QUINCY, FL.  It was mostly overcast and windy as we drove today.  We stopped at a rest stop along U.S. 331 where rose bushes and rhododendron were in flower.  There was also a fully flowered but rain damaged lilac bush, which I did not know would grow this far south.  As we passed into Florida, we drove past the highest point in the state, Britton Hill, at 345 ft in elevation.  No nose bleeds to report.

We reached I-10 and proceeded eastward.  As we neared Leon County, we noticed on both sides of the highway trees snapped in half with the upper half tilted onto the ground.  There was debris everywhere for miles.  It was not until we got here to Pat Thomas Park in Gadsden County that an internet search informed us that the same storm that spawned tornadoes in Alabama and Georgia March 3rd (five days before we came this way) also spawned them in South Carolina and the Florida panhandle.  The damage in Alabama was in the eastern part of the state, so we saw no evidence of it on our trip to Red Bay and back, but the evidence here in Florida's panhandle is dramatic and lingering.  It will take quite a while to clean up.  The damage done on the road to this park has been cleared, and the park seems to have been spared.  The site assigned to us at reservation was impossible to get our motorhome in and out of, but a better one was available which we took (see photo below).  One more time we have been glad that our motorhome is relatively small and can weave through large trees and make tight turns.

Tomorrow we drive home.  It has been little more than three weeks that we have been away.

Our Site Between the Trees

Rhododendron Blossom

Rose Bush in Flower

GREENVILLE, AL.  Checked out of the Tiffin service center this morning.  Drove through varying weather and some strong winds, finally arriving here around 5:30 pm.  In a very nice small city park, Sherling Lake Campground has beautiful azalea bushes in full bloom now.  The price is low and the grounds are well kept.  Great combination.  Tomorrow we leave for Quincy, FL outside of Tallahassee.  From there it will be a day's drive back home on Monday.

Below are a few photos shot with my phone.

Formosa Azalea Bush

Azalea Closeup

Our Site at Park

RED BAY, AL (Day 12).  This morning early the TV analyst stopped by, but instead of working on our motorhome where we were parked, he wanted us to drive it to a location on the other side of the campground where there was a cable hookup.  This meant that we must unhook, pull in the slides, stow everything for driving, and drive over there as quickly as possible.  This was a rather impatient young man as well.  After getting over there, I once again experienced the embarrassment of not being able to repeat the problem for him.  Also been through that with garage mechanics on my car.  Anyway, it worked fine, so we needed to hurry over to Bunk House RV Conversions to have them work on the new cabinet drawers they had made.  While doing that, we mentioned the issue we had with the refrigerator.  One of the men there took the panel off one side of the motorhome to look inside.  There was a puddle of water on top of one of the water tanks in which lay an electrical junction box that fed the refrigerator.  They managed to hoist the junction box up out of the water using zip ties, but the leak that produced the water was the drain hose from the kitchen sink.  They said that would take a day at least to fix and they could not take the extra time.  Our hopes to leave tomorrow seemed dashed.  Once the drawers were fixed, we came back to the Tiffin service center and told the scheduler of service about our new information on the problem.  She doubted anyone could get to it today.  We drove back to our parking site to wait.  We were surprised by a phone call from her at around 1:15 pm saying to come to Bay 10. After arrival there several men worked until about 3:15 pm and managed to fix the leaking hose and replace the damaged junction box.  It was quite an effort by several men at once.  We managed to check out and pay our bill by around 3:30 pm, and can leave here tomorrow morning for home.  Everyone we tell about it say how "lucky" we are that it all happened here rather than out on the road where it is hard to find a service area this knowledgeable.  We know, however, that Providence works in mysterious ways.

