Short Month

Note: Images are now integrated with the text but still retain the “click” enlargement function.

As stated in the title, it was a short month. Not much is happening at High Falls State Park during this time of year. The section of the Park where we are is pretty “laid-back.” We only have fifteen campsites (three filled by Hosts) plus six Yurts.

We have a schedule with another host, so that we are each on duty four days and off four days. That works out pretty nicely. We clean Yurts as needed and keep the Comfort Station supplied. With such few campers there is little to do. Things should pick up next month if the weather is warming and there is less rain. However, the forecast is not so bright.

Since we don’t have a lot of activity to report, and no accidents to relate, I suppose I’ll just have to tell you some other interesting stories.

Think on this: there is a word that has five letters. If you remove four of the letters, the word is still pronounced the same way. What is that word?

You know what the weather has been doing; snow, rain, and cold. We try to move out of the snow-belt this time of year, but it seems to have followed us this time. You can see by the trees what we faced on February 12 in the Park. The snow left the next day.

A little more history on the Park--- the year is 1994. Middle Georgia had already had a rainy June that had wiped out much of that year’s rainfall deficit. What had been described by the National Weather Service as an “uneventful weather system” started to build strength at the end of June.

By July 1, the swirling rain clouds were known as Tropical Storm Alberto, and the storm picked up steam as it left the Gulf of Mexico. Originally headed toward New Orleans and southeast Texas, Alberto shifted direction dramatically, landing near Destin, Fla., and pushing its way up the coast.

As it headed north toward Montgomery, Ala., Alberto crossed into west-central Georgia and treated Middle Georgia to a soggy July 4. It continued north until it hit a figurative brick wall just south of Atlanta, which pushed the storm back.

On July 5, Alberto punched High Falls State Park and its surrounding counties in the gut. Unrelenting rain caused the steel suspension bridge in the Park to wash away by the flooding Towaliga River, which also sweeps two cars off nearby roads. Two people are rescued, but one drowns. Some camp sites were flooded and people had to move to higher ground. All that is left is a section of the bridge as a monument to the flood.

As you no doubt know, Rving has been going on for a long time. Here is an amazing discovery of a 1937 House Car. I received the information in one of those forwarded e-mails like we all get from friends and relatives.

It is said to be one of only six that were made per year in the mid-'30s at the Ford plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, according to an article on this car in a 1993 "Old Cars" magazine. Very few others--perhaps none--remain on the road, and certainly not in such amazing original condition. When discovered in a garage (under a heavy cover) in Northern Minnesota in August 2001, it had only 19,000 miles, and the owner's manual was actually still the glove box in like-new condition!

The interior, all wood lined, was still the way it appeared in the '30s and '40s, complete with framed photos of the original owner on his travels (mainly to Florida) and his cabin in the North Woods, plus other memorabilia from the era. Built on the '37 Ford Pickup frame and cowling (powered by a 60-hp flathead V8 with aluminum heads), the rear framing is all wood, with the metal skin wrapped around it.

The roof structure, too, is all wood, over which the heavy, waterproofed canvas top is still very securely fitted. The structure of the body is solid, appearing from underneath to be all oak, and still in a remarkably unaltered, undamaged condition. The door frames are thick, solid oak, and oak is visible around the window openings (as on the four side windows in back) -- though it is painted over.

A peek inside is a slice right out of the 1930s...just as the original owner left it. All the windows open, with curtains on the four side ones and pull-down shades on the back window, as well as on the driver's and passenger door windows. A wide storage cabinet is located under the bed.

There are cabinets and an aluminum sink (with a wood cover insert) on the left. All the antiques stuck away inside, as well as those hanging on the walls, went along for the ride. Also note the table behind the driver's seat, which folds down.

The headliner is all wood, with a vent and canvas expanding portion. Four wood pieces hold it securely in the up position, while clamps hold it down while driving.

Neat pictures, no? But let me continue your RV education with an old movie film from 1937. Pay particular attention to the cost involved in campgrounds. (Be sure to have your sound up.)

Answer to quiz:  the word “queue.”

There are some blog changes to tell you about. I have started a new blog series to talk to you about “other stuff” besides Rving. You will find the link to this blog under OTHER LINKS on the left. It is called View From The Road.  It is not a “monthly,” but more like an “anytime” presentation.

Take a look and comment as you like. The articles already posted are: Why Just 28 days in February? What about Global Warming? A Better Way to FW: (Fwd), and New Meaning to “Eye Tooth” 

You will find an archive with dates. Click the little triangle to the left of the date and it will show the title of the article posted on that date. Enjoy.