Home Is Where We Park It: Sharon Johnston Park 

June 12, 2019

Temperature 75 Degrees

Partly Sunny, Afternoon Thunderstorms and Rain

Auburn House, Natchez Mississippi

What you say?  Did you move back to Mississippi?  No, I’m just so far behind in terms of blogs that I need to get going.

First things first.  When we awoke this morning it was a rather chilly 59 degrees.  That’s chilly you say?  Yes, when you’re used to day time temperatures in the 90 degree range and night time temperatures never going below 80 degrees.  I’m glad we didn’t put the extra blanket away.

Let’s get going on our tour of the Auburn House.  The Auburn Antebellum Home was built by architect Levi Weeks and prides itself as being the inspiration for the antebellum mansion building craze throughout Natchez. The house was built for Attorney Lyman Harding who served briefly as governor of Natchez.  A notable feature of the house is the outside porch in front and back on the second floor.

However, the home’s most popular resident was Dr. Stephen Duncan.  In the 1830’s, Dr.

Duncan added the two symmetrical wings, in the Greek Revival style, which greatly expanded the interior space.

This is the entry hall as you enter through the front door.

The most notable feature of the house is the free standing spiral staircase.  This staircase has attracted international interest and architectural studies due to its free-standing nature. The staircase is classified as unsupported as it has no connection to the foundation of the house. The structure only meets the floor of the first story and the ceiling of the second. We were told that the staircase was built as one piece.  The wood for the staircase was steamed and then curved to it’s final shape.  Today it is still only one of the three or four freestanding spiral staircases within the United States.

Before we move through the remainder of the house keep in mind that none of the furniture is original to the house.  After the Civil War, Auburn remained in the Duncan family until 1910, when Dr. Duncan’s heirs donated the home and 210 adjacent acres of land to the city of Natchez, to be used as a public park.  The contents of the house were sold at public auction.  Few of those items would ever return to Auburn.  In addition for many years after the house was left basically open and children often played in the house using the spiral staircase as their personal slide.  Today the property is known as Duncan Park and owned by the city, while the home has been restored and is owned by a small organization that depends on donations and tours to maintain the house.  That said let’s move on.

On the first floor is a small sitting room.

Adjacent to it is the library.

The original marble fireplace that has been restored.

The curtains we were told were one of the few items original to the house.

Moving out of the library across the main hall you come to the dining room.  Room enough to feed a crew of however many.

Look closely and you will find a different type of flower on each plate.  The story goes that this was a sign that at each course in the meal you knew that you were being given a clean plate.

Today this is the gift shop but when Dr. Ducan lived here it was his office.

Moving upstairs this is one of the four bedrooms.  The bed in this room is known as a casket or coffin bed.  Looking at the top of the bed you can see why!  Not my style that’s for sure.

This is a children’s bedroom on the second floor.

The children’s prayer chairs.

Toys that children of that period might have had.

Did you notice the dolls of George and Martha Washington?  We were told that to have either one or the other was a visible sign of wealth.

Also upstairs is the men’s parlor where Dr. Ducan would entertain his male friends.  Why the female manikin?  We were told simply because they could not afford to buy a male manikin!

Notice the intricate wood work over the door.

Dr. Duncan, however, was concerned the women in the house might overhear the banner between him and his male friends so the answer was – build a separate building!  This is his private billiard hall, adjacent to the house, built in the Greek Revival style.

Here is an interesting piece of furniture – the courting couch.  Boy on one side, girl on the other and chaperon in the middle.  No hanky panky on this couch that’s for sure!

Behind the main house and off to the left was the small house containing the kitchen and upstairs living quarters for the house slaves.

This is the kitchen.  We were told when food was brought from here to the main house the person carrying it was required to either whistle or sing the whole way – proof that they weren’t stealing a bite!

Common kitchen utensils.

 

This is a most interesting chair, the seat is made of rags woven together.

Upstairs living quarters for the house slaves.

This concludes our tour of the Auburn House.  A different style of house from a different time and period in the history of our country.  We hope you enjoyed the tour as much as we did.  We are always amazed at what we learn as we travel around this great country of ours.

