Muscle Shoals Alabama

After yesterdays busy start I decided I deserved an 8 cup of Joe morning. We finally got out the door around 11 am to begin our tour of Muscle Shoals. Where the heck is Muscle Shoals and why should I care, you may ask? I never heard of it myself until the PBS special about the music studio's located in the northwestern Alabama town. 

Since the 1960s the city has been known for the "Muscle Shoals Sound", as local recording studios produced hit records that shaped the history of popular music. Unusual was the cross-pollination of musical styles that originated in Muscle Shoals. Black artists used white country music styles in their work, and white artists from the Shoals frequently borrowed from the blues/gospel influences of their black contemporaries, creating a distinct sound.

Millie in one of the audio booths at 3614 Jackson Street, She's got the moves like Jaggar!

The list of artists who recorded at the studio's came from all music genre's and many famous bands. If you get a chance, watch the PBS movie titled Muscle Shoals. 

We missed the tour time for the FAME Studio but did tour the original building of the M. S. Sound Studio popularly know by it's address 3614 Jackson Street. Afterwards we drove across town and visited the Alabama Music Hall of Fame which has many artifacts and memorabilia from artists who are from or spent significant time in the state.

We had a late lunch/early dinner at a local restaurant called Swamp John's. The house specialty is fried catfish, which we enjoyed with hush puppies, cole slaw, fries, sour pickle and sweet tea. It was mighty good eating!

Before heading back to the motorhome we made a quick stop at Super Walmart, the traveling RV'ers friend. We ran just ahead of some low hanging and scary looking clouds accompanied by blasts of pelting rain. The TV weather man later explained the strange cloud formations were formed by rain cooled clouds rapidly ascending a mountain just west of town. 

Alloys Park near Muscle Shoals Alabama.

It was a good day, Millie is a big time music fan, knows a lot about the artists and enjoys the history in the museums. Me, I like to listen to it, know nothing about it, but like the brush with fame.

Lowes Home store to the rescue!

I try really hard to keep the motorhome in good condition but no matter what you do, somethings always seem to go wrong. Early, really early this morning I woke up to the sound of water running. Thankfully, a quick check found no water inside, but I was certain I heard water. Outside I soon found the source, the plastic cap of a diverter valve had blew out. I shut the water off at the service post and went back to bed.

An internet check revealed a Camper World parts store 14 miles down I-20. We drove the motorhome to Camper world. The first person I talked to said yes they have them in the service department. So I go over there and a young lady said yes they have them but I have to call (I forgot his name). She calls I forgot his name on speaker phone and says she needs a ¼ inch diverter valve. I spoke up and said, no it is a ½ inch ¼ turn diverter valve. I forgot his name immediately says no we don't have them. As there several different styles, I'd think he would have wanted to see the part but no he just didn't have one. Doesn't have a very good attitude either if you ask me!

I asked the counter girl if there was a Lowes or Home Depot nearby. Yes right down the road she said, I thanked her and left. At Lowes I purchased some PEX tubing and fittings and fashioned a replacement arrangement for the broken valve right in the parking lot. Thank you Lowes, shame on Camper World of Anniston for the poor customer service.

After lunch, we decided to change course and get off I-20. We drove north on rt 431 a nice 4 lane highway that winds it's way thru towns, across mountains, and Gunterville Lake. We followed it all the way to Huntsville before turning west and making our way to Muscle Shoals in the northwest Alabama.

We are camped in a county park campground located on Wilson Lake just outside the town. We have decided to spend two nights here so we can explore the musical heritage of Muscle Shoals. Although an unlikely breeding ground for some of America's most creative and defiant music. There, FAME Studios brought black and white musicians together to create music for the masses.

Campground= $16.00 a night full hookup plus good WiFi.

Fuel=$1.95 per gallon, 37.6 gallons, $73.77 total.

Miles driven today= 237

Lowes= $40.00

Lunch at Zaxby's= $10. for two sandwiches

Diner from Subway $5.80 for one foot long sandwich we shared.

On the road again and heading west!

