A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 332 miles from Red Bay, Alabama to Rutledge, Georgia. Including some clips from the truck perspective, a branch falling from the coach roof onto the truck, and six, count ‘em, six attempts to get level at the destination!
Author: David
Travel from Red Bay, Alabama to Rutledge, Georgia
We drove our coach 332 miles, about six hours of driving, from Red Bay, Alabama to Rutledge, Georgia.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:
An interactive map:
Water streaming off our slide topper as we brought in the slide, from recent rain:
Toading up:
We left Red Bay via downtown:
SR-19:
On to I-22 East:
A bathroom break at a truck stop:
Our coach in travel mode:
Paladin in his nest on the stacked dining chairs:
Fun with zoom:
I-65 South:
Birmingham:
I-20 East:
Fun with zoom:
I-20 East:
A large load:
Fuel and lunch stop:
91.717 gallons:
Heading to the parking area, with Paladin on the passenger chair:
Parked:
We had Popeyes for lunch:
A branch on the roof; we found it on the truck when we arrived:
Talladega Superspeedway; apparently there was a NASCAR race on:
Eisenhower Interstate System sign:
Fun with zoom:
Welcome to Georgia:
Entering Eastern Time Zone, where we’ll be until July:
Another bathroom break at the Georgia Welcome Center truck parking:
Atlanta:
SR-11:
I chose this route to go over this railroad crossing, as the one in downtown Rutledge has a very high crown:
Horse properties:
Hard Labor Creek State Park:
RV check-in area:
Trading Post:
The camp host happened to be in the trading post when we checked in, so she offered to guide us to our site; that’s the driveway on the right:
Paladin surveying our steep driveway:
Yeah, doesn’t look very level:
MagSafe charger on bedroom wall
I used to plug my iPhone in to a USB cable on my side of our bed, to charge it overnight. But when Apple made the switch from Lightning to USB-C for their iPhones, I needed two cables there. Jenn got a MagSafe charger on her side of the bed, which inspired me to get one for my side.
For my one, I decided to just mount it on the wall (or a wall trim, to be precise), using Command strips (which enable easy removal). Here’s my charger:
The power cord for it runs down behind the trim, behind the little box (that holds cough drops), and under the window inside a conduit:
The power supply is tucked in a corner:
Then an extension cord goes down the wall (along with the wire for the Spyder panel) and under the bed; this is normally hidden by the bed and pillows:
The MagSafe charger and Jenn’s chargers are connected to a multi-headed splitter:
This is it in place under the bed (hard to see amongst all the other wires):
Plugged into this socket, that used to power the subwoofer, which we don’t use:
On Jenn’s side, she has multiple MagSafe chargers, plus a cable for her iPad:
Another look at my new MagSafe charger, next to the Spyder panel:
My iPhone on the charger; it attaches magnetically, so seems to levitate on the wall:
Why is it vertically offset? This is why; using Apple’s new StandBy mode, that shows widgets (I use different ones nowadays):
A nice enhancement.
Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens
An out-of-sequence post: I noticed that I had missed posting about an attraction we visited while staying in Fort Lauderdale, Florida: the Morikami Museum and Japanese Gardens in Delray Beach, Florida.
We’re fans of Japanese gardens, and this was one of the better ones.
Map:
A slow line for lunch:
Cafe menu:
Jenn’s bento box:
My teriyaki and spring rolls:
An art:
Yep, it’s Florida — caution, alligators:
Bridge:
Turtles:
Bridges:
Gate:
Pond:
Tree:
Rock garden:
Lanterns:
Bridge:
Waterfall:
Gate:
Lizard:
Bonsai garden:
Turtle:
Lantern:
Courtyard:
Exhibit:
Tea room:
Water feature:
Lizard:
Pond and bridge:
Waterfall:
Turtle and lizard:
Pond and bridge:
A nice garden, worth a visit.
Video: Red Bay Acres and offsite vendor timelapse
A timelapse of our stay at Red Bay Acres for Tiffin services, plus a trip to an offsite vendor.
