Red Bay Alabama to Fairview, IL                                                                   

May 22 to June 10

            We arrived in Red Bay, Alabama, on May 21, and settled in for the predicted three week wait for our time in a service bay.  Although the town of Red Bay is rather small with a population of about 3500 people, there are lots of things to do and to explore in the area.  We thought with all these other RVers sitting around waiting, we ought to find some good conversations, too.  In the photo above, we're the second coach from the left.

             Friday, May 22, afternoon it was time to jump in the pickup and explore the town, find some groceries, and get the “lay of the land.”  We knew we were in The South when we found the local Piggly Wiggly for groceries!  One of the items on our grocery list was to restock our beer supply.  In short order we discovered that Franklin County and particularly Red Bay are dry!  Horrors!!  That problem will have to be resolved later.

          Friday evening we became acquainted with Dave and Donna Corbett, in an Allegro Open Road RED just across the aisle from us.  Over the next several days we had lots of good conversations with them.  Dave was a retired Marine Harrier pilot, an author, and a sailor.  As you can imagine he was interesting to talk to and he and Jerry were soon buddies.  The afternoon weather was typical Alabama, hot, humid, and often rainy.  Icy cocktails with Dave and Donna were just the thing!  The guys yakked and Donna and I crocheted and knitted.

            Sunday, May 23, we gave up trying to find a Lutheran Church anywhere in the vicinity (looks like the closest one is Tupelo, MS!) and decided to attend the First United Methodist Church of Red Bay.  This church was organized in 1882 by a missionary from Boonesville, MS, who came to preach under a “brush arbor”, and was one of many churches on the “Hallelujah Trail”.  This driving tour included 32 historic churches in North Alabama, celebrating their cultural and spiritual heritage.  Sunday worship was very white and had about 120 worshippers.  We sang no hymns since the pianist was on sick leave getting a new hip.  Instead a young lady from the congregation sang for us…what a lovely voice!  Sitting right behind us were Ernie and Mary Jo, from Mokena, IL.  They’re also parked at our campground awaiting service for their new Tiffin Phaeton.

   

       Sunday afternoon we took a big walk through town, eventually finding the golf course at the country club.  It was hot and humid but we saw a few hardy souls out there on the links.  Amazing what a lot of rain will do for a golf course…pretty!

            We were looking forward to participating in a local Memorial Day celebration on Monday, May 25.  I had scanned the Internet for local festivities and even asked the lady behind` the counter at the Post Office for ideas.  She had lots of touristy things to do, but nowhere close was Memorial Day being celebrated.  What a surprise!  It was probably just as well because it rained and rained, as it has done for the past several days

            On Tuesday, May 26 we spoke to Wanda, the service center work scheduler, and she thought we might be in a service bay by the end of the week.  Wahoo!!  Time to play tourist while we still can.  After lunch we drove to downtown Red Bay and visited the town’s museum.  Although she was born out in the country west of Red Bay in Mississippi, Tammy Wynette (whose real name was Virginia Wynette Pugh) claimed Red Bay as her home.  About ¼ of the museum was dedicated to her life!  This photo was a collection of her album covers displayed on the wall.  Interesting to watch the hair-do progression.

            Wednesday, May 27, we had quite a list of places to explore.  First, we took a tour of the Tiffin factory, where our coach was made right here in Red Bay.  Wow…on so many levels!  We were greeted by this guy driving a chassis down the road.  We learned that the plant cranks out 12 coaches a day and all are already purchased.  Each coach has 2-3 miles of wiring in it and very little in the assembly of the coach is automated.  This plant has about 750 employees, including a huge wood shop.  Tiffin is very proud of their interior finishes and cabinetry, using cherry wood throughout.   

