Founders Day, Red Bay, AL.

September 15, 2012

So all the repairs are done to the Phaeton and we are just hanging out in Red Bay, AL, killing time.  We meet so many people that come to RB for repairs and they just hate being here.  Okay, so you have to drive 25 miles or so to a Walmart, decent restaurants, movie theatres, shopping, etc…but there is something to be said for being able to walk less than two miles to Jack’s (fast food restaurant) who just happens to have the best biscuits and gravy in the south.  I am particularly fond of Jacks because I can get the gravy without sausage in it…and they have a wonderful full breakfast…bacon is crisp and dry, just the way we like it.  You know, the smell you get from the dog food plant if the wind is in the right direction is not really so bad and we don’t even notice it most of the time.

Plus, you should see the new Dollar General Market!  They had their grand opening a week or so after we got here and it was big doings…free hot dogs, soft drinks, popcorn, chips, Rice Krispy treats, shopping bags, etc.  This is the neatest DG store I have ever seen and it is right here in little old Red Bay, AL.  I would show you the picture of the produce department and fresh meat, as opposed to the old meat, but I don’t know how to get pictures from my phone to my computer.

There was nowhere we needed to be right away so we decided to hang around Red Bay so that we could go to Founder’s Day which took place last Saturday.  It was a beautiful day for the event.  We walked to the park downtown…again, only about a mile or so and had a wonderful time.  There were quite a few people selling their wares.  The only thing I bought was a very good peach fried pie…should have bought several to put in the freezer.

The look in her eyes says it all…watch out world, here she comes! (Melissa Moore…I thought of you when I saw her…I thought she looked so much like you.)

 

The train was so cute…I wanted to ride but Bob thought it was just for kids…I told him I felt sure it was for kids and old people.

There was music and the band was pretty darn good.

Sunshine dog food company was represented but the man was so busy talking to a friend that he did not offer me any free items…see if I go back there!  The dogs were beautiful.

We almost missed the deep fried Oreos!

And there was a barbecue cook-off.  This was one of the local dentists area…Doc’s Smokin’ BBQ.  It was his first competition.

You may be cooking BBQ but that is no excuse to miss Alabama football.

I thought this was a pretty place.

And with that we will be…

Moving On.

Natural Bridge, AL

September 2012

While our coach was being worked on we had to find things to do during the day.  We saw a location on the Alabama map that was listed as Natural Bridge so as we were just out riding the countryside one day we decided to head in that direction.  I don’t think we were more than and hour and a half southeast of Red Bay.

For you Yankees…this is southern speak for “Welcome, we have been expecting you”.

It was pretty neat.  It would have been a bit better if I had been wearing sneakers rather than flip flops but it turned out to be no problem.  There was a charge of $2.50 per person and the entry/gift shop was manned by an elderly couple…they were at least as old as us.  She gave me a walking stick as she was concerned about my footwear but I decided it was going to be more of a hazard than a help and sent it back to the entry with a couple that was making their exit. 

We were lucky enough to have our own tour guide…meet Augie.  Unfortunately at times he led us down some paths that I am not quite sure we were supposed to be on.  But then you are probably wondering why we were following a strange dog to begin with.  At times we wonder why we follow directions given to us by a woman that lives in a little black box on our dash.

Cissy Bell did great for a 16 year old and she loved every minute of it.

This was a section of the path.

We actually took this path.  At certain points we did not really know if we were on a path or not.

And here comes my honey…not to worry…I had Cissy by this time…she was leading the way.

And we made it safe and sound.

That’s all folks!  Y’all come back, ya hear.

Moving On…

Sisters, Oregon June 2012

Backing Up

While in Oregon, with the campground empty one Sunday, we decided to take the time to drive over to Sisters, OR.  If you are a quilter you are familiar with the outdoor quilt show that is held in Sisters in July of each year.  We knew we would not be able to leave the campground during that weekend so we decided to take advantage of the quiet time.  As usual it was was an overcast and rainy day…my kind of weather.  It was about a 3 hour drive one way so we tried not to make too many stops along the way. 

Sisters is much smaller than I expected but such a pretty little place.  I was surprised that there was only one quilt shop…I don’t know why I thought there might be several.  Going on Sunday was a good thing as the shop was closed…Bob said he could hear his debit card breathe a sigh of relief in his wallet. 

They also have a lovely campground right downtown…would like to be able to stay there at some later time if we ever get back to Oregon.

Being from Texas I am not too familiar with different types of mushrooms…I know about the white ones that come in blue boxes in the grocery store.  I kept hearing of people going out and gathering morel mushrooms in Oregon but I really did not know what they looked like.  This little place was open and had several different species…are there species of mushrooms?  The gentleman that owned the business told me that Martha Stewart’s magazine had done an article on his business in that month’s edition.

Even the McDonalds was cute.

The downtown area.

Ladies, if we ever decided we had to make a quilting trip to Sisters we could stay in one of these cute cabins.  If I remember correctly, the river runs right in front of these cabins…so cute!

This little place was right near Sisters…notice the Saloon Open sign on the bottom picture.

Moving on.

Phaeton Got A Boo-Boo

Okay, I guess it is time to fess up about why we are in Red Bay, AL. at the Tiffin service center and not still in the Pacific northwest enjoying the scenery. 

Just as we got to Corvallis, Oregon in May, we pulled into a service station to fill the motorhome with diesel.  In doing so we determined that the pumps were not really set up like we prefer so we decided to make a turn into another station just next to the first one.  Unfortunately we got too close to a concrete pillar when trying to make the turn and did quite a bit of damage.  Luckily no one else was involved and we were not hurt…except for the Phaeton. 

We limped along for a few miles to make it to the park we were going to stay at until we needed to be at our summer job in Alsea, OR.  Contacted our insurance company and they had someone out there within a day.  We decided that we would rather have someone just patch us up so we could make it through the time we needed to be in Oregon and then get back to the Tiffin service center in Alabama to have the end cap replaced and the bay doors replaced. 

The adjuster had a service tech at our site with 24 hours and he worked for most of three days getting us patched up.  I have to say it is not pretty but it did the job and got us mobile again.

I have to say that Progressive insurance company has been right there for us and treated us very well.  Guess whose rates are going up?

So, instead of going up into Washington state for several weeks after we completed our stint in Oregon we decided we had best head directly for Alabama.  We did take our time and made several stops along the way to visit with friends but we pretty much kept the coach on a direct route to Alabama. 

Washington…well, another time. 

Moving on.