Mississippi, Red Bay Alabama, Tennessee

Our free wheeling, go when and where we want, when we want, has changed.  We have an appointment in Red Bay Alabama May 13th.  We  are having trouble with one of our slides and were going to the hometown of the manufacturer to have it repaired.  So now were killing time, trying to reach our destination on time but not to soon.  

It's been raining everywhere we go since we left Arizona and started heading west, we have some days that we don't get drenched but it's been very wet and stormy, hmm it's those spring showers?

We left Little Rock and arrived in Mississippi May 9, 2019. 
The rivers are rising
to flood levels.

Oh the mighty Mississippi.  

Were staying at John W Kyle State Park in South Sardis, MS.  It rained all 4 days we were here.

This is the dam up the road from the lake were on.

It's sort of creepy standing by such a mighty force and the noise is crazy loud.

We arrived in Red Bay a small town where they make the Tiffen Motor homes.  We toured the plant which was really cool.  Just about everything in this town is connected to the motor-home industry.  Everywhere you go are motor homes in parking lots, on the road and people eating, hanging out  and camping all over  town.  It's very cool, the people are so friendly and laid back.


 

Who would have thought we would find a Frank Lloyd Wright Rosenbaum House in the area.  Designed in 1939 for a mere $14,000, the Rosenbaum House has been called one of the purest examples of Wright's Usonian design.  The house was deeded to the City of Florence in 1999 and restored to its original condition.

It reminds me of the Meyer May House in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Finally we have a sunny day to try out our 2 man inflatable kayak.  It's great.
Were in LaVergne Tennessee outside of Nashville. 

Finally a lake I'm not afraid to go into.  

Were getting closer to home, I'm excited but it feels like our adventures are ending.

The  C.O.E.  Knobs Campground.  Just like the national parks the Corp of Engineer parks are 50% off for seniors.

Arizona, Chiricahua National Monument

We landed in Bowie Arizona to venture out to Chiricahua National Monument.  As you enter Chiricahua you are climbing up a sky island-an isolated mountain range rising above the surrounding grassland sea.  The Chiricahua Apache called these pinnacles "standing up rocks."  Created 27 million years ago when eruptions from the Turkey Creek Volcano spewed ash over 1,200 miles.  Cooling and subsequent uplifting created joints and cracks in the rhyolite.  Eons of weathering by ice wedging and erosion by water enlarged the cracks.  Weaker material washed away, leaving behind an endless variety of spires, balanced rocks and other shapes.

After leaving the visitor center we drove up Bonita Canyon Drive stopping to hike the Echo Canyon Trail out to view the Echo Canyon Grotto.  It was an easy hike with amazing views.  We continued up the 8 mile road to Massai Point, elevation 6,870 ft. with a 360 degree view of Rhyolite Canyon and the mountain called Cochise Head.

We left New Mexico and entered Arizona February 28, 2019.  We left Carlsbad Caverns and went South into Texas through El Paso and back into New Mexico.  It was snowing in northern New Mexico so we changed our plans and followed Interstate 10, instead of heading north into New Mexico to visit a few spots.

Deck was using our camera to do a 180 degree view, this place was amazing.

The rocks were so unusual.

They say pictures are worth a thousand words, I'm not sure the picture's due this place justice.

Coatimundi or ring tailed, similar to raccoons just walking around when we drove by.

Standing Up Rocks named by the Apache.

The trail was an easy hike with mountains all around.  There was snow on some of the mountain tops and some on the ground along our hike.

The trail was very rocky yet easy to walk.

So many rocks were balanced upon each other.

The Grotto's were Stand Up Rocks that you could walk through.

Cochise head, can you see him?  His forehead is to the right, his chin on the left, and the nose.

RV Living stats from the road

We have been on the road for over 4 months in our 34' motor home named Moose.  With our three slides, we live in 318 sq ft.

Since our last post we have been traveling in Texas and New Mexico covering 1488 miles in 34 days.  

The weather has been in the 80's and down to 20's and everything in between.  Michigan is not the only state that can change 20 degrees in one day's time.  The difference is the day time highs recover rapidly and our average temperature has been about 60.

131 days on the road

4,998 miles 

29 campgrounds

12 states

$17.37 average daily camping cost