East Coast Here We Come!

 2/12 - 15/2022 - Bulverde, TX To Caldwell, TX, Brazos Valley RV Park, $102 for three nights

2/15 - 18/2022 - Caldwell, TX to Greenwood, LA, Southern Living RV Park, 4 nights at $37.03 per night

2/18 - 19/2022 - Greenwood, LA to Canton, MS, one night at Movietown RV Park for $31.50

2/19 - 3/6/2022 - Canton, MS to Red Bay, AL, Convenient RV park, two weeks for $300

3/6 - 3/10/2022, RedBay, AL to Meridian, MS, 164 miles, Benchmark RV Park, 4 nights for $134.82

HAPPY SPRING!

We decided to head out earlier this year, just before the Super Bowl, so we could finally make it to the East Coast and do the trip we had planned before COVID hit in 2020. But we didn’t factor in the colder weather and storms that we’d encounter this early in the year. Driving in rain, especially high wind, can be be very challenging and scary so we stayed the first four nights in Caldwell waiting out weather on a good concrete pad, and got to see some rain/snow the first night!

Again in Louisiana, we had to stay longer than expected for another heavy storm, but at least we were safe, and weren’t trying to drive in it!

We hadn’t been to Red Bay for two years, since before COVID and since Thor Industries bought Tiffin, but we enjoy coming into town for maintenance because the townspeople are friendly and there are Tiffin motorhomes parked everywhere, in every tiny lot you can find, and people with the similar experiences and stories to share. So even though you are waiting in line (first come, first serve) to get work on your coach done, there’s always someone to hang out with. We met Laura and Kevin, another full time couple who’s blog Bill follows, and had dinner with them.  And we met our neighbors, Kevin and Chad, who were in Red Bay without a car.  They hadn’t been here before, and only had one small stress crack that needed repair and paint.  They were told it should only take a day to fix, but weren’t told about the wait.  We took them for groceries and dinner at a new-to-us place called Reeves Fish and Steak House, a 30 year old restaurant in an old house. Great crispy fried catfish and hush puppies and tasty steaks with a special Alabama spice blend found only in this state.

Unfortunately, we found many more unsatisfied customers this time - many Phaetons and Buses. Part of the problem is that they’re having difficulty getting parts.  Some coaches would roll off the assembly line with missing things, like chairs or ladders. So new owners are leaving them in Red Bay, dozens lining the service area, until they can be made whole. Part of the problem is that Thor is not as customer-focused anymore. Even though Bob Tiffin still works there, and his grandson is President, they are reducing warranty time and service. Rumor has it that Thor will be moving to a flat one-year warranty soon. There are still many “after-hours” shops manned by Tiffin employees who can get the job done, but they are very short handed. The tech working on our coach told us they would hire 100 people today if they could. So, if the quality of the product is waning and there are no people left to work on them,  Thor could easily pick up and move the company, and Red Bay could dry up. They still have a dog food factory (that runs 24/7, trust me we heard it), and a prefab home manufacturer, but SO MUCH of Red Bay is there to service motorhomes. Restaurants have already moved across the state line to Mississippi because they can serve alcohol. Enough said.

Even though we’d been here before, we hadn’t explored much of the area. It’s difficult to leave town when you’re worried about getting a call that says, “Be in Bay 11 in half an hour.”  We had planned to stay for three weeks, but got done in two, so we could choose our departure date, again depending on weather, and had a few free days. So, we took a road trip on a beautiful sunny day, and found Helen Keller’s birthplace in Tuscumbia, AL, the Rosenbaum House built by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1940, and a sweet historic downtown built on the Tennessee River in Florence, AL. It’s also a college town for the oldest university in Alabama called the University of Northern Alabama. The hostess at the restaurant told us the town was spared in the Civil War because they housed Union soldiers. 

Next up - Laurel, Mississippi (yes, I’m a Hometown fan) and the Mississippi gulf coast!