the Youngest Snowbird:

Bad Dog

Today was stressful.

Fifteen month old Norman (our Arizona rescue pup) bit someone.

And not just any someone; a really nice lady that I've seen out walking while I'm doing my morning laps.

Around 10 this morning, I dropped My Fella off at the golf course and was strolling back to JohnnyDisco with the mutts. The lady was quickly walking towards us and a golf cart zoomed by so she had to move closer to our path. She smiled and sort of leaned in to say 'hi' to the dogs - and Normie nipped her calf.

It all happened so fast. 

We're still training Norman and I always separate him from other dogs until he's comfy with them, but he's never been aggressive with people before. In fact he wasn't aggressive with this lady; he didn't bark or lunge or growl ... he just quickly nipped her and kept moving, almost like he was playing. It was so unexpected it took me a second to realize what happened.

Normie has sharp little teeth and he ripped the bottom of her leggings, which I immediately offered to pay for. He also put a couple chomp marks in her calf. It wasn't bleeding, but there was definitely a purply-ish spot starting to form. After tracking down My Fella on the golf course, we alerted Kim and Candace at the RV resort rental office (who were very helpful, by the way... another huge check mark for Rancho California). 

In the end we assured everyone that Norman had all his current vaccinations and we made a copy of them for the lady he nipped. Then she went to a local clinic to get a tetanus shot, which we will gladly pay for. 

It's been a pretty crappy day all around. Hope tomorrow is better...

Things We've Learned in 2 Years on the Road

(this started out as a comment on a previous post but it got so long, I figured it deserved its own post)

Some of the things we've learned while RV-ing over the past couple years:

• how cotton grows (on a two foot shrub-like plant)
• and how peanuts grow (underground, like carrots or radishes)

• how it feels to be in the middle of severe tornado warnings
• driving thru the aftermath of a destructive tornado
• watching someone groom a palm tree 
• seeing fresh armadillo road kill
• finding out what 100% humidity does to my body weight
• being thisclose to a 1000 pound alligator
• seeing the beautiful home $80,000 will buy in Arizona (in a similar Okanagan neighbourhood, that house would cost $400,000) 
• when dealing with American retail cashiers it's usually easier to make up a zip code than try explain what a postal code is, or that "I'm not from here..."
• vegetables traditionally grown in California are cheaper to buy in Arizona and Alabama (???)
• a teenager can legally buy a shotgun anywhere in Alabama, but it's illegal for a thirty year old to buy beer in a dry Alabama county (roughly half the state is dry)
• if we're ever lost in the desert, there are parts of some cacti we can eat

• our little family is so much more aware of our hydro/water usage; in an RV we use only one third of the water/hydro than we used when we were homeowners
• we really don't need to be carrying around so much toilet paper   :)
• I am a very average driver;  My Fella is a better driver than 99.9% of folks on the road
• at least half the vehicles in North America are driven by someone completely unaware of their surroundings; from my high perch up in the motorhome I frequently see drivers talking on a cellphone, texting, yelling at kids in the backseat, reading a map, eating lunch, fumbling with an ipod/cd player, etc. ... many of us have forgotten that driving is a priviledge, NOT a right

No doubt there are many more things on the "What I learned While Travelling" list; if you're an RV-er  (or conventional traveller) feel free to add to it.

In the meantime, a little humour from our senior RV neighbours:

Billy was 4 years old and was staying with his grandfather for a few days. He'd been playing outside with the other kids, when he came into the house and asked, "Grandpa, what's it called when two people sleep in the same bedroom and one is on top of the other?"  His Grandpa was a little shocked, but decided to tell him the truth. "ahem - Well, Billy... it's called sexual intercourse."

"Oh. okay."  Then Billy quickly ran back outside to play with the other kids.

A few minutes later he came back in and yelled, "GRANDPA, it ISN'T called sexual intercourse -  it's called BUNK BEDS. And Jimmy's mom wants to talk to you."     :) 

It's Official

We're boring.

Not bored. Just boring. That's why I haven't been posting much. 

Our little RV family is having a hoot here at Rancho California, but we haven't been doing anything particularly exciting. I've settled into a pretty regular routine; walking the dogs, reading the biz news, drinking beer, eating carrots... usually all before 9am.

just kidding - I never eat carrots before 9am

My Fella has been golfing a few times at the resorts 14 hole course, which is $25 a round or $150 for one month, unlimited play. And he's washed JohnnyDisco and cleaned out our little chevy so everything is spic 'n span. 