We have now come to the end of our day on The Road of Retirement.  We did a bit of shopping, Barbara was able to get a haircut, I picked up the battery hold down I needed to replace the one that is in place but missing a piece or two.  Plus, I was able to get one more blog done on sight-seeing trips past.  The day was a winner all the way around.  Thank you Lord for the day, our time together and this wonderful, exciting life we are privileged to live.

Glad you were able to travel with us again today.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

Home Is Where We Park It: Sharon Johnston Park 

June 11, 2019

Temperature: 72 Degrees

Partly Sunny, Winds Gusting to 10 to 15  mph

Travel Day

Tiffin Factory Tour

Yes, I know today is the 12th but I’m a day behind so I decided to let this be my June 11th post.  OK?

We’re in Red Bay for one purpose and only one purpose and that is to take the Tiffin Factory Tour.  Following that we’ll be back on the road headed to our new home.

Yesterday started way too early for both of us.  Marti decided at 5:30 am that if he couldn’t sleep then we shouldn’t either.  I have to keep remembering that this is his RV and we live here as his guests!  A fact he reminds us of constantly.

Not wanting to make a mess in the kitchen since we would be moving right after the factor tour we decided to head into town – which is just two blocks long – to a restaurant recommended by the locals.  It is called the Mason Jar.

As soon as we walked thru the door we got a good vibe about it.

When was the last time you saw breakfast prices like this?

Barbara had the The Mason Breakfast and I had the Omelet Plate.  We were both very satisfied with our choices.  The service was top notch and the food was delicious.  We both cleaned our plates.

Time for the factory tour.  We arrived at the Visitor Center a bit early.

Soon enough, though, the room was full.  They ended up having to split us into two groups.   Everyone had to wear closed toe shoes, a provided safety vest and we were also given radios and headsets so that we could hear our tour guide.   I asked about taking pictures and the reply was We encourage you to take as many as you want.  Nothing is off limits.  Works for me.

Time to get going.  Put on your walking shoes, limber up the knees and let’s go.  This we were told as we walked by was the location of the corporate offices.  Bob Tiffin’s office is in here.  The next thing they explained is that the chassis and paint plants are located off-site.  We missed both of those tours because of time constraints and the fact that the chassis tour is only given on Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

The first facility we toured was the wood working and cabinet plant.  This is what you see as you first enter, doesn’t appear that big but oh it is.  It is in an old cotton warehouse and has a total of 3,500 square feet.

Looking out into the plant itself.

This gentleman was making an overhead trim ring that goes in the Bus and the Phaeton.

Building a cabinet.  What surprised me a bit when I looked close is the number of staples that were used in place of screws.

Cabinet frames waiting for final assembly.  The question we asked was How do you know what cabinet goes with what coach   We were told that no coach is built until there is an order for it.  At that time it is given a distinctive identifying number.  Everything that is not generic to that coach is then given the same identifying number.  This does two things, it allows them to find where the coach is in the assembly process if the customer arrives and wants to view it.  Also, it lets the assemblers on the assembly line find and install what is supposed to be in that coach.

Attention to detail and finish sanding were evident throughout the plant.

In this picture Cindy our tour guide pointed out on the back of this counter top the red identifying number and the fact that it is going in a 40 foot coach.

This is a computer controlled router used to mill counter tops.  It will shape it, then according to computer instructions make the necessary cutouts in it for perhaps a sink, a faucet, etc.

Moving out of the wood working plant we passed the welding plant, which for obvious reasons, we were not allowed in.  This is the plant that creates the raised rail chassis for the diesel pushers and adds various items to the gas chassis.

Chassis’ that have just come out of the welding shop.

This is an example of a raised rail chassis for a 40 foot rig.

This is the front end of a gas rig.  The next picture is looking at from the side.  The more I looked the more I was amazed that these rigs actually get down the road.  Just look at the bundle of wires hanging in the front, hook just one up wrong and that’s it.  In later pictures you’ll see the same thing when we view the assembly line.  To say that they are complex is a decided understatement.

We’re now moving into the assembly line plant.  This is one of the lines.  They build on average 11 coaches a day, and again, each one has been ordered before it’s build is started.  What follows is I admit an over simplified description of how a coach is built but I hope you can gain some idea of the process and how complex it is.

Floors waiting to be installed.