RED BAY, AL (Day 11).   Today we drove to Bunk House Conversion, RV of Alabama.  We had been told by them that they would call us to come over around lunch time, but at 8 am we got the call to come over at 9 am.  We scrambled to get ourselves and the motorhome over there on time.  No time for breakfast.  After we got the motorhome over there, we asked them where would be a good place to get breakfast.  They said McDonalds or Jack's, a local chain.  We tried the latter, which was no better than the former would have been.  We also killed some time over at the local coffee house.  We finally were called to come pick up the motorhome in mid-afternoon.  After arriving back here at the Tiffin Service Center RV Park, we noticed that the refrigerator was not running.  The breaker switch was off, and it switched off again when I tried to turn it back on.  After some investigation, it seems to me a strong possibility that the breaker has shorted out.  I rushed in to the scheduler of service to see if anyone could help us.  It would be tomorrow at the earliest.  We already are to see the TV guy tomorrow morning, so we would hopefully get that worked in. Then Betty noticed that our newly-acquired custom cabinet from Bunk House had flaws in construction where the pieces were not joined together completely.  We would have to get back over there also tomorrow.  If we cannot get all this done tomorrow, we will not be able to leave for home Saturday.  No one in this town works on the weekend. 

RED BAY, AL (Day 10).  Drove to Bay Diesel this morning.  Experience there was like so much in this town.  They were nice people that communicate poorly, so that you were never sure they heard you correctly.  That quandary is compounded by the fact that they do not talk to one another very much, so that all the work may not get done unless you follow up with them all, and tracking them all down is not easy.  Due to the inherent miscommunication, some things either were not done or not done completely.  Getting explanations was time-consuming and exhausting.  In the end, it appears that all has been done to get the engine and chassis ready for our upcoming long trip.

RED BAY, AL (Day 9).  Today they opened the service bay door a little after 7 am to allow us to return inside for the completion of work on our new windshield.  The seals they installed today were dry by 3 pm and the mirrors and windshield wipers reinstalled, enabling us to drive back to our site in the service center RV park.  It has been raining a lot, and tonight the temperature will drop to 36 degrees.  We really are getting tired of this place, though we have met some very nice people here.  Tomorrow morning we have a 10 am appointment at the Freightliner place down the road.  It will be a welcome change of scenery.  Nevertheless it is very good to have a beautiful new windshield and to have completed all the other repairs that were done Friday.

Rain-soaked Crowded RV Parking Area at Tiffin Service Center

RED BAY, AL (Day 8).  Arrived at the glass work bay at 7 am.  The workmen removed the windshield wipers and mirrors, then removed the windshield and installed a new windshield, which they glued into place.  This was done while Betty and I were at the visitors lounge reading.  By mid-morning they were standing around waiting for the glue to dry and for any other customers to come by.  They were idle the remainder of the day.  At around 3 pm they backed the motorhome out of the bay and closed the door.  I put down the jacks and put out the slideouts to prepare for spending the night there.  Tomorrow by 7 am we reverse these steps to enable me to pull the motorhome back into the bay for the final steps, which includes sealing around the windshield and reinstalling the mirrors and wipers. 

RED BAY, AL (Day 7).  Attended church in Russellville, a more attractive town than Red Bay.  The First Presbyterian Church is the only Presbyterian church in Northwest Alabama.  This is another unique example of a former PCUS (Southern Presbyterian) church that was allowed to leave that denomination with property intact to join the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA).  It is an old historic property dating back to 1889.  The worship service was reminiscent of the PCUS churches of my teenage years in South Florida, with familiar hymns and musical interludes before and after prayers.  They use well-worn red Trinity Hymnals.  There were only 23 in attendance this morning, something the pastor attributed to the area being steeped in Southern Baptist and Church of Christ traditions. 

The pastor, George M. McGuire, has served over 50 years in the PCA and the Christian Reformed Church in North America, and has been at this church for 10 years after "retiring."  They provided me free of charge with a flash drive with 500 of his sermons preached over those 10 years.  Would take a while to listen to all those.

 After church we drove to Dismals Canyon, where Rainbow Falls is located.  An overcast day, but we got some photos with our phones.

First Presbyterian Church of Russellville, AL

Interior of Church Shot from Balcony

Rainbow Falls

Tight Passageways Through Canyon

Steven in Passageway

Betty in Another Tight Passageway

View Out Passageway Toward Stairway Leading Back Out

RED BAY, AL (Day 6).  Today was a day of housekeeping and laundry.  It was nice to sleep in and relax.  A neighbor here at the service center RV park informed us that down the row our wagonmasters from our RV tour two years ago were also here to have service done on their brand new motorhome.  We walked down to their site for a long talk of reminiscence and catching up on events since we last met.  They mentioned that they had enjoyed our article that was published in the January 2019 issue of Family RVing magazine.  A great visit.  Sorry to hear that they will not be our leaders on the Alaska tour coming up this year beginning June 24.