Red Bay Acres RV Resort
We stayed at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in Red Bay, Alabama. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A nice full-hookup RV park in the hometown of Tiffin Motorhomes. Our third stay here.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-04-15
- Check out: 2024-04-21
- 6 nights
Weather:
- Mostly cloudy, some rain
- High temps ranging between 69-83°F, lows around 49-64°F
- Some wind, gusts to 30 MPH
Noise:
- No road noise
- No train noise
- Hourly clock tower noise
- A little neighbor and tech services noise
Site:
- #32, back in, concrete
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- Somewhat level; used air and hydraulic leveling at different times
- Concrete driveway about 60 feet long by about 12 feet wide
- Grass between sites, 15-25 feet wide on passenger side, 15 feet wide on driver side
- Picnic table on 10 by 12 feet concrete patio
- Clean site
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 60 PSI water, conveniently located
- Good sewer connection, fairly conveniently located (1 10-foot pipe needed)
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 50 Mbps down, 13-40 Mbps up, 42 ms ping
- AT&T: 190 Mbps down, 20-29 Mbps up, 80 ms ping
- Verizon: 25 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 80 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: not used
Amenities:
- Garbage pickup from site
- Package delivery to site
- Onsite restaurant
- Pond
- Hometown of Tiffin; local RV repairs
Our review on Campground Reviews (from our first visit):
Nice place to return to after service
This is the place to stay when in Red Bay for service. It is a beautifully maintained park, with all the sites facing the fishing pond. All the other parks in town were basic gravel lots. The one drawback is having to back in to the site when coming back from service each day, but that’s not a big deal. The concrete pad was nicely level and all the utilities were good. It’s also nice to have the Yacht Club on-site for a bite to eat at the end of the day. If you’re looking to get service done on-site, make sure to check the list of approved vendors. We camped at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in a Motorhome.
Tip for Other Campers: Lost Pines Coffee had decent coffee and baked goods for a midday pick-me-up. The Natchez Trace Parkway is fairly close and a very nice scenic drive.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
We opted for a standard site this time, but requested a site range towards the back. We got a site next to the first site we had, perhaps the best of the standard sites — and next to a sibling coach, a 2018 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40AP (ours is a 2017 40SP):
They deliver packages to the site (most of the time; sometimes they call for us to pick up). But when packages are delivered before we arrive, we pick them up on arrival. Paladin thought they were a good place to sit:
The central pond:
Red Bay Yacht Club, where people can relax while their coaches are being worked on, or grab a bite to eat:
On our first night, we had chicken wings, pizza, and “cheese sticks”, that they had to clarify were not what most people would expect, mozzarella sticks, but basically cheese pizza cut in strips (but tasty dipped in ranch dressing):
Peach cobbler for dessert:
We ate half the pizzas, and took the remainder home, along with some Ben & Jerry’s ice cream for another day:
We only had one drive-to service this time. We went to Sparks Drive Inn for lunch during that:
Another day, we went to The Fish Place for dinner, with a super-slow drive through (we waited out front for over half an hour):
Tasty enough, though:
Another day, back to the Yacht Club, where we had the two Friday Specials:
Other sites:
Still a nice RV park. We’ll no doubt stay here again in the future. We might be back in December (though it might be too cold then?). But currently have no plans to be anywhere near Alabama in 2025. So we’ll see.
Video: Scott, Arkansas to Red Bay, Alabama motorhome travel timelapse
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 278 miles from Scott, Arkansas to Red Bay, Alabama.
