We stay at Thousand Trails Hidden Cove RV Resort in Arley, Alabama, a nice lakefront campground with lots to do, but maybe not the fanciest neighborhood. We have a couple of meals, visit a few yarn and fabric stores - the usual - plus the highlight, a muddy visit to Yokley Cemetery outside Pulaski TN to visit the grave of my great-great-great grandfather atop a hill in a cow pasture. Also a PSA: don’t eat vultures.

• 03:46 Hidden Cove Amenities
• 06:15 Grocery Store Reality
• 09:18 Food, Yarn, and Misc.
• 18:29 Trail of Tears Site
• 23:42 Cemetery Fence Crawl
• 26:03 Vulture Food Facts
• 34:41 Surprising Local History
• 37:09 Wrap Up And Farewell

LINKS:

• Hidden Cove RV Resort
• Cash and Jacks
• Hyatt’s Market
• Yarn Boutique of Decatur
• Three Hens and a Chick Quilt Store
• Pulaski Trail of Tears Memorial
• Find A Grave - David Abernathy

We keep moving east across the Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida Gulf Coast, stopping at Wilderness RV Park near Robertsdale and try a few restaurants (winners - Fairhope Bakery and Morgan Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club in Biloxi; losers - Picnic Beach in Gulf Shores). Of course, there are yarn and quilt shops along the way, including the fantastic Block Therapy and the WTF A&E Fabrics. Other highlights include a visit to the free National Naval Aviation Museum in Pensacola and a ride on the Mobile Bay ferry.

LINKS

• Fairhope Bakery
• Ground Zero Blues Club
• Picnic Beach
• Lambert’s Cafe
• Block Therapy
• Peace by Piece
• A&E Fabrics
• Southern Twist Yarns
• Naval Air Museum Pensacola
• Mobile Bay Ferry
• Boiled Peanuts (yuck)
• Boudin (also yuck)

In which we talk about our trip to Loranger, Louisiana outside of New Orleans where we stayed at Sweetwater RV Resort and Ranch. Along the way, we have some fantastic and some not-so-great meals, visit the French Quarter for some beignets and cafe au lait, and are (mostly) disappointed with the quilt and yarn stores. We also go to the Whitney Plantation’s slavery-focused tour (do not miss!) and the National WWII Museum, plus a local above-ground cemetery visit and go on a king cake tasting spree.

LINKS

• Sweetwater Campground
• Jacques-Imo
• Daisy Dukes
• Mandeville Sea Food Market and Eatery
• Cafe Du Monde
• Antoine's Bakery
• History of Tangipahoa Parish (Amite City), LA
• Quarter Stitch Yarn
• Seauxing Seeds
• Whitney Plantation
• National WW2 Museum

In which Jeff and Louise talk about the Thousand Trails Colorado River campground (fantastic staff, great campground!) and call out Woods Barbecue, a weekend-only counter inside a gas station, serving up the best BBQ around courtesy of pitmaster John Woods. We also eat some more, have some adventures, and check out a couple of yarn and fabric stores (who knew La Grange had such a great yarn and fabric store??). We also venture forth and explore our very first Buc-ee’s, enjoy some Texan oak trees, and don't enjoy some local specialty kalaches (though that was probably more about where we got them).

LINKS

• Thousand Trails Colorado River
• Woods BBQ Facebook Page
• Fully Smash Facebook Page
• Turcotte Butcher and Delicatessen
• Quilted Skein
• Buc-ee's
• History of Kalaches

In which we recap our trip from Phoenix to the San Antonio area with sleepovers in Las Cruces and Fort Stockton. We spend two weeks at Thousand Trails Medina Lake in Lakehills, deal with a double-booked site, yappy neighbor dogs, low water pressure, and a drought-drained lake, but play a great round of mini golf. We also check out San Antonio’s River Walk and the Pearl District, feed some wild animals (Hey Buddy!), and of course, eat some great food and visit a couple of yarn and fabric shops.

LINKS

• Stephen Graham Jones
• Hilltop RV Park and Resort
• Thousand Trails Medina Lake
• Medina Lake drought history
• B-Daddy's BBQ
• Thai 'n' Sushi
• El Norteñito
• The Hen's Nest
• Coconut Cowboy's
• Yarnivore
• Memories By The Yard
• San Antonio River Cruise
• Natural Bridge Wildlife Ranch
• Pearl District
• Heart's Home Acoustics

Jeff and Louise sit down with another Phoenix local (also their son!) to find out what he likes and doesn't like about the area.

In this audio-only episode, Jeff and Louise sit down for an interview with a couple of locals (who happen to be their son and daughter-in-law) to talk about the Phoenix area and the pros and cons of living in the desert, how locals really feel about the growing pace of life in Buckeye, AZ, and discussions about life, family, and desert adventures.

Jeff and Louise go over their time at Viewpoint RV Resort & Golf, a 55+ park packed with amenities, questionable golf-cart behavior, and a maddening, nonstop-barking dog.

They share a few favorite local restaurants and some other highlights, including a surprise sewing-machine purchase, a lucky furniture deal, and a full-sleeve tattoo!

There are also babysitting adventures that involved a long bike ride to wear out the grandkids and a drive-through Christmas light show along the way.

LINKS

• Potato Barn
• World of Illumination
• Miel de Agave
• Lorenzo's (now Enzo's)
• 35 Ave Sew and Vac
• Tempe Yarn and Fabric
• Mad Bees Quilt and Sew
• Tattoo 27

In which Jeff and Louise wander the desert like lost explorers, have some mediocre food in Palm Springs, but make up for it by discovering (see what I did there??) the magnificent Wabi Sabi! Also, Joshua Tree and that kind of thing if that's your bag.

LINKS

• Lake Tamarisk Desert Resort
• Wabi Sabi
• The Quilter's Faire
• Joshua Tree National Park
• Palm Springs Tramway

In which Jeff and Louise discover the delights of San Luis Obispo, Morro Bay, Pismo Beach and environs.

LINKS

• Old Town Quilt Store (Orcutt)
• Gina's Piece of Cake
• Company’s Coming
• Morro Bay Yarn Website and Article
• Morro Rock
• Pismo Beach State Park
• Mission San Luis Obispo
• The Creamery
• Picking Daisies Fabrics
• Buen Dia Coffee
• Monarch Butterfly Grove
• Story about the vanishing Monarch Butterfly
• Taqueria El Guero