While My Sweet Baboo does his outdoor stuff; I'm inside on the computer, checking the CAD vs. USD so I can buy more greenbacks. And staying current with the stock news, especially companies we own. And reading Garth Turner and all my other fave blogs.

Over the past week we've taken the mutts in for shots and haircuts. And we've played mucho tennis at the RV resort courts - which are club quality, free and always empty.

I like southern California but it's such a strange place, like a fantasy world.  

The palm trees and sunshine (and robotic plastic surgery) make it all seem so perfect. Awesome weather, beautiful people, gorgeous scenery, blah, blah, blah...

Then you listen to the local news and digest the problems... crime, crazies, crooks, foreclosures, overpaid politicians, unfunded state liabilities, bad water, forest fires, earthquakes, etc.

As far as I'm concerned, RVing is the best thing since sliced bread:

• in a few short years, it has given us the chance to experience so many different areas. And the personal interaction we've had with folks around North America (Alabama, Mississippi, Mexico, California, or wherever we drop the jacks) has prompted a better understanding of why people feel/act the way they do, wherever they happen to be
• being on metered electric has really opened our eyes to our power usage, and how much power is wasted by every one of us, every day
• and dry-camping has renewed our awareness of all those modern conveniences (microwave, hot shower, toilet, computer, reading lamp, furnace, fan, tv, radio) we take for granted every single day living in a regular house

The truth is, RV-ing is continuously opening our eyes to so many important things. I realize it's not for everyone. But it's definitely for us.

Love, Love, LOVE This Place

We may have found a permanent winter home in southern California.

Don't wanna get ahead of ourselves, but Rancho California in Aguanga has pretty much everything we want in an RV resort.

numerous pools and jacuzzis

tennis and pickleball courts scattered thru-out the resort

14 hole golf course (unlimited play for $150/month or $200 per couple)

stocked fishing lake

paved interior roads and a great variety of rental sites to choose from

and beautiful landscaping with tropical palm trees and dramatic foothills in the background

The plan is to return this fall to see exactly what the weather is like in this area between November and February. (I feel like a bit of a hypocrite after vowing we'd never spend any more time RVing in Cali... but this resort is definitely changing our minds about RV value in this state.)   

electric use update: as of this morning we've used 44 kilowatt hours of electricity, for a total of $9.24 (at 21 cents per kilowatt hour); at this rate, metered electric will cost $12/week or roughly $50/month 

Rancho California in Aguanga

We are now in Aguanga, California at a gorgeous RV resort we found online.

Rancho California is a huge (500+ sites) park where lot owners have beautifully landscaped their own sites and either use them or rent them to snowbirds. Some owners may rent privately, but we went thru Kim and Candace at Fairway Associates. I can't say enough good stuff about these two ladies. They were quick to respond to my emails and they tried to accommodate us in every way; that's more than I can say for many of the RV parks we've stayed at.

The rental rates at Rancho California are reasonable for what you actually get. We picked a private, landscaped lot with:

• a lake/fountain view and no one behind us
• a huge concrete pad
• a special built-in turf strip for the dogs to pee on
• wicker lounge furniture and a outdoor table/chairs
• a shade umbrella
• free tennis, pickleball, swimming  

This site is $600/month with full hookups BUT you have to pay for your own electric.  And at 21 cents per kilowatt, it's not cheap. We're new to the metered electricity thing so we decided to monitor it closely for a week and see what kind of power we consume.

It's not going to be much since:

• we never use hair blowdryers or our a/c units 
• my computer is always on the eco friendly screen
• during our stay we'll use the propane furnaces instead of space heaters
• we switched the fridge and hot water heater over to propane

We have used the coffeemaker and the microwave a handful of times, but so far, after two full days here we've only used 3 kilowatts.  Is that possible?  A whole 63 cents worth of power?  We thought we may be reading it wrong, but it's digital so it's not hard to figure out. I hope we're not missing something.

Anyway, this resort is perfect for us. It has a golf course (one month unlimited play for $150 or $200 for a couple), 6 tennis courts, 2 pickleball courts, 6 swimming pools, 5 jacuzzis and lots of safe space for my daily walks and our dog walks.

And if that's not enough, it was sunny and 25C today. And tomorrow. And the next day...

Special note to my cyberpal Mexi-Croft:  As requested, I am getting off my lazy butt and putting together a post about our Tiffin customer experience. Since first driving our unit off the lot, we've had so much bad luck with it that I was waiting to see if everything they said they fixed was still working after our trip west... and it IS!  Post coming up soon!

