I have celebrated my January birthday swimming with the manatees in Crystal River, FL, for decades. This year, due to an international trip that nearly coincided with my usual dates, we moved the trip back to mid-December. But as we got closer to the week, AccuWeather predicted unseasonably warm temperatures, which is not ideal for finding manatees in Florida’s springs, so we moved the dates again.
That left us with two open weeks over Christmas and New Year’s. We visited the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge for one overnight in December 2023 and have always wanted to return. It was established in 1938 as a wintering area for ducks, geese, and other migratory birds and attracts thousands of sandhill cranes and endangered whooping cranes.
TG found a last-minute Airbnb in Scottsboro, a small town outside of Guntersville, about an hour’s drive from Wheeler, and booked nine nights over the holidays.
The charming town of Guntersville is appropriately called “Alabama’s Lake City,” as there is water, water everywhere! With over 69,000 acres of shoreline, you don’t have to travel far to view the Tennessee River or Lake Guntersville. The area is home to dozens of parks and natural areas, and we planned to explore as much as possible during our stay.
We arrived on Christmas Eve and spent the afternoon getting settled. Although basic, the Airbnb was just right for us, with a covered carport, comfy king-size bed, and a large backyard for Oscar and Maddie to explore.
We were up early Christmas morning for our traditional breakfast at Waffle House.
Then we checked out an owl listing on E-bird (no luck) before heading to the Lake Guntersville walking trail. This beautiful pathway hugs the lake for miles, offering multiple views of waterbirds and colorful songbirds.
A classic Christmas carol has that lovely line, “Let heaven and nature sing,” and it truly felt like that on this beautiful morning! We were greeted by flocks of graceful white pelicans, Canada geese, thousands of American coots, gem-colored mallards, and a stunning goldeneye.
As we walked along the path, we encountered several people who saw our cameras and asked if we had spotted any eagles.
This area is popular for eagle-watching, and while we quickly found their large nest, it took us a few more visits to actually see them perched high in a tree.
Thursday morning, we awoke to drizzly rain. We drove to Wheeler NWR, but the overcast skies offered little promise for photos.
We tried another location, the Goldsmith Schiffman Wildlife Sanctuary in Huntsville, but turned back when the trail became too wet and muddy to continue.
Unfortunately, the forecast for next few days looked just as bleak: cloudy with rain. But we have never been ones to sit around due to inclement weather, and we found plenty of things to keep ourselves occupied.
We visited the Unclaimed Baggage store, which has purchasing agreements with airlines and transportation companies for items deemed “orphaned.” I picked up a mint-condition $350 Patagonia jacket for $30! TG was tempted by a sweet $5K Hermès jacket priced at only $300, but unfortunately (or luckily?), the sleeves were a tad short, so we left it for another bargain hunter to find.
We had lunch at Julia’s, a Mexican restaurant in downtown Guntersville, full of beautiful artwork.
And on Saturday, we visited the breathtaking Cathedral Caverns, a state park just a 20-minute drive from our Airbnb. The entrance is massive and is reputed to be the largest commercial cave entrance in the world.
Opened in 1950, the cavern was named for its cathedral-like appearance. While it’s difficult to determine the exact age of the stalactites and stalagmites, radiometric dating techniques indicate that some are at least 190,000 years old.
Once inside, our cheerful guide, Grace, led us on a fascinating journey past some of the most beautiful formations Mother Nature has created. Highlights included a “caveman” perched atop a flowstone wall, a “frozen waterfall,” and an improbable stalagmite that is 27 feet tall and only 3 inches wide.
About 3/4 of a mile into our walk, we were instructed to turn off every bit of light so that we could experience Total Darkness. We were almost 1,000 feet underground, and the pitch-blackness was so thick that you could practically reach out and touch it!
The tour follows an out-and-back paved pathway. On our way out, Grace indulged my request to search for the tiny Eastern pipistrelle bats that inhabit the cavern.
They are some of the smallest bats in North America, weighing less than a quarter of an ounce. They looked like tiny dots on the cavern walls, and I was only able to capture a proof-of-life shot.
But sensing my keen interest, Grace gave me some intel. Sauta Cave, located in Scottsboro, is a summer roosting site for gray bats. One of nature’s most spectacular events occurs every evening in June, July, and August, when at dusk 200,000-400,000 bats leave the cave to begin their nightly foraging.
As if we needed another reason to return to this area next summer! 🦇🦇😍
We visited Guntersville Dam, which was designed by the Army Corps of Engineers and completed in 1939.
The dam was built primarily for flood control, but it also serves several additional purposes: navigation on the Tennessee River, hydroelectric power generation, providing water to the city of Guntersville, and recreational activities such as fishing and birdwatching.
The north and south areas of the dam are recognized as E-bird “hotspots,” with nearly 200 species reported on almost 300 checklists.
On Monday, the clouds finally cleared, revealing bright blue skies and warm sunshine.
We decided to go back to the Wheeler National Wildlife Refuge to capture some better photos of the sandhill cranes.
It seemed like everyone was taking advantage of the beautiful weather, reminding us why we have such a “love-hate” relationship with this refuge. While the cranes are certainly lovely, the limited viewing areas are often crowded with photographers, all vying for the same shot!
On New Year’s Eve, I visited the Hays Nature Preserve, which features over ten miles of trails along the Flint River and is an important part of the Alabama Birding Trail. For the first hour, I shared the path with flocks of cedar waxwings, robins, other migratory birds, and multiple hawks.
I crossed paths with a young man carrying a long lens. Kevin was looking for owls, so I asked if I could join him. We scoured his “known locations” for over an hour, but luck was not on our side. As we returned to our cars, I casually asked if he had spotted any owls recently. His response, “Oh no, this is my first time here since last summer,” added a touch of irony to my owl-less adventure.
But the next morning, I took O & M out before dawn and heard the unmistakable hoot of a great horned owl in the trees at the back of the property. I quickly grabbed my phone and played the call. Although I was unable to spot the owl, we shared a delightful “conversation” as he hooted in response to my calls. What a wonderful end to our stay in Guntersville and a wonderful start to the new year.
You can view all of our photos from our holiday week in Guntersville here:
TG:
JET:
2024 was our first full year in our new home in Southern Alabama, and what a year it was! We moved to “Casa-Bama” in the summer of 2023 to lower our cost of living and enable us to continue to travel as much as possible.
If you’ve been following our blog, you’re familiar with our adventures over this past year. As we begin 2025—a year that promises change and uncertainties—we hope you find solace, happiness, and love in every moment. And be sure to stay tuned for the exciting travels we have planned for the coming months!
On The Road with Tall Guy & JET 