            After we finished the tour we headed to Florence, AL, and stopped at the Coon Dog Cemetery, SW of Florence.  This cemetery was reserved specifically for the burial of coon dogs.  A man named Key Underwood established the cemetery on September 4, 1937 by burying his coon dog, Troop.  Underwood chose this location since it was previously a popular hunting camp. As of August 2014, more than 300 dogs were buried at the cemetery.  Headstones ranged from wooden and metal monuments to the more elaborate marble engraved stones found at many human cemeteries. The dead included many famous dogs such as Hunter's Famous Amos, Ralston Purina's 1984 Dog of the Year.  Folks around here are really proud of their hunting dogs!

            We found some lunch in Florence, AL, at a reasonably authentic Mexican restaurant called Rosie’s.  It was such a pleasant day we sat on their patio and watched the main street activity.   The bustling downtown reminded us of Visalia, with lots of businesses and lots of foot traffic. 

            After lunch we went to Alabama’s only Frank Lloyd Wright house called the Rosenbaum House.  The house was built on a 2-acre plot on Riverview Drive, on the north bank of the Tennessee River.  Built in an L-shape, the house was made from natural materials, largely cypress wood, brick, and glass, and featured multilevel low-rising steel-cantilevered roofs covering both the living spaces and an adjoining carport. Most of the rooms had their own door to the outside. The center of the house was the "service core", built around a large stone hearth. 

            We stopped for groceries in Mussel Shoals and, since it was absolutely raining cats and dogs, chose not to stop at the Alabama Music Hall of Fame.  Mussels Shoals, “The Shoals”, was well known for its music and the museum celebrated many local artists.  We had made a good decision, though, since our 20-mile drive back to Red Bay was one rainy, windy, dreary route.  Rain here in Alabama, came down much more intensely than the gentle, misty rains we were accustomed to in California and Washington.  We later learned we had chosen the best route.  The alternative route through Russellville was flooded!

            The best part of Wednesday was Wanda’s phone call, as we drove south in the deluge.  We were to have Abe in service bay 35 the next morning at 0700.  Happy Dance!

            Thursday, May 28, we met the two young men who are the technicians in bay 35, Greg, and his helper, Grant.  The first thing Greg did was review our three-page list of problems, questions, and requests.  He gave us lots of valuable information, teased a little bit at some of my entries (I had mentioned a couple of cabinets were missing chain restraints.  “We call them tethers,” he says!), and tackled the list.  Greg’s photo at right might remind you of our son-in-law, Bob!  Greg had Bob’s quiet self-confidence and dry sense of humor.  They even look a little bit alike!  Most reassuring!

            We were in the bay all day Thursday and Friday and still weren’t done.  Much to our delight, Greg and Grant repaired things we didn’t even know we had a problem with, such as the limit switch settings on the windshield nightshade.  Set incorrectly, the shade could run right off the roll, creating a huge repair challenge!  Greg showed us that we had dimmers on the light switches!!!  Miracle!!

            While Greg and Grant worked their magic, we were invited to stay on Abe with Smokey, learn and ask questions.  This was invaluable, especially for Jerry.  We still had lots to learn about the bus operation and maintenance, so we soaked up their knowledge like sponges. 

            It wasn’t all “shoulder to the grindstone” for us, though.  Every bay around us had a coach of some sort being worked on, which offered lots of opportunities to visit with other coach owners.  We spent a fair amount of time chatting with Ernie and Mary Jo, whom we’d met the weekend before at church, and Bill and Sheila.  The four of them are from Illinois, in the same RV club, and had lots of stories to tell about their RVing experience. 

            It would seem that exploring restaurants and learning local cuisine was part of our Red Bay, Alabama experience.  One evening we went to “Swamp John’s”, just outside Red Bay for fried catfish.  They served some of the best catfish I’ve ever had, and I don’t say that lightly.  I come from a long line of catfish fisherman and catfish cooks!  We went with Dave and Donna, who had been there before and could guide us through the “rituals”.  The restaurant was in a converted gas station building and did a huge takeout business.  The “swamp” in “Swamp John’s” apparently came from the fact that it was 90^o outside with 90% humidity and the AC was not on!  Plenty warm in there.  I’m not sure, but an alligator might have been the cook.  The other piece to learn from their sign was that there were plenty of snakes around here.  

