The Adventures of Lewis and Clark in the 21st Century: Alabama

I spent most of my formative years in Alabama. I was born in Florida but we moved to Florence, Alabama when I was about six years old. My parents had divorced and both of their families were from the area.

I left Alabama when I graduated from college. I do see myself living here again but I do enjoy an occasional visit.

I am going to blog out of order again. I want to post a pic of a portion of my family. A few of us went to dinner last night. There is ALWAYS laughter when this bunch goes out. These folks are incredibly loving and nurturing.

AUNT JAN, MEGAN, KATRENA, AUNT CINDY, ROGER, LAFONDA, HEATHER AND ME

We occasionally get the whole kit and kaboodle together.

AUNTS, UNCLES AND COUSINS.

We had a great time at dinner. Old stories are told and new ones are added. Not all family is good but good family is invaluable.

My Wednesday started with a run. It was another classic summer day but I got it done. I came back to a full breakfast at the hotel and faced the first temptation of the day.

GIANT CINNAMON ROLLS

I love cinnamon rolls. I gave these a good long stare but had yogurt and a banana instead. I think the pleasure I would have gotten from eating one of these would have been short lived and then the mega sugar high would be followed by a sugar crash. Besides that, I had plans to meet a friend for lunch.

I had my breakfast and got a few things done. I headed into town and linked up with Denise. She and I were friends in middle and high school but had not really kept in touch over the years. We reconnected on Facebook and had a good catch up over lunch.

A bit later, Megan came to the hotel and she and I took a ride to the river. This region has some interesting high points. One of these is Wilson Dam and the Tennessee Valley Authority.

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) is a federally owned corporation in the United States created by congressional charter in May 1933 to provide navigation, flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing, and economic development to the Tennessee Valley, a region particularly affected by the Great Depression. The enterprise was a result of the efforts of Senator George W. Norris of Nebraska. TVA was envisioned not only as a provider, but also as a regional economic development agency that would use federal experts and electricity to rapidly modernize the region's economy and society.

T.V.A.'s service area covers most of Tennessee, portions of Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky, and small slices ofGeorgia, North Carolina, and Virginia. It was the first large regional planning agency of the federal government and remains the largest. Under the leadership of David Lilienthal ("Mr. T.V.A."), T.V.A. became a model for America's governmental efforts to seek in assisting the modernization of agrarian societies in the developing world.

The system of Locks and Dams created by TVA is quite amazing. One of those dams(Wilson) is located here and connects Florence and Muscle Shoals, Alabama.

The Tennessee River flows along this system and the lake created by the local dam is called Wilson Lake.

WILSON LAKE FROM ABOVE THE DAM

Wilson Lake and the smaller bodies of water that feed into it are just beautiful and have been a source of recreation for many years.

ANNIE BELLE'S VIEW FROM MEGAN'S SHOULDER

Megan and left the top side viewing area and went to the bottom side viewing area. This area has always been called the Rock Pile. My grandaddy used to take me fishing here. The current at Rock Pile, which is below Wilson Dam, is swift and strong. I always loved to fish there but I was always very careful for fear of falling in the water. It is not at all uncommon for anglers to fish this water from their boats but I am happy to stay on dry land. The dam rises high above the surface and the thought of how much water it holds back is just a little scary.