Back in Birmingham

We're back in B'ham visiting Dad & Anna and hoping to catch up with Randy & Harolda while we're here.  Made the trip over on Tuesday with all the trailer lights working at both the beginning and the end of the trip.  The picture, above, is from 2011, but we're in the same spot.  Only thing missing is the roof satellite antenna.    We'd considered staying  at Tannehill State Park this time (first come, first served).   But by mid-morning Tuesday we were chatting with the park staff while traveling over here, and there were only a few full-hookup sites available.  The park staff also told us they'd received a bunch of calls checking on the full-hookup sites.  So we went to an RV park that we were familiar with.

Seems like we've been around the world since we were last here.  Based on the date of the pictures, it's been 19 months.  The construction along I-65 at the I-459 interchange south of Birmingham is finished & they did a nice job.

Since returning to the east coast, everyone wants to know what our best spot was while we were gone.  Well...almost all of them!  You're asking us to choose between working at Voyageurs Natl Park, to Glacier Natl Park, to the buffalo roundup at Custer State Park (South Dakota), to Rocky Mountain Natl Park, to hanging out with friends at Port Hueneme & the Channel Islands, to the Oregon coast, to Priest Lake (Idaho), to Yellowstone, to Shipshewana (Indiana), to Stone Mountain (Georgia), to whatever.  OK...we'll pick one...Oregon coast...Cape Perpetua to be exact.  I really don't think anyone understands how lucky & blessed Donna & I feel to have made this trip. There's no "one" great spot.  I mean, the trailer didn't even want to come back.  Why else would it have started to fall apart after crossing the Mississippi River?  But we're back.

Anyway, for those of you following the RV parks we stay in, Birmingham South Campground always looks like its a rundown, sorta dumpy RV park - and the reviews on the rvparksreview.com site seem to agree.  But this time we're seeing some improvements.  A new fence around the swimming pool is in place.  They've paved some of the worst sections of the entrance road and the road in front of the first (overnighters') row of sites.  But there's still work to do as the appearance remains that of a rundown, unkempt park.  Restrooms remain clean & functional as are the sites utilities (except cable - crews are here working on it).  It still appears to be a "staging" area for Tiffin Motor-homes before going to or returning from Red Bay, AL for service.

So that's it for this week.  We're just here visiting.  later, David