close to me already know when I’ll be on this cruise, so if you know then you know to keep it between us. Everyone else will find out all about this cruise when I actually begin writing about it after I return home.

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about Savannah Tennessee. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp

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Blogging Driving Geography Nature Photography Travel

The River City & The Rocket City

Welcome back to #TravelThursday. Last week I wrote about Chattanooga Tennessee. About 167 miles downstream the Tennessee River is Decatur Alabama (“The River City”) – one of the ports-of-call of my upcoming American Cruise Lines paddlewheeler ship cruise on the Tennessee and Cumberland Rivers. And just up the road (I-565) by about 25 minutes is Huntsville Alabama (“The Rocket City”). I’ve been to Huntsville twice before in 1990 and 1992 for quick visits to pick-up my brother from Space Camp / Space Academy at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

It’s a quick 5½-hour afternoon docking at Rhodes Ferry Park in Decatur. I’m booked on a shore excursion over at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. I’m looking forward to exploring 118 acres of nature. Longtime readers of #TravelThursday (and its various predecessors online) know that I’m a big fan of botanical gardens and related nature parks. They make for great photo opportunities – plus – I like learning more about trees, plants, and flowers. If I had stayed down in South Florida for retirement – there’s a good possibility that I would’ve been at the Fruit & Spice Park often – possibly even as an employee or a volunteer.

Fun Fact # 1: The Tennessee River in Decatur Alabama sits at an average elevation of about 555 feet above sea level, or almost 80 feet lower than Chattanooga Tennessee. That’s how the river flows downstream. #Science

Fun Fact # 2: Huntsville is Alabama’s largest city, and one of the fastest-growing cities in the U.S.A. Its population is approaching 250,000. Back in 2010 it was Alabama’s 4TH largest city, but it has since surpassed Birmingham, Montgomery, and Mobile. (Mobile is now # 2 – having also surpassed Birmingham and Montgomery.) Over 550,000 residents live in the Huntsville metro area (Madison and Limestone Counties).

Next #TravelThursday – I’ll write about Florence Alabama. Let’s keep traveling together.

All rights reserved (c) 2026 Christopher M. Day, CountUp