REDTAILRV

On the road again, this time for the final leg to home in Sun City. Left the RV Park at Meteor Crater at 0830 and headed West towards Flagstaff. Weather was cold, 27, sky clear and no wind. The no wind part was really nice. We saw the San Francisco Peaks as we neared Flagstaff and realized we were truly back in Arizona. As we drove South and entered greater Phoenix we were surprised at all the construction that had taken place and was taking place along the I-17 corridor. Got to the house and began the grueling task of unloading. The house was in good shape thanks to Steve and Calli who monitored it.

Just a recap of our trip: We were gone 145 days, travelled some12,189 miles, used 1970 gallons of diesel fuel and 228 gallons of gas in the car. We drove thru 27 of the 48 contiquous states and 6 of the Canadian Provinences. We ferried 14 times, one of which was 17 hours long.
We crossed many huge bridges including the Confederation Bridge from PEI to New Brunswick, the George Washington bridge across the Hudson on Manhattan, the Bridge-Tunnel to Norfolk and the many bridges in the Keys of Florida. Weather was kind to us and we were able to travel the Eastern most roads, including the Outer Banks, all the way from New Jersey to Key West.

There were many highlights of the trip, some being Niagara Falls, the Boston Pops on the 4th of July,
the beautiful scenery of the Maritimes, the great sandwiches of Carnegies in NYC, the sandy shores of the Outer Banks, the memories of the EL BO room in Fort Lauderdale, the great camp site in Key West,
the hospitality of our friends the Oliva's and Wards. the many tours of coach manufactures along the way. AND last but not least the time spent with the new IDENTICAL TRIPLETS in Missouri.

This has been a great trip. The blog will be quiet for a few days and then updated as we venture to Columbus, GA to watch Derek graduate from Advanced Infantry Training.

On the road again from Shamrock to Albuquerque, good weather but still the strong winds from the cold front passing by.

As you can see, Barbara got better signal last night and got several pictures loaded for your viewing.

Weather forcast for the evening is a cold snap to 25 degrees, better make sure the water connections are drained.

On the road again, this time from Carthage towards the west. Ended up for the night at Shamrock, TX. In case you didn't know it, there are 2 towns in Texas named Shamrock, so initially the GPS goes berserk. Anyway, no entrys were made the last couple days as we were parked in Carthage and visiting Barbara's neice and her new identical triplets, some 6 weeks old. It was a fun stop. At times even the parents can't tell them apart. The toe nails are painted different for each child. Barbara tried to download some pictures last night but the signal at Shamrock is too weak.

Crossing Oklahoma was exciting as there were threatening storms, high winds and lots of traffic. Made for a grueling day. We were lucky and only had some large sprinkles and no hail.

We are nearing the end of the trip and it seams strange to be heading home instead of some exotic destination.

Pictures will be posted as soon as we can for the last few days.

On the road again, this time from Memphis to Carthage, MO. Took I-40 west across the state and the 540 north to Joplin. Boy have has the road improved. Last time it was a total washboard, couldn't even drive the speed limit then. Now, smooth as silk and much better. The road 540 is a strange one, it is divided highway, new, very nice going from nowhere to nowhere. Not a single service area or rest stop along the way.

Arrived in Joplin, need fuel and was pleasantly surprised to see the diesel price of $2.92 a gallon and gas was
$1.92. By the time we had set up camp and gone to get supplies gas was down to $1.86, great day.

We are at the Red Barn RV Park in Carthage. This is the nearest park to Barbara's neice, Brianna. She had identical triplet girls some 6 weeks ago, so we will be visiting.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN! Today started out very interesting. I am an early riser, so I was up and had just turned the thermstat up and brewing my coffee. All of a sudden there was a loud bang, like a tire or air bag blowing, or the hydronic furnance back firing. I looked out side with the flashlight and could see nothing. Later I was ready to wash the front window and smelled something by the battery bay. I opened the door and to my surprise one of the house batteries had blown the top off of it cell. WOW, I got the hose and washed the area out good, then arranged to have new batteries installed while we toured Memphis.

Memphis, home of the BLUES, ROCK AND ROLL AND GOSPEL. It all happened on BEALE Street, downtown Memphis. The history of music is portrayed all over Memphis, from Graceland to Beale Street. We took the bus tour, which was narrated by Memphis Jones. He sang and gave the history of all the famous singers, writers and musicians that got their start in Memphis. Like Johnny Cash doing the opening for Elvis, how Elvis learned that people wanted movement with their singer.

Onc can't go to Memphis and not eat the local food, RIBS, PULLED PORK and several others. Each restuarant is better than the last. And of course you have to visit the PEABODY HOTEL to watch the ducks exit the fountain in the lobby, walk the red carpet to the elevator and go up to their 'suite' for the night, only to return the next morning.
At our watching there must have been a hundred people.

Awoke to a very cold morning in Red Bay, ALA, only 38, brrrr. Had to be at the main office of Tiffin at 945 for a 1000 tour of the factory. Tiffin started coach building in 1972, during the peak they were producing 13 coaches per day. Now in the slow down they are doing 3 coaches per day and have a slight back order. The over all experience of the factory was not nearly as good as some of the other plants we have been thru. However the product is a good one and priced for purchase. Bob Tiffin oversees the operation daily and is always available to talk with you.

After the tour and lunch we departed Red Bay and headed west towards Memphis. Our campsite for the night was at Tom Sawyers RV Park. This is very unique as it is right on the Mississippi River. From the sight you can see the river barges going up and down stream. During the flood season it is under water.

On the road again, this time a long one. Left the Perdido Key of Pensacola and headed North in Alabama. Took the interstate as it was much shorter in time but longer in distance. We are heading to the town of RED BAY, home of Tiffin Motor Coach. The trip along the way was uneventful, miles and miles of miles and miles. Arrived in Red Bay, made contact with our friends, Norm and Lee DeShon. They are here for service on their coach. It was COLD, only reached a high of 55 today and forcast to dip to 25 tonight.