And one last thing: Thank You Rene` and Jeanette from the RV Voyageur Blog for not only walking around Yuma and getting contact info for RV sites, but also for recommending the Quechan Casino in Yuma.  We boon-docked there overnight and filled our grumbling, empty bellies with the buffett dinner - awesome after a long day on the road. Thanks again, you guys! 

T-Shirts fur Dogs

Here's what this childless (by choice) couple spends our cash on:

Dog clothing. Pathetic, but true. 

Shelbert developed a shampoo rash and she's been scratching her belly lately so we had to get her a snug t-shirt to stop the scratching. The Bert's shirt says Get Your Nose Out of My Butt.  Dog humour.

She loves her new shirt. Unlike most mutts, Shelby really likes wearing clothes. We're not dog psychologists, but we think snug shirts make her feel safe, like a warm security blanket.

While at PetSmart we decided to pick up a shirt for Stormin Norman too.

Probably a total waste of money as Normie is a macho little thing who believes he should be running thru the wilderness, wild and free.  And naked.

He hates all dog clothing, including his new t-shirt. He can't even look at me right now. 

the shirts were $7.49 each, on sale at PetSmart

Pics from Las Cruces to Tucson

JohnnyDisco travelled another 282 miles yesterday from Las Cruces, New Mexico to Tucson, Arizona.

We left Coachlight RV Park (full hook-ups - PA rate $18) at 8:30 Friday morning. About twenty miles west of Las Cruces was a border patrol check stop, which we were quickly waved thru.

Then it was a lot of this:

This whole area was pretty soggy. That may look like white snow on the ground (on the other side of the train tracks) but it's actually huge puddles of rain water soaking into the desert.

The trip from Red Bay, Alabama to Tucson, Arizona was 1554 miles or 2500 kms.

And (hope it doesn't go to his head, but) we made the trip in one piece thanks to this good-lookin Fella, who is such an awesome driver.

(I notice he's gone a bit more grey this trip - is it road stress or Kelsi stress? Either way it's certainly helping us sneak into those 55+ parks   :) 

51 Minutes from El Paso to Las Cruces

These are the final pics from Wednesdays travel day.

We drove 461 kms from a rest stop just past Wickett, Texas to our RV park in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Here was our first peek at El Paso, Texas - population 650,000. 

there was lots of road construction in progress, like every other major city we've driven thru

the majority (85%) of the population of El Paso is hispanic

exit to the border crossing into Juarez, Mexico

from the interstate you can clearly see the border wall separating El Paso from Juarez

(every single time I see that wall I feel so lucky to be born in Canada, surrounded by opportunity - it's really all just luck of the draw, isn't it?)

Pictured below is housing on the Mexican side of the border; shanty style houses, huts and trailers, many of them missing windows and doors.  There are no vehicles in the pic and I honestly don't know if anyone lives there - but it looks very similar to the hillside housing at the Nogales, Mexico border.

The Juarez Mountains are in the background.     

The north end of El Paso is minutes away from the New Mexico state border.

lots of dairy farms along this stretch of I-10

entering our destination city of Las Cruces, New Mexico (population 97,000) - in the background you can see the Organ Mountain Range

It's day two of our rest stop in Las Cruces, and although we really like this part of the USA, JohnnyDisco will be back on the I-10 Friday morning, westbound for Tucson.

But before ending this post, I have to show you what My Fella picked up today at The Outlet Shoppes at El Paso.

When it comes to shoes, he's like the male version of Imelda Marcos.

And now my manly Fella is the proud new owner of the hot pink trimmed golf shoes, pictured above. The size 13 pink PUMA shoes retail for $110 US dollars, but he picked them up at the PUMA outlet store for $5 bucks. 

(this would be the perfect time for me to make a smart-alec comment about my guys shoe fetish - but as the owner of twelve identical khaki GAP miniskirts, I'm really in no position to judge)

Praying for Gas

Day three of our trip west started early yesterday morning:

• we left the rest stop at 8am
• panicked a bit after seeing we had less than a quarter tank of gas
• panicked more when we hit the road and drove straight into a headwind
• continued panicking when Garmin identified the next gas station as being 61 miles away
• felt incredibly relieved to finally make it to the Chevron on the hill
• where relief changed to outrageous disbelief that the thieving Chevron owners were charging $3.99/gallon... 65 cents more than anyone else on this stretch of the interstate 
• we grudgingly pumped $50 worth of fuel (about 12 gallons) and continued on to Van Horn, Texas where gas prices were back down to $3.35/gallon

After filling up the tank, we hopped back onto the I-10, westbound towards El Paso. 

wow, look who's awake for once...

apparently the time change made Shelbert tired again

but Normie is wide awake and ready to go

This part of Interstate 10 runs parallel to the US/Mexico border and El Paso is directly across from the Mexican city of Juarez. About 20 minutes before El Paso we saw the first border checkpoint in the area.

there were a few border agents parked along the roadside in case one of the eastbound vehicles tried to turn around before the checkpoint 

Shortly after the check point we hit the outskirts of El Paso, Texas.

