Spring starts in Alabama

Jennifer and I have a silly little game we play on our first RV trip south each year as we escape the long Midwestern winter.

We go on a search for spring.

We have some markers.

The grass has to be predominantly green. Some trees or shrubs need to be in bloom. And the temperature has to be over 70. Once all three conditions are met, the place where we encounter it is – by our reckoning – officially the place where spring begins.

And today, I am happy to report that the north/south line between winter and spring officially stands at the Tennessee/Alabama border.

That's where our three conditions were met. As soon as they were, we stopped for the “official” photo, that you see above. That's a flowering dogwood taken at the southbound Alabama I-65 welcome center just south of the Tennessee line.

We noticed the grass starting to turn green up by Louisville. By Nashville, we could see the trees budding out, especially the willows in low lying areas.

But the temperature hit 70, the first blooming trees were spotted and the grass was mostly green pretty much right at the Alabama/Tennessee line.

It's a pretty silly game, we admit. But we really do feel spring is now here, at least where we happen to be.

And as we head north in 10 days or so, we'llsee how far north it has tracked in that time, something equally as sill that we do on return trips.

Do you and your RV traveling companions have similar rituals? Share them below. I hope Jennifer and I aren't the only weirdos out there.