Cold … in Vina

Friday, 1 February
Custom RV (aka Brannon Hutcheson) — Vina, Alabama
Temps: Lo 22F / Hi 41F (-5.5C / 5C)

(With the nearest Verizon tower at least six miles (10 km) from here, the internet is spotty; posting will be delayed until we get to the Tiffin Camp in Red Bay tomorrow.)

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How cold, you ask?  Well, it was 22F (-5.5C) when we woke up here in Vina, Alabama on the outskirts of Red Bay this morning.  By mid-morning, the temperature inside the service bay was showing 30F (-1C).

If the thermometer has inched up from there, I wouldn’t know.  I’ve taken refuge in the lounge at Custom RV — known to most Tiffinites as Brannon Hutcheson — and left Mui and Brannon to get things done in the cold service bay.  Nimbly moving about out there, they don’t look like they’re feeling the cold one bit.  As for me, cozily ensconced on the love seat, I’m getting a head start on this post.

My refuge for the day!

Since my last post from Maxwell AFB, we’ve weathered a storm moving in from the west, wreaking havoc in many parts of the US in one way or another; and we’ve traveled 204 miles (326 km) from Montgomery to the outskirts of Red Bay.

204 easy miles (326 km) brings us close to the Alabama / Mississippi border.
The inset shows our travels since leaving Virginia in early December.

Tuesday & Wednesday, 29-30 January

First the storm … which came through the Montgomery area on the 30th.

When we first heard the forecast for the storm, we considered leaving the FamCamp at Maxwell AFB a day early.  However, the size of the front and the fact it was coming in from the west made any move we might make moot.  So we prepared our “go-bag,” moved our departure day chores up to the 29th, and hunkered down to ride out the storm.

The only thing worth mentioning on the day leading up to the storm is the lunch we snuck in at the Texas Roadhouse when we went to pick up a y-valve (hose splitter) from Home Depot.  No photos, but I can tell you that the food was very good.  I’m not a ribs person, but Mui declared the falling-off-the-bone sample the chef brought to our table to be the best he’s eaten to date.

[collage from screenshots taken from the website]

The day of the storm dawned early with our weather radio going off around 5:30a to alert us to a tornado watch that later in the morning was upped to a tornado warning.  Ready to evacuate from the famcamp to one of the designated areas on base, we went about our day.  In the end, the storm was a non-event — for us.  We got non-stop drenching rain that was so heavy at times that the rat-a-tat-tat on the roof drowned out the sound of the TV.  We had some wind gusts during the day, but nothing of real concern.  The worst of the wind gusts came after the strong wind advisory was lifted at 6:00p.  They were few and far between, but when it blew, we felt like we were aboard a ship rocking and rolling on stormy seas.  By bedtime, all was calm.

Thursday, 31 January

On the last day of January, we woke up to sunshine and cold temperatures (36F [2C]).  We took our time getting ready to depart.  Shortly after 10:00a, we were pulling up to the ITT Office to top off our propane.  We didn’t need much (only 4 gallons [15 liters], as it turns out), but we wanted to leave with a full tank and the $3.59/gallon was a good price to take advantage of.

With only 4 gallons (15 liters) to purchase, the propane top-off is a quick affair.

By 10:30a, we were on I-65, heading north.  The drive was uneventful.  We made one stop near Birmingham to top off our diesel at Flying J ($3.81 with our RV Plus card) and grab a bite of lunch parked amongst the semis.  Then another 100 miles (120 km) put us at Custom RV on the outskirts of Red Bay.

The coach next to us is unoccupied, so we have the place to ourselves.

It was 3:30p, and the place was locked down tight.  A call to Brannon Hutcheson confirmed that we should back up to one of the bays and avail ourselves of the electricity and water hookups for our overnight stay.  We took him up on the electricity.  Since overnight temps were forecasted to dip into the low 20F range [minus 4-5C], we decided to use our onboard water rather than risk a hose connection.  We had a comfy night, with the rear propane furnace kicking in occasionally to keep us — and the wet bay — warm.

Our spot allows us to take advantage of the warming rays of the afternoon sun.

Back to today …

We were up early this morning for our 7:00a appointment.  After breakfast, we prepared the coach for its next move — a short u-turn into the service bay where Brannon quickly got to work on the list of things we wanted him to do for us.  I’ll cover all that in a separate post for our “Mods” page.

While Mui and Brannon went about business, I made use of the comfortable lounge.  With no internet connection to speak of (at least not via Verizon), I spent the day reading a book about the travails of a couple who travel north to the Greenland/Baffin Island area to over-winter.  Brrrr …. now what they experienced is cold!!!

I’ve made myself right at home in the lounge.

Just a few of the artifacts in the glass-top coffee table.
I meant to ask Brannon about them, but forgot to do so — next time.

Mui fixed lunch in the Phaeton and we dined in the lounge.

We’ll be spending one more night in the parking lot at Custom RV before moving the short distance to “Camp Tiffin” for some things we want to have looked at/fixed at the service center near the hospital plant where our Phaeton was born.  Our stay here is an indefinite one.  We’re hoping for a speedy discharge, but came prepared for a long stay — our next campground reservation is not until mid-March.  We’ll leave whenever the work is done.

(Brannon is working on getting a website up.  In the interim, you can reach him at 256-668-0973.  Even though I have yet to show you what he did for us, we join other Tiffinites in recommending him highly.)