Evenings at the Rattlesnake Saloon

One thing we have taken advantage of since we have been here at Red Bay is seeing the Rattlesnake Saloon.  It is a little ways away from Red Bay and we have been there now three times.  We didn't plan on going that many times but it just turned out that way.

One has to pay close attention to find it but we made the 22 miles in about 35 minutes.  It is a little way past the Coon Dog Cemetery.  We went there the last time we were here in Red Bay.

It was a nice drive and we walked over from the parking lot to the entrance which leads down to the Saloon.

If you want to get  a beer you have to bring your ID and get your hand stamped up by the gate.  If you don't want to walk down the steep road, you can wait for the Rattlesnake Saloon taxi which is a hoot.  

The taxi is a pickup truck with benches on the side.

The walk down to the seating area is about 100 yards.

Once you are down there, you see a very large mouth cave that is about 300 feet long and 100 feet wide.

Very unique.
The menu is limited, but the Rustler Hamburgers were very good.  And we also liked the turkey salad and ham salads.  One thing that we have not had before is Snake Eyes and Tails.

They are deep fried jalapenos (snake eyes) and green beans (tails).  They were great appetizers!  And different.

We found a good table and enjoyed the atmosphere with Jim and Ellie, Steve and Shirley and Mark and Dortha.

The bar and cafe are inside the building underneath the corner of the cave.

The dance floor and stage are in the middle tucked under the main part of the cave.

We enjoyed our time and left before it got too late.   A couple of days later our neighbors near our campsite wanted to go to the Rattlesnake Saloon so we went back.

Bill and Judy, John and Nancy, Brenda and Tom, John and Ann and Pam and I ended up near where we  were seated a couple of nights previously.  And it was another good time.

Some of these local musicians are quite good.

We had fun at the Rattlesnake Saloon and recommend it.  If you are ever in the area of Red Bay or Tuscumbia Alabama, you might want to check it out.

Thanks for joining us today on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time….

Time at Red Bay, AL

We have been at the Tiffin Motorhome factory service campground for over a week.  Almost two weeks.  They have scheduled appointments and 'First Come First Service' Three Hour service bays.  They have 48 service bays and distribute the work between scheduled appointments and the Three Hour service bays.

We did not have an appointment so we waited and got into a Three Hour Service Bay in a couple of days.  Our list was not too long this time:

• Fix or replace the toilet switch
• Check the step cover which was not closing 
• Adjust the 4" large awning tray so it rolls under the awning when it retracts
• Replace front spotlight on top of the cab above the windshield
• Check electrical problem to determine if it is the inverter
• Check under slide out floors for any leaks or wood rot
• Replace wood flooring under the wet bay

Nathan and Justin got right to work.  

• Nathan adjusted the awning tray while Justin tweaked the toilet switch.  I bought a replacement switch and he showed me how to hook up the wires in case it gives out.  
• They looked at the entrance step cover and it appeared to be working fine.  
• The awning support tray was adjusted so it will roll up under the awning cover when it retracts.
• The electrical problem we described should be fixed when we get an new inverter next when we get a Residential Refrigerator installed off site at Brannon's.  
• All the slide outs were checked for leaks and all is well there.
• Then we got a new spotlight that had to be painted.  After lunch they picked it up and Justin climbed on top of the Roadrunner, got strapped into a safety harness and got it installed.

The wet bay leak is a big problem and they are in the process of fixing hundreds of RVs by replacing the  plywood underneath the clear, grey and black tanks.

This is really a gnarly process:

The piece they will replace looks like this:

Unfortunately, we are quite a few days out to get ours done.  Looks like next week sometime.

In the meantime, we have gotten a new spot light:

The actual work on our coach took a couple of hours.  So we have had a chance to go see the production line over at the plant:

It is fascinating each time we visit the plant.  And we learn a lot!

Thanks for joining us again for this edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

Back in the Saddle

Actually I was never out of the saddle, I just took a break from the blog.  The few days I intended to skip turned into a week, then two and now what has been the longest break since I started the Roadrunner Chronicles.  A pause turned into a break which turned into a hiatus.  But we are back with another edition of the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Thanks for joining us!

So the last time we left you we were in Port Huron, MI. While there we saw Marg and Bill for a few days and got to spend some time at their cottage in Tobermory, Ontario.

And we went into town down by the Little Tub for a nice afternoon of ice cream and a walk.

Then we went back to Port Huron to the Port Huron Township RV Campground so I could get my online work done.   We stayed there for another week.  In the evenings, we went for a few walks down by the city park on the water.

The Thomas Edison Railroad Museum is there.  He grew up in Port Huron. It is a very nice park with a good sized walkway and a great place to hang out in the evenings.

We also go to see George and Sharon (RV friends from Tucson) and Rod and Lisa, friends from our days in Hawaii.  Their daughter Andrea and granddaughter Verity joined us for breakfast before we left so that was nice.

After Port Huron, we drove to Dayton, Ohio and saw our friend Diane (also from our Hawaii time).  It is always good to see her.  We got to see a couple of her kids who are all grown up now.  It was nice.

Then we drove to Red Bay where we are now.  We have some work to get done on the Roadrunner and will be posting more about that.

Until next time, thanks for joining us!

Roadrunner Financials - August 2011

Roadrunner Recap
In August we made our way from Grand Forks ND to the Detroit MI border town of Port Huron.  We left Grand Forks after a few days and went to a Care-A-Vanner Habitat for Humanity build in Brookings SD for two weeks.
Then we saw friends in both Sioux Falls SD and Council Bluffs IA (near Omaha NE).

• Grand Forks AFB ND
• Larson Mfg Parking Lot, Brookings SD
• WH Lyons Empire Fairgrounds, Sioux Falls SD
• Horseshoe Casino, Council Bluffs IA
• Port Huron City Campground MI

Here's an interactive map that shows where we traveled.  You can click on the letters and it will tell you the location.  

We did a good job with things this month.  Although we put some miles on the Roadrunner, we were still under our budget which is always nice.

Good News Areas We Are Under Budget
 RV Maintenance, Campgrounds and One Time Costs were those places where we saved the most.

Biggest Expenses
 We replaced our grill for a Weber grill which cost $148.  We also both got work boots which cost $265 for both.  

Large One Time Cost Items
 Our iPad cost us $918.

Monthly Average

We were a little over this money but we went crazy and spent money on some big ticket items.  Not that we didn't want them or need them -- but those four things accounted for our biggest expenses.

That's what our spending looked like for the month.  Thanks for taking a peek.  Hopefully they provide help or entertainment of some sort...  If you'd like a free copy of the spreadsheet I use, drop me a note and I will be glad to send it along.

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!