Days in Virginia

Sorry we haven't posted but didn't have strong signal.  Anyway we arrived at Bob's (my cousin) who lives out in the country near Appomatix.  We did ok on roads but we did come on a single lane bridge that made a quick 90 Deg. turn on roadway.  John managed to get us across but it was really TIGHT.  Mattie loved playing with their dogs and did Ok with their declawed cats that just wander around the house.
 We went in to Liberty College and had a great buffet lunch with Julie-Ann our employee's daughter that just started school there.  Nice to visit with her and see some of the campus.  We went to Bed, Bath & Beyond and I got a set of tephlon pans that work on my induction stove.  Bob had that set so I knew it would work.  We have gone to some local orchards and got apples and peaches but as usual not as good as we would like.  We did go to a little place for lunch where the food was good but they specialize in pies.  We tried a brown sugar pie which never had before and it was very good but we took home a pecan which was just out of this world.  The 94 year old mother was there and she recited Matthew 28 for us and than her daughters who work at pie shop sang a gospel song.  We had some rain  during the evening.  Sunday was a foggy morning and made for some nice pictures.  We went to church but missed service since there are different times every other Sunday.  We took a ride later in the 4wheel drive Kabota RTV to property near them where they are clear cutting the land.  Quite interesting.  JVP

Good By Red Bay

Monday,  we got up early and John headed to Bay 8 to get the awning repaired.  I went across the street and got my nails done and we were ready to roll.  They didn't have the right part so it is being shipped to the shop and John will put it in.  We stopped in Chattanooga, Tenn. and decided to spent another day, since we lost another hour today.  We are now 3 hours ahead of Calif time.  We slept in on Tuesday although we aren't caught up on the right time yet.  We drove up to Look Out Mountain which it the tallest mountain around and half in Georgia and half in Tennessee. Our first visit was to Ruby Falls.  We went down an elevator 260 ft down and saw the formations in the cave-we have seen most forms before but at the end it gets very cool and you can hear water and it is dark.  Ruby Falls is 145 ft. (a very long way up where it starts) and they have a light show on it.  It is just spectacular.  Our next stop was Rock City.  It is on Look Out Mountain also, 1700 ft. above sea level.  It is a garden with lots of plants, trees and flowers nestled into huge rock boulders.  You have to walk through or a should say squeeze through some of them (like eye of needle).  You can see 7 states from up there-it was hazy today but still a beautiful view on top of a huge rock that has a waterfall dropping down.  They have a lot of gnomes there in the rocks and also a nursery scene with statues hand carved in Germany.  John wasn't sure he wanted to go but he enjoyed it.  We both walked, climbed steps, and were so tired when we got back to motor home.
 

Our week of work at Red Bay

We are slowly getting work done. Tile is all in place and doing good.  John has hooked up solenoid to engine so that is fixed.  They worked on adjusting slides as they were miss aligned.  We are working on getting the rear awning fixed.  Spent most of Friday in 2 different bays, changed the motor out but did the same thing and wouldn't work after one time.  So it was quitting time-we had hoped to be out of here but now have to wait until Monday.  Visited with our Ohio neighbors, and New Zealand couple.  We all went to Rattlesnake Saloon on Friday night.  It is quite aways away from here out in middle of nowhere.  We passed the Coon Dog Cemetery where coon dogs only are buried.  Got to Saloon and took a ride in back of truck with crude wooden benches in the back down a steep, dirt road to the bottom.  It is a huge cliff that you sit under, we had beer and burgers, appetizers of snake eyes and tails-(fried green beans and jalapenos). dill pickles, mozzarella sticks and mushrooms.  Than they had karaoke night and most of singers sang country songs.  Our Ohio neighbor Becky is in to music and she sang.  It rained for a short time while we were there.  Bud & Betty had been evacuated from camp ground in Colorado and as soon as they could moved closer to their daughter and than got out of area.  Scary! The weather has cooled off here-in the 80"s in the day and 60's at night and we have spent alot of time sitting outside with Mattie and walking her around here.  John has spent the rest of the day since workers all quit at 4 working on figuring out what is wrong with awning and now knows it needs a computer board.  They should have one when we go into our bay at 7 on Monday.  We have enjoyed sleeping in and having it quiet over the weekend but on Monday the dance begins of motorhomes moving to 49 bays.

Back in Monday Schedel

We moved over beside another service building.  Plugged into electricity but have to use our tanks for water and sewer.  Got the couch tiles done but can't move the slides in for a day so we are here for today and tomorrow.  Got the refrigerator tile fixed and than on Tues he worked on fixing the tile that broke when we finally got engine compartment open.  John put the new solenoid in and should fixed on that spot now.  Pulled the front slide in this morning and tile broke again.  Checked the slide and whats underneath and than put in another tile.  Tues afternoon we had a good rain storm.  Took this out the drivers window.  The air conditioning pump didn't fit so have to order one.  John went over to factory and looked at some things we wanted to check out.
    Went to Jacks fast food place and had fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans with a biscuit.  Very good.  Took showers, watched TV and I knitted some.  Went to bed early since the day starts at 6AM here.

Day Off in Red Bay

 The moment of realization

 Helen Keller's Childhood home

 The front Gate

The Dam on the Tennessee River

Here it is Sat and nobody works.  It was a quiet, lazy morning for us. We decided to take a ride and see some bigger cities and the area around us.  We drove through Natchez Parkway which was beautiful ride reminded me of Blue Ridge Parkway.  We went to Tescumbia, Al and Ivy Glen where Helen Keller was born.  It was a great view of her life, where she grew up and there was a HUGE white oak and magnolia tree in the front yard.  We had lunch at Logan's BBQ(like a Famous Daves).  Than we drove across  the Wilson Dam and saw the lock.  It is the highest single lock ever built (100ft) and still one of the largest lift locks ever built and still is working.  The Tennessee River was beautiful.  Found a Walmart and got a few supplys.  Mattie was glad to see us and  have her dinner.  We spent the evening outside with people from Ohio with a Phaeton motorhome and one from Australia with a Breeze.  Interesting to hear about their laws and restrictions on how wide it can be, the electrical power and such but can't imagine spending all that money to ship it over, drive here and than go back with it and camp on an island.

another day at the factory

   Friday Sept 6th.  Here we are in Red Bay, Alabama.  We moved over to the campground on Wed. from dry camping for one night.  There are 100 spaces here with lots of Phaetons, Allegro Buses, Zephers and a few other models here on waiting from all over the country to have work done.  There are 45 bays where work is done and every morning this place comes alive at 6:45.  There are motorhomes moving to the bays, trucks and vans coming out to work on things, cars going places and looks like a busy ant hill.
   Today we took a tour of the factory and watched how these motorhomes are put together.  We went to lunch at Subway afterwards and there was Mr. Bob Tiffin, head of company, waiting in line for his sandwich. We  have gone out to eat dinner twice now, once we had ribeye steaks and next evening we had catfish, hush puppies and slaw.  We are about catfished out now and so tonight we plan on grilling here, in the (campground).  This is a waiting game here and looks like we will have an express bay when our time comes as we don't have alot to do.  Quitting time is around 4 and then the dance begins again for everybody to get back to their campspots.  We will have the weekend to explore the area and hope on Monday to get started with some work. That is all for now. JVP