Almost six years of full-time traveling on the road has given us many opportunities to see parts of America that most people will never see in their lifetimes and meet people such as fellow RV-ers and local establishment owners we never would have encountered.
It also makes for interesting memories, and in some cases causes us to wonder about the future of humanity.
That's what this particular blog post is all about; interesting things we've seen beyond the usual destinations, and the things we'd frankly love to un-see, but can't.
Roadkill
Sure, everyone's seen the occasional dog, cat, squirrel, deer etc. on the side of the road, and we are no different in that regard. However, there's a matter of degree sometimes in addition to the variety we've encountered. One back road in Tennessee we were driving in the motor home was a winding 2-mile stretch of squirrel carnage, where we encountered dozens of carcasses in a mass squirrel killing field. Never saw anything like it before or since.
In trucking and driving parlance, tires which have shredded off of an 18-wheeler are referred to as “asphalt alligators”. In Louisiana, we recently encountered the carcass of a REAL 5-foot alligator feet-up in the breakdown lane. That was a new one for us.
While traveling on I-20 in Texas – where they do EVERYTHING bigger – we passed the remains of a fairly large COW which had been hit by some vehicle. I can't imagine the condition of the car/truck/semi/RV that had the unfortunate encounter with the recently-deceased bovine, but it couldn't have been a good outcome for the vehicle, either.
People who should never RV
I'm sure this will come off as a bit conceited, but even as novices during our first year of living in a 38' Class A motor home, we were experts compared to some of the people we've encountered on the road.
The dreaded “Tandem Tow” is something often spoken about around campfires, yet rarely seen. The violators are usually (but not exclusively) confined to 5th wheel and travel trailer owners who think it's both rational and safe to tow their RV behind a pickup truck while attaching a boat or storage trailer to the back of their RV in tandem. Most violators confine themselves to local roads, limiting the danger to others, but we have seen a couple of tandem tows on interstates going in excess of 65 MPH!
We are currently sitting across the campground road from a very elderly couple who full-time in a 40' diesel Ellipse motor home which has seen better days. Probably an early 2000 model. Has dings, dents, repaired cracks in the rear cap, etc. When asked about some significant damage to their front cap and along the side of the RV basement bays, he told me how they had hit a deer on the way to the campground and were waiting to see if parts were available and when they would be available. Fine. Felt bad for them. The next day, they pulled out of their spot early and we thought they were headed elsewhere, or to a repair shop. Nope. They came back in after 10 PM that night, revving their engine, and even leaning on their air horn at one point! Woke up to find that the wife had apparently been driving the RV back to the campground, didn't feel comfortable backing into the site, so they decided to pull in facing forward. Not a big deal on the surface, but while pulling straight in they had to go the wrong way on a one-way street, and then they ran into and over a 20-foot TREE on their site, causing even MORE damage to their RV! At this point, the cumulative damage to the RV likely exceeds the current value of the RV, so you wonder if insurance is just going to total it out. Oh, and their method of communication is to yell either at (or to) each other, and they let their dachshund run around loose to terrorize other dogs and kids riding by on bikes in violation of campground rules. Don't be these guys.
Another story is a Tiffin nightmare. While waiting for service at the Tiffin Red Bay repair center (which can take a while given that Tiffin didn't take appointments for service at the time), a couple was engaging in both legal and illegal mood-altering substances, and the wife was getting frustrated at the long wait to be called for service - which had been dragging on for more than a week.
Personal note: Barbara and I have waited almost an entire month to finish up service one time at Tiffin Service, but then, we're retired and have a boatload of patience)
A vocal argument between the well-lubricated couple ensued, and the missus decided that she wanted to get into a service bay right that very minute! Even though Tiffin Service was closed for the day, she got behind the wheel of their Allegro RED diesel, cranked that baby up, and without disconnecting from power, water or sewer, without raising jacks or bringing in slides, floored that baby and headed towards the service bays. Ultimately, she crashed into a bay which (unfortunately) had an existing, nearly new 42-foot Phaeton motor home inside. As with us, it was that guys full-time home! Little Miss Drunk, High and Impatient totaled HER motor home, HIS motor home and destroyed a 15' high set of garage doors, as well as earning herself some much deserved time behind bars in an Alabama jail.
The good news side of this story, Bob Tiffin found an replacement model for the guy's Phaeton that had been totaled which was already in the manufacturing stage, and moved it through to completion in about a week. We met the Phaeton owner during a tour of the Tiffin factory, and he confirmed this story.
The Weird and Wacky
World's largest popcorn ball (Iowa)
World's largest pistachio (New Mexico)
The FUTURE birthplace of Capt. James T. Kirk (Iowa)
World's largest peach (water tower on Exit 92, I-85 in South Carolina)
World's largest road runner – made entirely out of recycled metal (New Mexico)
The Thing – a stop that defies description (on I-10 in Arizona)
The Mayor of Lajitas, Texas (He's a goat – really!)
Carhenge – an exact replica of Stonehenge made entirely out of US cars (Nebraska)
The Best people EVER!
We've also been blessed to meet some really wonderful people on the road. Usually fellow RVers like ourselves, but because we frequent local establishments in the small towns we visit we get to meet the “salt of the earth” and those who have never met a stranger.
Fellow Class A motor home RVers Dan and Jodi, who we met by simply letting them borrow our Jeep when their motorcycle wouldn't start due to a bad battery.
Fellow Tiffin owners Byron and Lynn, who liked our paint scheme so much they asked if they could use it for their new build.
Fellow former Massachusetts resident Mike and his wife Jessica who also bought their Tiffin motor home around the same time we did. One of these days we're going to RV somewhere besides Red Bay!
Tiffin owner Scott who has a love for good bourbon and all things Grover.
Campers Ronald and Debra and their circle of extended family who treat you like family the minute they meet you.
Bill and Karen who share our love of New England-style seafood, and who really like Grover. They even dog-sat Grover when we had to go down to Orlando to avoid us having to board him.
Dave and Dave at Tiffin Service who always go the extra mile to make sure the work is done right.
Also Jeff and Jeff at Red Bay Body Shop.
The GOAT of motor homes, Bob Tiffin, a true Southern gentlemen who defines the meaning of customer service.
And countless others too numerous to mention on here.
Places to Stay and Places to Avoid
Best park we've stayed at: Tiger's Trail RV Resort in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Worst park we've stayed at: Cedar Trail RV Park in Ft. Mitchell, Georgia – but it's got a nice sign . . .
Best Corps of Engineers campground we've stayed at: Catoma at Gunter Hill in Montgomery, Alabama
Worst COE campground: Is there really a bad COE when you're paying less than $15 per night?
Life on the road – it's never boring!
