Mountain Lakes Resort & Guntersville State Park

Today we had to be at the welcome center for our sales pitch of Resorts Of Distinctions at 9PM. The presentation was for about 3 hour. There was no real hard sells like we have been to in the past. We got a certificate for a free $10 turkey at Wal-Mart and a gift certificate for $50 at a restaurant of our choice, besides the four free day stay at the resort.. After the presentation, I walked around to take some more pictures of the place. This is the Club House.

On the back side of the Club House is an indoor pool. They also have an outdoor pool which is closed for the season.

They also have rental cabins.

These are one bedroom with a loft for $60 a night. The public is not allowed to stay at this park. The only way you get in, is if you are a member, or you stay free for a presentation.

The park has a church that has services on Sunday and Wednesday.

After lunch we drove fives miles to Lake Guntersville State Park.

Our salesman told us we should come up and see the Lake Guntersville Lodge.

This lodge was remodel in 2008.

Looking into the front door of the lodge.

There was a bobcat sitting next to the back of the coach near the fireplace. Here pretty kitty!

Joe wondered out to the deck while I was still looking around inside.

Before I walked out on the deck with Joe, I looked back at the other side of the fireplace.

On the deck I looked south.

A better view of the back side of the lodge.

Then we walked over to the deck above the pool, and looked where we had just been standing.

Now  looking north. Our campground, Mountain Lake Resort is this direction on the other side of the peninsula. Just straight down by the water is the campground.

Looking straight out or west on Guntersville Lake.

The price to stay at the lodge runs from $89.00/ night for parking lot view, to $175/night for water front view.

After leaving the lodge, we drove down to the beach and camping area. From down below, I looked back up to the lodge. You might notice all the dead trees. On April 24, 2011 a F2 tornadoes hit this area. 

The beach is a rocky sand. The Canadian geese have taken the beach over for the season.

A look back up at the lodge. Before the tornado, the lodge could not be seen from the campground or beach.

We stopped at the campground to see what the prices were. We found that only one section of the park was open due to tornado damage. The price was $24 during the week and $29/weekends.

This is just one of the sections that is closed from the tornado. The campground had 50' + trees though out the park, creating a canopy, before the storm.

The trees were snapped off. You can see the direction the tornado came from.You can also see the bent hookup poles.

The park said they would not be fully back up for two years.

Here is a picture of a pile of destroyed picnic tables. The one positive from the storm, is that because 1500 trees were taken down from the tornado, the view from the lodge is now much more open!

On the way home I had Joe stop so I could get a picture of this foundation and chimney of this house. While in this area, we had seen several properties of just chimneys.

Today started out raining, and then turned cold and gloomy. It is really fun to watch these Herons walk ever so slowly to catch their prey.

Tomorrow we head out for the coast of Alabama. We are presently 400 miles from the coast, so we will not reach Gulf Shores tomorrow.

We are still sitting in a puddle at the rear of our Nest.

Joe is wishing he had some galoshes right now.

As I sat at the dinette table, I watch the wind whip in little waves, creating constant ripples on the water.

I am glad we are heading south tomorrow. As I write this the wind is howling out our door. There were tornado warning out today, but they have heading north of us now. Tonight the low is to be 41 degrees, but tomorrow night the low is to be 30 degrees. Hope it is warmer where ever we land tomorrow night.