Made it to Mecca!

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Yahoo! We are here....in Red Bay, Alabama ....the mothership of our RV. Our mobile house was built here in 2008. We have returned to this Mecca on previous occasions to have it worked on. This is our fourth visit. We are very familiar with the lay-out of the area and what to do and see to keep ourselves entertained while the “old gal” gets a work over. We arrived around noon from Tuscaloosa. Fortunately, we found one last open site at the campground we have stayed at before: Convenient Camping. It is located close to everything we need to access. Looks like all the many campgrounds in the area are full......lots of work needing to be done on Tiffin Motor Homes.

Our work will begin on Monday at Bay Diesel. Here they will check everything on the chassis. Cory is going to have them change every clamp underneath our RV......as you read further along, you will understand why. Oh, God! Read fast to get there. He will have them change our fluids also.

On Tuesday, we have a fellow coming to our site to fix our one bedroom slideout. Art and Cory fixed it at Tropical Palms but now it won’t go out again. Hopefully, Brent will get it resolved. We can still use our bedroom as the other slideout works but it is tight and tricky to get around the bed. We have to get it fixed cause I can’t get to my washing machine (which needs to be replaced).....that’s for another day. One of these days will take us to the awning company here in Red Bay. Our toppers (awnings that go over the four slide outs)need replacing. Maybe they just need tightening but not sure until we have the men look at them. I have more items on our wish list. We’ll just see what really needs doing and when we can get someone to do it. Plus, if parts are needed....how quickly we can get them. We can’t use Red Bay’s service center anymore cause our rig is too old and not under warranty. There are many folks that used to work at Red Bay and have branched out on their own who now do work on RV’s. These are the people we go to. They are very good with what they do.

Okay, Okay! Time to tell you about our unwanted but never unexpected stoppage along this journey. Cory and I had commented on how well the RV was doing as we sailed along on the Highway. We spoke too soon! On the other side of Montgomery, AL., in a tiny area called Prattsville (appropriate: PRAT...idiot or a butt!), the bells and whistles went off in the RV.....noooooooooo! Yup! Dash was reading “low coolant”...”check engine” and the dial went HOT! Cory pulled us over in a somewhat treacherous spot but adequate for the necessity. Rats! We’ve had this very same issue on several occasions which we have had repaired. Rats! As Cory stepped out of the RV, my heart sank when he said “Oh, Sh_t....all the coolant is pouring out of the back end!” Yup.....it was....all over the dirty ground. Lulu fainted. She does poorly with stress. I got out with Cory as we stumbled along to the back of the RV. Crap! I was trying to figure out how a tow truck could back up to us....we weren’t in the best of locations....right on the grassy dirt side of a busy road. Yessiree....definitely a low coolant problem....more like NO coolant now. Cory got down to look under our broken bus. He noted that the hose and pipe coming down from the coolant reservoir had come separated. He said he thought he could fix it.....what? ......do you think so? You mean maybe we don’t need a tow truck and $$$ repairs? So, he sauntered around to one of the compartments: got out his trusty tool box and his Dave Berry-like overalls and was ready to go to work. Wow! Mr.Mechanic! But first, he had to buy some supplies. Fortunately, there was an auto parts store several yards away. He trotted off to get a clamp and coolant (antifreeze). Lulu and I watched as he made his way over the grassy field and knoll. My hero. Back he came with a man carrying a big box.....full of containers of coolant. Cory told the man he could look under the RV at our problem if he wanted....I actually said he could fix it, too, if he wanted ($$). Nope....he wasn’t interested but he pulled a nasty, rusty, broken clamp off the hose. This is the reason we are getting all our clamps replaced! We have had various issues arise more than once and they have usually originated from a broken clamp! Dam the clamps! So, Bucky the Mechanic crawled under the RV.....in the treacherous location. He worked away at the hose feverishly. Violá! Competent Cory was successful. He got the hose and pipe back together and clamped them in place to last a lifetime! Hooray! Whew! Okay.....now we had to fill the reservoir. He got out his trusty, battery operated siphone device (bought at Harbor Freight). Between the two of us, we worked together filling the reservoir with gallons and gallons of antifreeze. Pretty soon, a Good Samaritan appeared. Wanted to know if he could help. Wow! Sure! Wish you had showed up earlier but better late than never. He took my position in helping Cory to continually pour gallons of fluid into the reservoir. How much does it take? Cory even checked to make sure it wasn’t still leaking out. Okay....more big bottles needed. Jamie Strong (the Good Samaritan) drove Cory to the auto parts store so he didn’t have to hoof it through the field. More gallons went in. Still not enough? My, God. So Jamie and Cory took another ride to buy even more coolant. I lost count of the number he bought! Finally, the level looked where it should be....plus some. Hallelujah! We were ready to go. Cory gave Jamie some money for his kindness and assistance. He didn’t want it but we insisted. He said he was going our way and would follow us for awhile to make sure nothing leaked out under our RV. Thanks, Jamie. After a few hours of delay, we were back on the road again. Jamie turned off and we continued along for another 15 minutes. Yup.....15 minutes! And then the bells and whistles echoed throughout the RV. Oh, no! Drat! Not again. The same codes were on the dash. Help us, God! This can’t be true. Cory performs his routine maneuver and pulls to the side of the road....nothing but trees and grass around us. We exit together to face whatever horror awaits us. Hmmmmm. Nothing looks wrong. No leaking. Cory decides just to add more coolant to top it off. He also adds some oil to the RV. Nothing else to do but try to go again. And we do. All the noise has stopped and no messages are on the dash. Geeeze.....maybe it just needed more coolant even though Cory had planned that some would circulate through the system. We must have a coolant reservoir the size of a small swimming pool. And so that’s the one stressor that happened along our recent expedition. It could have been so much worse but Mr. Fix-it made everything hunky-dory. Praise him!