My Fella and I are actually heading to the big outlet mall in El Paso this morning but I'll post the rest of our road pics later this afternoon.

Hasta la vista, babies!

Red Bay to Texas

It's been 3 solid days of driving since we picked up JohnnyDisco from the Tiffin Mothership on Monday. 

More about our Tiffin customer service experience in an upcoming post, but so far everything they fixed seems to be working. Fingers crossed.

We left Red Bay, Alabama on Monday around noon and stopped for a quick propane fill-up at L & L Gas.  The folks on staff were fun and very opinionated Alabamians, and during the fill-up we had a great conversation about 'wet' and 'dry' counties. (Quick reminder: Franklin county is dry.) I won't reveal what was said but I can tell you the words 'hypocrites' and 'church' were tossed around a few times.

From Red Bay we drove south down the historic Natchez Trace Parkway. Despite being winter, there was a lot of greenery thru the parkway, except for one long stretch where a tornado levelled the area back in April 2011.

Miles of forest along the parkway were completely ripped apart. Definitely an eye opener after all the tornado watches/warnings we'd experienced over the past four months in Alabama.

Our little RV family (happy to be reunited with JohnnyDisco) drove a total of 765 kms on Monday - thru Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana and finally pulling over at a welcome center just past the Texas border.

Tuesday morning we were back on the interstate by 9am, after a quick fuel-up and grocery stop. We were heading westbound on the I-20 towards Dallas.

After the Dallas  turn off, the I-20 gets pretty lonesome. Yodelling twangy country song kinda lonesome. "I'm so lonesome I could cry", kinda lonesome...

The interstate is flat and straight and the open fields are dotted with oil rigs, wind turbines and tumbleweed.

And the odd oil refinery.

We drove past Midland, Texas - home of George Dubya.  I waved ... sort of   :) 

Just past Odessa, Texas we stopped for Subway (for the 15th night in a row) and then parked at a truck stop for the night.

Unfortunately within half an hour, a truck and trailer packed with yahoos pulled up next to us. And they brought the party outside. Five drunken meatheads - laughing, drinking and slamming doors right outside our bedroom window.  One of the twits was actually yelling into his cell phone at his girlfriend.

It took us 3 minutes to get dressed, pack up JohnnyDisco and hop on the interstate towards another Texas rest stop, just a few miles down the road.

In all we drove 905 kms on Tuesday.

The above pic is Garmin, leading us to the Subway store and then the interstate rest stop. In the bottom right hand corner you can see the speed limit on this stretch of Texas highway is 129 kms/hour.

We were doing about 100kms in the RV, but guys were blowing past us at 140 and 150kms/hour. Apparently things aren't only bigger in Texas, they're waaay faster too.

Gulp

You probably already knew this, but:

A dry county is a county in the USA whose government forbids the sale of alcoholic beverages. Hundreds of dry counties exist across the United States, almost all of them in the south:

• Of the 67 counties in the state of Alabama, 3 are completely dry and 23 are partially dry or "moist" (these counties contain cities that have voted to allow alcohol sales) 
• In order for an Alabama city or county to hold a wet-dry vote, 25% of the voters in the preceding general election must sign a petition requesting a vote.
• A city must have a population in excess of 1,000 residents in order to have a referendum to go wet. Petitions can be made to go from dry to wet or wet to dry.
• In dry counties, it is illegal to transport more than one case of beer and three quarts of liquor.

Here's a map of all the dry/wet counties in the USA, according to the smartest person I know, wiki.

Red Bay, Alabama (where we are right now) is in Franklin County, named in honor of Benjamin Franklin. As of 2010, the population was 31,704. And it is a dry county. Ack.

After pondering this whole wet/dry county thing for awhile, My Fella found this interesting tidbit from the website Alcohol Problems and Solutions:

"About two of every three counties in Alabama are dry. That is, they prohibit the production, distribution and sale of any alcoholic beverages. However, Alabama permits the sale of fireworks, tobacco and firearms and it does so with virtually no restrictions or regulations.

For example, there is no state permit required to purchase or carry rifles and shotguns, no licensing of owners of rifles or shotguns, and no registration of such deadly weapons. Similarly, there is no state permit needed to purchase a handgun, no licensing of handgun owners, and no registration of handguns. Even young children can carry and use dangerous firearms. Alabamians apparently view a drink as more dangerous than fireworks, tobacco, or rifles, shotguns and pistols."

hmm...

