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!

May 4 to May 21: San Jose, CA, to Red Bay, AL

Monday, May 4, we left our older daughter, Jill, her husband, Bob, and our sweet little granddaughter Lauren in San Jose, CA, to head east.  Three months after we left our RV park in Anacortes, WA, we felt like we were finally beginning our first RV adventure!  Driving our 37' motorhome, pulling our Chevy pickup through the Bay Area freeways was no problem for Jerry!  I thought we looked like the circus coming to town and couldn't get out of the high population areas soon enough.

Monday evening we used our "Good Sam's Guide" and found an RV park with a rating of 10/10/10, and ranked third in the nation.  Wow!!!  The RV park was associated with Jackson Rancheria Resort and Casino and quite a lovely place.  The Good Sam's rating system is based on the (1) completeness of the facilities, such as interior roads, hookups, recreation in the park, security etc.; (2) the cleanliness and physical characteristics of restrooms and showers; and (3) the visual appeal and environmental quality of the park.  From the photo, you can see we sat outside and watched the "patio" TV!  Yep, a tough life!

We are always interested in the "roads less travelled", aka the blue roads, so Tuesday, May 5, we followed US 88 over the Sierra Nevada and on to US 50 near Carson City, NV.  This mountainous route was our first real test of Abe's pulling power and we were quite pleased as we conquered Carson Pass at 8573 feet.  US 50 has quite a reputation and justly deserved.  We had the highway to ourselves as we drove east through Nevada.  

As we travelled through the semi-arid terrain east of Fallon, NV, we crossed salt flats and passed many miles of creative messages written in stones on the roadsides.  Out in the middle of nowhere!

Tuesday evening we found an obscure RV park, attached to the Baptist Church, in Austin NV.  We later learned that when the Baptist congregation was looking for a church building, the largest house in town was purchased.  Along with the house came an RV park and a turquoise processing facility!  The congregation kept the RV park and eventually converted the processing rooms to a fellowship hall.  Very creative!  This little park was not on Good Sam's radar, but we were happy to find 50 AMP service and good water.

Not only did we find a decent place to spend the night, but we found a concert and a free dinner!  The very evening we arrived this little Baptist Church hosted Ernie and Jason Couch, a singing father and son duo, who gave an upbeat gospel concert to about 14 folks, us included.  We learned that they were from Nashville, TN, and travelled the US giving concerts.  While we enjoyed a yummy enchilada dinner afterward, we visited with Ernie, the dad, and had a delightful conversation.  The moral of this story is that if one is offered a free concert and dinner, it might be worth it to go!  We had a delightful time.

I would be remiss if I didn't share a little Woodall folklore.  In the 70's Jerry and my brother, Roger, rode their motorcycles through Austin, NV, headed east.  They had been incorrectly advised  that there was a truck stop up the hill on the east side of Austin.  Of course, there was no truck stop and Jerry ran out of gas.  So, they coasted back down the hill and into town in the middle of the night!  They spend the rest of the night sleeping on the ground in the parking lot of the post office, pictured above.  Seems like there should be a shrine or a plaque there!

Wednesday, May 6, we continued east across Nevada, and spent the day dodging thunderstorms.  It was quite dramatic to watch this storm as we skirted its southern edge.  We watched storms pass around us all day long, and, fortunately, did not experience any really severe weather.  The end of the trail for this day of travel was Delta, UT, Antelope Valley RV Park.  Good Sam's listed this one so I used the GPS to take us to the address given.  Wrong!  Good Sam's had the RV park in the wrong location and if it weren't for Jerry's eagle eyes, we would have driven by entirely.  The park manager acknowledged the bad info, but didn't seem to be to interested in correcting the problem.  This was one of those places where we pulled off to have dinner and sleep...no amenities here.  The best part of this little meager place was that we did not have to unhook the pickup to fit in the site.