         

     You might remember that I mentioned we could not purchase beer in Red Bay since Franklin County is dry.  We drove to Russellville, 25 miles NE of Red Bay and found a liquor store that sold Dos Equis Amber, Jerry’s favorite.  This little shop had all kinds of beer and liquor.  What was amazing to me was the cooler right by the counter.  So, one can stop by for a six-pack and grab a single for the drive home???!!!  We’re used to being able to buy beer at the grocery store, but not in Alabama, except for Wal-Mart (I don’t understand that either!).  But, in Mississippi, just 1 mile west of Red Bay, beer is sold at gas stations!  What message does that send???

            Saturday, May 30, we ready to do some more exploring.  Our first stop was Dennis, MS, at Grant’s store.  (You’ll remember Grant was the helper in bay 35).  Grant was a busy guy, working at the service center, and running this store.  He always had some story to tell and reminded us of our nephew Todd.  (So the two guys working on Abe were, sort of, Bob and Todd.  Most reassuring!).  Grant’s store was a gas station, deli, lunch counter, and beer stop.  He actually sold beer in 1-gallon and ½-gallon milk jugs!  I tell you, I don’t get beer sales in the South!

            After we left Grant’s we drove north on the Natchez Trace Parkway.  This fascinating road was built in the late 30’s to “commemorate the most significant highway of the Old Southwest.”  The Trace (as we locals like to call it) runs from Natchez, Mississippi, to just SW of Nashville, Tennessee, 444 miles by 80 feet, 3 states, and 10,000 years of history.  Let me quote a little bit from the brochure:

The natural travel corridor that became the Natchez Trace bisected the traditional homelands of the Natchez, Chickasaw, and Choctaw nations.  As the US expanded westward in the late 1700s and early 1800s, growing numbers of travelers tramped the rough trail into a clearly marked path.  In 1801 President Thomas Jefferson designated the Trace a national post road for mail delivery between Nashville and Natchez.

            This quiet, pristine two-lane highway through gentle rolling hills and verdant creek valleys gave us the sensation of travelling through an old forest…no billboards, no eighteen-wheelers, no towns, and not much traffic.  We stopped at many points of interest along the Trace including ancient Indian burial and ceremonial mounds, overlooks, and a crossing over the Tennessee River. 

            Early travelers on the Trace crossed the river here using Chickasaw George Colbert’s ferry.  It would have been quite a crossing with wagons, livestock, and children, since the Tennessee River is very wide at this point.

            At several pullouts along the way it was possible to explore remnants of the Old Trace.  In some places we saw a vague depression in the earth but in some places the Trace had been explored often enough to maintain some of its former character.  This section was near the grave of Meriwether Lewis.  After his exploration of the Louisiana Purchase, Lewis became the governor of the Upper Louisiana Territory. While traveling the Trace, he died here under “mysterious circumstances” (probably suicide) at Grinder’s Inn.

            We had been told by several RVers, as well as Greg and Grant, that the Rattlesnake Saloon was not to be missed.  As it was only open on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, we decided to stop there for dinner on our way back to Red Bay.  This was quite a place!  The Foster family bought this land in 1935 and originally used this natural rock overhang as a hog pen.  Eventually, times changed, the family changed, and a restaurant and saloon was created under the rock shelf.  The menu was fried-this and fried-that, the music was incredibly loud, and the atmosphere was rockin’!  Fun!!

            Sunday, May 31, we decided it was time to attend the closest Lutheran we could find….in Tupelo, MS, 50 miles away!  Christ the King Lutheran Church was a congregation of about 25 worshippers.  One of the members said they were the only ELCA Lutheran congregation between Memphis and the Gulf!  What a warm, welcoming group!  They only have a visiting preacher every other Sunday, and we were there on an “off” Sunday.  Instead of a sermon, we had Sunday School for everyone at that point in the service.  What a great idea!

