As we left Ohio after visiting with Dayna we stopped at Baylor Beach Park for a couple of nights. The amazing thing about this park is that it is a summer playground with a beach, water park and all types of summer games. The park had just closed for the season and we were 1 of about 5 glampers in the park that could easily hold over 100. While there, we stopped to attend the Yankee Peddler Festival. This is an event in which all the folks operating their various booths are dressed in Revolutionary times attire. All the booths were operated without electricity. Food was cooked over an open flame, ladies were spinning thread and the Revolutionaries fired off their 2 cannons. While we were stopped admiring the cannon firing, we engaged in a conversation with a couple about our age. The gentleman and I calmly assessed each other and then determined we were both LEOs. He had retired from a city in OH about 5 years previously. The adage of ‘It takes one to know one’ has certainly proven to be true on our travels.

We worked our way south and stopped in Horse Cave, KY for several days. While there we toured the area and entered the Hidden Cave. The Hidden Cave was a primary source of water for the town back in the day and still has a lot of the piping left over. The greatest feature is the river running through the cave. Our guide explained that there had been major rains several years prior and showed us the marks on the walls where the water level had risen to. It was about 10 – 20 feet above our heads in a tunnel that was about 100 ft wide. I can’t imagine that amount of water. They also boast the longest underground suspension bridge. An additional feature was the opportunity to rappel 75 ft down the face of the tunnel. Yes, I did it. I was nervous leaning out over air with just a rope to hold me and then I was in the mouth of the tunnel with no terra firma to touch. I didn’t do anything like jumping down the walls or swing to and fro. I slowly lowered myself down with the guide running a belay line. I would do it again.

This area is rich in revolutionary and civil war history. On one of my early morning bike rides through the rising dew I toured the Battles for the Bridge battlefield. This bridge was considered a major factor during the war. Teri went for a hike and I for a bike ride at the Lock 4 MTB Park. There are several locks along the Cumberland River that allow barges and large boats to maneuver the river. This is just one of them.

Next up was Nashville, TN. Some of the art along the river was interesting and we walked over the pedestrian bridge from Nissan Stadium to downtown Nashville. The live band music was loud and non-stop from the bars along the streets. It seemed every other doorway was a bar with a live band playing at maximum volume and all the doors and windows standing open. The streets are narrow and the sidewalks were jammed with people. The noise pollution was more than we cared for so we worked our way out of the area without taking in a lot of the memorable sights such as the Johnny Cash museum, the Grand Ole Opry, Country Music Hall of Fame. When we are in the area again, we might give them a try. We were told that we were at the wrong end (wrong side of the tracks??) of the downtown and might have enjoyed it more. That night we had dinner with Chrissy and her husband Brandon and had a wonderful catching up session.

And then we were in Chattanooga, TN to visit my cousin Rob and his wife Donna. As with all my cousins, we hadn’t seen each other in about 50 years. We were all about 14-16 when we last saw each other. Rob and Donna put all on hold to show us the sights. We had a great time. A visit to Rock City and then Ruby Falls filled out the weekend. When Teri and I read about Rock City, our inclination was that it wasn’t worth our time. We thought it was just going to be piles of rocks to walk through. We were wrong. It was an amazing attraction. It is located near the top of Lookout Mountain and has been developed into a series of trails through the rocks of the mountain. If you have ever been through Fat Man’s Pass on South Mountain, then you’ll understand. There is also a suspension bridge along with tunnels and then Lover’s Leap. The short version is that the Indian maiden was killed by her clan because she was seeing a young man from another clan. With her death, he jumped to be with her, hence then name. There is also the 7 States Flag Court because from this point of the mountain you can see 7 states, duh. We met Sven, our gnome, at the entrance and found several of his family throughout the park. The designers of the park also built sections into fairy tales with dolls and gnomes depicting all the storybook and fairy tales we grew up with.

