Day 8 - Red Bay, Alabama

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Jessica, Me, Katie, Mary Sue, Becky

We rolled out of Pigeon Forge, TN and landed in Red Bay, AL, where we were greeted by the fabulous foursome of Katie, Becky, Jessica, and Mary Sue. Over dinner, we swapped stories, shared laughs, and indulged in some epic dog and cat gossip. These badass ladies have been on a mission to rescue and transport countless furry friends to Wolf Trap Animal Rescue (WTAR) in Northern Virginia where I have volunteered for eight years. With the help of dedicated fosters, these pets are finding loving homes faster than you can say "fetch." WTAR has already saved a staggering number of lives, thanks to these tireless efforts. And let's not forget about their spay/neuter voucher program, which is helping to curb the overpopulation problem in northern Alabama and Mississippi. These women are truly paw-some! 🐾!

The animal rescue in MS has transported over 10,000 dogs and cats to WTAR in Northern Virginia and 500 to other rescues. But wait, there's more! They have also rescued a menagerie of creatures including bunnies, a bearded dragon, baby opossums, baby raccoons, wild bunnies, a mourning dove, killdeer birds, baby squirrels, snakes, a baby owl, turtles, and even baby deer. Oh, and let's not forget Jessica's dream about saving baby giraffes - because who wouldn't want to count those in wild and wonderful rescue adventures! 🦒🐶🐱🦎🐇🦉🦌

Katie's mom, Becky, surprised me with a stunning piece of McCarty pottery crafted from MS clay, complete with a line representing the MS river. It's a work of art and such a thoughtful gift! We are truly grateful for it. For years working with WTAR, I followed Katie and Becky saving lives without realizing they were related. Becky doesn’t look old enough to be Katie’s Mom!And shoutout to my brother-in-law Jeff T., keep an eye out for McCarty pottery on our next antiquing adventure! 🏺🔍 #AntiquingGoals

McCarty Pottery with MS Clay

The following day, we hung out at Girard in the AM to finally get our awning sorted. Fun fact: Tiffin Motorhomes are crafted in Red Bay and their OG founder, in his 80s, still clocks in daily. Major props to Jason, Jeremy, and Alex at Girard for helping us close the chapter on the awning debacle.

We jetted out of Red Bay at 1 PM, Texas-bound for our next national park adventure. With a VERY long drive looming ahead over the next two days to make our park reservations, we were in for a long haul. What was supposed to be a laid-back 12-hour road trip turned into a battle against high winds and rain, pushing us through the night until we arrived at our overnight campsite at 2:30 AM. Little did we know, a storm was wreaking havoc right behind us. Our travels took us through Memphis, TN, crossing the Mississippi, cruising through Arkansas, and finally landing in Texas for a much-needed nap.

Bark Update 🐾 - Barkley now quite the social butterfly, has been living it up with Shayna at her place and the nearby sorority house. Word on the street is he might be "rushing". He also went to taste of the good life at a beer and pup garden and is gleefully flouting his parents' rules by taking over the bed and couch!

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Check out Barks strutting his stuff in his fresh kicks! Shayna was stressing about his precious paws on those gritty Philly streets. Will these boots be a hit or a miss?

Just a quick update on our RV situation:

Good news is, we sorted out our water problem. Turns out, a simple call to the RV maker revealed that a line to the pump was just never opened after de-winterizing. Crisis averted, phew! 😅

Below is a pic of our RV for those who are curious. We still need a name for our rolling home though, any suggestions??

Next stop ~Big Bend 🙊 Park in Texas!