            After church we thought we’d better check out Elvis’ birthplace…just a few blocks away.  This simple two-room cabin was modest indeed. 

            We didn’t hang around for the museum to open, but proceeded on to the next historical stop…the Tupelo Battlefield Memorial.  In 1862 this remote location out in the piney woods was threatened by the Union Army who hoped to cut off Confederate railways and supply lines.  Today it’s a city park in west Tupelo!

            On to another portion of the Natchez Trace.  This time we travelled north from Tupelo, MS to the exit at Dennis, MS, and stopped at the official visitors’ center.  The displays were well worth the stop, giving information about the area from Paleo-Americans of 10,000 years ago, to the creation of the national park in the 1930’s.

            Northwest Alabama and northeast Mississippi are full of reservoirs, rivers, creeks, and natural lakes designed for water conservation, recreation, and power generation, thanks to the Tennessee Valley Authority.  Fishing was a whole big deal here.  Both Greg and Grant had told us about Bay Springs Lake, just off the Trace in NE Mississippi.  We had to take a look.  This reservoir, on the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway, was part of the vast waterway system connecting the Great Lakes to the Gulf of Mexico. 

            The lake was 9 miles long, had 133 miles of shoreline, and 6,700 acres of water.  Bay Springs Lake was one of the 10 lakes and was the only deep-water lake on the waterway.  Bay Springs Lake was created when the Jamie L. Whitten Lock and Dam were built. The Whitten Lock was open year round twenty-four hours a day to accommodate boat traffic.  Of course we had to stop at a marina and check out the boats.  We even found a Nordic Tug!  The photo shows the lock and dam, below the lake, and the continuation of the Ten-Tom waterway.

            This final week in Red Bay we were in and out of bay 35 several times.  Monday, June 1, we finished up the items on the original work list.  Of course we had added some problems!           Tuesday, June 2, we had a morning stop in one of the mechanic bays to solve 3 engine/chassis problems that turned out to be easy fixes.  We thought we had a battery-charging problem but were chagrinned to learn we had loose cables.  Jerry had checked these several weeks ago, but had not re-checked after Abe was worked on in Fresno.  Hmmmm…

            Wednesday, June 3, we had a quick trip to bay 35 to get our leaking water heating system repaired.  The leak had appeared suddenly and fortunately, it happened here.

            Thursday, June 4, was our final trip to bay 35.  One of the problems Greg had not been able to solve was water leaking into the coach on the floor under the rear passenger slide after a rainy day of travel.  We were resigned to mopping up water and had marked that fix off the list.  One evening sitting in the campground neighboring RVers Bill and Sheila noticed that the fabric topper over the roof of the slide was too narrow and did not protect the slide from rain.  AHA!!  We got a new awning on Thursday, among other final fixes.

            Just as we had seen during our boating adventures, RVers bring their pets with them on the road.  We saw all sorts of dogs being walked around the campground.  These two Schnauzers are from two separate families but look like they could be brother and sister.  Adorable!

            We only saw one cat being walked on a leash, just like a dog.  Ages ago we tried this with our cat, Smokey, but as soon as leash went on she fell over, as if her legs were broken.  We gave up!  We were intrigued by these 3 Ragdoll cats sitting outside in their mesh tent.  Their owner told us they were littermates and got along quite well.  The two males are in back and the female is in front.  Gorgeous cats.

            Thursday afternoon we were finished with our repairs at the Tiffin Service Center.  Wa-hoo!!  When we first arrived we thought we might have to wait for 3 weeks before even beginning work, but we were finished about 2 weeks after we arrived.  It had been a great experience but we were ready to go see some new sights.

