A Home Run...

One of the things we really appreciate about our travels is the wonderful experiences we have along the way. It's the little unexpected events that make an otherwise ordinary stop become truly extraordinary. Such was the case on Thursday evening in Alabama.
We made our way from Buffalo, Tennessee to Clanton, Alabama, where we stopped at the Clanton/I-65S/Dandy RV Park. It was within eyesight of the Interstate, so we were only expecting a convenient stop for the night. What we found was quite different. There were new owners of the park, who welcomed us with smiles and grand hospitality. We were escorted (actually led by the owner in her golf cart) to our site (No. 28). We pulled into our spot and Handsome proceeded to do his outside setup duties, while I prepared the inside for our evening of rest. We had a view of a large (fish-filled) lake, and a dog walk on the back of the property. (Tag has insisted that we save that story for his post next Tuesday, so I won't share any more information about that today.)

 As I was about to take Tag to said Dog Walk, Handsome directed my attention across  the lake toward the check-in area for the park. I smiled to see another Airstream  coming in. Coincidentally, they parked right next to us. We said our "hellos" as they  set up, learned they were from Tallahassee, and then we went inside for dinner. As we  have seen few Airstreams during our entire trip, this was a pleasant surprise indeed.  But it got even better. After dark (around 10:30) we heard the golf cart come around again and direct  another camper in on the other side of us. Handsome was already sleeping, but Tag was jumping around, so I checked out the window to see another Airstream. This one was a 33' long Excello Classic and she was the largest coach I've seen outside the factory. Handsome was tired, so I didn't wake him. It would wait until morning. We spoke to the owners of both coaches in the morning and learned that the big one was a 1993 model and had traveled all the way to Alaska in it's lifetime. The coach on the other side of us was six years old. That made our 2010 Flying Cloud  the "young kids on the block". The thing about Airstreams is that they're really  difficult to date (unless you're an expert) because they age really well. Before we left camp, Handsome asked the owners where we might find an air line to check the pressure in our tires. Roy (one of the owners) hopped on his cart, grabbed his air compressor, lines and gauges and came right down to our campsite.  These  folks really aim to please! While he was helping with the tires, he told Handsome  that the fact that the Airstreams were "herded up" was complete serendipity. You see, when we make our reservations, KOA only asks the type and length of  each unit, site preferences and number of people and pets. They never ask for the make/model of the camper or RV you'll be bringing for your stay. Once they have that information, they just assign the appropriate site and wait for your arrival. It isn't until you pull in and they escort you to your campsite that they actually know what it is. When they brought in the Excello, they realized that we were all in the  same row, all right next to each other. They were as surprised as all of us were. If you find yourself out in your RV or camper and traveling through Alabama, we highly recommend Dandy RV. These are top-notch people and you'll be as happy to stay there as we were. There are also restaurants and things to do... They're not all that far from Nashville and only a little further to Memphis.

  Last night, we checked into our last campsite for our trip. I'm not going to give stellar - or any - ratings on this place. Suffice it to say that they didn't even have ice. Really?! A Florida campground and they can't stock ice for their campers? (KOA will get our critique card back on this place. That was just for starters.)

I will close with a photograph of our guy...ever alert...in the back window of the Flying Cloud. I think he's going to be as happy as we'll be to get home today. I think he said something about taking a few laps around his pool. Thanks again for following us on our travels for the past six weeks. It's going to take a couple of days to empty The Cloud (in 90º+ weather) before I can get to the studio and set up my new Babylock. So many ideas in my head right now,  but there are obligations I must attend to before I can play. Soon. I promise.