We're off and running and headed west! We delayed our departure by about an hour this morning to let a rain shower pass and left home by a little past nine. Millie and I had been worried about how Maggie would react to the motorhome without Dixie. As it turned out it was us who shed a tear as we settled into our seats without our little co-pilot. The sad moment passed quickly and soon we were excited about the trip. Departure mileage reading 64118.

The night before we left Sam, one our neighbors at the Cane Patch brought us a bag of homemade cheese crackers. Sam said he never got very far down the road before he got the munchies and sure enough as I came upon the sign inviting us to Marion county I found my hand in the snack bag, thanks Sam!

Our first stop near Columbia South Carolina, we topped off the fuel tank at a Flying J travel Center and had lunch in the motorhome. $1.78 per gallon, 28.4 gallons, total $50.82, mileage 64226

We continued on, still running on I-20 the highway that would eventually take us all the way to Birmingham Alabama. We stopped again at another Flying J west of Atlanta Georgia near the town of Temple. We topped the fuel tank again, $2.10 per gallon, 32.8 gallons, total $69.16 mileage 64512. We purchased a sandwich from Subway for dinner and found a campground for the night thirty miles further along I-20.

We arrived at Cane 9 Creek campground (Heflin, Alabama) about six pm central time, having crossed the time zone line a few miles back. Campground cost $24.75 for full hookup pull thru site.

Total miles driven on day one 424.

Dixie

June 26^th 2015

We lost one of our dogs yesterday, Dixie had Renal Failure and her life had deteriorated to the point that putting her down was the most compassionate thing we could do. Millie and I are as devastated by her death as we would be for any other family member. Dixie was a Yorkie/poodle mix of about 12 pounds. She was the sweetest dog you could imagine, all she ever wanted was to be close to us. 

Whatever room in the house you went to, within a minute or two Dixie would quietly tip toe in. She would curl up someplace out of the way but within sight of you. If Millie and I were in separate rooms she would either lay in a position where she could see us both or she would be near Millie. I know that she liked me but Millie was her first love and you can’t take that away.

Dixie loved to go for long walks, she chased squirrels and birds and lizards; she was a hunter. Except for a few occasions we had to keep her on a leach, we were afraid she would get the scent of something and run off after it. In hindsight I’m really glad that we occasionally took a chance and let her run free.

On the beach she discovered minnows swimming at the swash a couple blocks from the house. Every trip after that both dogs would go straight to the swash to go fishing, and Dixie became very good at catching them. 

In the house we loved to watch Dixie hide things, mostly her babies (stuffed toys) but also chew toys or treats. She would carry them around and scratch out a hiding spot under one of her blankets or in her bed, and then she would use her nose to gently cover the object with a fold of material.

  

If Millie and I were sitting together, Dixie loved being snuggled in between the two us.  When we went to bed at night, Dixie was in her little bed next to ours. When we went out Dixie would lay facing the door waiting our return, in the motorhome she would stay on the dash and watch for us to return. When we got in view she would jump up to greet us, her little stubbly tail wagging wildly! Unconditional love, she gave it to us every minute of every day.

Millie and I owe everything we are to Dixie and Maggie. If it wasn’t for them we may never have met. 

We first met while walking on the beach at Myrtle Beach State Park. Back then dogs had to be off the beach by 8am so most folks with dogs were out there about the same time in the early morning. Millie lived across the street from the park and she and Dixie walked the beach each morning beginning from the south end and walking north. I was staying at the park campground on the north end and walked south each morning with Maggie.

That first morning when I saw her in the distance I was immediately intrigued. She had a majestic presence; tall and slender with perfect posture and a walk that had purpose. She also had a well behaved  little dog who trotted along beside her. I remember thinking, who is this stunning creature coming towards me.

 That first day we passed each other our parallel courses about 30 feet apart, we did no more than nod a hello. On subsequent mornings we progressed only to saying hello. It wasn’t until we stopped so our dogs could become acquainted that we introduced ourselves. 

 I recently told Millie it was a good thing the girls brought us together because I am socially awkward and would have been afraid to approach a refined woman who was obviously of southern aristocracy.  She laughs at this and reminds me that her roots were on a share cropper tobacco farm, but admits that the credit goes to the girls and she would never initiate contact with a stranger on the beach.

