Winter Wonderland visitors

It took Mother Nature to get them going, and none too soon. Our old friends Bill and June just barely escaped the cold grip of winter and left their home as the snow flakes were licking at their heels. Though headed for Texas, they took a bit of a detour and stopped down our way to spend a few days in the Gulf Shores area with us.

They barely had their power cord plugged in and we showed up at their park unexpectedly. I guess we were anxious. They probably had plans to relax a little before socializing but no ... we had to drag them out to one of the areas better shrimp dinner places Fish River Grill #2 (http://fishrivergrill.com/Home.aspx). Starting off with some 'swamp soup',  fried pickles, and a round of drinks, we worked to cram in as much 'catching up' as possible. Since we do go back a long ways, old memories surfaced as fast as we gobbled down the fried shrimp. It was good to see them.

So the next few days were spent sightseeing, jabbering and trying out new places to eat. Bill and June had been through this area a number of years ago and remembered a place near the causeway to Mobile. The Oyster House (http://www.originaloysterhouse.com/) has been around a while, and by the looks of the crowd there, still very popular. We all enjoyed the food and the great view.

Bill and June at the Oyster House

As their visit came to an end we still had to make two more stops. First was lunch at the Tin Top Restaurant in Bon Secour near Gulf Shores (http://tintoprestaurant.com/ourmenus/bonsecour-menu/). A repeat visit for them and a multiple repeat stop for us, we were once again not disappointed.

Following a leisurely lunch, our final stop was a short ride out to Billy's Seafood shop (http://www.billys-seafood.com/). Located on the Bon Secour River, this local fresh seafood legend is the place to go for fresh shrimp and fish. Billy's is not your normal brick and mortar shop but a dockside jumble of flimsy walls covered with aged plastic film, extremely friendly and knowledgeable help, and mounds and mounds of fresh seafood on ice. They'll answer all your questions ... tell you about all the different variates, explain how to cook it, or even cook it for you. And if you want some sent to you great aunt in Seattle, they can do that too.

We'll be eating this red snapper in a few days

June had her eye on this little beauty. Looks like a hybrid bluegill to me.

Maybe something a little different for Thanksgiving?

With Royal Reds (that tastes like lobster) deep water shrimp in the foreground, Bill is trying to figure out how many he can carry in his cooler. Everyone nearby must get to his Texas camp soon before they are all consumed.

Let me get this straight ... you want 5 pounds of each type?

And so it goes. Their time here was too short but it's always good to see them. They have several short stops along their way to Texas and they were off once again this morning. Safe travels friends.

Bill and June

The weather here is like most of the country east of the Mississippi. Cold ... cold .... cold. This morning it was a crisp 23 degrees. Fortunately headed for the 70's in a few days but devastating on the tender plants in the area. I wonder what happens to all the butterflies as well.

We're still upset with Gulf State Park in that their formally excellent WiFi system is not working in this end of the park. I hear "they're working on it" everyday as I pass the entrance gate attendant. Three weeks has passed and it's pretty sad that a state facility can't get it fixed. I've talked with others and it's really a sore spot with most of them. I'm sure we're not the only ones considering leaving and not returning. On site Internet availability is no longer a luxury but a necessity for most of us.

But considering that I have no snow to shovel, like back home, this still is a pretty nice place to be. We're very fortunate and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Checking out the area

Okay this may be a little cruel but this is a little of what we have to deal with on the Gulf coast. Butterflies ... lots of butterflies. You folks in the north remember those beautiful little critters ... flitting about the garden last summer. You now know where they spend their winters. Some smart gardener will instantly know what kind of flowering bush this is, but whatever it is ... the butterflies were covering it by the dozens. Quite a sight. My cell phone camera didn't do the scene justice but I thought it might remind you of what next summer may look like.