We have met many nice people here this visit.  When you have motorhoming in common, there is always the chance that you will cross paths again.

Tomorrow we shall attend the nearest church of interest, a PCA church in Russellville, AL.

RED BAY, AL (Day 5).  We rose very early this morning in order to get the motorhome over to the service bay by 7 am.  We actually got there 10-15 minutes early.  They worked on it until around 11 am, then we were sent to another service bay at noon for welding.  This was necessary to correct a faulty slide-out brace.  They finished that around 1:30 pm, when we went to the glass shop to discuss times for having our windshield replaced.  Thankfully we were told to report there Monday at 7 am.  This will allow them to complete the windshield replacement by the end of Tuesday, freeing us up to drive down the road to the Freightliner dealer on Wednesday to work on our chassis.  I checked with the cabinet renovation specialist who said he could install our new storage cabinet on Thursday.  Hopefully on Friday we then can get the TV specialist to get our cable reception to work. 

It was a very full and tiring day today, to be followed by more such days until we can leave for home next weekend, if all falls into place as described.  Nevertheless the Hand of Providence has been evident throughout these days.

RED BAY, AL (Day 4).  Today was mostly taken up with housekeeping duties and reading.  We were informed that we must drive the motorhome over for service tomorrow at 7 am, a bit earlier than we would prefer.  This means that our main service will be done Friday, hopefully allowing Monday and Tuesday for replacing our windshield (it takes two days).  That would be ideal, since we are scheduled for work at Bay Diesel down the road for work on the chassis Wednesday at 10 am.  If they in fact replace the windshield before the Bay Diesel work, that would free up Thursday and Friday for the renovator to install our new cabinet before the weekend.  No one in this town works on the weekend.  If it all falls into place that way, and the scheduler here will not guarantee anything, we can leave for home Saturday morning and be home in plenty of time for our appointments there.

We shall turn in early tonight given the early time assigned for our arrival for service tomorrow.

RED BAY, AL (Day 3).   We attended the two tours mentioned in yesterday's post.  Very impressive.  Large volumes of motorhomes moving through the plants each day.  Meticulous attention to exterior quality and appearance at the paint shop.  Each color requires a new round of masking and re-painting, drying, removing the masking, quality check, then repeat for the next color.  After all colors are applied, dried, and the masking removed; three coats of Clearcoat are applied to protect the paint.  Every motorhome receives three coats of Clearcoat.  The more expensive models receive additional coats, up to seven coats.  At all steps strict attention to detail and quality could send a motorhome back to an earlier step for rework until right.

Those of us here at the service center wondered whether they take that much care in the production lines for mechanical, electrical, and interior finish.  If they did, there would not be so many people here for having things fixed related to the operation of the motorhomes.  These were some of the things we discussed at the informal social tonight held at the customer lounge here at the service center.

After the tours, we stopped by the customizing shop where the work will be done to remove our useless sofa and replace it with a recliner and a large storage cabinet.  We finalized the agreement and made a down payment.  Somehow we shall fit that in around the work to be done here and at the Freightliner service center next Wednesday.  Stay tuned.

RED BAY, AL (Day 2).   Early this morning a Tiffin representative stopped by our motorhome to review the items we listed yesterday to be serviced.  We were happy to see that most of what we needed done could be done at this service center.  We are in line to begin service "in about three days," which would begin Friday or perhaps Monday.  The remainder of the mechanical work can be done by a Freightliner dealer nearby, with whom we have scheduled an appointment for Wednesday the 27th.  We also visited a place in town that does customization of motorhomes.  We discussed sketches of what he could make and install that would replace our useless long sofa, upon which we have been piling things for which we cannot find anywhere else to store.  They can replace the sofa with a set of four large drawers in a storage cabinet made of wood that would match our existing inferior.  That would reorganize our interior wonderfully.  We also would pick up another recliner so that both of us could have a place for reading in our living room.  It would require moving our motorhome to that company's RV parking lot, which has full hookups, for the duration of the renovation.  Just how we can be on standby for three days for work to be done here, make it to the Freightliner place on Thursday, and fit in time at the customizing company will be the challenge, since we need to leave Red Bay by month end to get back home for Betty's eye doctor appointment on the 4th of April.

