Monte Sano State Park in Alabama

Okay, I know I'm skipping ahead a little from other posts, but I wanted to show you what happened to me as I headed up the mountain in Huntsville, Alabama to Monte Sano State Park.

I keyed in the address into my trusty Stella (gps.) No problem I thought! So when I got off I565 I followed the commands of Stella. All of a sudden I'm facing this narrow curvy road. Sign said length restricted but didn't say what the length was. Keep in mind I was already at the point of no return with my 35' rig and a tow vehicle on the back. I couldn't turn around. I certainly couldn't back up and there was no place for me to pull over to unhook and back up. Now, are you beginning to get the picture? So I forge forward. The first few curves, no problem. Then all of a sudden here is this kiss your azz switchback and I was just praying that there were no cars coming down as I had to take the whole road to get around the curve. Oh and I have 4 miles of this road ahead of me. I made it around the first switchback and up, up, up I continue. Oh boy, I'm excited, here comes another. By this point I'm thinking, I'm gonna have to hire someone to take this rig off this mountain because I'm surely not gonna try to get down. I've got white knuckles and tense shoulders going on. At last civilization, a park entrance I have made it. I pulled up to the entrance house and the nice lady tells me I have a little ways to go to check in. I asked her if she knew someone who could drive my rig down that road. She laughed and said "oh, honey, did you come up the back way?" I said I don't know if it's the back way but it sure was curvy and steep. She said to get the Ranger to show me the better way to go back down.

Stella, I could throw you out the window. Now my confidence in her is not what it used to be.

So I get to the camper check-in and tell them my harrowing experience and he said, "happens all the time, shouldn't have followed my gps!" WHAT? I said then you should put something on your website stating that!

Anyway I made it and I'm better for it. The park is 1,600 feet above sea level and it's a beautiful park and has great vistas. But, you could not have proved that to me on the way up.

To put this in perspective for my TN readers and those of you who have been up to Fall Creek Falls State Park in TN, if you have ever been up to the park via Hwy 30 or "the old way" vs Hwy 111, then you know what I'm talking about.

My friend, Sarah, was kind enough to take me back down that way so I could take some pictures. Now mind you these pictures are going down and not up but you will get the idea.

It was so worth it. I have met some of the women rv forum ladies. Beth is the person who designed and developed and administers the women rv forum. She has been a full-timer for five years and has no plans to quit. She loves the lifestyle.

Jean is a fiesty woman who has been full-timing for a long time. Unfortunately Jean has the big C so she is staying in the campground while she received treatments to fight "Gilbert." That is what she has named her tumor. Jean and Beth travel a lot together and they were coming out of Mexico where they had been for two months on the Baja when Jean began getting ill. They were both scheduled to work on a whale sighting boat in Alaska this year. Beth accompanied Jean to the campground to be her caretaker. What a friend! Jean is doing better but she apparently has lost a lot of weight. She still has that Scottish brogue and was able to come over to the rig and eat supper with us.

Sarah is a wanna be. She has attended some get togethers with the forum ladies and she lives in Huntsville. She has been the perfect hostess. Yesterday we went to some RV places and looked at rigs. She has a beautiful home. It's a park in and of itself. I enjoy Sarah each time I'm around her. She is looking for her perfect rig but I don't think she will become a full timer. It's just not for everyone.

Vickie came down from Nashville. Come to find out we know a lot of the same people and her best friend is also my bff Debbie's friend. It's a small world. Vickie is looking for her perfect rig and will probably be going full time as soon as she can retire. It's fun shopping for new/used rigs. Vickie is an interesting person who has done some interesting things in her young life.

It's so much fun putting names with faces. Here we are in my rig for dinner. We had to have refuge in Somewhere as the rains kept us from eating outside and a campfire.

Later...