Winter on the Gulf

While wandering around Pensacola the other day we caught sight of this old steamer parked along side a busy boulevard heading into town. There was no place to park nearby so I just had a short amount of time to pull into a no-parking area and snap a photo or two. The "Pride of Pensacola" was built in 1912 and remained in service until 1956. It was part of the Saint Louis - San Francisco Railway Company and was nicknamed the "Frisco". She had more than one million miles of service. For you railroad buffs she originally was 2-8-0 converted to a 2-8-2 around 1943.

The "Frisco" #1355

The Gulf coast shoreline along Florida, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas have many inlets, canals, and rivers which act as natural harbors for the large private fishing fleet that thrives here along the Gulf. As this armada of small vessels ages, some are refurbished, some are dismantled and some are well... laid to rest. You'd think the proper way of ending the career of any respectful shrimp boat would be to scuttled it at sea but this poor soul has met a less glorious end.

The SS Minnow ???

Speaking of ships ... I found this behemoth (531 ft) docked in Pensacola an odd one, the Global 1200 was certainly not designed for racing. After studying it for sometime dockside, I could not figure out what this ship was tasked for. With a huge crane affixed to its bow the ship it was apparently designed for lifting something heavy ... but I was not sure what. Later investigation yielded that its mission is laying pipe in deep sea locations. With a crew of near 250, this ship was recently in service off the coast of South America.

Global 1200

We had a little misfortune with our coach because the exhaust pipe for the AquaHot heating system decided to rust itself to death and fell to the ground beneath the coach shortly after arriving in Gulf Shores. Since cooler weather is upon us, the need for that system to keep us warm is pretty high. We do have some backup ability and an electric space heater, but before too long I need to get this fixed. Not as simple as taking it to the local Tuffy Muffler shop but once I figure out what I'm going to do I'll let you know.

So from butterflies to ocean going ships, we trudge along exploring what's around us. Lots to see and do and still livin' the dream.

Phil

Our journey is complete

Moving right along ... our next stop was a unique RV park in Gadsden Alabama. Better than midway between Chattanooga and Montgomery, this county owned park was almost surrounded by water. There were not many campers there but I think the park gets a lot of visitors none the less. After careful inspection I noticed that virtually every major tree in the park (and there were many and big) was strung with thousands of Christmas lights. I can only imagine when later in November they power these up it will be spectacular. Apparently it is quite an attraction for the locals during the holiday season. The place was neat as a pin, sites were all level and they locked the gate at 10pm each night. So if you're travelling south on I58 south of Chattanooga about 100 miles look for the town of Gadsden and head for the River Country RV Park.

I got the grill out and cooked our dinner while the sun was setting. Shortly after the sun was down here was our view.

A three quarter moon helps light our landscape

We were progressing to our final destination a little too fast as it turned out.  Our reservation at Gulf State Park begins November 1st and that was still four days away. However we were only, at the most,  a two day drive.  So Sharon got on the phone and asked if we could arrive early and they agreed so now we had to find one final place to stay along our route. As you might have guessed we do not plan our trips very far in advance. Maybe a day or two at the most we'll make a reservation but sometimes not until the day of arrival. Works for us but does limit us to where we stay sometimes. We're not WalMart fans preferring the security of a commercial establishment. Works for us.

So we have one more overnighter and found a spot off I65 near Hope Hull Alabama south of Montgomery. Montgomery South RV Park is little park that was well kept and had nice pull-thrus for easy entrance and exits. Clean showers and very personable owners, this is a great place for a one or two night stay.

The next day we had maybe 150 miles to go so it was a good distance for my current abilities.

I might note that we made the trip south mostly avoiding I65 which I would have used leaving the Indianapolis area. It's the fastest route but the last two trips on that interstate cured me of taking the coach there. Once leaving Indianapolis the road conditions were terrible. Reminded me of driving around the Flint MI area or I10 between Houston and New Orleans a few years ago. Absolutely bone jarring road surfaces loosening about everything in the coach and reducing speeds to about 45mph, if you're lucky. I knew I had to meet up with I65 again on the trip but would not do so until reaching Montgomery. Not to be disappointed, no sooner than I got into Montgomery the road turned to crap. Thankfully that only lasted about two miles and all was smooth again. So far only two miles of the 1100 we had travelled were ugly. I can live with that!