What the Heck?

My last post disappeared. 

strange...

No time for a redo since we got a very happy message yesterday afternoon from Peggy at the Tiffin Mothership.  JohnnyDisco is ready to go.

We'll be on the road by 9am on our way back to Red Bay, Alabama and (hopefully) a fully functional motorhome. Whoo hoo!

it would seem that some of us are more excited than others

The Tiffin Mothership in Red Bay, Alabama

Yesterday we dropped off JohnnyDisco at Tiffin Motorhomes.

Our little RV family actually arrived in Red Bay, Alabama on Sunday afternoon and stayed the night at Camp Tiffin - basically a huge parking lot with numerous RV stalls and full hook-ups.

The arrival process was fast and easy. We were immediately greeted, our RV and tow vehicle were registered and I filled out several forms regarding the repairs that needed to be done.

Here's the list:

• bubble forming on the roof over the fridge area - the roof leaked once in the bathroom between the skylight and the drivers side wall
• fridge does not defrost - interior light does not work anymore
• freezer does not defrost
• generator needs to be looked at - from day one we couldn't put even half an electric load on it
• rear auto jacks take very long time to store (we need to auto store, auto level and then auto store AGAIN for the back jacks to store) 
• drivers side electric window will open but needs to be pulled up manually to shut it
• rear furnace will not ignite (the furnaces were wired backwards when we first bought JohnnyDisco)
• siliconing: around slides, windows, bathroom sink
• front door: seal on window has been coming off since we bought the unit; seal around door is loose; have to slam to close properly;  screen door was not hung straight;  screen door paint by latch is peeling
• main awning is twisting
• rivets coming loose on corners of slide outs 
• all the bin doors on the two front slides need to be looked at (some won't latch properly, some stick)
• passenger side windshield fluid hose is broken
• passenger side window separating (interior, bottom left)
• screws and seal not properly fixed under bunk slide
• paint peeling/rusting under slide bin doors (latch area)
• paneling beside fridge on both sides is loose
• black water tank hands free (no fuss flush) is leaking into sewer bay

It may appear like we're being picky about some things that should be considered regular wear and tear. But keep in mind, we bought a brand new unit less than two years ago and 75% of these problems were discovered within the first few days/months of ownership. Was the person in charge of quality control not working the day our unit was built?

Monday morning we met with our service guy to go over every single thing that needed to be fixed. And then we sat down with the Tiffin service manager to make sure we were all on the same page about the repairs. (He and I had been corresponding via email and I'm not really sure how happy he was to see me in person  :)

My Fella and I felt optimistic when we finally left the Tiffin service bays by Monday afternoon.

But then again we were also very optimistic when we first drove our brand new unit off the dealers lot, back in February 2010 ... 

I'll keep you updated on our repairs and Tiffins customer service.

Starstruck

My Fella and I are dropping JohnnyDisco off at the Tiffin Motorhome mothership in Red Bay this weekend... 

... but I have to share a little story with you first. And maybe you can decide if I'm a sucker or not  :)  

If you've been reading this blog for a while, you know that I quit my full-time radio job at age 37 and have been living off stock dividends/interest since then. Investing started out as a hobby, but soon became our main source of income. And while this blog revolves around our RV travels, occasionally I toss out some stock talk or give updates on the portfolio.

One of our largest holdings is a company called Student Transportation - trading on the TSX and recently, the NASDAQ. It's a bus company, transporting kids to school in both Canada and the USA. I opened a large position in STB during the TSX sell-off in 2008, and have bought more since then on price dips.

STB is one of our largest stock holdings for several reasons:

• kids will always need a safe way to get to school
• STB management is good with guidance and transparency
• the monthly dividend has been consistent since the company IPO in 2004

This is not a recommendation to buy shares of Student Transportation. I am neither your financial advisor nor your mother; do your own due diligence and consult a fee-only advisor you trust ... and blah, blah, blah... 

That out of the way, Student Transportation is a solid company and a great moneymaker for us. Which is probably why I gush about it so much.

Needless to say, I was completely stunned to see a blog comment this morning from Denis Gallagher, the BIG CHEESE of Student Transportation. On MY blog.

"Thank you for investing in our company for the past years. In your travels i'm sure you've experienced bumps along the road, weather, higher fuel costs etc. Well so have we and you know what, kids are still going to school. We have a great company that gives back to our shareholders. please visit our web site at www.ridesta.com and view some of our videos. I'm so glad I stumbled onto your blog. Its cool reading and a neat adventure. Continued good success on the road to excellence." 

