Fun in Red Bay

Yesterday afternoon we were again sweltering, but there was a promise of rain later in the day. Actually the weatherman was forecasting some strong thunderstorms with wind and he wasn't kidding. It all started about 2:00 in the afternoon. The shop here closes at 3 p.m. so by the time people needed to pull their rigs out of the service bays and over to their sites, it was a regular downpour. But the good part about that is that it dropped the temperature about 20 degrees, so who cares if we got a little wet?

Last evening the representatives from MASA (Medical Air Services Association) invited people in the campground to a free dinner at the one restaurant in Red Bay. We are members and it was a free meal, so we went! Our neighbors had decided to go, so we offered to drive them. They are here with their rig without a toad, so it made things a little easier for them. We enjoyed a nice dinner and listened to the reps dispense information about this medical evacuation service.

We were disappointed that we did not yet have a call setting us up for service. Our appointment is Thursday, but we had been in begging them to get us in just a day early so we could be on our way. We wanted a little cushion so that we could easily drive back to Indiana and be present for Mom and Dad's 65th wedding anniversary party on Saturday. Everyone is going to be there. We will have all the kids, grandkids and great-grandkids. It should be fun.

We got up this morning early as usual and even though we didn't have a service time/day, we always make sure we are ready before 7 a.m. That is the time things start moving around here and we wanted to be ready should someone call. Well, at 7:05 that call came. Jimmie asked if we would like to get in early. We said, "Heck, Yeah!" So he told us to get to Bay #3 as soon as possible. Terry did the outside duties as I picked up the inside and pulled in the slides. We were in there by 7:25.

Our bay #3 technicians were Marion and Daniel. They were very nice and very helpful and went to work immediately. I put a couple dog biscuits in my pocket and headed to the lounge. It's a good thing I was prepared because I met Gunner and Sadie who each got cookies and later Fred and Molly. Three schnauzers and a yellow lab. What great doggies.

While we waited the guys worked hard at getting our work done. We didn't have a lot to do, but it was important and needed. And the weather cooperated a bit and it wasn't as hot as it had been. They broke for lunch at 11:30 and we went to the motorhome to fix our lunch. There wasn't much left to do and within a half hour of returning from lunch the guys were finished! What a break for us! We knew with the right crew it would go quickly and it did!

We got the motorhome prepped to run again and backed out of the bay and returned to our site. Terry put some water in the tanks and we hooked up the car. Then we went over to the service office and paid our bill, $104. Cheapest we have ever gotten out of there. While we are no longer under warranty, they do warranty their work and two of the items we had repaired had been worked on last year as well. Whoo Hoo! Next was checking out of the campground which was quick and easy and we were on our way! And it was only 1:30 p.m.!

Course, the fun was about to begin because a strong storm cell was headed to Red Bay as we pulled out of the camp. Terry got on the computer and watched the progress of the storm and we stayed just out of its reach. We got on the Natchez Trace because there have numerous pullouts we could use if the rain got too heavy. As it was, we had one strong rainstorm but we were protected from winds. We did get stopped, however, in Tennessee. While on the Trace, I was able to see ahead to brake lights and cars stopped. So I slowed down. It became obvious as we got near that the road was blocked from a tree which had been struck by lightning. There were men working on the branches, etc., and throwing log chains over the trunk in an attempt to drag it off the road. That wasn't working too well, but we certainly appreciated everyone's efforts. It wasn't long before the actual Trace crews showed up and someone pulled out a chain saw. The guys who had been there started working at clearing the branches and short logs being cut and it was a short time before we were able to start again. It was teamwork at its finest. No one got upset, everyone pitched in and got the job done.

We continued to drive and on the Trace we saw a lot of deer, wild turkey, and turtles on the road. I dodged all the turtles as did everyone else. At the north end of the Trace, I took the exit ramp toward road 100 and as I leaned over to check the traffic coming in from my left, I saw a tan flash and when I abruptly sat up, I saw a deer glide in front of the motorhome! I missed him by an inch maybe. I can't see how; he wasn't moving fast, but someone was watching out for him!

We hit Nashville right at rush hour, but didn't have as much traffic as anticipated. We drove on north to Cave City and are camped at Singing Hills. We have been here before and it works for overnight. We will probably make it to Warsaw tomorrow.

In other news, our daughter was flying in with our grandson from Philly to Detroit to Indy. The Indy leg was cancelled and so she picked up a rental car in Detroit to drive to Goshen. She is on her way and I pray for her safety in getting to the house tonight.

Till next time. . .

Dale