The final leg of the trip was, like most of the trip, uneventful. We pulled into Gulf State Park, confirmed our site reservation and got set up. Before the sunset we did manage to find the Fish River Grill #2 up in Foley for our first shrimp dinner. OMG it great to be back.

The park is in great shape with the exception of one item. One very important item I might add. Apparently lightening had hit the park's WIFI system twice within the past few weeks. So no WIFI ... which really angers me. I now make it almost a daily trip to the office to complain. Nobody listens as most are work campers but at least I can vent a little. We've now purchased a 10 gig data plan on our hotspot. A cost I didn't want but without it could not get this blog out. I had a fix-it guy come to the coach and fix my kitchen sink and the Dish Network guy stopped by and aligned our satellite dish so most everything is now ship shape.

We're happy to be here. Only very minor problems along the way and very happy that we made it safely.

Still livin' the dream.

Phil

More good times

Our next stop was just northeast of Knoxville near the little town Portland TN off eastbound I40. Located on the western side of the Great Smokey Mountains, it was a good place to bivouac the coach, leaving the trip over the mountains (to visit my sister in Asheville) to our old trusty TrailBlazer. The park was a little rough but sufficient for our purposes.

We had a great visit at my sister and brother-in-laws in the Asheville area. What a neat place to live. We enjoyed a special evening out at the Red Stag restaurant adjacent to the entrance of the famous Biltmore Estate. Much like dining in an old English hunting lodge with a variety of wild game mounts throughout, dark woods and leathers ... even the menu had some very unique items. Sharon opted for the elk fillet special; paired with several wines and a special desert. Old fashioned me settled on a rib-eye. Both meals were outstanding.

Here are the girls basking in the glow of the electronic menu and the pear cosmopolitans. The cosmos keep them smiling for some time.

The KOA we stayed at was not the finest one we've been in but it was again sufficient for our needs. Much better than driving the coach the one and a half hour drive over the mountains to Asheville, as far as I was concerned.

We did take an interesting little side trip while near Portland. Actually not a planned stop but just stumbled upon the place while exploring the surrounding countryside.  The Bush's Bean Company was located on a two lane, winding road somewhere between Portland and Sevierville. We were pretty surprised when we rounded the bend and discovered this icon of Sharon favorite baked bean recipe. Apparently a real tourist trap as there were tour buses, a gift shop, museum, and a restaurant. Plenty of oldsters were waiting in line so we passed on eating there but did tour the gift shop. It later dawned on me why the restaurant and gift shop were a little chilly inside. They left the windows open. Can you imagine a place that specialized in beans and a room full of seniors on a hot summer afternoon?

Beans and Ham

Little by little we're inching our way south, taking it easy and enjoying the fantastic weather. We started our trip when the fall colors were ebbing and are following the color tour south at just about the right pace. Fall colors abound.

No dispute here ... we're still livin' the dream.

Phil

And so it begins

Our first stop was our old home town of Battle Creek. We still have family and friends there so it was good to get together once again before heading south for the winter. We parked the rig at the Turkeyville RV park near Marshall MI. Plenty of room … a relatively new park  and a great restaurant to eat at if you like turkey. I can really recommend the turkey sandwich. Fresh baked turkey is used with all meals. Just like an early Thanksgiving. We had a great meal there with Sharon’s folks and her sister Gay. Even if you don’t have an RV stop there for lunch. You’ll like this place.  We even had a little surprise in seeing my old fishing partner Dave and his wife Carol pull their rig right across from us. We could not have planned it any better.

We got together with our old friends George and Paula and Bill and June at Win Schulers restaurant in Marshall like we to try to do every year that we head south for the winter. As usual the meal was good and the conversation ... as good as it gets.

It didn’t take long down the road before I realized that my driving plan was maybe a little too ambitious. I tired easily and finding a place to rest for a few minutes every 75 miles or so was the answer. So what’s the rush anyway?