A floor being installed and finishing title put down on top of it.  Many of these floors are heated but we were told this one was not.  In this picture and following note all the wires, hoses, duct work, etc that has to be properly hooked up.  Wew, what a challenge.

The coaches are built from the inside out.  And we wonder why sometimes we can’t get to things to replace or repair.

Once everything inside is installed and the miles of wiring are pulled through and properly terminated then the the outside walls are ready to be installed.  There will still be more wiring to be completed once the walls, roof and caps are installed.  In the above picture note the ledge that runs from back to front.  That ledge is what the outside wall will set on.

The front and rear end caps go on.  These pieces are made off site and shipped in on a daily basis.

The finished roof is lifted and put in place.  Once it is in place AC’s will be installed, vents, etc.

The dash has to be installed

.

Time for the slides.

This is a full wall slide waiting to be installed.

A kitchen slide.

A slide just installed and finishing touches being done.

As the coach moves down the line there are scores of people inside and out working on wiring, cabinets, seats, couches, lights, mirrors and everything else.

The end of the assembly line.  Checking things off and checking them twice.  After this the coach will be driven to the paint plant.  From the time an order is placed until the coach is ready to be delivered takes on average three to four months.

This is where the wiring looms are made for each coach.

There are only a few different color wires that are used.  However, as our guide pointed out, yellow is not always yellow, look close at it and it might say black or gray.  Just one more item that makes the whole process even more complicated.  I guess the installers are used to this.  This was as far as we were allowed in but I did ask and did catch a glimpse way in the back of the loom board.  This board has a pattern for each coach that allows an individual to create the proper wiring loom for any given coach.

We were at the end of our tour.  As I sat later and though about what I had witnessed during the tour several thoughts came to mind

• a modern coach is one whale of a complicated machine.  It’s a wonder anything works at all and that it even gets down the road
• the fact that things do work and it does get down the road is a testimony to the skill of those that are assembling them
• everyone I watched during the tour was very focused on the task at hand.  There was no time for silly stuff or standing around.  They had a job to do and they did it
• there is a lot of automation when it comes to making counter tops, cutting out the pieces for a cabinet, even the roof.  This to my way of thinking ensures quality control.
• attention to detail is evident at every stage of the process
• as I looked at the basic chassis after the welding shop I was impressed with the quality of the welds and the attention to finishing them that was evident.  Mind you all of this will be hidden later when the coach is finished so it’s nice to know they care about their work

Finally a blast from the past, a 1976 Tiffin Allegro.  Where did the name Allegro come from?  We were told from Bob Tiffin’s wife who was a music teacher.  Bob was struggling to find a name for his first coaches and she mentioned Allego saying in music it meant upbeat, lively, brisk.  Perfect he said that’s the picture we’re trying to convey, a vehicle that is upbeat, fun to use.  The rest is history.

How about this interior?  Can you imagine that green shag was once all the rage.

Tour finished, we picked up sandwiches for lunch and headed back to Graybeard since we needed to get on the road.  Since we only had to disconnect from the mother ship the process took only a few minutes.  Then it was slides in and we were off and rolling down the road.

It was an easy trip of just a little over two hours.  Soon enough we saw the sign indicating the turn off to our new home.  This is Sharon Johnston County Park.  Sharon Johnston Park is a county park located in north Madison County, Alabama near New Market, Alabama, about 20 minutes from downtown Huntsville, Alabama.  The Park is home to a 50 site RV/campground park. Some sites are wooded but there are also open areas available for campers.  As we turned in our initial impression was a good one.  The park was clean, neat and well taken care of.

Once again a beautiful park but almost completely empty.

Soon enough we were at our new site.  I walked the site, put my level down and knew right away I was going to need some leveling blocks under the front wheels.  No problem better to know before hand.  This is our new home, paved, FHU, 50 amp and it only took a bit of work to get reasonably close to level.  It’s home for 5 days and we like it.  It is partially shaded but Gertrude likes it even more since out front she has a clear view of the southern sky.

That was our day yesterday On The Road of Retirement.  It was a long day but a great day all the way around.  We checked off another one of our bucket list items.  We had an easy trip.  We have a beautiful new home.  Thank you Lord.

