THE MAKINGS OF A MOTORHOME

Our motorhome is built by Tiffin Motorhomes, in Red Bay, Alabama...our chasis is made from Freightliner, and our engine is a Cummins 400 hp diesel pusher (rear end engine) The body and interior are built by Tiffin and the model is an Allegro Bus. 40 feet long with four slides...

We got to tour the factory, which was very unusual as we were allowed to walk around the whole factory without much restriction. A lovely old gentlemen, named Red (82 years old) hosted the tour.

At the start of the tour you can see the "naked" beginnings of the coach. They weld a complete frame just like a house onto the running gear...

Then, they add the floor.

These are the side panels, or walls. Notice the cutouts for where the slides and window are going to be.... Before the sides or "walls" are put on, they put in the interior walls, including appliances. This is the back end of the coach, and they have installed the washer and dryer already.
And, the front end of the coach, sans windows (tee hee) And, yes, they do put in wonderful, comfy, seats that recline and have great support for long drives. Thank goodness they don't leave in the one in this pic....

Here is a completed coach without full body paint....and, they are missing the bottom cargo doors. Notice the grey panel just left of center in the pic below the small window. This is a new design for Tiffin. This is where the flat screen TV is located...it allows for more storage space in the bottom cargo area....and you dont crane your neck to watch TV outside...crazy hey. I still think that maybe we should be doing something other than watching TV when we are outside. Mind you, I have sat out and watch a show or two, so, I should't be saying anything about it...LOL

And, finally, these are the boys in "Bay 9" who took care of us for our repairs...this is a awesome place where customer service is really the bottom line...they did everything that needed to be done for us and did it with such wonderful gusto, that we were in awe.

The list of our repairs were: replace front drivers side window, repair both bedroom windows, fix dishwasher, repair keyless entry, and repair kitchen drawer. So, they did all that within 3 hours and it only cost us $123.10. Can you imaginge???? Then that night when we were washing our dishes, the washer stopped again. So, we went first thing next morning and talked with the boys in "Bay 9" and they sent some folks over the fix it. But then, when, the boys from Bay 9 came over on their break to make sure we were OK, it still wasn't fixed, so they took it their own hands to get it done right. AWESOME...

So, we had the afternoon to waste in Red Bay (there isnt alot to do in Red Bay, but that is a whole other story) so we washed the coach and noticed a scratch in the front window....and the short version of this part of the story is that after some consultation with the window repair dept., the local window repair shop (we thought they could just fill it in) and then Daniels early AM visit to the "top dog" at the window installer at the factory, we ended up with a brand new window, at NO CHARGE...lets remember that the warranty has been over for awhile now. They just felt that the scratch in the window should not have been there to begin with....

Now THAT, is customer service.

Our advice to anyone who is thinking about buying a motorhome, please seriously consider Tiffin Motorhomes. They have such a great repair and warranty center. It includes a RV park that only costs $10.00 a night and if you are there under warranty, then it is also free. And, you can call the owner of the company and talk with him directly if you want to. Where do you still find that kind of service in todays times??????????

So, needless to say, we are very happy with our coach and very happy with the service that we have had with the factory, as well as their repairs and installs.

There are a few ways to travel around New Orleans... two of the ways that we found and enjoyed were both bathed in history...
The refurbished street car that takes you into the "american" side of Canal street...

It is a lovely old thing that they brought back to life. And locals and tourists alike can enjoy the ride into the garden district.
Daniel the conductor........there are two conductor stations. One at the front and one at the back of the streetcar. So, the conductor travels up town one way and switch to the other end when travelling down......fun
Passing the other car....VROOOOOM
The interior is beautiful and they have restored seats that have a back that is on a hinge so that if you are travelling up then you flip it one way and when you are travelling down you just reverse it....cool. The other way we found was on a reconditioned steamship. (I thought of my freinds Keith and Ron Young, who maintain the old steam saw mill on Vancouver Island)

It is very hard to see but on the top middle part of the picture, there is a lady there who is playing the steam organ....the sounds of which can be heard from blocks away....cool to see and hear.
We were "rollin" on the river. The Mississippi River. How many people can say that they have been on a steamship on the Mississippi...I am a very lucky gal.
The "other" end of the steam ship...

And the end of this part....see you soon.

SOME NEW ORLEANS SCENCES

We saw so many cool things and people in Nawlin's....I have to share. A parade that appeared on Burbon street while we were enjoying some music at a blues club
Big Al Carson.....man could that man sing the blues...VERY GOOD
A "shotgun" house. Some say it is because you can open the front door and shoot a gun right through to the back door without hitting any walls. They are long and narrow. I also heard that the name comes from the African Americans that ended up here as slaves and they called them Shogun homes. I am not sure what the name meant to them but it is interesting to hear the two different versions. This home was in need of some serious repair but I thought that it bore some good history...

Some masks that you can find most places in the French Quarter.....
Free music is abundant in the streets of the French Quarter...this is the square. Someone said that the buildings in the background were the first ever "apartment" buildings in North America. Interesting...but it is so great to grab a cup of Cafe o Lait and some Beignets (french doughnuts completely drowned in icing sugar) from Cafe Dumond and listen to some free tunes....

A family celebrating the 40th birthday of their daughter...don't they look like they are having fun...
"Rooster" is a fellow who we loved. He sang blues in the Blues club on Bourbon street. We got to see him a couple of times. He really played the crowd and got everyone involved in the fun....

NEW ORLEANS SWAMP TOUR

So, we spent a afternoon cruisin around one of the swamps of New Orleans...just like in the movies, they have folks that still live out on the swamps. As well as lots of wildlife, including, alligators, turtles and different types of birds.
One of the coolest things is the cypress trees that grow so abuntantly in the swamps. This wood is so strong, and was used widely to build most of the homes and buildings in the city. Although very strong and virtually indestructable, fire could still overcame the natural strength of the cypress tree.

Here is a little alligator. Ironically, we saw two natural foes resting about 4 feet from each other. One of the alligators natural food source is turtles, but we did see a turtle and a gator just hanging out togeather. We found out that the temperature at this time of the year allowed the two foes to hang out?????? Alligators body temps must be at a certain point before they can digest food. Kinda like a suspended state. So, until then, they just hang out and try to warm up...and the turtles can relax for awhile longer.
Here is a baby alligator. We found out that you can tell how old a alligator is by how long they are. They will grow 1 foot a year, so, a 3 year old gator is 3 feet long...cool huh?
A homestead on the bayou. There is actually people who still live on the bayou. One of the folks we heard about has never worked a day in his life and has never paid taxes. He fishes and will collect honey from the trees in season and sell or trade these goods...kinda like a mountain man but on the bayou...