Gunter Hill (COE) 9/25/25 - 9/27/25 (#27)

We wanted to leave the dealer & get to Gunter Hill before dark..... 

In transferring stuff, we were in such a rush, we were throwing everything anywhere we could find a spot in the RV & car, with no thought whatsoever of organizing anything. Note: That goes against every fiber in my being. 

During this time I realized Coco was missing! The sales person casually mentioned that he had seen her headed to 'that' building over there --- pointing to the ONLY building adjacent to the RV parking lot. Grrrr, couldn't you have said something when you saw her walking that way????? I panicked & as I was running over there, I realized it was a Veterinarian Office! They thought someone had dropped her off! She had casually strolled over there when we were busy. They gave her back & we finally got the old RV emptied & said goodbye to the salesman. 

We (Greg) had driven my car back to Alabama. It took way longer for the sales process & walk through. We left the dealership around 5:30. Later than we had expected. 

The campground was only about 1.5 hours away & it looked like we would make it just before dark. 

I got in the car to lead the way, I pulled up Google Maps & put in address & punched 'start' on my phone. As I was on the on ramp to get on the interstate I realized I hadn't adjusted my mirrors from the 'Greg' settings. Oops. I haven't adjusted my mirrors in many years. I couldn't take my eyes off the road so I was just flipping buttons until I found the right button to adjust. Whew, got that done. I then realized that my phone wasn't 'talking' to me to tell me how to go. There was a lot of traffic & I didn't want to keep looking at my phone. 

Ok, no problem, I knew which exit & there were then only 2 turns to get on to Selma Highway which is the road to turn off of, onto the campground road. I knew if I could get to the campground road I knew 'the way' in. We had been to Gunter Hill before. The only problem was that we were coming from a different direction. 

We exited & as I was looking for the road to turn left I realized there were no street signs. I found a spot to pull off (so Greg would have enough room to turn off as well). I got out & explained to him my delimma that I thought we had passed the road but couldn't be sure. I got my tablet out which I knew would 'talk' to me & we headed back in the direction we had just come from. Made the turn & then another to get onto Selma Hwy. 

By this time it was getting darker & darker. At this point Selma Highway is just a two lane road with very few street lights but I still felt I would be ok. EXCEPT, I couldn't see anything. My headlights weren't working! I still had just enough light to continue. I found the campground road & there are NO streetlights. I tried the high beams & they were working but obviously had to shut them off when we met a car.

FINALLY got to the gate at the campground & there was no attendant. Thank goodness we had been there before & I knew basically which way to go to get to our site. Note: By this time it is pitch black.

We found our site (#10). Our normal routine (with our towable) was to always check the breaker box BEFORE backing in. Even though all the spots in the loop were in (Catoma), were concrete we felt the need to follow our old routine. We stopped by the driveway to do just that. Did I mention, it was PITCH BLACK. We couldn't find a flashlight! Panic & frustration is definitely bubbling at this point. Greg finally located a headlamp & tested the breaker. Note: in 5 years of camping we  had NEVER set up in the dark. 

I stood on the site to guide him in. Greg got in the RV to backup. When he put it in reverse, the back lights were so bright you could light 1/2 a football field! Good to know, for the future.

Got backed in, water & electric connected. Got the bed made & called it a night.

p.s. I realized I had accidentally turned the headlights off when I was trying to adjust the mirrors!

Got up the next morning, miraculously found the coffee pot & coffee. Spent the day 'learning' things about the new rig. Note: It's all electronic & very confusing. But, everything worked as it should.

We only stayed two nights & then headed home. A virgin run I don't ever want to experience again!

New RV (Grand Design / Lineage 25FW)

As mentioned in my last post, we stopped at a couple of dealerships while in Northern Alabama in September.

We had talked about getting a driveable RV, instead of tow behind. Our thinking was that it was getting to be bothersome to setup the tow behind. Not to mention the stress of pulling a house behind you.

I wanted a larger RV (actually wound up going smaller). Our last one had plenty of storage both inside & out but it had a murphy bed & it couldn't be slept in without putting out the slide. It also had a great outdoor kitchen with a lifted 'lid' for opening which meant you could still cook when it was raining. We thought that was a game changer for us. However, we couldn't find a driveable model with an outdoor kitchen, in the size/length we wanted.

We stopped at the Great American RV dealership & looked at the Mercedes chassis Grand Design Lineage model. We liked the layout & it had plenty of storage, just without the outdoor kitchen. On the way home, we (Greg) took it for a test drive & he liked the way it handled.

We thought we would be able to find a Grand Design dealer closer to us in SWGA. But, the dealerships we found didn't yet carry the Lineage line (they only came out in 2024).

So, we made the decision to go back to N Alabama & get the one we looked at. 

We went through the very long sales process as well as a walk thru & then we had to transfer EVERYTHING from our old RV to the new one. What a rush that was! 

But, we drove away with it!

Oak Mountain (SP) 9/18/25 - 9/21/25 (#26)

It's been a while & I woke up this morning at 2:30a, thinking that I really need to get caught up in my documentation of 'things going on'. 

