Okay, H “did” the last blog! Did you like his style?
Did you learn anything about Salt Springs in the Ocala Forest? You did learn that H has a terrible time
getting into his kayak tho, didn’t you!
He does like to jump into things headfirst!! Yes, he is getting pretty good at taking pictures with his new
drone. And - of course you also saw
that it was a very warm sunny day when we ended up on Daytona Beach for our
beach-walk. There was a lot of
“nature” strolling up and down those beautiful beaches that day.
But alas, our 2-week
stay in the forest was used up and it was time to head north. The route H chose took us up Rt 301 to Rt 23
and on north into Georgia, past the Okefenokee Swamp and into the Laura Walker
State Park. Oops! Spring Break and they were full so we
pressed on north! Staying on Rt 23 till
McRae, we switched to Rt 441 and then I remembered the pretty golf course as we
passed by it and entered the Little Okmulgee State Park. Luckily we found an almost level site with a
parking pad long enough for both the tan train and the bright blue truck
because H was hoping to not have to unhook the truck for just one nights stay.
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| KOA in Georgia |
In years past, we got to know dear folks, Gene and Bobbie
from Eatonton Georgia. Gene has passed
on but every once in a while our paths cross with Bobbie and on this Day 2 in
Georgia we met her for breakfast near her hometown. Our destination for the day was a “resort” on the other side of
her town and a sprawling Lake Oconee. H
and I had endured a sales spiel at a Wally World RV Resort in Ohio a year ago
and as a result were issued passes for free camping at some of their
organizations other camping resorts.
Since the price for this hilly, old KOA campground was right
– we signed up for 3 nights. “HILLY” is
using the term mildly – VERTICAL is a little bit closer. The bathhouse was at the bottom of the
steepest hill! They put us in the
transient, very narrow sites near the top of the hill - of course! The view of the lake and park from H’s drone
in the sky is much more impressive! The
building to the left of center is the bath house/meeting room area. Below that are a swimming pool and several
shelters. BELOW that is another row of
camping sites and then the hill that ran down to the water finally! Bobbie came to spend the afternoon with us
and we three even attempted to play putt-putt golf on the rundown, falling down
old course. After just 2 nights, H and
I had had enough and we pulled out – heading north again.
The road from there was hazy. No, really – on and off fog,
drizzle and heavy gray clouds along with wind for most of the ride home! At one high spot in the road we crested a
“mountain”, driving thru a low hanging cloud!
On the downward side the sun was shining but then it was back into gray
again. Up thru North Carolina, across
the western tip of Virginia where you could look out over the landscape that
looked like a miniature train setup, and then the eastern tip of Tennessee –
right past the “scenic turnout” where we had stopped 3 years ago, with the
smoking wheel on the Rockwood Trailer.
Warriors Path State Park, which sits between Johnson City
and Kingsport Tennessee, is named for the Cherokee War and Trading Path. It is located on the Patrick Henry Reservoir
on the Holston River. There are 134 campsites and the bathhouses were new in
2015. Spring Break - this park was
crowded too but it was fine for one night!
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| Boat ramp at Warriors Path St. Pk. |
Rt 23 led us up thru Kentucky to the expansive bridge that
crosses the Ohio River and on to Portsmouth Ohio. The Shawnee State Park was just west of town and was open. However – this elderly state park obviously
was not accessible for anything bigger or longer than a pop-up camper. We drove around the entire campground and
finally settled on a semi level site with enough space behind it that we could
back in on an angle. We had to stop
JUST before the backset of wheels went off the pavement and into the muck OR
the spare tire that is mounted on the back bumper ended up in the mud on the incline
behind the site. The tongue of the
trailer was at the road’s edge and the truck was delegated to park across the
way in another empty site. No problem –
there was only one other camper parked in the entire campground! The biggest problem was the broken water
line which meant NO running water ANYWHERE in the campground for several
hours. The gracious lady at the park
headquarters let us fill our jugs with fresh, clean water! Rustic camping!
So, now we’re home.
Time for the Spring Chores to begin!
The flowerbeds are full of Chickweed and Creeping Charlie. The lawn is scattered with sticks and
branches from all the winter damage.
Lots of dead pine trees are lying splayed across the backyard. And my tomato seeds need to be planted!