Thanks again for traveling with us.  We always enjoy your company,  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Home Is Where We Park It: Red Bay RV Park, Red Bay Alabama 

June 10, 2019

Temperature: 85 Degrees

Partly Sunny, Winds Gusting to 20 mph

A Vespa Scooter at a Harley Davidson Rally

Rule Number One of Full Time RV Life is be flexible.  Which is why we are where we are  tonight.  I guess I had better explain.

This morning as I was going over tomorrow’s route to our new home it suddenly hit me we’ll be going close to Red Bay.  Red Bay is, of course, the home of Tiffin Motor Homes.  We knew that they had a factory tour which we have often talked about taking if and when we were in the area.  Guess what?  The time sure looked right.  But why wait until tomorrow.  We’ll leave today, a day earlier than planned.  That way we would still be on schedule.  The question now was, where to stay?  A few phone calls and that was taken care of.

When Barbara woke I sprung my new travel plans on her and she gave an enthusiastic thumbs up to the idea.  We both sprung into action and began to pack up and get things in order for a travel day.  Within an hour, maybe a bit more we were ready to roll.  Slides in, jacks up, and off we went.

The first stretch we traveled was the Natchez Trace.  All too soon, though, it was time to leave it for interstates and other county back roads.  The first stop was for gas.  That taken care of we were off and running.

Some two hours later we were home for the night.  Home being The Red Bay RV Park.  Let’s set the record straight, this is not an RV Park. It is a level gravel parking lot with hook ups. There is no landscaping, office, facilities, or people on site. All the sites are back in, fairly wide, on level gravel. There is plenty of room to park a tow vehicle. The park was obviously designed and built for for the class A motor home short term use.

This is our site.  Dead level, full hook up, 50 amp and all for only $25 a night.  Not a bad deal.  No complaints from us.  But I must say here among all these multi dollar Tiffins its like we are a A Vespa Scooter at a Harley Davidson Rally!!!!  We stick out like a sore thumb.

My story if any one asks is We’re thinking of buying a Tiffin and want to take the factory tour before we make a decision.  Well, we are thinking about it, only thinking about it.  But that’s my story and I’m sticking with it!

Since we were already in the midst of a an out of the ordinary day we decided to go all the way and try something different for supper.  Mexican!  We found a restaurant about 15 minutes away.  When we first turned down the block, we looked at each other as if to say really but what the hey we were there.

This is the restaurant that we found.  Again nothing fancy, not even that appealing to the eye.  But thankfully we stayed and the food was delicious.

On the way home we passed the Tiffin Service Area RV Park and it was jammed packed with at least 30 or more rigs in the service area awaiting attention.  Don’t know what that says about Tiffin Motor homes but it’s interesting.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Tomorrow we’ll be at the Visitor Center bright and early for the factory tour.  After that we’ll hit the road and move north to New Market, Alabama.  This life is so much fun, just traveling down the road where and when we want to.  Yipee!

Thanks for traveling with us, we always enjoy your company.  Catch you tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road!

Home Is Where We Park It: Davis Lake Recreation Area, Davis Lake, Campground 

June 9, 2019

Temperature: 82 Degrees

Partly Sunny, A Light Breeze Off The Lake

Natchez Trace Parkway, National Park, National Scenic Byway & All American Road

The day dawned absolutely beautiful.  Temperatures in the low 70’s, partly sunny, and the lake was like a mirror with a ripple here and there as a light breeze teased its surface.  Thank you Lord for creating such a picture perfect world.  Then, too, for allowing us to enjoy it as we have day after day.

We had a morning visitor on the spit of land behind us.  He was there when we arrived and again this morning.  He just stands there rarely ruffling a feather.  I’m not real good at identifying birds but I believe this is a heron.

What to do today.  There was an Elvis Festival in Tupelo.  There was The Parkway Visitor Center and Headquarters.  Since neither of us are big Elvis fans we passed on the festival and went with our second option.  Which made sense to us since this trip we were really interested in the Natchez Trace and its history.  Actually, we weren’t supposed to be out and about at all but you know us.  Give us a reason to go, and go we will.

After a quick and simple breakfast, a few chores that needed doing, we were in the car and off to The Visitor Information Center at mile marker 266.

This is what you see when you first walk in the door, to the left

in front of you

to your right

and under your feet you see The Trace from Nashville to Natchez mapped out in title.

