Touring Northwest Alabama

     While sitting in Red Bay over the weekend, there is no service work happening so we decided to go tour the area. Nothing extensive, but we just wanted to get out and see something other than a service bay and the parking lot campground!

     We had heard about it on previous visits to Red Bay but had never taken the trip. This time we decided it was about time that we visited the Coon Dog Cemetery in Cherokee, AL. Back on Labor Day of 1937, a guy named Key Underwood sadly buried his faithful coon dog, Troop. They had been hunting together for more than 15 years. Key chose a spot that was a popular hunting area where coon hunters from all around would gather, tell tall tales, and compare dogs. Troop loved this spot and Key decided that Troop would be buried here. He wrapped the dog in a cotton pick sack and buried him three feet down, marking the grave with a rock from a nearby old chimney. Using a hammer and screwdriver, he chiseled out Troop's name and the date. Troop was known as a "cold nosed" coon hound meaning that he could follow cold coon tracks until they grew fresh and he never left the trail until he had treed the coon. This is the only cemetery of its kind in the world and hunters from all over have buried their coon dogs in the cemetery. Now be advised that only coon dogs can be buried here. To qualify for burial there are three requirements that must be met. First, the owner must claim the dog is an authentic coon hound. Second, a witness must declare the deceased is a coon dog. Thirdly, a member of the local coon hunter's organization must be allowed to view the coonhound and declare it as such. Headstones are crafted from wood, metal, or stone and bear epitaphs that range from humorous to touching.

Misty visiting her Alabama cousins

     If you read the previous blog entry you know that Misty dislocated her hip. She has been recuperating during this travel and has just recently began to use all four legs again. This was the first big outing since the accident and she really enjoyed getting out. She was pretty stiff and worn out when we got home but we think that she'd go again in a heartbeat given the chance!

Misty out and about in the woods. 

      We left the cemetery and drove through Mussel Shoals to Florence, AL to visit Pope's Tavern museum. At one time this served as a stagecoach stop, tavern, and inn and is one of the oldest structures in Florence. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson stopped here on his march to the Battle of New Orleans. It also served as a hospital for both Confederate and Union soldiers during the Civil War. Because of its location and port facilities along the Tennessee river, Florence was occupied by both sides repeatedly over the course of the war. Antiques and artifacts from the 18th and 19th century abound in rooms on the ground floor. The second floor is filled with artifacts from the Civil War and items of local history.

Portrait of the original owner (above) and a view of the front entrance

An old Edison wax cylinder player

Artifacts abound in the kitchen area

Pleating iron or Crimper used on clothing

The Dining/Meeting room

     A little about the kettle in the above photo. I thought that it was used to boil down sugar cane (we have seen bigger ones like this in plantations all along the Gulf Coast). Turns out it is too far north for sugar cane. This kettle was used originally to remove the hair from the hide of a freshly killed hog! The carcass was placed in boiling water in the kettle and the hairs loosened from the hide and were easier to remove. In later years, the local church made stews in the kettle and served to parishioners.

     Just across from Pope's Tavern were two "Sears Homes". Look it up on the internet. You used to be able to order a home from the Sears and Roebuck catalog. It would arrive to you pre cut and in pieces. You then had it built. There were many styles and sizes to choose from. These are two originals that are occupied to this day.

     Down the street is the University of North Alabama--a neat little campus tucked away on neatly manicured lawns. Nothing really differentiates it from any other small college site except for the little area just inside the gate. Here the University mascot(s) are housed and live in comfort. It was a cool and cloudy day when we visited and they were awake and regal in surveying their minions. They are actually brother and sister. They seem to enjoy watching people as much as the people like to watch them.

THE Univ. of North Alabama Lions! (Leo III and Una)

          After viewing the lions, and on our way back to our car, we encountered the bus (in the photo below) parked in the parking lot. As RVers we couldn't resist a closer look and we were warmly invited in by the occupants. They told me that they had modified the coach themselves and the interior was extensively remodeled. There was a sitting area up front, Dining table, and a kitchen and bath in the rear. Sleeping quarters were along the top. The group of folks are members of The Twelve Tribes. They are a religious group that has locations all across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, and Australia. They are similar in lifestyle to a commune as they share things like chores, duties, meals, and such. They are religious but not in a pushy or preachy way. They were  very friendly and invited us in for conversation and answered all of our questions cheerfully. They did not try to push their lifestyle on us or hound us for donations. They all worked at a restaurant chain called the Yellow Deli that is run by the Twelve Tribes organization and were out touring northwest Alabama just like we were.

The Twelve Tribes Bus

     Our last stop was at a little park by the marina on the Tennessee River. It is a nice place to have a picnic or just relax and have fun with family and friends. I bet it is really popular in the summer months!

