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The Steel Magnolia

host type

This is a Boondockers Welcome host in Mobile, AL

  • Max Rig Size

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    unknown

  • Parking Spaces

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    1

  • Same Day Requests

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    No

  • Preferred Check-in Time

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    3:00 PM

FIRST...All stay requests must include a nice note that helps to introduce you to us, your direction of travel coming into our town and a guesstimated time of arrival. We are NOT a campground and we MUST be here to open our secure gate to let you on the property. So, knowing your ETA helps us to plan our busy day. I expect good communication and ETA updates while you are enroute to us. Again...that helps us adjust our busy schedule as needed. Reservation Request Window is 1 day to 2 weeks. This site is at our part-time River house (our local getaway and another reason why your ETA is so important as we have to be here!). The Steel Magnolia is our ugly steel house with two magnolia trees in the front yard (started as a joke and the name stuck). :) It is located on beautiful Dog River and we have 170' frontage on the River. We have a boat dock for fishing and enjoying sunsets on the River. Your kayaks and such can easily launch. Our yard water is from our well (safe to drink and taste better than most well water). Many evenings we will visit with our guests on the dock. Nothing better than a nice beverage, a snack or your meal while watching the close of another day! Since we have pet chickens that free-range and a working dog, all pets MUST be on a leash and attended. If you have a pet, please discuss this with us beforehand. Our electric gate is tied to our security system. Since this is our River house...you are apt to see our stuff parked on site, boats, trailers, work equipment, etc. The Steel Magnolia is a work in progress. :) We are close to I-10 & 1-65. Suggested Local Attractions: Historic downtown Mobile, Battleship USS Alabama, Bellingrath Gardens and Home, Mardi Gras Museum, Dauphin Island (& Fort Gaines) and other local water front areas. We are close to Costco, Dicks & Field & Stream, Dollar General, Family Dollar, grocery store, Walmart Market, Pet Smart, Best Buy and Ace Hardware. Within a 12-15 minute drive is Walmart Supercenter, Lowe's, Home Depot, Academy Sports and a lot of other retail stores and restaurants.

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Vehicle Suitability Information

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Pets Welcome

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Electric Hookup: 15A

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Wifi

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Slideouts Allowed

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Generators Allowed

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Water Hookup

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Separate Tow Vehicle Parking

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Outdoor Cooking Allowed

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House Rules

We prefer No Smoking outside (if you do, no butts on the ground!). Clean up after yourself. Pets MUST be on a leash and attended. No children outside without adult supervision. Alcohol in moderation only & no recreational drugs. Quiet generators are ok. "Nice" music outside is OK if not too loud! No swimming in the River. Do not feed the dog or chickens. Our boat dock is old...use it at your own risk (fishing is allowed). No dump station on site for BLACK tank. Gray water dump/drain to ground is OK if no chemicals are used. 15 amp electrical & well water available. Awnings, chairs, tables are OK. Sunset is a great time to take your chair down to the River or out on the dock, enjoy the scenery and a glass of wine. Enjoying your outside meal down by the River or dock is fine. Outside cooking/grilling/firepit (your equipment) is allowed. Used charcoal must be extinguished & bagged for disposal. Large trash can is available for typical garbage disposal and bagged doggie poo.

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Location

Access Road Conditions: Campers will have to back in from the street, through our gate and then straight down a concrete driveway. It is a bit tight. We can accommodate rigs to 40' but backing in from the street will be tight, but doable. If you are not competent in backing your rig, entry may be difficult for you. (We back our 5th wheel and 40' motorhome in without any problems). I can assist if needed. There is also a dip in the road at our driveway (super low-slung rigs may have a problem). Regardless of your backing ability I will provide a two way radio and provide guidance in backing you in. Our electric gate has been damaged twice and the fence pulled down once...So "everyone" now receives guidance! :) Tow Vehicle, Toads & Utility Trailer Parking Details: On concrete in front of camper. No vehicle with leaking fluids will be allowed! (Trying to protect the River).

