9 February – Memphis

Cleaning day! Took the RV in for a major Jiffylube, so she is all mechanically ready for Mick and Matilda in May. Then off to the truck wash for the wash and shine, refuel, and top up of the propane (LPG).

Then back to the RV park for cleaning, laundry and getting ready to pack.

8 February – Decatur to Memphis

Last day of travel. We took one of the back highways along the Mississippi / Tennessee border back to Memphis. Lovely countryside, old barns, fallow cotton fields and rolling woodland hills.

Sad to be finishing another wonderful holiday, and bracing ourselves for the big pack up tomorrow.

7 February – Gadsden to Decatur

We headed out in the morning and as we had a lot of rain overnight we thought we’d check out the falls again. Lots more water going over today!

We drove the back ways and by ways to Cathedral Caverns. Cathedral Cavern has reputedly the widest entrance to a commercial cave, at 126 feet wide and 25 feet high. 

The cave tour is 1.5 miles in total, but the cave itself is much longer and mostly not open to the public. There has been documented habitation of the cave for thousands of years, but it was explored and opened as an attraction in the 1950s. Definitely worth a visit, and the tour guide was fun. He was a self-confessed hillbilly with a southern accent that we could barely understand, and a real passion for the caves.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/sV8Xd/34.62347N/87.00836W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.62347,-87.00836&ll=34.62347,-87.00836&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 

6 February – Gadsden

We had intended to drive north to a cave, but on googling it found it was closed. The campsite was lovely so we opted to stay a night longer and visit Noccalula Falls instead. Quite impressive and lots of geese around. There is a statue overlooking the falls of Noccalula jumping off, which is a tad morbid. And she has ginormous feet!

We had a quiet day of laundry and books.

5 February – Mobile to Gadsden

We got a couple of stone chips in the windscreen fixed, by a New Zealander lady who had spent time in WA as a FIFO worker. She gave us a great discount on account of us being her Aussie mates. Then a day drive north to Gadsden. 

We found an RV park in a lovely place at Noccalula Falls. The falls are named for a young daughter of a chief, who promised her in marriage to a warrior of another clan to ensure peace between them. Noccalula was in love with someone else, and at her wedding feast she slipped away and jumped to her death over the falls.

Pretty place, very peaceful and lots of native critters around.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/sQe6e/34.04150N/86.02533W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=34.04150,-86.02533&ll=34.04150,-86.02533&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

4 February – Mobile

We spent the day at USS Alabama Battleship Memorial Park. The park is dedicated to Alabama Veterans, and has on display the USS Alabama, the submarine USS Drum, and lots of aircraft. We started on the Alabama.

The first self-guided tour took us all round the above decks and superstructure, including looking into the gun turrets, on the bridge and the battle bridge – 16 inch thick armour plating. We climbed up to level 8 above deck, with probably another 3 levels above that. The first thing you notice on the tour is the ships guns. Her main guns are nine 16 inch / 45 calibre and accurate to 21 miles. The shells were nearly as tall as a person. She also has twenty 5 inch / 38 cal guns, forty-eight 40mm guns and fifty two 20mm guns. That’s a lot of guns… It took a crew of 2500 to manage all of that.

Following the above decks tour we did the stern section below decks tour – a fascinating look into life aboard a WW2 battleship. We saw the accommodation (pretty packed in), mess halls, the brig, laundry, butchers, bakers, (no candlestick makers). There was even a tribute to the HMAS Perth and some info on the Australian naval input into the War in the Pacific.

The Alabama was nicknamed the Lucky A as she survived the war unscathed, and in fact the only casualties were 5 men killed when one of the Alabama’s guns accidentally fired into one of her own gun turrets.

https://www.ussalabama.com/explore/uss-alabama-battleship/

We then toured the aircraft pavilion then onto the USS Drum. The tour takes you down via the forward torpedo room, through the sub, then out via the after torpedo room. It was interesting, and a little claustrophobic at times! The Drum is the oldest US sub on display.

https://www.ussalabama.com/explore/uss-drum/

Fun fact: The Alabama was used as a set for the movie “Under Siege”.

Back at the RV park, and apparently the super bowl is on. We aren’t watching, but we can hear it all play by play. 

3 February - Mobile

We headed out to Dauphin Island and to take a look at Fort Gaines. Dauphin Island was mapped as early as 1519 by the French and in 1707 was the capital of the French Louisiana territory, which covered almost two thirds of the United States.

Mobile Harbour is entered by a narrow stretch of water and during the civil war Fort Gaines and its twin, Fort Morgan on the other side of the entrance, were protecting the harbour from the Union. By 1864 Mobile Harbour was one of the last ports open to blockade runners bringing in supplies to the confederate army, and the battle for the harbour was epic. The confederate army had a single ironclad, the Tennessee, and despite mining in the harbour and the bombardment from the two forts, the Union fleet broke through and the Tennessee was forced to surrender. After 2 days of heavy bombardment, and with their guns destroyed by Union fire, the fort also surrendered.

The self-guided tour was really interesting and took us several hours. There was a working blacksmiths shop where a blacksmith was demonstrating his work. The fort had over 60 guns and 400 men during the war and is in reasonable repair, given how much it was battered, so there was lots to see. They even had “flushing” toilets – there was a channel dug under the latrines that washed out with the tide coming in and out.

Following the fort visit we went to the Islander restaurant for lunch. More Cajun style seafood – so yum!

Back to the RV park via a fish market to buy fresh fish for dinner.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/sMyAo/30.36797N/88.11356W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.36797,-88.11356&ll=30.36797,-88.11356&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 

2 February – Foley to Mobile

Ros had picked up a dose of the flu, so we decided to take it easy today and drive on to Mobile. We found an RV park on the Dauphin Island Parkway and settled in for the afternoon of relaxing.

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/sKqDv/30.36796N/88.11359W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.36796,-88.11359&ll=30.36796,-88.11359&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1 

1 February – Miramar Beach to Foley

We idled along the beach highway with stops for sushi lunch and to look at the sea. We saw the Naval Airforce base at Pensacola, they have their own hospital and shopping mall. The Blue Angels are squadroned there but they weren’t flying.

We crossed the border into Alabama, and waved goodbye to Florida.

Getting into Foley we looked for an RV park. The first one wouldn’t let us in because we weren’t driving an A class (how snobby!), and the second one was full. Third time lucky!

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://fms.ws/sIYat/30.40808N/87.64545W

If the above link does not work, try this link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=30.40808,-87.64545&ll=30.40808,-87.64545&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1