 

The sixty four thousand dollar question in my mind was of course Where and how did the Trace come to be?  Not only the original Trace but the Parkway we travel today?

The Trace originally was not just one trail but a series of trails.  These trails were used first by animals for migration and to get to water or salt licks.   The Choctaw, the Chickasaw and the Natchez traveled the trails to communicate and to reach hunting grounds. In time the many trails became one and the Old Trace was born. 

After the American Revolution the boundaries of our nation expanded westward.  Pioneer homesteaders crossed the Appalachian Mountains into the Old Southwest to settle the Mississippi River Valley and beyond.  By 1785 boats were floating down the Mississippi River with goods destined for market.  Because the strong current made upstream travel difficult, the Old Trace became a popular route back north.  For the next thirty years traffic on the Old Trace would be the heaviest.

If you traveled the Old Trace who were you likely to meet?  There were Postriders.  In 1800 the Old Trace was declared a National Post Road, making delivery of mail between Washington, D.C and Natchez much faster.  Between 1801 and 1825 the Old Trace was the safest and surest means of communication between Washington, D.C and the lower Mississippi River Valley.

Postriders on horseback using the Old Trace would carry mail in saddlebags, stopping and delivering mail along the way.  A rider from Nashville, and another leaving from Natchez would meet about halfway, exchange bags and return back.  The trip for each was about fourteen days in length.  

Kaintucks frequently used the trail.  They were farmer boatmen from the Ohio River Valley who used the Old Trace to return home after selling their goods in Natchez and New Orleans.

Equipment that they typically carried with them.

 It was by no means an easy trip.

Danger lurked around every corner.

Along the way they would frequently spend a night or more at Stands.

Others who used the Old Trace were American Indians, Slaves and Outlaws.

The use of the Old Trace began to decline as more people in more locations resulted in more mail routes to different settlements other than those along the Old Trace.

Alternate routes and the arrival of the steamboat on the Mississippi slowed traffic on the Old Trace to a trickle.  By 1830 farmers returned home by steamboat which was quicker and less dangerous.

By the time the Civil War stormed over our nation, the Old Trace as a route from Nashville to Natchez had died.  By 1830 sections of the Old Trace became overgrown and disappeared.

That would have been that for the Old Trace.  It would have, and could have become just another forgotten road.  Until wheels were set in motion to remember the Trace.

Just as the overgown trail seemed to be forgotten,  a magazine article written in the early 1900’s rekindled interest in the Old Trace

and gave fuel to the Mississippi DAR’s goal to remember and commemorate the Old Trace.

Ground breaking for the Parkway occurred on September 16. 1937.  The Parkway was designed to connect the cities of Nashville, Tupelo, Jackson and Natchez with a 444 mile scenic byway.  The Parkway became a public works project and created jobs for a depressed economy.  In 1938 Congress made the Parkway part of the National Park Service.  On May 21. 2005 the final link connecting the Parkway to Natchez was completed.  Today the Parkway is not just a scenic Parkway but a National Park that is a ribbon 800 feet wide winding through three different states – Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee.

Today the Parkway is complete and I can attest from traveling just a small part of it, it can take you places you’ll never forget.  You’ll pass Native American burial grounds, antebellum mansions, deep blue reservoirs, nature trails, and historic sites.  Since I couldn’t drive and take pictures of the Parkway at the same time, here are some stock photos of it.

 

Though we have only traveled one small section of the Parkway with Little Graybeard, and another with Graybeard I wish we could go all the way to Nashville.  But we’ll be jumping off just a few miles north of where we currently are and traveling back into Alabama to our next stop.  Someday maybe we’ll get to travel the Parkway again, I hope so.  If you have a bucket list of things to do, I encourage you to put the Parkway on your list.   Just remember, if and when you travel it, take your time and enjoy the experience, take in the beautiful scenery, exciting history, and the many cultural attractions along the way.

Our day on The Road of Retirement has come to an end.  It has been a wonderful day in every way.  We had a beautiful day. weather wise  We learned new things.  We also spent the day together enjoying one another’s company.  What more can you ask for.

Thanks again for coming along with us.  We always enjoy your company.  Catch you again tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Graybeard and it’s occupants, four paws and two humans.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have not been before

See you on down the road