House hunting in Mentone

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We had driven I-75 towards Atlanta before. It’s an interstate…flat, easy, fast and boring. We had been advised to drive through Atlanta instead of going around because it’s shorter and quicker. True….BUT….it was 8 lanes….per side. That’s 16 lanes going through Atlanta. One lane was HOV (high occupancy) and only needed 2 people. However, trucks with 6 wheels were banned. Since the RV has 6 wheels, we thought we better not try. So with cars speeding past on both sides, I gripped tight, Trish drove as hard as I did and we went right through. Washington, DC has 8 lanes BOTH ways on I-95. I thought I could handle city traffic. Suffice to say, next time we go WAY around Atlanta, if we even come close.

Once past the city, Trish drove through the mountains to Mentone and Desoto State Park. Being a West Virginia native, she handled the RV like she was ridge running in the Mountaineer State. I tried to keep my eyes open.

Desoto park was lovely. It was recently done over and had nicely paved roads, well graveled and fairly level sites with sewer, water, electric and cable TV, and large, warm restrooms and showers. It was a great experience. Only problem was there was no cell phone coverage. We asked and discovered that everyone who lives on Lookout Mountain is aware that it is a “black hole” in that area for coverage.

Our purpose was to hunt for property for our retirement. Why this area? It is beautiful and mountainous, similar to WV, NH, or the Shenandoah Valley area. In past visits, we were struck by the friendliness of the people, the preponderance of artists, and laidback, 60’s philosophy of the folks on the mountain. Alabama is a state which is tax friendly for Federal retirees. Cost of living is low, and the climate has 4 seasons with none of them being too hot or too cold. It would also keep us on the East coast, reasonable distance from most of our families. Lookout Mountain (same as from Civil War history) runs from Chattanooga down the edge of Alabama and Georgia almost as far south as Atlanta area. Little River Canyon, on the top of the mountain, is the deepest canyon east of the Mississippi and is a National Preserve and protects a wonderful area for hiking, canoeing, and protecting the environment. So all in all, this is an area we feel we will be comfortable in and enjoy in our retirement.

Yes, there was a tornado through the area just a few days before we got there. It is not normal as most tornados sweep south near Birmingham or Montgomery. If one does come, it usually hits Sand Mountain to the west and bounces off or over Lookout Mountain. But one did come through the area and caused a great deal of damage, but fortunately, no loss of life in the immediate area. We saw lots of neighbors helping each other out in the clean up effort.

We have contacted various realtors during the past several years, but finally found one who stayed in touch, listened, and provided real assistance. Chelsea Carrier, of Lookout Mountain Preferred Realty in Mentone sent us listings, advised on properties, and set up a series of viewings for Wednesday through Friday. She was smart and said, if we drive up and you realize the property isn’t what you want, we don’t need to go in. Not pushy, put considerate of our time and intelligence. We looked at homes in Mentone and Valley Head on Wednesday, then Fort Payne on Thursday, and did follow-up on Friday. Homes that looked great in the MLS sheets, were less than acceptable in person, and some that were promising on the MLS sheet turned out to be gems. A couple of spots that had real interest ended up having offers made before we got to AL, so they were off the list and gone.

Trish and I have long wanted to build a “different” kind of house, but I am concerned about the cost. The only way to know for sure is to put boots on the ground and talk to a builder in the area. Chelsea put us in touch with a builder, designer who specializes in eco-friendly homes. Lyle Nicely in Mentone has built an earth sheltered home and his company is called Ecological Designs. We chatted over lunch on Thursday and had him come look at a home we were considering on Friday. We are convinced he understands our desires and will be able to design and build what we want eventually.

So though we did not purchase property or a home, the trip was very productive in that we have a good realtor who will continue to work with us, a designer/builder who will be able to get us what we want, and a better feel for the area and an increased desire to find our spot in the sun and get on with retirement.

We did manage to eat at some great spots while out. Lunches at local establishments included a great barbecue spot and one night for dinner we had an all you could eat fish dinner at the Desoto Park lodge. We also had a chance to try our new GPS receiver and go geocaching. We had tried at Josh’s but were not successful. This time, we managed to find the cache and register in the log. If you are not familiar with the sport, look up geocaching and learn about this great sport for recreation and exercise.

The pictures included with this blog show some of the houses we looked at to give a feel for the area and what the potential is. Following our stay there, it was off to TN to see Trish’s brother in Crossville.

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Photos

Camp site in Desoto State Park
Great camping with full hookups, including cable. Only problem is, no cell phone coverage.

Lot in Mentone
This was a small lot that previously had a house. The road in could be improved. But we would need to remove a lot of trees to get a good solar gain.

"Turtle" house
This house in Mentone had beautiful cedar walls in several rooms. The fireplace is stacked stone and common to the area. Nice house, but bedrooms a bit small.

Boardwalk near Lodge in state park
We hiked a short trail and enjoyed the nature. Azaleas had already bloomed but the wildflowers were beautiful along the trail.

House with Pond
This is a 1900 house with only 1100 sq ft. The kitchen was old and needed work. But it sat on 10 acres with a delightful pond a gorgeous views. We considered it seriously, but would need a lot of money and work to make it livable for retirement.

Desota Falls
Great falls. Swimming above the dam is allowed. We learned that a Welsh explorer had come to this area almost 300 years before Columbus "discovered" America. Did they each that in history class???

Path of destruction
This is on a back road in Mentone. The tornado destroyed several mobile homes, but fortunately no one was killed. The power of the wind was awesome.