Denis Gallagher, Founder, CEO Student Transportation, Inc

The comment was made on this blog post written almost a month ago. I'm totally blown away that the very accomplished founder/CEO of one of my best investments left a comment on my silly little blog.

Or was it really him?

Not being completely naive, it has occurred to me that one of my devious pals (looking straight at you here, Laurie) might have left the comment to get me riled up.  If that's the case, it worked.  I'm starstruck.  And gushing.

On the other hand, if it really was you Mr G, thank you for the comment.  And for doing such a bang-up job and getting kids to school safely.  And for making us so much money $$$ over the years. Continued success right backatcha and everyone at Student Transportation.

And please keep doing smart things with your company, so I can keep gushing.

*edited to add:  sorry if you were misled by the title of this post and thought I may have met Oprah or George Clooney or someone... but getting a blog comment from the Big Cheese of one of my fave companies is better than Oprah - trust me  :) 

Tennis in Troy

Between stormy weather days, My Fella and I have been playing lots of tennis.

We love the free courts at Troy University, which are mainly reserved for uni and high school students, but can also be used by the general public.

I have never seen such gorgeous, well-kept, free courts. In Canada or the USA. And we've played at lots of different courts, in various places, while on the road. 

Where did the $$$ money come from for these (dozen or so) tourney caliber tennis courts? 

Troy, Alabama is a little university town... similar in size to Comox, BC.  Or Yorkton, Saskatchewan. Grand-Mère, Quebec. Or Petawawa, Ontario.

It's hard not to notice how black and white it is down here in southern Alabama. Not black and white regarding race.  Black and white in terms of money. There are tons of mobile home parks. And there are the fancy restored homes. Not much in between though.

That's why these twelve spiffy new tennis courts seem out of place in a town of only 14,000 folks. But what the heck do I know? I'm just a tourist.

That loves tennis.

Historic Montgomery, Alabama: Part 2

more scenes from our tour of downtown Montgomery... click on the pic to enlarge

From the website History.com: 

In December 1955, Alabama was at the center of the American Civil Rights Movement after Rosa Parks, a black seamstress refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a white passenger. This act became the catalyst for the yearlong Montgomery Bus Boycott, during which African Americans in the city refused to ride public buses. The boycott is regarded as the first large-scale demonstration challenging segregation in the U.S.

One of the organizers of the boycott, a young pastor named Martin Luther King Jr, emerged from the action as a national civil rights leader while also solidifying his commitment to nonviolent resistance. In December 1956, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Montgomery to integrate its bus system.

Following the boycott, tension between blacks and whites continued, resulting in numerous demonstrations and acts of violence throughout Alabama. On September 15, 1963, members of the Ku Klux Klan, a white supremacist group, set off a bomb in the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, killing four young girls. The bombing sparked outrage across America and generated support for the civil rights cause, helping to bring about passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which outlawed segregation in schools, public places and places of employment.

According to the smartest person I know, wiki:

Born in Mount Olive, Alabama, Hank Williams moved to Georgiana, where he met Rufus Payne, a black street performer who gave him guitar lessons in exchange for meals. Payne had a major influence on Williams's later musical style. After moving to Montgomery, Williams began his career in 1937 when  WSFA radio station producers hired him to perform and host a 15-minute program. He formed as backup the Drifting Cowboys band, which was managed by his mother, and dropped out of school to devote all of his time to his career.

Hanks Williams hit songs include: 

• Hey, Good Lookin
• Honkytonk Blues
• Your Cheatin' Heart
• I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

During his last years Williams's consumption of alcohol, morphine and other painkillers severely compromised his professional and personal life. He divorced his wife and was dismissed by the Grand Ole Opry due to frequent drunkenness. Williams died suddenly in 1953 at the age of 29. Despite his short life, Williams has had a major influence on country music. The songs he wrote and recorded have been covered by numerous artists, many of whom have also had hits with the tunes, in a range of pop, gospel, blues and rock styles.

During our RV travels, My Fella and I have discovered the best day to tour the downtown core of most cities seems to be on Sunday, late morning/early afternoon. We explored downtown Montgomery for several hours last Sunday and, once again, had the empty streets to ourselves.

Historic Montgomery, Alabama

Last Sunday My Fella and I drove north to Montgomery, the state capital of Alabama and the birthplace of the Confederate States of America.

