April Roadtrip, Day 14, The Drive Home

 Day 14

Tuesday, April 14, 2026

     The last day of the roadtrip and I'm headed home, with a few stops of course.

     But first, sunrise from the Best Western parking lot.

    Just like Clark Creek in Mississippi, The Walls of Jericho Trail was rated as the best in Alabama on numerous lists.  I tried it a few years ago and didn't make it to the end.  So, I'm trying again.  The trailhead is an easy, half hour drive from Winchester. There are multiple starting points.  I chose the one just over the Alabama state line.

     It's been a couple of years since I tried this.  The parking lot is noticeably larger.  And the trail has a lot more red blazes than I remember.

     The first two and a half miles is pretty easy, but steady decline towards the bottom of the canyon.

     The last stretch is a bit rocky, but still not too bad.  I can see why the trail gets the reviews it does.  The butterflies were a nice bonus.  I learned later that a group of butterflies are a called a Kaleidoscope. 

     Of course there's the inevitable trip back up...

      Pretty good morning and a great way to wrap up the trip.

     It was time to head for home.  Along the way, I passed something called the Tumbling Rock Cave Preserve.  Your fee gets you access to their cave system, plus necessary equipment.  Not my thing, but interesting.  I've done Mammoth Cave National Park and loved it.  I prefer not to be crawling around underground though.  

      Since I was passing through Scottsboro anyway, I made a quick stop.  There's a place in town that sells the contents of unclaimed luggage.  Seriously.  They've been doing this since 1970.  I stopped in years ago and it was interesting, though I didn't buy anything.  The place just felt a little grungy.

     They've really done a lot with the place.  It's clean, well organized and big.  Still didn't buy anything though.  

     The rest of the drive was just a slog and I would eventually pull into my driveway a little after sunset, tired but feeling good.

Dave

4/2026