In late September, we decided to go to a garden festival in Jemison, Alabama. I was able to get reservations at Oak Mountain State Park in Pelham, AL.

We stayed on site #A03. Little did we know, it would be our last trip in the 'old' pull behind RV (Forest River, Flagstaff / Microlite 25BDS). And, I didn't get a last pic of it on the site ... boo.

The festival was about 30 miles south of the campground.

It was held at a beautiful nursery/garden center - Petals from the Past. Actually it was more of a meet & greet for around 40 YouTubers/Vendors. Here's a link from Just Dig It Farms for more information: Great Fall Garden Festival.

Our main purpose for going was to assist our neighbors Hoss Tools, setup & breakdown their booth display.

We were concerned about it being hot at this time of the year but the Hoss spot at the festival was in afternoon shade. We don't watch a lot of YouTube but we were familiar with several of the vendors through our friends at Hoss & it was good to meet a few. 

During our drive to & from the festival we passed by a few RV dealerships & decided to stop & shop .... see next post.

Hardridge Creek (COE) 8/8/25 - 8/11/25 (#25)

Never say never. We have always said we would not camp in the heat of summer, ever again, especially in the south. But, I had the opportunity to attend a Barn Quilt Class in Fort Gaines, GA & our 'go to' campground - Hardridge, is just around the corner.

But .... we got a spot right on Walter F. George Lake, & the weather cooperated! Our spot (#45) was on a peninsula with 4 or 5 other campers, but none on our 'living' side.

Highs were only in the mid 80s & waking up to lows in the high 60s was a delight. The only issue was, it was quite windy most of the time.

Had to hang a table cloth to block wind in order to cook our eggs for breakfast.

We arrived on Saturday, got set up & settled in for our 3 day stay. Of course, Coco had to go meet the neighbors right away. Wendell, Carol & their rescue pup Lizzy loved having Coco escape across the road to their site.

My class was on Saturday. It was at a facility in Fort Gaines, taught by Timothy Shaver who is also instrumental in coordinating The Red Clay Barn Quilt Trail in the area. There were only eight people in the class, including me. Everyone did a great job. Here are a few pics of their quilts.

And .... here's mine.

I wasn't pleased with it after class, so I brought it home & added a bit more red/orange. Like it a lot better now.

We relaxed on Sunday & went to the Silo for lunch. Came home on Monday. Couldn't have asked for a better trip. Next one is planned for later in September. Next post coming up after that ....

Chattahoochee (SP), Cloudland Canyon (SP) & R Shaefer (COE) 4/2/25 - 4/9/25 (#24)

After postponing most of our trips due to moving to Georgia in November 2024, we finally made it back to camping. We left on the 2nd for a one night stop at Chattahoochee Bend SP just outside Newnan, GA. No pics, as we had stayed there before. Our site was #124, a pull through, easy in & out. Didn't even have to unhook.

We left the next morning headed to Cloudland Canyon, just outside Trenton, GA on Lookout Mtn.

Our site was #46 at the end of the loop in the West Rim CG. It was private on the living side w/enough distance between the neighbors on the other side. We had stopped at Sam's Burger & Deli outside of Rome on the way up so only had snacks for dinner. The back door neighbors had a bunch of kids so Coco made her way over there any chance she got. They gave her lots of hugs & kisses.

On Friday morning, we went for our usual CG walk to check out other sites (FHU #10, 12*, 15, 16 + W/E 24, 25 & 26) were all acceptable. Took a ride over to the East Rim CG (tight small sites) & the Interpretive Center & walked a bit of the Overlook Trail. While we were gone a new camper moved in across from us. As I was getting my bag out of the truck Coco hightailed it over to welcome the new people to the neighborhood. The lady picked her up & was loving on her before I could get over there.

Their names were Becky & John from Iowa, making their way back home after being gone since Dec. 2024. Turns out Becky is a quilter so we had much to talk about & John is a retired business owner so he & Greg had plenty to discuss as well. John now paints & carves wooden pieces as a hobby.

They were travelling w/two dogs (one friendly, one not so much). The friendly one had a short meeting w/Coco.

Coco & I got up the next morning (Sat) & went for a hike on the West Rim Loop Trail. We only walked about 1.5 miles of it as it was quite rocky with lots of tree roots & quite a drop down in the Canyon.

Here's a pic of Coco on a flatter portion. We got to a creek bed on this portion & Coco would NOT cross over & it was too wide for me to carry her & try to traverse the wet rocks, so we turned around & went back to the campsite.

Had dinner & just relaxed the rest of the day & night. Pollen was horrendous & everything was covered in it.

Woke up to very loud thunder on Sunday morning & it rained all.day.long. We put the murphy bed up & stayed inside. Coco relaxed as well. Pollen problem solved for the time being. In anticipation of the rain, Greg had packed up most everything outside. It finally quit raining by late afternoon so we got the chairs back out & had a couple of drinks under the awning before bed.

As we were leaving the next morning Becky & John came over to say goodbye & to exchange contact info. John also gave us a travelling gnome he had carved. We told them it would travel with us where ever we camped. Here's a pic of it at the next CG.