So far, things are going smoothly, and we hope to return home to resume our usual duties for a month and a half before departing on our long journey beginning May 16th.  Tomorrow we go on a tour of the Tiffin factory, followed by a tour of their painting facility at a location next door in Belmont, Mississippi.

RED BAY, AL.  Made it to the Tiffin service center today.  Went grocery shopping at the Piggly Wiggly and the Big Star stores.  Another store named Fred's was our nearest pharmacy for getting a few over-the-counter items.  Small town shopping.  Really small town.

We are parked in the giant parking lot outside the service bays.  We have full hookups, so all is well.  Getting in here was interesting, since the condition of the asphalt is pretty poor.  Must have been a long time since they resurfaced it.  They actually have speed bumps on the way in.  You would think the pot holes would be speed bumps enough.

We filled out forms at the check-in station on the way in, part of which was our listing of all the things we wanted serviced.  Tomorrow morning someone will come by to let us know when we will be serviced.  It is first-come-first-served, and there are many here waiting to be served.  Tiffin gives priority to the most recent buyers of new motorhomes, so those of us with older models are limited in how much time they will spend on us.  Some of what we need to have done may be done by other companies in town who specialize in work on Tiffins.  We just hope to get back home in three weeks, since we have some important appointments to keep then.

SOUTH MONTGOMERY, AL.  Good to be out of Perry and have full hook-ups again.  Our fresh water tank was almost completely empty, so it took a while to refill it.  Good to have that done.  We are doing laundry now that we have plenty of water and a sewer connection to accept the outflow of water from the washer.  We also can take a welcome shower. 

Tomorrow we leave for Red Bay and the Tiffin service center to get the windshield replaced, which continues to extend its crack.  A complete checkup along with getting the rear AC motor replaced will be on the list.  We also will have someone customize the living room area to provide us more storage area.  We may be in Red Bay quite a while.

PERRY, GA (Day 6).  Similar to yesterday except that it was the final day of the rally.  It turned really cold today and has gotten even colder tonight.  Tomorrow is forecast to be in the low 40s.  I wrapped up the acquisition of the tire pressure monitoring system (TPMS) that will display inside the motorhome the pressure and temperature in all six tires of the motorhome and all four of the Jeep.  This is a very important safety feature that we have lacked for too long.  Tomorrow at 8 am a man from the company that sold the system will come to our motorhome to install everything.  Many companies will not do that.

The entertainment tonight was a lackluster jazz band.  I wish we had known more about them in advance.  This rally has been rather poorly run.  The leadership has not shown up for the last two nights' performances, and people began leaving the rally this afternoon.  There has been no closure for the rally to wrap things up.  As we returned to our motorhome tonight, we noticed a lot of empty areas where motorhomes have already pulled out. 

We shall be glad to pull out tomorrow after the TPMS is installed.  I was nevertheless able this afternoon to make a list of significant achievements we made by coming here.  It included the acquisitions we made, Betty's successful driving experience, and things we learned.  Compared to other rallies we have attended, though, it poorly utilized its potential.  It was a huge undertaking and could have produced so much more.

PERRY, GA (Day 5).   Today was much like yesterday except it ended with a concert by three groups who have reprised the songs of the Coasters, the Platters, and the Drifters from the 1950s and 1960s.  It is getting harder and harder for me to believe those years ever happened.  Things have changed so much and for the worse.  Hearing the old songs not only quickens memories, it transfixes you in time as if you were back there, remembering what you were doing and thinking as you heard the sounds long ago.  Perceptions of love and romance were nearly sacred back then.  We watched couples get up to dance, doing their best to perform the moves of their high school years as well as their aging bodies could afford.

The performers noted that we could understand what they were saying (unlike performers today), that no curse words were said in the songs, and their pants were not falling down, all references to how things have changed.  It is nice to see that these younger performers were seeing this and bringing back the music of a more wholesome time.  Hopefully not merely aging baby boomers are paying attention.

