Fellowship, Fun and Food by the Lake

October 2nd saw the Dixie Leisure Travelers on the road again to our four day fall gathering at Wind Creek State Park in Alexander City, Alabama. Wind Creek is on beautiful Lake Martin and offers gorgeous vistas of lush blue waters and feelings of peace and serenity. Just what we like.

Seventeen coaches brought 30 people, representing Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas to this adventure by the water.

At our last gathering at Cumberland Mountain State Park in Tennessee, two couples came to check out our coaches. We must have done a pretty good job showing them off and talking about their finer points. We are happy to report both couples have bought coaches, with one of the couples joining us on this outing. We must have done a much better job selling than we could ever have imagined. The other couple hopes to join us at our spring outing.

At Wind Creek we had two ladies, not together, come look at our coaches. Each were interested in different models. One of the ladies came back that afternoon with more questions. We will wait to see if we have as good luck with these individuals as we had at our last gathering. We may be on a roll, but of course, we do not want to jinx it with to much optimism.

Our group really enjoys relaxing and being with each other catching up on happenings between our gatherings. Enjoying good food is also at the top of our list and this trip did not disappoint in either of these pleasures.

Taking food first, we enjoyed two of the 100 Dishes to Eat in Alabama Before You Die at our first lunch outing. Carlisle Drug, a hundred-year-old business in Alabama, has an old-fashioned full- service soda fountain and is well known and loved for its chicken salad sandwiches and limeade. In the south, eateries are often judged by their chicken salad.  Carlisle’s lived up to the hype. Some diners chose other dishes on the menu and were well pleased with what they ordered. We were just a group of truly happy, full campers. Eating at a drug store soda fountain also brought back fond memories of earlier times when soda fountains at drug stores were a gathering place in the community.

Carlisle’s also has a gift shop offering household and seasonal items, as well as clothing. Several members did a little shopping, taking home things they just couldn’t live without. Walking back to our cars, a few people stopped at other downtown shops for browsing at their leisure.

Our second lunch outing saw us going to Oskar’s Cafe, known for its cheese ball appetizer. They are very good but raise an interesting question, “How do you get a blend of four cheeses fried into a golden round ball with a runny, gooey center?” Once again we had a group of very happy folks as we chowed down on fried catfish, burgers, pulled pork, and chicken dinners. Another YUM!

Our second love is visiting and catching up with members and what has been happening in their lives, happy or otherwise. It is so pleasant to sit around the campfire in the evening, pass around some snacks and converse. We talk about all kinds of topics including trips, family, life in general, tips and tricks for making our LTVs run like a gem, or customizing to fit each couples’ lifestyle.

One topic that came out of these conversations was emergency LED safety flares and how they came in handy when a tire blowout occurred. Being small, lightweight, and as good in daytime as in nighttime. They are a winner. Our own “Steve Martin” demonstrates how well they work. It is up to you to imagine how they would look if you actually had them on the ground.

October 5th saw our group packing up to head home or on to other adventures they had planned. All agreed it was a beautiful setting with great people and delicious food. Another gathering is in the books. We look forward to seeing all in the spring at our first outing of 2017.