Our little dogs of course had to greet each other and thus began our adventure.

Dixie was around eight or nine years old and Maggie was about two and a half when Millie and I became a couple. They lived together as sisters for over four years and we know they bonded. They were together 24 hours a day for all that time and they never fought. They would show affection for one another by licking faces or sniffing each other and we truly believe they enjoyed each others presence. This is especially true when we humans went out and left them in the condo or the motorhome.

Both of our little girls have been with us every mile of our many cross country adventures. I built a window level perch next to the driver’s seat in the motorhome for the one of the girls to sit on. Maggie prefers sleeping on a cushion next to Millie or in a bed under the driver’s seat. Dixie was awake for every mile, she loved sitting next to me and watching the world roll by. 

Our next trip in the motorhome will be emotional; I’m dreading the day that we start a road trip without her. It will not only be hard on Millie and me, I know it will bring back memories of Dixie to Maggie as well.

Since Dixie left our condo never to return I can’t help but wonder what Maggie is thinking? Obviously we can’t explain the circumstances to her, but we can tell she knows Dixie is gone. Did she perceive Dixie’s illness and could she somehow know Dixie is not coming back? 

After Dixie was gone a couple days we started to see a change in Maggie. We know she missed Dixie and grieved. She looked for Dixie in the condo and outside as well, always wanting to go to the parking spot the motorhome would be in, if it was here.

Maggie has gotten better recently, as have we, but I also know she’ll never forget her little sister and neither will Millie and I.

Rest in peace little girl, we love you Dixie.

Trip to Delaware

I’ve had the MRI, been to the orthopedic surgeon and have surgery scheduled for the middle of June. He could have done it sooner but I still have reservations at Lumm’s Pond State Park in Delaware, it was to be a stop on the Middle America tour. We decided to take a quick trip north to see my family. I haven’t been up there this year and won’t be driving for a while after the surgery.

We drove our preferred route, highway 17 thru North Carolina and Virginia before switching to route 13, the road that would take us across the Chesapeake Bay and up thru the Delmarva Peninsula. We overnighted at Kiptopeke State Park on the eastern shore of Virginia.

On Sunday morning we traveled the rest of the way to our destination near Newark Delaware. Arriving early in the day we set up camp and then drove to my parent’s house. My son and daughter-in-law had organized and prepared a family dinner there. I got to see my parents, brothers and their families all at once, which was a good thing because we soon would decide to cut the trip short.

Our little dog Dixie has recently been diagnosed with Renal Failure and she has not been doing very well. We took the dogs with us to my parent’s house on Monday and enjoyed another visit with them. That evening Larry, Kristie and Delaney met us at the motorhome for pizza. We were becoming very concerned about Dixie and decided having seen family we wanted to get back to our trusted vet in Myrtle Beach. Once again I missed visiting friends while in Delaware but, sometimes life doesn’t work out the way you planned.

We broke camp and started for home on Tuesday morning, retracing the route we took north. After an overnight stop at Green Acres RV Park near Williamston, North Carolina we ran the rest of the way home in one day.  

 

Trip to Martinsville Virginia

This was to be the beginning of “The Middle of America Tour”, a journey that was going to take around the interior states. We had hoped to zig-zag around and visit several states that we have yet to visit. Unfortunately I injured my shoulder in April and it is not healing on its own. I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon in June but I know my rotator cuff is torn. Until then we still want to get away from all the motorcycle noise during black bike week so we are keeping the launch of the trip which is a 300 mile run up to Millie’s hometown of Martinsville Virginia.

We stopped for two nights at the Thousand Trails campground on the way to Martinsville; no special reason other than it’s free to me with my membership. 

We camped at Indian Heritage RV Park and had made arrangements for the use of a meeting room for a small family gathering. The room was a garage that had been freshly cleaned and painted; it was perfect for our informal picnic get together. We had our motorhome parked next door to the garage with full hookups, we couldn’t have been happier with the arrangement; the staff at Indian Heritage is to be commended. 

