Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Hi Dennis, yes we were. We are going to connect in Corpus Christi.

Jim

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Day 2: On Wednesday, we drove from Bristol, TN to Tuscaloosa, AL. The day started with fog in the mountains, as is expected in the Smokey Mountains:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0683.jpg


Since we got an early start heading west, the morning sun gave us a nice C4 shadow:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0698.jpg


South of Chattanooga, TN, we stopped at Lookout Mountain. We drove to the top of the mountain and visited Point Park and the Chickamauga & Chattanooga National Military Park:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0744.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0770.jpg

The views for the top of Lookout Mountain were breathtaking. I would have really liked to stay for hours and just enjoy the views:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0795.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0777.jpg

to be continued......

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Lyndi decided to try her hand at artillery director:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0806.jpg


We drove on to Tuscaloosa and visited the Tuscaloosa Museum of Art. The museum foundation administers the collection of Jack Warner. Warner was the CEO of Gulf States Paper, and later the Westervelt Company. He founded the museum in 2003 after exhibiting portions of the collection in the headquarters building of the Westervelt Company. We were given a private tour of the collection at the Company headquarters in Tuscaloosa. It is one of the finest collections that we have ever seen. The collection focuses on art that celebrates the growth of America and the many facets of America's history. One of our favorite pieces was by Edward Hopper titled Dawn before Gettysburg:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0916.jpg

Jim

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Jim do you to sleep in the ship?
Nelson


W

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

No, but would be very cool. We leave the Corvettes on the ship and stay in a hotel.

The Canadian submarine that we visited in Romuuski, QC last month had a "spend the night" program. That would have been fun.

Jim

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

The USS Silversides in Muskegon, MI and the USS Cobia in Manitowac, WI offer the overnight

My on and I stayed on the Cobia for a scout outing

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Jim as a retired Artillery Officer Tell Lyndi she is close to accurate. All she needs is a gunners square. :-D

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Day 3 - On Thursday we drove from Tuscaloosa, AL to Lafayette, LA. West of Tuscaloosa we saw a sign for the Heflin Lock so we decided to take a detour and check it out. We drove about 8 miles off the interstate and found the site:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0046.jpg


The Heflin dam and lock is one of four dams and locks on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. At the end of the access road we found the lock surrounded by a secure chain link fence. The lock appears to be a modern construction and in good condition. We took the best picture we could and continued our journey:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0055.jpg


When we got back on I-10 we came up on a white C7 Corvette with New Jersey plates. We suspect that he is headed to Corpus Christi also:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0096.jpg


We crossed Lake Ponchartrain on the I-10 Causeway and saw the skyline of New Orleans in the distance:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0130.jpg

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0142.jpg

When we got to New Iberia, we took a side trip to Avery Island to visit the Tabasco Factory:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0338.jpg

to be continued.....

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

Tabasco hot sauce is made in a factory on Avery Island by a family owned company that has been in business since 1868. The production facility is open to the public for touring as well as a very nice nature preserve called the Jungle Gardens.

The factory is not large and is housed in two brick buildings:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0405.jpg

The Tabasco peppers and ground up and made into a mash that is stored in wooden barrels for three years:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0366.jpg


After aging, the spicy liquid is separated from the mash solids. in the Mixing Room, the sauce is mixed with vinegar for three days:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0419.jpg

Then the modern bottling machines fill the bottles, apply a cap, label and seal the bottles and package them for shipment:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0456.jpg

Today they produced over a half million bottles of hot sauce:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0466.jpg


The company now produces a wide variety of products:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0478.jpg


to be continued.....

Re: ZR-1 Road Trip - Vettes on Lex Corvette Show - Corpus Christi
 

On the same location as the factory, the company maintains a nature preserve called the Jungle gardens. The grounds are open to the public and visitors drive around the preserve. We enjoyed the quiet and beautiful scenery and wild life:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0670.jpg

This young Blue Heron was exploring near the bayou:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0553.jpg


This very large oak tree is called the Cleveland Oak because it was one of the favorites of President Grover Cleveland:

http://i407.photobucket.com/albums/p...i/DSC_0715.jpg


Jim