Interesting facts about Montgomery and Alabama state:

• Alabama workers built the first rocket to put humans on the moon
• the Monarch butterfly is the states official insect
• the pecan is Alabamas official nut
• the world's first Electric Trolley System was introduced in Montgomery in 1886
• singer Nathaniel Adams (Nat King) Cole was born in Montgomery in 1919 and died in 1965
• in 1902, Montgomery doctor Luther Leonidas Hill performed the first open heart surgery in the Western Hemisphere 

Here's some pics from our Sunday tour of Montgomery. Most of the photos are self-explanatory but you can hover your mouse over each pic for a quick description... and click on any shot you want to enlarge.

On the ground right in front of the Archives Building is a huge map of Alabama, detailing the places, people and events the state is famous for.

Downtown Montgomery is full of history and we took tons of pics.

But right now I'm ready for wine and pizza (and then more wine) so I'll save the rest of our pics for tomorrow.

When Up on the Roof, There Arose Such a Clatter

"Plunk. Plunk. Plinkety plinkety ... rollllllll - plunk."

Just a few of the daily noises coming from JohnnyDisco's roof...

We are surrounded by about a hundred crazed 'Bama squirrels, tossing acorns and other nuts from the bare trees. Our RV roof is the mid-point between the high tree tops and the chilly winter ground.

It's a perfect spot to bounce your treasure chest of acorns down from the trees.

Alabama squirrels are hilarious.

I'm starting to wonder if a small gang of them gnawed thru security and discovered the homemade apple pie moonshine.

Edited to add:  This has nothing to do with the squirrels (I hope) but I keep forgetting to mention the one thing that bugs me about Alabama so far is hearing all the gunshots. Out at these country RV parks we've been hearing random gunshots every few days, at all hours of the day and night. If you're not used to that (and I AM NOT) it's really disturbing.

Internet for RVers in the USA

Just read a post from my blog buddy Rene about using wireless internet while on the road.

Which reminded me that I never showed you what was in this box we had delivered to Coulee Playland RV Resort, our first stop after crossing from Canada into the USA.

We got this:

It's a wireless USB stick from a company called Millenicom. We went with these guys cause they had the best plan for us. Random stuff about our Millenicom service:

• the USB stick was $99 dollars
• the plan is $70/month for unlimited use, but you prepay one month in advance
• our plan uses Sprint - great coverage across the USA
• there is no contract and no taxes
• you turn your service off when you leave the USA and then turn it back on when you return the following winter, just don't lose your USB stick
• when you first purchase the USB stick, it has to be shipped to an American address - that's why we had it sent to our first US rv stop instead of our home address in BC
• had to call their billing folks once and the tech line once and both employees were efficient and friendly
• I can use the internet while My Fella is driving JohnnyDisco down the interstate  :)

Our internet plan isn't cheap but the convenience is worth it. So far we're totally satisfied with Millenicom, but I'll definitely let you know if that changes...

Deer Run RV Park

This might be my new fave RV park in Alabama.

Their website isn't much but I think that's one of the reasons I like this place; they under promise and over deliver, instead of the other way around.  

Since they don't have many pics on their website, here's another shot of the catch an release fishing pond.

See that teeny blue spot down there?  It's My Fella and his new fishing rod, trying to outsmart the fish.  The fish always win, honeybunny.

JohnnyDisco from across the pond.

Still can't believe this RV park is only $400/month, including all taxes. 

I also wanted to mention that the owners of the park live in a house at the entrance gate, which means 24 hour security.  And they're pretty neat people.

The hubby stopped by our RV yesterday, asking if we wanted to try some homemade apple pie moonshine. He doesn't make it, but he knows a guy who knows a guy  :)  

My Fella doesn't drink any kind of alcohol, and anything stronger than light beer or wine has me dancing on tables, so we declined the offer.  But I still thought that was pretty sweet.

True southern hospitality.

My Alabama Walmart Haircut

Yup, I just got a Walmart Special. 

15 minutes in the salon chair and my trim was finito.

Actually it was more than a trim. My hair hasn't seen professional scissors for almost three years and it was starting to become obvious. So I  stupidly  bravely told the scissors wielding stylist "I wanna start all over again with fresh hair. Can you get rid of the split ends and even it out?"

And she did.

Four inches later my hair is just below my shoulders and looks really healthy. It's a little shocking though. I haven't had hair this short since my age was represented by only one digit.

My Walmart Special was only $15; a 15 minute haircut for $15 dollars, or a dollar a minute. 

And now I can say I got my hair cut at an Alabama Walmart.  How many folks can say that?

We must be on a hair binge around here 'cause I just buzzed My Fella's hair too.