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host Profile

Hosted By FlyboyTR

Age:

65+

Happily married, retired (Travis) and living the dream...It's All Good! :) Details: My wife and I are still enjoying our first date...after 35 years of a blessed and joyful marriage. We enjoy mountain biking, snow skiing/boarding, fishing, boating, sailing, camping, off-road adventures, overlanding, flying (3,700 hours as PIC) cooking and eating. NO smoke or drugs...but do enjoy an adult beverage (all things in moderation...always!). Kathy wan a Microsoft Systems Engineer (RETIRED) and worked for a local computer company where she built and maintained networking systems for large corporate clients. Travis is retired and is a RN (Registered Nurse) by trade, but has spent the past 20 years in administrative management managing various healthcare organizations before retiring in 2016. Travis also started a company that produced and sold Colloidal Silver. The business was sold to a national competitor in 2018 but Travis retained the right to produce and sell locally to friends and family. Nothing better that supporting the body with healthy, natural alternatives! We are straight up and honest in all things we do. We are very physically active and enjoy being on the move! We have been blessed with an amazing life together. Camping Experience: Travis bought his first camper, a Winnebago motorhome, the summer he turned 19 and 48 years later there is still a Winnebago in the driveway. Since that first motorhome, I/we have owned 4 motor-homes, 8 travel trailers, 1 fifth wheel, 4 pop-ups and 3 micro/motorcycle campers. As of December 2021, we have purchased a Winnebago Vectra 40KD. I have towed a motorcycle camper in excess of 180k miles. Current mileage for towing or driving an RV (not counting the motorcycle/camper miles) is just over 185,000 miles! We also backpack/hike and hammock camp as well as tent camp. In addition, we do off-road/overlanding type camping. In our larger sailboat we do 1-5 day trips and the small trimaran sailboat we beach-camp off of it. We also have a Prius v that we did a camper conversion on. It sleeps the two of us in air conditioned or heated comfort for about 1/2 gallon of gas per night, has a refrigerator/freezer, 7 gallon water system, heated with outside shower, portable toilet and a side awning. So....we continue to enjoy many aspects of camping. That said...there is not much in the way of camping, camping equipment and techniques that we haven't experienced! Life is good! Home Town: Mobile, AL USA Located on Beautiful Dog River Favorite Boondocking Locations: We enjoy any place that is quiet and peaceful. This type of environment fits our lifestyle! Skills or Expertise to Share: Healthcare (standard and homeopathic), electrical (AC & DC), mechanical, plumbing...general repair. RV repair and maintenance. Well educated with all aspects of camping, campers and associated RV systems.

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References for this location from other RVers

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    Me_ZivaTravel

    7 months ago

    Friendly, southern hospitality, very interesting folks and the river was an added bonus.

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    flgirl711

    9 months ago

    Spent one night at The Steel Magnolia on our way to TX from FL. The location is convenient to I-10 and Travis and Kathy were great hosts. He gives you great tips on how best to get there and very helpful in directing to parking spot. Highly recommend to anyone passing through the area. Great spot on the Dog River.

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    SheldonBetts

    1 year ago

    We had a great overnight at Travis and Kathys place . Spent a few hours chatting by the river as the sun went down. Very accommodating - and very knowledgeable! good for us newbies! We will definitely drop in again next time.

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    Bruce_and_Sophia

    1 year ago

    Travis and Kathy are great people, full of kindness and helpful information for fellow RV adventurers. Their place has a dock on the Dog River, where we talked and sipped drinks while watching the sun set downriver. We were lucky enough to catch them at home between camping trips. We hope we can meet them again on the road somewhere.

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    geowalther

    1 year ago

    Kathy and Travis not only offer a nice place to stay, level with utilities, they also entertain! They invited us to a sunset beverage on their dock and the stories began. When there, be sure to ask about the "Hooter Girls," which are not what you may think. Very handy, too, with every imaginable tool. Travis patched up a plumbing leak on my rig and did a beautiful job. These are fine folks.

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