Oneonta, Blount County

On September 11, 2008 I attended a meeting in Oneonta, Alabama in Blount County. The trip to Oneonta provided the opportunity to check out the ‘famed’ covered bridges of Blount County. (http://www.800alabama.com/things-to-do/tours-trails/covered-bridge/) We visited three covered bridges: Swann Covered Bridge (324 feet long; built in 1933), Old Easley Covered Bridge (95 feet/1930), and the Horton Mill Bridge (one of the highest covered bridges in the nation at 70’ and built in 1935). I was very impressed with all of the bridges, and the view and adjacent recreation area near Swann Covered Bridge was amazing.

I love bridges, all bridges, always have, and covered bridges are extra special. I did ask the question: “Why are they covered?” So I looked it up and it turns out that the covering is meant to protect the wood used in the bridge from the elements. By simply covering it and adding some siding, the lifespan of a bridge can be expanded from 8 years to 80 years.

Eats: We dined at the Top Hat BBQ in Blount Springs; not too far off of I-65. The motto: “41 years, three generations, 1 sauce” was a good start. The pulled pork was very tasty while the side items were average. Top Hat is part of the Southern Barbecue trail (linked on this page) and i've heard the catfish is very good as well. The pulled pork was definitely worth the stop.

Ashville, Alabama St. Clair County

On September 2nd of 2008 I drove up to the county seat of Ashville in St. Clair County for a quick meeting with the County mapper. St. Clair County is a tale of two counties, and it has two county seats to boot (the other being Pell City). The southern portion of the county is in the I-20 corridor and is one of the fastest growing counties in the state and is part of the the Birmingham metro area. The northern portion of the county is much more rural. Natural Beauty and rocky foothills abound in the northern part of the county. Known by many climbing enthusiasts as the premier bouldering site in the American Southeast, Horse Pens 40 sits atop Alabama's 3rd Highest peak, Chandler Mountain (http://www.hp40.com/). St. Clair County was founded before Alabama became a state in 1818 so it is rich in history as well. Logan Martin Lake is also mainly located in St. Clair County along the Coosa River.

For many Ashville is the weird intersection along 231 that you have to make a few odd turns to be on your way. As for eating, the town of Ashville had a few choices that seemed interesting, but none on the town square. I settled on an unsightly looking barbecue joint on the opposite side of I-59 from the town called Shaw's Barbecue. The food was excellent and maintain that the green beans might be the very best I've eaten. The barbecue sandwich was good as well and very good customer service and great local clientele. I highly recommend this stop if ever passing through Ashville on I-59.

Dadeville, Tallapoosa County

Tallapoosa County (http://www.tallaco.com/) is located along the US 280 corridor between Birmingham and Auburn and sits along the shores of beautiful Lake Martin. In addition to Lake Martin, there are several interesting sights in the County including Horseshoe Bend National Military Park (http://www.nps.gov/hobe/). In 1814, Andrew Jackson let an army of over 3000 to route the Creek Indians along the Tallapoosa River. Over 800 Creek Indians lost their lives defending their homeland that day in a battle that quickly led the Upper Creek Tribe to cede over 20 million acres of their land to the U.S. in which the State of Alabama was carved out of. The recognition from this battle and the Battle of New Orleans were very influential in Andrew Jackson's rise to President in 1829.

Dadeville is the county seat of Tallapoosa County (though Alexander City is much larger) and the location of a meeting I attended in early 2008. The locals recommended the Home Plate Cafe, a meat and three, sports themed restaurant a couple blocks off the town square. Home Plate offered a warm friendly atmosphere in a converted fast food building. The food was good, but not spectacular. The restaurant offers several choices of meats and vegetables on a rotating basis and was packed with locals, always a good sign.

One other note: Chimney Rock (pictured) is an incredible location within Lake Martin for jumping off of very high cliffs (yes I have done this, twice!). Former Auburn Head Coach Terry Bowden broke his ribs making this jump.