Savannah | livingandlovinglifeafter50

One Hello World!

Recently, my husband and I took advantage of the lovely spring weather in southwestern Tennessee, where we are currently camping, to get out in nature. I laced up my hiking boots, and we loaded up our dog, Chewie, and headed to Shiloh National Military Park near Savannah, Tennessee. In addition to Civil War history related to the famous battle fought there in April 1962, the grounds of the battlefield also encompass the mounds that remain from Native Americans who lived there until about 800 years ago. You can read more about that here.

Hiking boots on and ready to go

Jim and I have enjoyed this park several times, so today we went there specifically to hike the Indian Mounds trail, which is a little bit over a mile loop. Here are some of the beautiful shots we got while out and about.

Jim and Chewie in front of Interpretive Building for Mounds

Jim & Chewie in front of Interpretive Building for Mounds

Scattered along the trail are this signs that help explain the people and the sites seen.

One of the smaller mounds near the largest mound

We’re making our way up to the larger mound

Now, here are some shots from the view from the top of the largest mound, built on the high banks of the Tennessee River. We had to climb a set of stairs, located on the southeast side of the mound, to get to the top.

Information at the top of the largest mound, riverside

Information at the top of the largest mound, southeast and riverside

Looking across the top of the mound toward the river

On the northeast corner of the mound, it drops rapidly and almost straight down to the Tennessee River.

Looking down from the northeast edge

Looking to southeast corner of the mound from northeast

We were about half way through our hike here. The three of us enjoyed the walk through woods and over bridges back to the starting point. By the time we were done, it was getting warmer, and Jim and I had both worked up a sweat. We stopped briefly at the book store; Jim wanted to see if they had a book on a subject of interest to him. They did. Here we are – tired (and I’m flushed) but happy – heading home.

Angela, Chewie, and Jim (L to R)

BTW, I forgot to mention that not too far from the Mounds hiking trail is a tree with a family of bald eagles. That is something else one can enjoy viewing at Shiloh.

The HH and I have been wrapping up our plans for our Great American Road Trip, which is our big trip of the year, and we are so excited. As I have thought about our travel this year, all of which is in the United States, not only am I excited about the trips themselves, but I am also thrilled that we are supporting Americans. As much as possible and reasonable, our expenditures are local to where we are at the time. Let me explain.

We love traveling! We love experiencing other countries and other cultures, but this year our travel is dedicated to exploring, experiencing, and supporting our home: the United States of America. I have read that spending an unbelievably small amount of money each week on products and services made and performed by Americans create additional American jobs, and this is almost always in the back of my mind when making decisions on how to spend our money. Travel (tourism) is just another way to support Americans.

Photo Credit

The week of New Year’s Day 2014, we supported Pensacola Florida. While we did stay in a chain hotel, the rest of our money was spent in local restaurants and grocery stores. The end of January and first of February found us supporting the local economy of Savannah, Georgia. We stayed with family, and when we ate out, we ate almost exclusively in local eateries. Our entertainment was taking local tours. The middle of February, the HH was sent to work on the island of Maui in Hawaii, and I went along for about week myself. Again, we supported local as much as possible. His company rented a local house for him, and we both ate in local restaurants and shopped in local stores. We explored the island taking tours with local people or lessons, like the HH’s surfing lessons, from local instructors.

My husband finished his work in Hawaii, and then he joined the rest of my side of the family on family vacation in the North Georgia mountains. While we stayed in a resort, the resort employs people who otherwise might have difficulty finding local employment. It was the local grocery stores, gas stations, and restaurants that benefitted from our travels to this location from all over the Eastern U. S.

Back on the road again, the HH worked for about three months in New York, and I shared a tourist long weekend with him while there. Yes, he stayed in a chain hotel and had to rent a car from the chain business with which his company contracts, but it was the local food and sites where we spent money that otherwise might not have been spent as we explored parts of New York and New Jersey. We even supported one of the local baseball teams with our attendance and dinner at the stadium.

All through the year, my husband and I support local in the city and county where we live as well as in the surrounding areas; we have had a blast doing things like attending plays performed at local colleges and visiting the various local restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues in our area. Check out some of these stories by clicking here, and here, and here.

Now, my husband and I gear up for the Mother of all road trips down the Mother Road: Route 66. With our itinerary set, we’ve booked our lodging and have sights set on potential restaurants. While fiscal responsibility requires that we use hotel points as we are able, the vast majority of our nightly lodging will be in local motels or B & Bs. Here are the names of some of the local places where we have made reservations for our trip out to L. A. and back home again.