Thursday, May 7, we remained on 50 east until we reached I-70 at Scipio, UT.  We've travelled this way many times, both by car and motorcycle over the years and it's always interesting to see how the interstate has changed.  It's wild, rugged terrain and usually very windy.  As we drove through this desolate country, we tried to imagine what January would look like.  Yikes!  Cold, blowing snow, I'm sure.  We wished we had more time to stop and enjoy Utah's beautiful parks:  Zion, Bryce, Arches, and Canyonlands.  Maybe next time...

As we were cruising through this uninhabited country the "Check Engine" light came on!  We had just hit 7500 miles and, since the dashboard data didn't show any problems, we hoped it was some sort of built-in maintenance issue.  I pulled a few of the manuals out of the cupboard (we have about 20 pounds of manuals!) and couldn't find anything relevant.  The Tiffin manual basically said if this light appears, go to a service center and get it evaluated.  Not easy in the wilds of Utah.  Eventually I had enough cell service (yep, that's another issue) to call Cummins Engines and got some solid reassurance that nothing was wrong.  Ahhhhh, the life of a newbie!

May 7 we made it all the way to Grand Junction, CO, and this beautiful KOA campground on the SE side of the city.  It was a warm, sunny afternoon and we took advantage of the patio, table and BBQ that came with the site.  We cooked fish on the grill, watched Smokey explore the site, and had a beautiful evening. We would heartily recommend this RV stop!

Friday, May 8, we were excited to take US 50 through Gunnison Canyon and expected some beautiful scenery.  We weren't disappointed.  We drove for miles with Blue Mesa Reservoir off the driver's side of the bus.  The reservoir (elevation 7,519 feet) is the largest body of water entirely in Colorado. Created by Blue Mesa Dam, Blue Mesa Reservoir is 20 miles (32 km) long, has 96 miles (154 km) of shoreline, and is the largest lake trout and Kokanee salmon fishery in the United States. Blue Mesa Dam was completed in 1965 and was the first large dam built along the Gunnison River.  The annual snowfall in this area is 54 inches!  Again, imaging January gave me the creeps!

After climbing Monarch Pass at 11,300 feet, we had a long 10 mile 6% downgrade.  The scenery was beautiful and we saw many snow-capped peaks with ski resorts at the top of the pass.  Friday night's stop was at Royal Gorge RV park.  They had just opened for business the week before and the park was still pretty quiet.  The photo above shows our scenery looking forward and it's actually raining in this shot.  At about 8:30 PM we had a brief hail storm.  Thankfully, the hail was small but came down for quite awhile.  In fact, the next morning when we looked outside, we still had small "drifts" of hail beside the bus.  To counteract the shock of ice on the ground, we awoke to beautiful sunshine.  Yippee!

As we were sipping our coffee Saturday morning, May 9, we noticed a camping neighbor near us.  The dad crawled out from under an old motorhome, covered hands to elbows in oil.  We watched as he used gasoline to clean his forearms and wondered what could be the problem.  We also saw several children of various sizes scurrying between the old motorhome and a tent trailer parked next to it.  Our curiosity was piqued!  After breakfast Jerry walked over to offer assistance.  The "oily" man said he had had a power steering line break and was trying to clean up all of the oil underneath the coach.  The family was from Chambersburg, PA, and had been to the west coast.  The dad said they wanted to give the entire family one big road trip before the oldest children left home.  They had eleven children, from perhaps age 20 down to age 2, and somehow managed to find sleeping accommodations for everyone between the two campers.  The dad declined assistance, saying he thought he could find a new hose and be on his way!  Just takes determination folks!

Saturday was a transition day.  We went from the mountains of Colorado to the grasslands of western Kansas.  Have you ever driven through here?  It's well worth the trip.  The east side of the Rockies quickly falls to the plains.  We stopped in Pueblo, CO, at a Walmart for supplies.  Say what you will about Walmart, but these stores are easy for us to get in and out of.  Jerry needed DEF for our diesel engine and I needed groceries.  

