Heading East- Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail

September 30th & October 1st- We spent an overnight on the 29th in Russellville, AR.  On the 30th, as we crossed the border into Tennessee, we crossed over the Mississippi River.  In all of our trips west, the crossing of the Mississippi in either direction is a big deal for us.  It signifies either "now we are Out West" or "now we are nearing home".  We have always tried to find a place to stop and spend a few minutes admiring this huge river that has played such a big part in our countries' history.  On this trip, that has not worked in either direction- just crossing in very busy, industrial areas that don't lend themselves to sight-seeing.  It is a little sad for me, as we have decided this will be our last driving trip west.  If and when we return to the West, it will be by plane and rental car... 

I remember clearly our first crossing, on our very first trip in 2009.  We were driving the northern route and crossed the river on the border of Wisconsin and Minnesota.  It was so narrow that far north we almost did not realize what we were seeing.  We found a place to pull in- there were actually picnic tables there, a very rural area- and spent some time admiring the river and becoming even more excited about our adventure!  The river has many good memories for us.

On arriving in Decatur, we did some research on which course we wanted to play- the nearby Hampton Cove in Huntsville has three courses to choose from, the Highlands, the River, and the Short Course.  This club is considered the northern gateway to the Robert Trent Jones Trail.  We automatically threw out the Short Course then, after realizing the River course has 16 out of 18 holes with water, we decided on the Highlands.  We were a little concerned about weather and possible rain.  As it turned out, it was overcast all day, with a few sprinkles here and there, but not bad. 

For all of you non-golfers, the RTJ Golf Trail is a group of 26 golf courses in 11 different sites in Alabama, a total of 468 golf holes, all designed by Robert Trent Jones, Sr.  The project was started in the 1980's to bring in tourism and encourage retirees to come to Alabama.  The courses have enough variety in length to allow all players to enjoy the courses. 

The course we chose to play is considered one of the gems of the trail, with several scenic holes near the end.  It also has an old mule barn on one of the holes- a recognizable landmark for anyone who has played the trail.  The course itself was very playable but, surprisingly, not in the pristine shape we had expected from all we have heard.  However, a very enjoyable course to play- and I played much better than previous games on this trip, so I was happy!

You can certainly see in the photos that it was an overcast day.  We had lunch at the course before heading back to our motel.   Where to next?  Dale and I had often discussed how we would like to go to Plains, GA.  Not that we were big fans of President Carter when he was in office, but feel he is a great, kind man, and wanted to see his hometown.  So, that will be the next stop!