 

Besides the family picnic we had some work to do. Millie’s daughter has had a Honda 50 motorcycle and a 1957 Dodge truck stored at her uncle’s house for about ten years. The truck had been her fathers and she kept it all these years for sentimental reasons but it was time to let it go. I removed a few items like the ram hood ornament which we will take to her and the truck was disposed of.

We brought the Honda back to Myrtle Beach and have it in our storage locker. The plan is that at some point in time it will be rejuvenated and Rae Anne will ride it around Los Alamos. She’s rather busy with two toddlers right now so I don’t know when that will be.

While in the area we spent one afternoon looking for an old family cemetery. We didn’t find it and we later heard that the landowner made everyone remove the graves a long time ago.

We drove straight home from Martinsville, it’s about a five hour trip for us. The bikers had mostly left Myrtle Beach and it was quiet again or I should say as quiet as our city is going to be.

Home

Saturday April 4^th. Driving the jeep we took the Mayport ferry across the St Johns River. Our plan for the day was to explore Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach. In every Southern Living or Coastal Living magazine there are advertisements for Amelia Beach communities filled with modern reproductions of old southern style cottages. These advertisements present Amelia as quant but decidedly upscale and that is kind of what we found. Or I should say what we observed on the other side of all the community gates. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more walled off community. I’d say 80% of the developments are gated and we never did see any cottages, just lots of large homes. 

One place we found interesting was an old African American beach community called American beach. The condition and architecture of the buildings and cottages leads me to believe it had its Hey-Day many years ago, suffered a long decline and may be at the beginning of a resurrection. This is evidenced by some recent new homes and several under construction.

The intriguing thing about American Beach is it is smack dap in the middle of the new Amelia communities. I’ll bet there were some interesting conversations between the developers of the Amelia communities, local government and the preservationists of American Beach.

Traveling north from the upscale Amelia communities you come upon Fernandina Beach. What surprised me most was all the beach houses looked like they were built 30 or 40 years ago. In most of the east coast oceanfront communities I’ve visited all the old cottages have been torn down and replaced with high end real estate. 

At the upper end of Fernandina where the ocean meets the St Mary’s River sits Fort Clinch. It was first fortified in 1736 by the Spanish, but over the years various nations have garrisoned the site. In 1847 construction of the present fort was started by the United States. The confederate Army controlled the fort for a time during the Civil War; it was also manned by the US Army during the Spanish-American War and WW2.  The Civilian Conservation Corp restored the fort during the great depression and it is now part of the Florida State Parks. Fort Clinch park also has a campground that we checked out for future reference and a fishing pier that is over 700 feet long.

Before we left Fernandina we drove to the downtown area and were pleasantly surprised to see the main street running down to the river front has been successfully redeveloped into a vibrant shopping and restaurant tourist district. We decided to try a trendy looking Mexican Restaurant. It was Ok, but reaffirmed my observation that a slightly shabby looking Mexican restaurant usually has better food than one trying to be Avant Garde. 

 

We enjoyed our brief two day visit to the extreme upper right hand corner of Florida and will stop by again someday. Our original plan was to drive about 200 miles to Walterboro South Carolina, spend one night and then run the remaining 170+/- miles to our home in Myrtle Beach. We left the campground at 9:10 am and experienced light traffic on I-95 probably because it was Easter Sunday. Traffic rolled thru Georgia at a steady 70mph and by 12:30 we were at the Walterboro exit. We decided to keep driving and go the distance to Myrtle Beach. We did get off the interstate and took the local roads home, specifically we drove 17Alt to Georgetown and Rt 17 to Myrtle Beach, then Ocean Boulevard to our home on 71^st Ave.

The afternoon drive was at leisurely pace of 45 and 55 miles an hour. It was 4:30 when we got to the south end of Myrtle Beach we decided to cruise up Ocean Boulevard past all the big hotels. This is a beach town and cruising the strip is a part of seaside life you never outgrow. Looking at the parade of people bathed in multicolored lights of the businesses on the oceanfront street is a constantly changing kaleidoscope. The downtown was busy with tourists. the sun was shining, the air was warm and all is right in our world.