PERRY, GA (Day 4).  Another day of long walks and overeating.  Hopefully they offset one another.  With everything so spread out, and difficulty in getting to and from our motorhome, we end up eating from the nearby food purveyors of foods well off the Weight Watchers list.  We shall see how it all turns out Saturday morning when we weigh in.

Early we visited the display of new Tiffin motorhomes on the premises, greeting Bob Tiffin, the owner and founder of the company.  Seems to us the features, designs, and appointments of the new motorhomes are not as homey and appealing as the older designs.  Everything is too electronic, automatic, and glitzy.  Like stepping into Las Vegas.  Glad we have the one we have.

We walked through the enormous building full of vendors of RV accessories.  Some interesting and useful, some rather strange.  I still need to get a tire pressure monitoring system.  Yesterday Betty got a kit for making it easier to wash and wax the tall walls and windows of the motorhome without using a ladder.  That should be useful.  Employs the nicest extending pole I have ever seen.  The whole system is used in the aircraft industry to care for large planes.

We attended seminars on RV maintenance and ended the day watching the movie, The Bucket List, which was a much better movie than I had anticipated.  Sadly, no one in the movie had a clear idea of the Biblical message about the afterlife.

Tomorrow it is forecast for rain to return.  We shall pack rain slickers in our backpacks. 

PERRY, GA (Day 3).  Walked a lot today, beginning with the long walk to the convention center from the distant lot where our motorhome is parked.  A tram is supposed to come by no later than every 20 minutes, but our area is not being served very well.  We get a lot of exercise walking.

We went to several seminars of varying importance, walking still more, then ended with a fortunate ride in someone's golf cart back to our motorhome.  It was dark by then, and we truly appreciated the ride.  The last event of the day was a professional comedian who also has owned motorhomes over the last 23 years, thus enabling him to tailor his routine for our audience.  It was pretty good.

After a long day, with more walking than we are used to, we are ready for a good night's sleep.

PERRY, GA (Day 2).  Betty performed famously today in her driving on various roads, including I-75.  She drove like a pro, very confident in all aspects.  The instructor was quite impressed and wondered why she signed up for driving instruction.  I wondered why she had not driven like that before now.  It is all a matter of confidence, and she seems to have mastered her fears.

 As we came back to the fairgrounds, now that we no longer needed the temporary location we had during the driving school, we had to find our new parking location within the maze of 3,000 motorhomes parked very closely together.  Clearly the volunteers helping us were overwhelmed, with many of them not knowing where all the parking locations were.  We were given incorrect information, resulting in our following someone to the wrong place.  Then we were told that we were in one place but that did not correspond to what the signs said.  Once we finally were parked, we assumed that the eventual address we had been given was correct and went shopping in town.  Upon our return, we drove through a huge maze seeking the address we had been given, but did not find our motorhome.  We drove and drove through acres of motorhomes without finding ours.  Eventually we found it in a lot with a different number from the one we had been given.  Now we know not to believe anything they tell us, but drive to the lot and street markers at the end of the lots to see for ourselves.  Actually hard to explain what it is like to be parked on a large grassy area converted into a neighborhood with temporary street signs stuck into the ground within lots marked by other temporary signs.  We think we can find our way back again tomorrow.

There was no time to take a photo today, but how I could capture all this in a photo I do not know.  They are going to take an aerial photo, which should look like 3,000 dots on a page.  Don't think that would be very helpful.

The very large and expensive motorhome that was parked beside us last night got stuck in the mud from all the rain.  As we returned from Betty's driving, we saw a large front end loader pulling it out with a chain.  Made the whole scene seem like a circus.  Its wheels were still spinning and throwing mud as it was being dragged out.  Every other rally we have been to was far smaller and better organized.  I think they have undertaken more than they can handle.

PERRY, GA.  We are at the FMCA International RV Rally.  In the rain.  Seems every time we attend a rally lately it rains.  Hopefully tomorrow I can get a photo of this place.  Already there are acres of motorhomes, more than any rally we have attended before.  We are here early to attend the driving school today and tomorrow.  The actual rally begins Wednesday.

We are currently cold camping, meaning we are in an area without hookups for electricity, water, or sewer; but we knew this coming in, so we emptied our gray and black water tanks this morning before coming here.  We also made sure our 90 gallon water tank was full.  So, with occasional use of our generator, we live comfortably until the driving school is over tomorrow around 5 pm.  At that time they will move us to a location with electrical and water hookups.  Mid-week we shall take advantage of a pumping truck service to empty the gray and black water tanks.

