Whew, we’ve been on the move.  As we entered Mississippi we were headed for the Natchez Trace Parkway (hereafter NTP) and planned to stay the night at Rocky Springs Campground, taxpayer supported through the National Park Service and free to all, no hookups and no dump, but free.  As we drove in, it was swarming with kids.  Every site was full at 1 PM on a Friday and even if there had been an empty, I doubt we would have stayed given the level of energy we saw.  On to Springridge Mobil Home and RV Park outside of Jackson.  It left a lot to be desired, the asphalt was crumbling and the spaces were tight and  it was clear that many of the utility posts had been hit more than once.  However it was not terribly pricey, it was available on a gorgeous spring break weekend, so we stayed.  We toured Jackson after Shabbat service at Temple Beth Israel.  It was March 17 and the good people of Jackson take it very seriously, although they don’t look Irish 🙂  We were barely able to drive around the state capitol building and the entire area was completely parked up for the parade.  We made our escape back to the campground and watched a movie.

The next day we got back on the NTP and made it to Jeff Busby Campground.  This is much further from a large city and had room for us to camp overnight.  Since there was nothing to hook up, set up was easy and we were soon climbing the nature trail to the top of the mountain.  At 603 feet this is the high point of Mississippi.  There is a group of people who attempt to visit the “high point” in all 50 states.  Mississippi, Florida and Rhode Island are all fairly easy at well under 1,000 feet.  Although until recently RI was very hard as it is on private land and the owners only made it available one day a year.  I understand they have now opened that up.  I have several “high points” although I have not kept track as it does not seem likely I will get to 50.  Alaska is Denali and Washington is Mount Ranier for just a couple of unlikely places for me to reach.  I can think of several others I have done including Mount Marcy (NY), Florida, Mt Pisgah in NC.  As I said I have not bothered to keep track.

From Jeff Busby it was onward to Alabama and the home of Tiffin Motorhomes, finally.  We stayed at Camp Allegro amid a sea of Tiffins awaiting service.  As the snow birds migrate up and down the east coast they make appointments well in advance to stop in Red Bay to get whatever service their coaches may need as they pass by.  We have never seen such a friendly loose operation.  At the suggestion of the man who checked us in, we drove over to the paint facility in Belmont Mississippi to see the coaches coming off the paint line.  The guard at the gate noted our names, gave us safety glasses and told us to feel free to enter any coach that was unlocked and to wander around inside the painting building.  Sure enough we walked through several coaches that were sitting waiting to be driven to dealers and then walked into the building which houses 16 paint booths, each big enough to house a 45 foot motorhome with room for the crew to paint it.  They drive the coaches around inside the building from station to station and visitors are free to wander through at their leisure.

Surely the factory couldn’t be as loose, wrong.  The difference there was we were issued name badges that said “visitor” and given a guided tour of everything but R and D and the welding shop.  Then we were told we could go on any nearly completed coach on the floor and feel free to go look at whatever we wanted to see and talk to anyone we wanted to ask a question of.  Indeed, we were told that people whose coaches are being built are free to come in and watch the building in process.  We were free to take pictures and did,  but I doubt they would be of any interest, haven’t even looked at them ourselves yet.

Later that day, Tuesday, we were back on the road headed for . . .  well we weren’t quite sure, but as we rolled we found an Elks Lodge (#91) in Chattanooga TN another state line and another time zone, we are now in Eastern Time Zone.  The parking is along the back of the lot with a creek and grassy yard to look at. The hookup consists of two 20 amp outlets.  Plenty for us as we were prepared to dry camp.  After resting a bit following our longish day, we got out to see some of Chattanooga.  We toured Ruby Falls, Rock City and rode the Incline Railway.  Then we had a very nice dinner at 212 on Market Street followed by a grocery shopping expedition before returning to Gee 2 to write this.

All three sites we toured are on Lookout Mountain which extends from TN into NC and GA.  From the overlook at the top of Rock City one can see seven states, from Tennessee to the two Carolinas, Georgia, Virginia and Kentucky and oh yes Alabama.  If that viewpoint were all there was, as we had been lead to believe, it would have been sufficient, but Rock City is a winding path through a natural rock formation that has been decorated with gnomes, Fallow Deer, a magnificent garden and all of Mother Goose.  Ruby Falls, on the way up Lookout Mountain, is a cavern – we seldom will pass up a cavern – that ends at a 146 foot underground waterfall and it is named for the discoverer’s wife Ruby.  Unfortunately in the Depression era when times were tight the cavern was opened to unguided tourists and much damage was done to what must have been many glorious formations.  There are very few undamaged formations to be seen and the presence of thousands of tourists who insist on breathing has done further immeasurable damage.  It was still worth seeing and I would not suggest that anyone coming to Chattanooga bypass it.  The Incline needs to be seen and experienced.  It travels a mile and at its steepest the track is at 72 degrees!  That is the steepest Incline in the US if not the world.  It consists of two cars on a double cable.  When it was built in 1895 they had to minimize the width of the track for cost purposes.  Thus the bottom half is a single track.  At the midpoint, where the cars must pass there is a double track so they can.  Above the switch, there are three rails!  Both cars use the middle rail, not at the same time of course.  This keeps the cable from coming in contact with the section going in the other direction.

In the morning, after we do some computer work, we will head for the Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg area.  It is a bout two and a half hours by Interstate.  I have no idea how long it will take if we choose some other route.