Our next stop was Anderson Indiana. As close as we could get to Sharon's sister and brother-in-law's beautiful new home in Carmel. As usual John and Linda made us feel right at home and we truly enjoyed our visit with them. We also managed to locate the local casino knowing that it would be the last gambling fix Sharon would have in a couple of weeks. We left with most of our clothes and maybe even a dollar or two extra.

Breaking News! Our old nemesis … water … has sought us out once again. Seems wherever we go water leaks seek us out and test not only our patience but resourcefulness. Not long after leaving the RV park in Indiana at our first rest stop, we discovered the kitchen floor was all wet. Figuring the refrigerator had sprung a leak I immediately shut off the water supply to it. Whoops … wrong answer.  It was still coming out on our brand new floor! ‘Oh darn!’ (expletive replaced) I said.  I then looked under the kitchen sink and could see that there was the problem. Something wrong with the new faucet. I went outside and found that shutoff valve and returned to help Sharon clean up. You know the phrase …”not a happy camper”? Well she was not happy. There was nothing I could do about it now so we just motored on. Thankfully the bathroom sink was there as it was now our most useful source of running water.

We stopped in a park just west of Cincinnati only to discover that we visitors were kind of expected to care for some of the ‘locals’. We learned in the morning that the ‘locals’ would go from site to site expecting something to eat for their morning breakfast. At first I was a little put-off by the expectations but soon fell in line and provided what was needed. As you can see here the small group had just left our door and were heading to my neighbors across the street for maybe something better.

They managed to eat a half a loaf of our stale bread. Two of the more senior ‘locals’ actually rested their heads on my knee hoping that something might fall their way rather than fight with the youngsters as I tossed out the crumbs.

The coach was running smoothly, the roads were smooth, the weather was great and we're 'still livin' the dream'.

Phil

I'm baaaaccckkk !

Okay I’m bad. Lazy, inconsiderate, thoughtless …did I mention lazy? 

Leaving my loyal readers stranded like that scruffy hitchhiker at the entrance ramp to southbound I94. I’ve finally crawled out of my hibernation den … my fingers are limbered up and my mind crammed with semi-worthless anecdotes that clutter my mind and now need to be released. So here we go again … trying to explain what it’s like ‘livin’the dream’. The Cliff Notes version of what's been going on since my last entry.

Our previous winter, better known as the winter from hell, kept us at home for the first time in about 6 years. 92 inches of snow was the cold medicine that convinced us that we no longer belonged in the northern climes in the winter. To be honest we did have some very good reasons to stay home. Like Sharon needed a new hip, the motorhome needed an interior remodel and we needed to get reacquainted with kids and grand kids. We survived the winter and headed for our summer nest in South Haven. So a rather uneventful summer passed … doing the normal things we do … visit friends and family, enjoy the fruits, vegetables, and sites of the South Haven area and relax.  So as summer closed we needed to get the coach and house in order for this winter’s trip south. I got a little detained by inhaling some toxic chemicals included in some grass seed I got to reseed my lawn. Four days in the hospital, and maybe a year of recovery we needed to head south as the weathermen all say this winter will be a repeat of the last year's mess.

So the house is closed up and the coach is ready to go and the only thing that I really needed to pay attention to was to my stamina. Still recovering from the chemical burns in my lungs, the notion of not being able to drive the thousand miles gave us some concern. Others learned of my concerns and out of the blue my brother-in-law offered to help us out and drive the coach south for us. Within another day or so my friend Bill and neighbor Tom each offered to do the same thing. This outpouring of friendship was something I won’t forget. I had about two weeks to make up my mind if I wanted to take one of the volunteers up on their offer and during that time I started to feel a little better and finally decided that I could drive if I really took it easy and drove only a few miles a day. So that was the plan.  Within that plan we figured we’d stop along the way and visit family … spend a few days at each stop taking up almost two weeks to get to Gulf Shores.

So here we go ... livin' the dream

Phil