Saturday afternoon found us taking KS 156 NE out of Garden City, KS, and off the beaten path.  We had decided we would not worry about a stopping place ahead of us but would "find something" along the way.  Although we used to do this with our boat all the time, this was a first with Abe.  Just outside Larned, KS, I found Camp Pawnee, a Boy Scout camp and small RV park on the Internet.  This pretty little park was built in 1930 and was full of mature cottonwoods.  As you can see, we are the only ones there!  This was Mother's Day weekend and I guess the Kansans were not interested in a camping experience.  We paid $12 for power and water and the rustle of the breeze through the cottonwoods.  Lovely!

Sunday, May 10, we jumped on I-70 headed east to Manhattan, KS, where our friends Dave and Kathy Carpenter live.  The weather was quite unsettled as we proceeded and, at one point, we wondered if we were chasing a tornado!  We saw many cars in the median and on the banks off to the north.  We drove through hard, pounding rain and could not have seen a funnel cloud if our lives depended on it.

We have known the Carpenters since the 70's, Dave and Jerry have shared many motorcycle trips, and they have the same birthday, although several years apart.  We always stop and see them as we are traveling through.  Usually we stay with them, but this time we were headed to Tuttle Creek State Park, north of town, to park Abe.  Once again we had bad info and struggled to find our reserved site at the park.  We eventually found it, though, and discovered that we were at the very back of the park, under the trees.  Trees are an issue for Abe.  We are about 13 feet tall and those low-hanging branches scrape our roof and all of the stuff up there.  Yikes!

Once again, we had the area to ourselves and our only company were the frogs and the birds. Tuttle Creek, not too far from out campsite, seemed like a good place to explore, but the trail was flooded due to all the heavy rain that had fallen in the past few days.  Wikipedia gave a good description of the area:  Tuttle Creek Lake is a reservoir on the Big Blue River 5 miles (8 km) north of Manhattan, in the Flint Hills region of northeast Kansas. It was built and is operated by the Army Corps of Engineers for the purpose of flood control.  The lake is bordered by Tuttle Creek State Park, which features 1,200 acres of recreational areas, including nature trails, camping sites, and an artificial beach.

We spent Sunday, May 10, and Monday, May 11, at Tuttle Creek, allowing us to complete some chores around the bus and completing some errands, besides visiting with the Carpenters.  Our drives in to Manhattan took us past the amazing outflow turbulence below the dam.  Lots of water moving through here and Dave said the gates were probably open about 35%!

Since Manhattan is the home to Kansas State University, sports are a big deal for young and old alike.  Dave and Kathy's older grandson Will is learning the fine art of baseball.  We accompanied them to Will's game on Monday night where their baseball poster was proudly displayed. Will is in the first row, fifth from the left.  Can you see the "attitude"?  He's small but mighty!

Tuesday, May 12, it was time to pull up the jacks and continue further east.  We drove north out of Manhattan, KS, and eventually intersected US 36.  We drove through Kansas' flint hills, enjoying the green grasslands, rolling hills, and small towns with many buildings made of native limestone.  The Flint Hills is still largely native prairie grassland, one of the last great preserves of tallgrass prairie in the country.  The tall grasses in this region are mostly big and little bluestem, switch grass, and Indian grass. Except along stream and river bottoms, trees are rare. 

Our route through eastern Kansas and into Missouri followed the old Pony Express Route and the Oregon Trail Route.  We had seen signs for the Pony Express all along our journey eastward on US 50.  The Oregon Trail signs, common as we have travelled through Oregon, were a surprise in Missouri.  We learned that the starting point of this arduous route was St.Joseph, MO, on the Missouri River.  Taking a covered wagon across the grasslands of Missouri and Kansas would have been difficult enough, but I cannot imagine what those weary travelers thought when they tackled the Rockies!

Tuesday evening we found a pristine campground, Mark Twain Landing, on the banks of the Mark Twain Reservoir, 50 or so miles west of St. Jo.  As we have found all along our route, this park wasn't busy and we had a delightful spot to park.  We learned that avid fisherman bring their campers and motorhomes to this park early in the spring and leave them all summer long, giving themselves a place to stay when they come to fish in the reservoir.

