Birthday Bash, Country Style (Thursday, Mar. 24)

I've been trying since last fall to find a day where we could take time off and do this trip, but as it turned out, it was quite lucky that the first day I could find was Herb's birthday.  It was far more beautiful than it would have been last fall or winter!

We started by driving down to Alabama, then going up Lookout Mountain to Valley Head.  We ate lunch there and wandered around the beautiful little town.

Something (apple tree?) was in bloom.

We went on to Mentone, a rustic little resort town on Lookout Mountain.  Discovering the Moonlight Bistro made us wish we hadn't already eaten--but we'll be back!  It's in easy driving distance of Leahaven, the next time we're down there.

I made Herb pose for this birthday picture on the porch of the Wildflower Cafe, another restaurant we intend to come back to when we're hungry!

This beautiful church fits right in with the elegantly rustic architecture of Mentone.

We left Mentone and headed along Lookout Mountain towards home, taking the back roads.  When Herb found a road that looked interesting, we followed its hairpin turns down the mountain.  At the foot, we found a cave at the Crockford Pigeon Mountain Wildlife Management Area, and Herb explored a tiny bit of it.  Not being prepared for spelunking, he didn't go much farther than this!

We followed the road into the beautiful and secluded McLemore Cove.  When we stopped for a snack at a little country store, the proprietor gave us directions to a wildflower preserve.

The Shirley Miller Wildflower Trail is located in a tiny pocket wilderness at the end of a gravel road.  A raised boardwalk lets you meander through the wetlands without wetting your feet or damaging the fragile ecosystem.  The Virginia bluebells were like a carpet at the foot of the mountain.

The white trilliums were also in bloom.  We couldn't believe that this hidden gem is only about half an hour from our house.  We'll definitely be back!

Especially since, between the wildflower preserve and home, we found a country restaurant on that serves grass-fed meat for breakfast and lunch!  Such treasures in the back lanes of Georgia, fittingly located on Hog Jowl Road!