            Friday, June 5, we made a 2-hour stop at an independent repair shop to have a ladder put on the back of Abe.  Rather than carry a 15’ stepladder, this one attached to the rear of the coach will be much easier to use.  We also had another light installed inside the coach.  All of our problems were solved!!!

            Friday night’s destination was Savannah, TN, along the secondary roads north from Red Bay, which took us through the NE corner of Mississippi.  It was here that we saw the sign for the state’s highest point…807’!  Woodall Mountain…who knew?!?!

            We drove to Shiloh National Military Park to explore the battlefield. I will quote from the brochure:

On 5,000 acres overlooking the Tennessee River, 156 monuments, 217 cannons, and more than 650 historic tablets mark America’s best preserved battlefield, site of the Civil War’s first major combat in the western theater.  Fought on April 6^th and 7^th, 1862, Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) gave General US Grant his sternest test and witnessed the death of General Albert Johnston, the highest ranking American ever killed in combat.

            The visitor’s center presented a 45-minute movie description of the two-day combat.  Following that, we took the 13-mile driving tour of the battlefield.  It was quite sobering.  110,000 men fought here and 23,700 died.  The Illinois monument was quite striking.

            After a sobering afternoon, we were ready for dinner and something a little happier to think about.  We found both at the Catfish Hotel, in Shiloh, TN.  The menu:  Salad of field greens and fresh strawberries, fried catfish, hush puppies, cole slaw, and chess pie for dessert.  Yum!

            Saturday, June 6, as we made our way back to central Illinois, we decided to stop for a few days at Kentucky Lake and explore another area new to us.  We were fortunate to find a campground with a site for us right on the water.  We spent three days here.  This became our base of operations from which we took driving trips. 

            Kentucky Lake was formed when the Tennessee River was dammed by the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1944.  It provided hydroelectric power to the area and is a mecca for fishing and boating.  The little cove on which our RV park was located allowed the RVers with boats to beach their craft at the foot of their campsites.  Pretty handy!

            I think we will always be drawn to water travel and spent a hot hour or so watching this barge approach the lock.  The Tennessee River flows north at this point, on its way to hook up with the Ohio River east of Paducah so he is pushing these big barges upstream.  We visited with a young man who had worked on tugs and tows for about 8 years.  He said that the tug and barge he was on waited for 2 weeks to lock through!

            Sunday, June 7, we found St. Mathew by the Lake Lutheran Church.  This was the largest congregation we’d worshipped with for awhile and, once again, we struck by how friendly everyone was.  We got the impression quite a few members were transplants from cold country, retired, and loved living on Kentucky Lake.  This congregation was in the process of calling a new pastor, but no problem!  The visiting pastor was great!  

            We learned later that both the visiting pastor and her husband were retired Methodist pastors from Paducah.  We had coffee with them after church and I have to include a photo of them both!  We sat behind him during the service and we were both absolutely stunned how much he looked like Jerry’s Grandpa Woodall!

          Monday, June 8, we explored Paducah, Ky.  This little town was almost washed off the map during the 1937 flood and since then they have built a huge protective sea wall.  Rather than having just a blank expanse of concrete, they have painted murals…20 or so…along the wall with captions describing the history of Paducah.  Great idea!

            As luck would have it, Paducah had a microbrewery in the old Coca-Cola Bottling Plant.  The plant was built it a ways west of town, beyond the reach of the 1937 flood’s high-water mark.  The microbrewery owners, capitalizing on this little piece of history, picked a great name!  While we enjoyed their beer, had a lengthy conversation with two couples at the next table.  Total strangers, didn’t matter!  They had all gone to high school here and told many stories of local “flavor”!  These little incidents are what makes this vagabond life so much fun.

            We arrived back in Fairview, IL on June 10, and had a glorious lightning and thunder show late in the evening!  I’m sure the locals are sick of rain, but I loved this.

            Well, this was quite a saga!  More adventures to come!