Speaking of the next CG, we headed south to R Shaefer Heard COE park on West Point Lake, GA. We had also been there before. This time it was raining when we got there. We waited for it to taper down to a drizzle & got set up in the rain. We were on site #46 this time which is on the lake directly across from the boat ramp so we had some entertainment during the day.

It was quite chilly after the rain & Coco doesn't do well with cold, so here's her solution.

The next day was beautiful so Coco & I went for a walk & then we relaxed the rest of the day. The site we stayed on before was just a couple of sites down & no one was in it (it's a steep one) so we took Coco down there to watch the sun set.

We got home on Wednesday afternoon & got most of the camper unpacked.

We were supposed to have guys coming to screen in our front porch on Thursday, but as with most help these days, they didn't show. They came today (Fri) & worked about three hours & left saying they'd be back Monday ...

As a side note: We purchased 1/2 a cow & Greg picked it up from the processor so we have a freezer FULL of beef!

Our next scheduled trip is for October but we may find time to take a couple of short trips before then.

Kolomoki Mounds (SP) 5/19/24 - 5/22/24 (#23)

We had a couple of other (longer) camping trips planned for late spring but we decided to put our FL house on the market & didn't feel we could spare the time. During the midst of doing all that we felt we needed a break for a few days so we scooted over to Kolomoki Mounds SP.

This was our second time staying there & we got the same spot (#11). It's on the end of the sites by the water w/no neighbors on our 'living' side. 

Weather was perfect & it was truly a relaxing time with only a few walks around the campground & out to late lunches/early dinners, so no cooking for us this time.

On the first morning, we woke up to 2 school buses pulling in at the public area just across the way from us. It was a fishing field trip of about 60 or 70 teenagers. They were typical kids but not too loud.

Later that day we saw a couple of boys fishing on the lake just in front of our site. Turns out they were brothers. The younger one had a slight disability & the older one was very patient with him.

We ate at Blakely Chicken as well as White Oak Pastures. We were a little leary about the chicken place because when we got there it didn't look all that great but the food turned out to be good. White Oak is kind of a go to for us, plus they allow dogs so Coco got to go. 

White Oak, sells their own dried pet treats such as cows ears, various types of animals hides but into chewable size pieces for various sized dogs. They are quite expensive so we just decided to try one of the beef treats. Coco loved it so we stopped by on our way home & purchased a few more.

Here are a couple of pics:

Coco relaxing in Greg's lap

Close up

Brothers fishing

Just chillin

Overall, it was a very nice short trip which was just what we needed. Our next trip is scheduled for October. Hope the house sells & we can get moved to GA full time before then.

Hardridge Creek (COE) 3/5/24 - 3/8/24 (#22)

 1st trip of 2024. Hardridge Creek once again. Arrived on Tuesday & back to the farm on Friday.

We got our favorite site (#69). No pics but you can read & see pics from the last time we stayed on that site Hardridge #69.

We ate at The Silo again & also drove over to Eufaula, AL & ate at the Eufaula Sandwich Co.. They allowed dogs on the patio which allowed us to take Coco.

Didn't do much else except walk the short trail & sit outside & read while enjoying the beautiful weather. 

We did have this pair of bald eagles visit our site one morning.

Next trip is scheduled for beginning of April. Until then ....

Hardridge Creek (COE) 11/13/23 - 11/15/23 (#21)

Trip #21 (last one for 2023) was at Hardridge Creek once again. It's obviously become our go to since it is so close to home.

Our favorite site (#69) wasn't available so we settled on #28. 

As you can see it was private on the 'living' side but neighbors were a bit too close behind us.

We had originally planned on staying three nights but cut it down to only two since heavy rain was predicted the last night into the next morning.

We didn't even put up the fence for Coco since we were only there 2 nights. And, even thought it had rained earlier in the week, there was a burn ban, so no campfire ($500 fine). The first night we had a small fire in the grill since that was allowed.

We were going to go to Kolomoki as our last 2023 trip but rescheduled for 2024 due to being too busy for the holidays.

So, that's it for 2023. Next trips start in March of next year.

FD Roosevelt (SP) 10/12/23 - 10/16/23 (#20) Part 3

We left Fall Creek Falls on Thursday morning headed to FD Roosevelt park in Pine Mountain, GA. 

We have stayed at this park a couple of other times. This time we had site 110 which is a FHU site at the beginning of the CG on the middle upper portion. I was worried that it would be too open for Coco but it wound up being a good site with good neighbors who were not too close. 

We were able to set up the fence in the 'living area'. I liked it but Greg, not so much.

We went to a small festival in Warm Springs & Coco did really well. Got lots of attention which she seems to thrive on. I also took her on a couple hikes & once again she did great. I'm glad she likes the woods.

Here are a few random pics.

We have two more short trips planned for November & December which I'll document as they happen.

Notes: 

Drive through/around Chattanooga was horrible. 

Took I75 back to GA & there was a wide trailer being towed that was taking up 2 lanes.