My First Winter RV Travel Roadtrip.

All I can say is Wow!!! What a great winter RV travel roadtrip that was. Twelve states, over 11,800 km (7600 miles) over two and half months. As I scroll my pictures of the places I saw and remember the experiences of it all, it is almost overwhelming.

Grab your coffee as I take you on a road trip to remember.  The number of places and wonderful experiences I encountered can not be told in one blog. Make sure you do not leave yourself hanging and miss an adventure. Subscribe here and come along on all my great Chipmunk adventures!

Let’s Get this Roadtrip Started in Illinois

Leaving Southern Ontario in late December, my first stop would be my friend Dave’s and have a lovely visit with him and his two girls, Molly and Maggie. What fun I have with these wonderful people. I had to promise never to try to bake again after the great idea I had. It looked so easy in the video. Hahaha! No, nothing caught on fire, but there was a lot of smoke. Lol.

We enjoyed some great time together, including watching the movie The Birds by Alfred Hitchcock. Although I have seen the movie many times (it is my favourite movie of all time), I had no idea of the significance of watching it until later on my trip.

My Winter RV Travel takes me South to Warm Temperatures

Leaving Illinois and winding myself through Kentucky and Tennessee, I had my sights on Alabama.

My first stop in Alabama? Buc-ee’s! I mean really how can you resist? It’s a Chipmunk that serves delicious Brisket and great coffee. If you have never stopped at a Bucc-ee’s, you need to try it just once.

I fell in love with Alabama when I went south in 2021. I found Jackson Lake Island on my Atlas Obscura app and knew that even before I left, I wanted to go back. This time, I got to explore a few more places while I was in Alabama.

McFarland Park, Florence, Alabama

Working my way south, I had heard that the causeway had flooded with all the rain at Jackson Lake Island. It had been a kind of hard drive through Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennesse with the weather. A mix of snow, sleet, and rain made for a slow tense drive. As I scanned for a place to park for the night, I came across McFarland Park campground.

This beautiful little park sits on a peninsula between two rivers. Almost every spot had a beautiful river view, which included power and water connections. What a wonderful place to sit and relax after a few days of hard driving. Watching the morning mist on the river give way to sunshine was mesmerizing and went wonderfully with coffee.

I had paid for three nights, thinking I could use the time to work on my blog and rest from a long, tense drive while waiting for the causeway to open. The first two mornings were beautiful. The third was beautiful but came with a phone call. They may experience flooding in the park by morning. I was not taking the chance and left later that day. It was a wonderful stay and I would definitely stay there again.

Jackson Lake Island, Millbrook, Alabama

As I was leaving Mc Farland Park, I got a message that the causeway was open and I could get to the island. I was so excited. I had such wonderful memories of that beautiful island, and I could not wait to get back.

As I started across the causeway to the island, the mystic aura of this island started to take hold. During my stay I had a chance to sit down with Lynn, the owner of Jackson Lake Island and got the full story of how Jackson Lake Island was chosen to be the movie set of the “Big Fish.” What a great story and history.  Check out the full details of this gem in the heart of Alabama in this feature blog.

Warning: Plan for a couple extra days than you plan for because you will not want to leave.

The Ghost Town of Old Cahawba, Alabama

In the wilderness of Alabama lies Alabama’s first permanent state capital. Built in 1818, Cahawba became the states capital in 1820. A fire in 1833 would take the capital building. Interestingly, since there were no cameras back then and no one had rendered an accurate drawing of the building, no one knew what it really looked like.  The area that was so prone to flooding would only be the capital until 1825 when it was moved to Tuscaloose. Although the state capital had moved by 1826, Cahawba would hold the county seat until 1866, when it would be moved to Selma due to an especially bad flood in 1865.

After the movement of the county seat in 1866, the town of Cahawba steadily went downhill. Fewer and fewer residents were staying, and it fell to abandonment. What buildings were left were dismantled and sold as material items in the late 1900s.

What is left is the remnants of a once proud town. You can drive down the streets and see where a few old ruins stand, where buildings once stood.

There are two burial places on Cahawba. The towns “new” cemetary and the Old Burial Grounds. It is estimated that hundreds of black slaves were buried in the Old Burial Grounds, even though there are only a few headstones.

As you drive into Cahawba, an information center is to your right. (Make sure you stop at the information center for a map of the town and some great information on what you are about to see) To your left is the restoration of St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. A beautiful restoration of a church built in 1850.

St. Luke’s Episcopal Church

The church is a magnificent building with its board and batten vertical exterior and pointed doorways. The long slim windows in the front give you the feeling you are being watched as you walk up the walkway. Once inside, the vaulted ceilings and wooden trusses are both awe-inspiring and impressive. This church has done some traveling of its own.

In 1878, the church would be disassembled and moved 416 miles to Martin Station and reassembled. Can you imagine something of that magnitude being moved in 1878? It must have been quite the process! In 2007, it was again disassembled and brought back to Cahawba. The restoration process is long, but as you can see in the pictures, it must be quite rewarding.

Today, Cahawba is being taken care of by the Alabama Historical Commission. If you love old ghost towns, stop by this one. It is journey into the past that you will remember for a lifetime!

Not the Kind of RV Travel you want in Mississippi.

Saying a tearful goodbye to Alabama and a promise I would be back, I headed south into Mississippi. I had not really planned to stop in Mississippi as I was looking forward to seeing the Louisiana Bayou. In reality, I did not stop, but it was more I was stopped in Mississippi.

Traveling down Interstate 10, I noticed police lights behind me. I was not speeding or doing anything unlawful, I thought. He approached the van and, in this sweet Mississippi accent, asked me if I knew why he pulled me over. I replied I did not. He then informed me that my “tag” was expired. It must have been the deer in the headlights look and a “pardon me” from completely not understanding what he was talking about that gave him a little giggle. He then pointed to the back of my van and said my “tag” said 2022. Ohhhhh my sticker.

After handing him my license, ownership, and insurance, I had to explain to him that Ontario no longer has year stickers. You register online every year, and it does not cost anything. The only thing I had was a receipt, but since it had no expiry date or no real information, it was kind of useless. Since my insurance card was up to date and I guess I did not look like a criminal, he accepted my explanation.

The Solution

The next thing I did was stop at Walmart and to buy some nail polish remover and WD 40 and took the “tag” off the back plate of the van. Nice officers, darn cute with those southern accents, but next time, let’s just meet in a coffee shop. Lol

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Next week, we head into Louisiana and experience the Bayou and a little Louisiana hospitality. Find out why I did not go to one of my bucket list destinations when I was only 30 minutes away.

Do you have a place in Alabama that you just love? Leave a comment. I would love to hear about it!

Thanks for coming along on my Chipmunk Adventure. See you next week!

Love this blog! I can always use a coffee! Thanks for your support!

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