Travel from Scott, Arkansas to Red Bay, Alabama
We drove our coach 278 miles, about five hours of driving, from Scott, Arkansas to Red Bay, Alabama.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:
An interactive map:
The tow bar was at a strange angle, due to toading up on a curve, but that’s fine (just need to pull forward slowly until it locks in place):
Don’t need the dump station on the way out this time:
I-440 East:
I-40 East:
Paladin in his safe spot next to the passenger chair… and saying get that phone out of my face:
Wide load:
Paladin asleep:
A lunch stop at a large Petro truck stop:
We were going go in to an IHOP, but decided we didn’t have time for that, with a long drive still ahead, so just ate in our coach:
I-55 Alt South:
Crossing the Mississippi River:
Tennessee welcomes you, unless you drive a truck:
Bass Pro Shops pyramid:
Only in Tennessee briefly in Memphis, then on to Mississippi:
“Orange You Going to Slow Down in Work Zones?”
I-269 North:
I-22 East:
Paladin asleep again:
Fun with zoom:
Paladin one more time:
Rest break at a truck stop we often visit on the way to/from Red Bay:
Fun with zoom again:
Our fourth state of the drive, Alabama:
Our destination, Red Bay Acres:
Our site next to a sibling coach (a 2018 Tiffin Allegro Bus 40AP; one year newer, and a different floorplan):
Replacing the cabin air filter
A periodic maintenance item for any vehicle is to replace the cabin air filter, for the dash AC.
I must admit, I thought our coach didn’t have a replaceable filter, until pointed out on my Tiffin Allegro Bus 2016-2018 Owners Facebook group. Oops.
Here’s a picture of where it is located in the generator compartment, for context:
It’s rather difficult to get out (update: it’s actually easier than this; I had only unclipped the bottom, but when I changed it for the second time, I realized there’s a clip at the top too, that was buried under insulation):
Ours was definitely overdue for replacement:
(Update: the guys at Bay Diesel in Red Bay were interested in the filter I used; they said it was much better than the one they had sourced.)
Willow Beach Campground
We stayed at Willow Beach Campground in Scott, Arkansas. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A pleasant campground next to the Arkansas River. Our second of two stays here, on the way to and from the total solar eclipse celebration in Paris, Texas.
Dates:
- Check in: 2024-04-14
- Check out: 2024-04-15
- 1 night
Weather:
- Partly cloudy
- High temp 81°F, low 61°F
- Little wind, gusts to 17 MPH
Noise:
- No road noise
- Distant train noise
- Distant plane noise
Site:
- #F21, back in, concrete
- Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
- Fairly level, a little high on the driver side; used hydraulic leveling
- Asphalt driveway about 38 feet long, plus concrete pad about 40 feet long by about 10 feet wide
- No neighbor on driver side, grass about 50 feet wide to bathroom parking area
- Grass and trees to passenger side neighbor about 160 feet wide
- Picnic table on concrete patio under shelter
- Fire pit, charcoal grill, small standing table
- Mostly clean site (some cigarette butts and bottle cap-sized trash)
Utilities:
- 50 amp power, conveniently located
- 35 PSI water, somewhat inconveniently located
- No sewer connection
Internet (in usage priority order):
- T-Mobile: 38 Mbps down, 2 Mbps up, 70 ms ping
- AT&T: 9 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 64-128 ms ping
- Verizon: 24 Mbps down, 5 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
- Starlink: not used
- Campground Wi-Fi: none
Amenities:
- Garbage dumpsters
- Dump station
- River
Our review on Campground Reviews (from our first stay):
A pleasant campground next to the Arkansas River
COE campgrounds are usually very picturesque and well-spaced. This one is no exception. Nestled between the river and a lake, there is a nice view either way. There’s lots of space between sites, although each site is not guaranteed to be very long or flat. Our site was just long enough for our 40′ motorhome, but our tow vehicle had to park diagonally to fit in front. The [first] site was very sloped front to back and required multiple pads on the front jacks to get it level. Water & electric only, so plan ahead if staying for a while and need to dump your tanks. The dump station was conveniently located on the way to the exit. We camped at Willow Beach in a Motorhome.
Campground map (from last time; since we’ve been here before, they didn’t give us a map this time; we were in site F21 this time):
Interactive map:
Our site:
A nice view out our side window:
See the previous stay for pictures of other campsites and more.