Let me know if you'd like to use that noggin for advertising  :)

Another Day, Another RV Park

We switched RV parks yesterday.

After staying a full week at an overpriced park in Ozark, we moved further north to a resort roughly an hour away from the Alabama capital of Montgomery.

The new park is really spread out, with tons of space. Here was the view from my little office window at 7 this morning. 

that body of water just down the hill from JohnnyDisco is a catch and release fishing pond

Our new park is $400/month (including taxes) and features:

• full hook-ups, 50 amp service
• free wireless
• tons of cable channels
• lots of room between rv sites
• great walking areas for me and the mutts
• two fishing ponds for My Fella

And groceries and other necessities (like beer and peanuts  :)  are only 5 minutes away by car. We're excited to explore this part of 'Bama and make some day trips into Montgomery.  And at the end of January we head to the Tiffin Mothership in Red Bay.

* If you're keeping score at home, our weather has been pretty decent for the first week of January. Yesterday was sunny and 17C, with similar highs forecast for the next few days.

Fort Rucker, Alabama

We spent yesterday at the US Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker.

Admission and parking were free, but unlike the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola, we had to show our drivers licenses and car registration to get a visitors pass for the Army base. 

Before September 11th, the main post was unmanned and civilians were able to drive through. Following the World Trade Center attacks, this policy was changed and the post is now closed to unauthorized traffic and visitors.

as usual, hover your mouse over the pics for a description

This was another very cool aviation museum; great exhibits, but on a smaller scale than the naval museum in Pensacola. Lots of history in this building... and once again, it was free.

Edited to add:  While serving in the Army, Al Gore was stationed at Fort Rucker before his five-month deployment in the Vietnam War.

And I also forgot to mention how small the cockpits were in most of these choppers.  My Fella is 6'4" and 220 and I'm 5'7" and 150 pounds; we both felt really claustrophobic sitting in the pilots seat. Can't imagine how scrunched up/closed in the pilots would feel with added layers of flight gear and helmets.

Donde son los Cacahuates?

Where are the peanuts?

We spent New Years Day walking around Dothan, Alabama, the self proclaimed 'peanut capital of the world'. Roughly half of the peanuts grown in the United States are found within a 100-mile radius of Dothan and the National Peanut Festival is celebrated in this Alabama town every November.

Peanuts Around Town is a public art project organized by The Downtown Group, consisting of peanut sculptures decorated in various fashions and displayed around Dothan. There are about 40 peanuts scattered throughout the downtown core, and here are the ones we saw:

as usual, hover your mouse over each pic for a description

Peanuts we missed include the History Nut, the Elvis Nut and the Hooters Peanut.  My Fella very graciously offered to hop in the car and head back out to get a shot of the Hooters nut, but I told him it wasn't necessary  :)  

During our peanut search we saw a few of the murals that downtown Dothan is also famous for:

Dothan (pronounced doe - thin) trivia:  One of the most well-known citizens of Dothan was former Alabama Attorney General and Lieutenant Governor, Bill Baxley.

From wiki:  During his time in politics, Baxley aggressively prosecuted industrial polluters, strip miners, and corrupt elected officials. Baxley appointed the state's first African American assistant attorney general, who later became a federal judge.

Baxley's tenure was noted for its racial unrest, and Baxley himself incurred the wrath of the Ku Klux Klan when he reopened the case of the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing. In a letter, the Klan threatened him, compared him to JFK, and made him an "honorary nigger", but Baxley responded on official state letterhead: "My response to your letter of February 19, 1976, is -- kiss my ass."

Naval Aviation Museum: Part 3

last museum post, I promise...

There is so much to see at the Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola that I couldn't squish all my pics into one post, or even two.

As usual, hover your mouse over the pic to get a quick description of what you're seeing.

This shot is from the back end of the plane.

Beyond the doorway you can see the bunk and storage area, and here at the very back of the PBY Catalina is where the missiles live. Pretty tight quarters for five men.

The famous Blue Angels...

From the smartest person I know, wiki  :)

The Blue Angels is the United States navy's flight demonstration squadron formed in 1946, and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team. The squadron's six demonstration pilots currently fly the F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in 1946. Since their inception, the "Blues" have flown a variety of different aircraft types, thrilling more than 427 million spectators worldwide.

So many more warplanes to see but we couldn't take pics of them all.  Even though it may look like we did   :)

Moving on to the rest of the museum...

Things you need to know about the Naval Aviation Museum:

• it's in Pensacola, Florida off the Blue Angel Parkway
• it's amazing
• it's free
• you'll need an entire day to see it all, and even then, you may go back for seconds