Sit around and wait is the name of the game...
Red Bay, Alabama-A Step Back in Time, Where Kindness Prevails and Opportunity Awaits...
To quote Rod Serling, “You’re traveling through another dimension–a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That’s a signpost up ahead: your next stop: the Twilight Zone!” AKA-Red Bay, Alabama…
Red Bay is home to the Tiffin Motorhomes Headquarters. All Tiffin Motorhomes are built in this small town (less than 10 square miles) in the northwest corner of Alabama; Yep, this is the birthplace of Coach Addy and all of its siblings, cousins and ancestors. Tiffin motorhome owners believe it is obligatory and an absolute right of passage to bring their coach back here to be serviced, at least once in their “lifetime.”. No kidding, there must have been at least a thousand coaches camped out in various lots (note I didn’t say campgrounds) waiting to be serviced.
It’s quite the micro-culture here, to say the least. There is the main Tiffin Repair Center, which works on a first come, first serve basis, yep, you heard right, you pull in, they give you a number and then you wait…and wait…and wait, until it’s your turn! Seriously, it could be weeks! And people wait! There are also outside vendors everywhere who work solely on Tiffins: Windshield repair/replacement, body repair, slide repair, etc…They “sort of” take appointments ahead of time and so the wait tends to be shorter, but the culture of “sit around and wait” is still the same. You check in, go back to the gravel lot where your RV is parked and wait for them to call you. Are you sensing a theme? Wait, Wait and Wait some more.
They do have some pretty sunrises in Red Bay, AL! (note the gravel parking lot-this was our campground during our 4 day stay.)
Now one would think that in a town with a thousand Tiffin owners who are being held hostage to the wait game, there would be lots to do, right? Wrong! I mean there should be restaurants, bars, movie theaters, something to pass the time. But NO! And to make matters worse, did I mention that Red Bay is a DRY county! Yep, you heard right-a dry county-not a drop of alcohol anywhere. You can’t buy it, they can’t serve it and everyone knows it! A beer with your Pizza-Nope; A margarita with your Fajitas, Nope! Like I said, it is like an episode from the Twilight Zone! A step back in time, friendly people and all, but everything is old school-they still use white boards and stickies to keep track of who’s staying in which spot in the lot and who’s next for service! I don’t know, it just seems to me that this is a place where someone could make a fortune, catering to those of us who are in town and have nothing to do! There is a McDonalds, Jacks (Jack in the Box), one pizza parlor, one Mexican restaurant (which was just OK and one BBQ place that is hardly ever open and has bad reviews. Let’s just say that it is a well known fact that the best meal is found at the deli counter in The Piggly Wiggly grocery store!😳
An unexpected surprise- The Almond Joy Cookie baked at the Big Star Grocery Store! This might be the very best cookie I have ever had! Seriously, this cookie is to die for! I would come back to Red Bay just for that cookie!
One might also expect that there would be high-end campgrounds on every corner, but NO. There is one, only one nice campground, Red Bay Acres has 51 sites. 51! There are more than a thousand of us looking for a nice place to stay and pass the time. Seriously?! All of the other places to stay are gravel parking lots next to the vendors where people are waiting for their repair. I don’t get it, I really don’t get it!
Missed Opportunities for sure!
In spite of the less than inspiring campgrounds, we did have a great time in the gravel lot of 1st Class Glass! Thank you to David and Adam for their hospitality and their flexibility! We have stayed at some very interesting places this past year, but this might be the most interesting. Get this-we spent two nights inside the repair bay garage, that’s right, a repair bay! We pulled Coach Addy into the bay, they pulled out the windshield, replaced it and then it has to sit overnight before they do the final sealing in the morning. We actually slept in Coach Addy while it was inside the bay!
Same thing when we had the body work done-we pulled into the body shop bay, they prepped the repairs and we slept in their garage until 5:00 am when they return to start painting, at which time you need to exit the coach and spend the day “enjoying” all that Red Bay has to offer. Suffice to say, it was a long day in Red Bay!
All of this being said, we actually, in a weird way, perhaps in another dimensional way, enjoyed our time in Red Bay! We met the nicest people. There is definitely this camaraderie that exists. We all have so much in common, including the type of coach that we own, the troubles that we have had, the places we have been and the dreams that we share. I have said it over and over during this adventure, the highlight of our trip has been the people that we have met. Brenda, David, Anne Marie and Mike were no exception. Two wonderful couples who are doing what we are doing, traveling this great country in their Tiffin Motorhome and celebrating all that is good in the world! Such great people. We so enjoyed our time-each of us sharing stories about our adventures and sharing our favorite stops along the way. The camping community is so awesome: so friendly, so kind and just good people!
We were in the Twilight Zone, er Red bay, Alabama for 4 nights and we were one of the lucky ones, who were able to accomplish all of our major repairs! A big shout out to 1st Class Glass who replaced Coach Addy’s windshield, Custom Paint and Auto Body for their excellent work repairing/replacing all four of our storage bay doors that were damaged on our travels, along with a few scratches, Girard Awning Service for providing us with an end cap that we needed to be replaced on our awning, and a big thank you to Tammy for the in depth cleaning inside Coach Addy-Top to Bottom, Front to Back and everything in between! Coach Addy is lookin’ fine- Inside and out and ready for the final trek towards San Diego.
The Mighty Mississippi-A Repeat Campground
We spent the past couple of days of the week in Memphis at Tom Sawyer’s Campground right on the Mississippi.
Another beautiful sunrise! My favorite part of the day!
You might remember that we were here a few months ago and enjoyed the full blue moon-a-rising over the Mississippi. We loved this campground, but we were only here for one night. So as we booked our return trip to Boerne, Texas, we made sure to return to this special place and spend a few days watching the barges move up and down this great american waterway and reflect on Coach Addy’s Big Adventure. As I write this, I am struck by the serendipity of this moment. Mark Twain’s award-winning stories about the adventures of Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn on the Mississippi and Peder and I reflecting on the great adventure that we have shared this past year. Coincidence? I think not….
Hot Tip #1 Maybe some things shouldn’t evolve…
There is something very charming about the way that business is done in Red Bay, Alabama. First of all, the people are so friendly and helpful. One doesn’t feel as if this is a town out to get the consumer. Everyone is here to help you and enhance your motorhome experience. Secondly, the lack of entertainment allows for more time to chill and meet your neighbors-a huge part of the camping experience. Lastly, one has to appreciate the simplicity of this town-especially at a time when nothing in the world is simple and everything is so complicated. Indeed, it is like traveling through another dimension; a dimension when things were simpler, slower, kinder and dare I say…maybe better?
Lesson Learned: We are all in this together! There is a real camaraderie that exists within the motorhome/camping community. We share more than just a lifestyle, we share a way of life-and it’s pretty cool!
Bummer of the Week: A Dry County? Really?
Highlight of the Week: The good, the bad, the beauty, the Twilight Zone of Red Bay, Alabama. It was a weird week, but I am so glad to have experienced all that this pilgrimage has to offer. It really was an integral part of the overall experience of this great adventure that we have been on this past year.
Thanks for being a part of Coach Addy’s Big Adventure. I love sharing my thoughts with you each week. Some of you have asked about past issues of Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas. Here is the link to our blog, The Great Open Road. You will find all of the past issues of Sunday Morning Musings and Mimosas along with other posts from the year, including Baker Pedee’s popular baking videos. Have a great week-our blessings are bountiful.
Next Week:
We are back in Boerne, Texas and then cruising out of Galveston to explore the Western Caribbean for two weeks before Thanksgiving. We will be back in San Diego by Christmas.
Comments