Wednesday, May 13, we were eager to make that night's destination:  Fairview, IL, and a chance to visit with family and friends.  We crossed the Mississippi River at Hannibal, Missouri, and three hours later we were settled in the Schleich's driveway in Fairview, IL.  The water tower was even happy to see us:  "Fairview Welcomes You!"

Getting settled in this driveway took a bit of jockeying around.  Backing down the long driveway was one thing, but positioning so that the slides opened around the basketball hoop was something else again!  I think we had about 6 inches of clearance all the way around.

We enjoyed visiting lots of family and friends while we were there and made several trips to "the farm", a small farm with a very old farmhouse, where Jerry's parents, Jim and Maxine love to spend time.  This is a great photo of them outside the backdoor. 

Fred and Kathy Schleich purchased an old GMC motorhome (from the 70's) and drove it over one evening for a BBQ from their home about 3 blocks away!  The only thing missing from that lovely yellow coach are a few psychedelic flowers.

Our last evening in Fairview we were once again at the folks and enjoyed grilled pork steak, a Woodall speciality!  Maxine and Jerry's sister, Becky, have the grilling technique down pat.  My brother and sister-in-law, Charlie and Suzanne came for dinner too and after which we had several games of pitch.  What fun!!!

Tuesday, May 19, we left for Fairview with an eventual destination of Red Bay, Alabama, where Abe was built.  Since we've had so many problems, we thought we should get the rest of the warranty work done where Tiffin motorhomes are manufactured.  Our first stop was at the home of Jerry's brother and sister-in-law Don and Sally, in Sparta, IL, SE of St. Louis.  In the photo Jerry and Don are surveying the property and talking about the logistics of mowing a considerable yard.  Do you want to ride your mower across this little bridge???

A quick visit, a wonderful dinner with Don and Sally, a good night's sleep and we were ready to continue on our way on Wednesday, May 20.  Jerry's final walk around the bus before departing turned up a driver's front tire that was not holding pressure.  RATS!!  Fortunately, Don knew just where to go to for a repair and, once that ugly screw was removed, the hole was plugged and we were pointed south.

We had a rainy day of travel, but that didn't dampen our enthusiasm for this new route.  We took IL 3, part of the Great River Road, south along the east side of the Mississippi to Cairo, IL, where we crossed the Ohio River.  The steel truss bridge over the Ohio carried the Illinois Central Railroad, making it the first railroad linking Chicago and New Orleans, changing travel along Mississippi River. The 52 truss steel span bridge had a total length of 10,560 feet, making it the world's longest metal bridge.  It was completed in 1937 and rehabilitated in 1979, but the builders did not anticipate modern vehicle width.  It seemed we barely cleared the railing on one side and the oncoming trucks on the other.

Wednesday night's stop was in Jackson, TN, where I thought I had identified a perfect little RV campground.  Once again I was reminded that I cannot "hit it out of the ballpark" every time!  The campground was small, unlovely, and the manager was the crabbiest man I've met in awhile.  Fortunately, it was only $25 and put us about 100 miles from Red Bay, Alabama.  We arrived at the Allegro Campground in Red Bay just before noon on Thursday, May 21, and realized we were in "Tiffin Land"!  The campground next to service center has 93 full hook-up sites plus room for dry camping for many more.  There are probably 70 Tiffin motor homes here right now.  The service center has 49 bays where work is done...this place is busy!!!

We turned in a 3-page list of warranty items, questions, and requested upgrades to the service department.  Friday morning, May 22, we met with Norris who reviewed the list with us and made a few clarifications.  He explained how this all works, outlined our responsibilities, and said we had about a 3-week wait!  Yikes.  Gonna be here awhile...June 12 is three weeks from today.  We will be able to sightsee in the area and are already planning to partake of the local Memorial Day events.  Not all bad!  

As a point of interest, we have travelled 4,702 miles so far, since leaving Anacortes, WA, last February.

Stay tuned, I'll have an Alabama report in a couple of weeks!