Our Final Stop

     Ten weeks and nineteen stops later, our first major RV road trip is almost in the books!  We started with only two stops planned, and now we're relaxing at our final destination.  On Wednesday, September 23rd, we'll drive the last leg and complete this unforgettable loop.

We started at the bottom left,
in Abbeville, LA,
and made our way north
(the route markers
on the left), and then eventually
headed south (the route markers
on the right).  We are
currently located where the
blue dot is at the bottom 
right, inTheodore, AL.

    Our last blog ended with us staying at a COE campground in Montgomery, Alabama.  During our five-night stay, we took some downtime to relax, get the RV organized, do a little sightseeing, and update our eBay store.  

Wetumpka, Alabama

    We are fans of the popular HGTV couple, Ben and Erin Napier, who not only host their own show, "Home Town," but also lead a team of design pros in the series, "Home Town Takeover," where they make major renovations to a small town. Their first project was in Wetumpka, Alabama, and it was only a forty-minute drive from our campground.

    When we drove into the renovated downtown area, we instantly recognized it from the show.  Here are a few snapshots of our visit -- if you've seen the show, you will recognize some of them, too!  

The Napiers believe that every town
needs a mural; this one was their gift
to Wetumpka.  If you've been to their
hometown of Laurel, Mississippi,
you've seen their silent storytellers.

This mural was a community project
located on the building next
to The Coaches Corner
Restaurant.

The Coaches Corner Restaurant.
Its renovation was a big feature in
the show. We would've eaten there,
but it is closed on Mondays. 😞

It overlooks the Coosa River.
The Coaches Corner is on the
right of this landmark.

Explanation of "The Fall Line"

A view from the overlook next to
Coaches Corner.
The Coosa River is below.

Erin was so captivated by this house, 
which was featured in the movie
"Big Fish."  The design team made
some updates to the interior and
exterior of it.

The Old First National Bank of
Wetumpka was built in 1906.  It's now
an office building. It was
also featured in the movie "Big Fish."

During our trip, we tried to
capture as many church
steeples as we could
because you just don't
see a lot of them anymore.

One of Wetumpka's downtown
 restaurants, The Coosa Cleaver,
is where we had lunch.
The building was originally
constructed in 1909,
The new owners have 
preserved a lot of
the building's history.

There's an upstairs and
downstairs dining room. 
Such a welcoming vibe.
It served one of the best
Shrimp & Grits that
David has ever
eaten.  The brisket
mac & cheese was
also very good.

    If you didn't catch Wetumpka, Alabama, on the first season of HGTV's Home Town Takeover, it’s hard to fully appreciate just how incredible its downtown makeover really is.  That revitalization project put this small town on the map and sparked a massive wave of tourism. Even five years later, the impact is undeniable, still pulling in visitors like us for a look around.

Theodore, Alabama

    As you may know, our son and his family live in Theodore, Alabama.  For obvious reasons, we wanted to make it the final stop of our road trip.  The majority of our week here is being spent visiting family, attending church together, and celebrating two birthdays.  Since we're prioritizing quality time, we're not blogging much about this particular stop.  

    However, there is something about this area we'd like to mention ...

We're back to where our dream began ...

    We arrived in Theodore on Wednesday afternoon, and because our family was at work and school on Thursday, we drove twenty minutes from our campground, Homestead RV Community, to Dauphin Island to spend some time on the beach.  

    If you caught our first blog, you know Dauphin Island holds a special place in our story.  It’s the exact place where we decided to do something crazy -- sell everything, buy an RV, and set out to see America.

Just as we've done on this whole trip,
we left our mark on the shore.
This one is more special to us
than all the others.

    While sitting on the beach and listening to the waves, we couldn't help but shake our heads.  It’s so hard to believe that just thirteen months ago, while visiting this very island, we had a crazy idea that became a dream -- and now, that dream has actually become our everyday reality!

  

    It began as just an off-the-cuff blurted-out comment that set things in motion for us. 

    Now, we find ourselves living a completely different lifestyle than we did one year ago.

   

        We're not homesteaders, we're nomads!

    And the best part of this lifestyle transformation is ...

        We're debt-free and fully flexible, which means whenever the road calls, all we have to do is unhook and drive!

   

    Now, we’re being a little more cautious about what we say out loud!  But with the Aging Cajuns, you just never know what we'll do next!  What we do know is that this trip has been a crash course in discovering our strengths, our weaknesses, and everything in between!

Our last leg ...

   We'll be heading back home.  Now, when we say "home," we're not referring to an actual home.  In case you are new to our blog, we sold our house and just about everything we own to live full-time in a 33-foot Class C RV.  

    Since we have so much family in Abbeville and have lived here for the past twelve years, it’s going to remain our home base -- the perfect place to stay in between road trips.  

Entering a waiting season…

    We’ve reserved a campground near Abbeville to serve as our home base through the end of the year.  We’re calling this our "waiting season," but really, it's a season of preparation.  We’ll be using this time to catch up with family and friends, pick up some extra work to boost our travel fund, and -- of course -- strategize our next big move: tackling those nine massive western states we've yet to explore together.

    Since we're entering our preparation season, the blog might slow down from our usual weekly schedule, but we'll definitely keep sharing updates along the way.  We deeply appreciate those of you who have taken the time to read about our journey.  Please feel free to share any feedback, any travel suggestions, and any questions you may have about our adventures. 

Until next time, blessings from our neck of the woods to yours!!

John 14:6

Bonus Photos:

This racetrack was near our campground
in Montgomery.  We could hear the
cars practicing for the upcoming
race this weekend.

Just a simple clock tower in Montgomery.
Every time we saw one on our trip, and
we've seen quite a few of them, we
would say, "Save the clock tower!"
ICYDK - It's a Back to the Future 
movie reference!

Another one of Wetumpka's downtown
restaurants.  We did not have the
"Fain"-test idea that it was a place to
eat until we passed by it again
on our way back to Montgomery.

Pirate's Pizza on Dauphin Island --
a definite two thumbs up 👍👍
recommendation from all our
family and us!

A perfect windy day for surfboard sailing!
This guy was our entertainment
while we were being beach bums!

Our campground pool and pickleball
court.  Just a couple of the camp
ground's many amenities,
The owner and staff are very
friendly and accommodating.
The biggest perk -- great Wifi!