Red Bay 2015

     Well, we decided that there were a few things that we wanted to modify on our coach and there were a few things that needed taken care of while still in warranty, so we packed up and headed to Red Bay, Alabama. We have been here several times before and we find that it is the best place to have work done on your Tiffin motorhome. Since it is the location of the manufacturing plant, the repair and service bays can usually get any part that is needed to fix your coach in a short amount of time (usually measured in minutes), and their service techs are well-versed in all things Tiffin.

    There are slots for over 100 coaches in the campground parking lot. Each site has 30 and 50 Amp hookups along with water and sewer connections. This time of year the water is turned off at the sites, but there is water available at the RV wash rack that is located on the west end of the service bays.

     Our logic was that there wouldn't be very many folks in Red Bay in the middle of January. Snowbirds should be in their southern "nests" and other part time RVers would have their units safely winterized and tucked away in their storage spots. Since service is "first come, first served" we thought this would be the time to show up. Well, we were wrong!!! There were 40 people on the waiting list and that didn't include everyone who was already in a repair bay. As our kids are so fond of saying, "You're retired so what else do you have to do?"; we signed up and started the wait.

     Above is the camp office building. There is always a pot of coffee brewing and the folks are friendly and helpful about things to do and see in the area. They are the ones that check you in and out and assign you your camp space. Their offices are on the right. In the middle is the laundry facility. Here you can do your laundry at a reasonable cost if you are here that long (and most usually are). The two doors on the left are the restroom/shower facilities. We use them for showers and it conserves our on board water and propane usage. Minimizes our trips to get water refills.

     Next to the office is a parts store. Here you can buy any part you desire for your Tiffin motorhome. If it is not in the store, they can get it from the factory parts bin. It's like a Camping World store that specializes in Tiffin products.

     New to us was the Customer Waiting Lounge. The old one was located inside the repair service building and I thought that it was pretty nice. The new building is just outside of the service building and is divided in two sides. One side is pet friendly and one is for those without pets. Both sides have a coffee machine and they share bathroom facilities and vending machines. There is satellite TV setup on both sides and comfortable seating for those long hours spent servicing your motorhome.

One side of the Customer Waiting Lounge

Cushy seats, reading materials, and coffee 

   

     Above is just one side of the repair bays. There is another set on the other side of this building. Inside are general repair bays, specialized bays for chassis work to include a lift that can pick up the biggest motorhome, several bays that can handle painting from touch up to entire coaches, and a carpentry shop that can fix, manufacture, or replace anything wooden you want/need in the coach. Every weekday morning around 6:45 am you hear the RVs start up that are scheduled for service. They roll up to their assigned bay door and magically just before 7:00 the door opens and they are guided to their repair position. 

     Above is another new item since we were here last. This is an RV wash pad and dump station. Here two coaches can pull up and fill fresh water tanks, dump on board holding tanks, and/or wash the rig. This is where we go when we need water during times when they have turned it off at the sites. You can see a coach pulling in to get some water.

     Also on site is the Allegro Club. This organization consists of members who own Tiffin motorhomes. There are local chapters across the country and they hold national rallies in different part of the country throughout the year. 

     This trip, besides getting some flaws fixed and things that were not working as designed repaired, we had two upgrades/modifications made to the coach. In all of our previous coaches the window near the passenger's seat is a two piece window that can be opened by raising the lower portion. This is all well and good but we never really opened it. In fact, Barb likes to take pictures out of that window and the horizontal center of the window is blocked by the window pane frames. This "bar" is right at viewing level and annoyed her to no end. It bothered her so much in fact that she asked Tiffin reps a few years ago that since they made their own windows, couldn't they replace it with a single pane model. They said that it was not available but that they would make note of the suggestion. Well, while perusing a 2015 sales booklet, Barb saw that a single pane was now a standard feature! Armed with that information, we asked if one could be retrofitted into our coach and they said "Yes" (for a price but that price was not nearly what I expected).

Original Passenger side window

New "Upgraded" window

     In our Phaeton, we had a microwave/convection oven. Barb really liked how it worked and its versatility. This coach came with the standard microwave. We asked the Tiffin folks if they could swap the microwave for a microwave/convection unit, and if so how much. They could and again, it wasn't as expensive as I had thought. So we told them to "Make it so!" 

Original Microwave

New Microwave/Convection (with cookies as the first test subjects)

     As of this writing we are still in Red Bay. We have completed our repairs and warranty work and are now on the list for paint fixes. Hopefully that will happen within the next couple of days. We are very happy with the results of this trip and the modifications really make the motorhome feel like an even better place to live in.