Of course we couldn’t pass up a visit to the Chattanooga ChooChoo. The rail cars are all hotel rooms now and the station, once filled with retailers stands virtually empty. A walk across the Market Street bridge and we were able to watch a K9 competition down on the park lawn which featured dogs chasing and catching frisbees in a timed event. A stop for an ice cream cone and we were done for the day.

The next day we went to Ruby Falls. This was another cave however the difference was that you took an elevator down several stories before you began your journey. It ended at the Ruby Falls, a water fall that flowed from the roof into a pool. A walk/hike in the area was on tap of course. As we were leaving the park, we found a slithery friend. I have no idea what kind of snake and I didn’t stick around to ask his name.

We finally arrived in Claxton, GA to visit with Mike, Maria and Diana. They have a wonderful piece of property with a beautiful home, fishing pond, woods surrounding the house and they are in the process of building Diane’s house. There was plenty of room for us to park the motorhome and jeep and Sarge had a blast exploring the area. He didn’t care for the dogs and would find a spot under the coach to hide and monitor the dogs who were fenced in. It was interesting to watch his behavior.

Of course, you know we didn’t sit around and watch the grass grow. We spent a few hours fishing almost every day. We caught bass and blue gill, enough to have a fish taco night after filleting the fish. Teri and I spent a day in Statesboro taking in the sites. We stopped at the Historic Beaver House for lunch. This used to be a bed and breakfast that is now a restaurant. When you walk in the front door, the days menu is listed on a white board. There are no selections. However, it is all you can eat and there is a lot of food. The food tasted as good as it looked.

On another day we worked our way into Savannah. The historic district is right on the water front of the Savannah River. The streets are paved with ballast bricks from the old sailing days. There was so much to see it was a bit overwhelming. There was no way to adequately take it all in over the course of a couple of hours. It’s on our list of places to return to. After lunch we had to get some peach cobbler from The Peach Cobbler Factory. Teri was in heaven. Mike invited me to have breakfast with his buddies on their standing Saturday morning get together. A more down to earth group of guys I haven’t met in long time. The main topic of conversation was the impending Hurricane Ian and what I could expect in the way of the storm. It was expected to hit our area on Thursday or Friday. Teri and I discussed our options and decided we should leave ahead of the storm. We had been here for over a week which was the longest we had stayed anywhere on this trip. We didn’t want to leave, but I wasn’t looking forward to weathering 60-100 mph winds in a motorhome that wasn’t tied down to the ground. On Wednesday morning we started packing up. When it was time to retract the super slide (25′ long slide on the passenger side), nothing happened when I pushed the switch. I tried multiple times. There was a slight movement of about 1/4″ at the front of the slide but no movement in the middle or the rear. Mike came out and we tried several different troubleshooting tactics to no avail. We arrived at the conclusion that the motor was dead. I called 5 mobile RV repair facilities in the area and left messages. About 30 minutes later John called me back. I explained the issue and he said he be there in about an hour. True to his word he was there on time. He repeated many of the steps Mike and I had taken and arrived at the conclusion that the clutch housing was frozen and the motor was dead. They are replaced as one unit. He called the manufacturer and arranged for the part to be shipped to the house. He told me to text him when the part arrived and he would be right over to install it. It was supposed to be a 2 day delivery which meant it might arrive on Friday. Remember Hurricane Ian? Well, needless to say we didn’t get out of town but fortunately for us, the hurricane went east. We had 2 cloudy and windy days with winds about 20 mph. Not bad. Then on Saturday the sun was shining and Teri and I drove to Tybee Island near Savannah. We missed the main boardwalk but had a nice walk on the beach. The part arrived on Monday and true to his word, John was there Monday afternoon to install it. It worked like a charm. We hit the road on Wednesday. It was a great visit and we look forward to returning. Hopefully we never need to repair the motorhome again, but we will, and if we’re in the area we will certainly look to John & Son Mobile Camper Repair.

Stay tuned for the next episode.