Our immediate goal was to get to Tuscaloosa, Alabama where Cory had made reservations for us to stay while attending our granddaughter’s graduation. Taking it nice and slow and easy, we arrived all intact and happy on Wednesday at the Coaches Corner Campground. It was a basic campground (no frills) but close to all the restaurants, etc. Our first night, had us eating at the Shrimp Basket. Oh, yummers....their shrimp was as good as The Catfish Place! On Thursday, we drove around to see the area. Their State Fair was going on but not open when we showed up too early. Weather was overcast anyway. We drove to downtown Tuscaloosa. A lovely place. We walked all around.....thank you, Dr. Johnson, for my new knees! We ate at a neat restaurant called The Grocery. Food was delicious. We found a consignment shop and went in. I was amazed at the hundreds of gowns hung up all around the entire place....plus hundreds more that hung on racks. All priced fairly reasonable. I suppose they might come from or be used for all the various balls and cotillions. Maybe. Lulu so wished she could wear one of them. She loves to show off her beauty. But, alas, you know why she couldn’t buy one to wear (no body). Most of the city is made up of the University of Alabama. It is huge. The beautiful campus goes on forever.

Friday was the big day. Today, our beautiful granddaughter, Rachael Guenter, graduated from the University of Alabama with her doctorate in Biomedical Engineering with a cancer research theme. Cory and I drove from Tuscaloosa to Birmingham where Rachael lives and went to college. The medical school is in the city of Birmingham. We met Cory (son), Penny and Rachael at his hotel close to Rachael’s apartment. Rachael has a studio apartment in a wonderful, old building (1930’s) in the downtown. It has been renovated into apartments. She is within walking distance to her class buildings. Her apartment also includes an underground parking garage....again dated in 1930. It had a unique device that looked like an individual open air elevator. It was fenced off so we couldn’t try it out. Looked like you stood on this metal stand, facing it, and rode it up or down.....it would have been something to see let alone, try out. Lulu would have loved it. She loves to be in the open air.

We all went to Rachael’s apartment. She took us up the elevator to the fourth floor. We walked along the high, narrow hallways with the old, planked wooden floors. If only these walls could talk. She escorted us into her home. It was great. It was like being in a arboretum for house plants. What a green thumb she has! Plants, plants and more plants all around in her apartment. She certainly has fresh air to breath. She said it takes her hours just to water them all. Her cat, Thornbush, was timid at first but soon came out for us to see. My, goodness, this cat is the size of a beagle dog.....huge! I always envisioned and wished to live in a small apartment in the middle of a big city. Not sure that will ever happen. Lucky Rachael....she’s living my dream.

Rachael toured us around the city and brought us to a restaurant called The Lab (appropriate for her cause she works in a lab) for lunch. More tasty delicacies. Time was needed now to go to the graduation location.....Legion Field (huge!). Cory counted 1200 chairs on the field for the graduates. This specific graduation was only for the graduate students. Special attention was given to those students receiving their doctorate (Rachael). We are so very proud of her and her accomplishment. She is now known as Dr. Rachael Guenter. Congratulations, Rach. We love you! Following the ceremony, we gathered back at the lounge at Cory’s hotel. One of Rachael’s friends, Victoria, joined in and brought champagne! Here’s to Dr. Rachael. Cheers!! Cory and I headed back to Tuscaloosa before it got dark. It was a wonderful day and we were so happy we could share in Rachael’s time of glory. Lulu wanted to attend along with the rest of us. It was best that she stay back. We didn’t want anything or anyone to shine brighter than Rachael. We all know how Lulu can be at times. A big show off.

We didn’t rush to get up this morning. We took our time driving to Red Bay. Most of the roads were just two lane. We usually had a convoy behind us. Red Bay is a small, rural town far from any city lights. Because we have been here before (once we stayed a month!) we know what’s around and how to find some fun stuff to do. You’ll have a good time with us. We have no idea when we will leave. Depends upon what we get done and when we can get it done. It will be a day by day decision. We would like to get back “home/polebarn” by mid May. We’ll see. Until then.....don’t head off on your own. We’ll keep you entertained best we can. Okay? Lots of photos to see....38 of them so look for them all.

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Photos

Pulled to side of road for coolant problem
Prattsville, Alabama

Going into Rachael’s apartment
Two buildings brought together by hole in the wall.