This afternoon Betty and I attended an excellent driving lecture, which covered motorhome maintenance and safety matters.  This was the first phase of the school.

The reason we are in a cold camping area now is that we shall pull in the slide-outs tomorrow and bring up the leveling jacks in order for Betty to drive the motorhome for the second phase of the driving school.  Betty will receive hands-on training in our motorhome, driving it on the roads (including I-75), parking, backing up, etc.  They even will cover parallel parking the motorhome, something that I have not done.  I cannot even imagine when you would need to do that, but at least they are being thorough.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to clear.  Hurrah!

ELKO, GA (Day 2).  We attended church today at the Perry Presbyterian Church (PCA) in downtown Perry.  For a small town, there were many large imposing church buildings clustered together toward the center of town.  This was an imposing brick church building built in the 1990s, about twenty years into the life of the new denomination.  It is well kept inside and outside, with a two-story educational building.  The sanctuary has a balcony.  The narthex has private ancillary rooms for prayer or counseling.  Very traditional design and very pretty.

Throughout our visit we were greeted warmly by everyone, especially the senior pastor's wife, who talked enthusiastically to us through the social hour and following Sunday school.  There is much potential here.

The worship service began at 9:30 am, followed by a social coffee and donuts time, leading into the Sunday school hour.  The worship service began with a duet of young ladies accompanied by an excellent pianist playing a grand piano.  Then two young men on the left, and five young ladies on the right, joined in, the men playing guitars.  No hymnals were provided, but the hymns mostly were from the traditional hymnal set to modern tunes.  The words were printed in the bulletin rather than projected onto the wall as done in too many churches now.  The first hymn, "Holy, Holy, Holy," was sung to its tradtional tune, while others were set to tunes we had never heard before.  The voices that could be heard were mostly very young; participation from older adults was not enthusiastic, lending a rather quiet drab tone to the service.

The sermon was delivered by their Assistant Pastor (not an associate pastor).  The service overall reminded me of a Southern Baptist church service.  Very informal.  The sermon aimed low and hit its target.  Very basic points were presented as grand epiphanies, hands waving, voice raised.  I wish the congregation could be given more.

Sunday school was taught by a young man the senior pastor was apparently grooming for leadership.  We were on chapter 10 of the Westminster Confession, and the teacher was glued to his notes from a book by John Gerstner.  Any question was addressed with nervous reference to his notes.  This was a work in progress.  Overall a pleasant experience, but the senior pastor has his work cut out for him.

It is encouraging that a good positive effort is in place here in central Georgia.  We have visited so many discouraging churches in our travels.  This one is headed in the right direction, and I would not want to appear to be a discouragement.

ELKO, GA.  We are parked at the Twin Oaks RV Park, about 8 miles south of Perry.  We arrived here about 2 pm and did some shopping in Warner Robins until after dark.  It will be lighter at this hour tomorrow with DST.  In the morning we shall attend church in Perry.

Twin Oaks RV Park

Monday between 8 am and noon we drive to the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, where Betty's driving school will take place Monday afternoon and all day Tuesday.  The rally begins there on Wednesday and extends through Saturday.  Then we shall depart for Red Bay, AL to have some work done on the motorhome, including having our windshield replaced.  It has a crack emanating from a spot where a rock hit it while we drove through road construction last summer in the Midwest.

LAKE PARK, GA.  Made it on the road by 2 pm due to taking more time than expected getting the motorhome loaded up, hooked to the Jeep, and rolling.  Seem to have an issue with the back AC unit this time.  It was the front unit last year.  Will have it fixed on this trip.

We are staying at a very nice, though somewhat old and crowded, RV park on a pretty lake just off I-75.  We are just north of the Georgia-Florida boundary, and the views are much nicer than just north of the line off I-95 farther east.

I am attaching some photos of where we are staying for the night.  Tomorrow we continue on to a park just south of Perry, GA where the FMCA international rally will take place Wednesday through Saturday.  We shall arrive early so that Betty can attend a driving school on Monday and Tuesday using our motorhome.  Should be interesting.