Hernando Point (COE) 10/3/22 - 10/6/22 (#14) - Part 3

 

We left TN on Monday, headed to to Hernando, MS (about 40m S of Memphis). It took a little over 4 hours & we hit a little bit of traffic trying to bypass Nashville. Not too bad but any congestion can be a bit harrowing when pulling a camper.

We arrived at the campground & found our spot ... #26, right on the Arkabutla Lake. It was beautiful until around 3:00p. The site faced due West & while not really all that hot (low 80s), the afternoon & setting sun was intense!

The firepit was not near the 'living area' so we only had a fire 1 night.

This CG got hit with tornadoes a few years ago & apparently took out quite a few trees but they added FHU at all sites during cleanup. Sites are spread out nicely & the CG is maintained well. However, it is not manned by any park personnel so you are own your own. There were a couple of camp hosts but no one stopped by. Glad there was no problems w/electric or water.

We had a 'do nothing day' the 2nd day we were there. Read in the morning, in the shade & napped in the afternoon.

The next day we had a late breakfast & relaxed in the morning & then decided to head to the town of Hernando to visit The Desoto County Museum. 

It's a small museum that opened in 2003. Robert, the curator was an excellent guide & the museum has many rooms & exhibits that explain the connection of historical events to Mississippi. Would highly recommend a visit if ever in the area. It's free to the public but they do accept donations. Here are a few pics:

Elvis' mother was of Jewish descent

A Diorama - a gift from the Chickasaw Tribe

Concentration Camps

Unknown child

Civil War Flags

Robert

After the museum, we filled up the truck & then went for a late lunch/early dinner at The Burger Shop & then had ice cream from Area 51 before heading back to the CG to pack up for the next stop.

The sunsets were spectacular from our site:

This was probably our least favorite CG on this trip. In most other places we've stayed, the Rangers or camp hosts would at least ride by & wave or stop to see how we're doing. The few other campers that were there also weren't as friendly as other places. Very few of them ever came out of their rigs. 

And, we didn't meet any pups while there, maybe that played a role?

Extra Note(s): 1) While driving there from TN, there were several billboards along the way promoting Loretta Lynn's ranch. Got up the next morning to news of her death. 2) Jerry Lee Lewis' ranch is nearby, actually in Desoto County. Tickets were $45 each! Decided we didn't need to visit. His death was announced yesterday (10/28).

Cedars of Lebanon (SP) 9/30/22 - 10/3/22 (#14) - Part 2

 

We left Cheaha on Friday & arrived at Cedars of Lebanon SP 4.5 hours later. This campground is in Lebanon, TN & has 3 separate areas for camping. Area 1 has the most sites but all are pretty close together. Area 2 has larger sites but caters to more tent camping. Area 3 is the newest & all sites are well spaced apart. We stayed on 109 which is 1 of 4 FHU sites. The only problem is that is was on a sort of a curve & cars driving through were headed straight for the living side of the camper until they rounded the curve. So, while large, it didn't feel very private.

We had two separate reasons for wanting to visit this Park. There was a festival going on & it is in the town where my roommate from 40+ years ago is buried.

The festival (WPA day celebration) was a small one held at the Sadie Ford Heritage Farm across the street from the Park. They hold this festival each year to teach others how a working farm was ran during the 1920s & 30s. We went a little late in the afternoon just before they closed. They have basket weaving demonstrations, wood working, broom making, blacksmithing, etc. The local cast iron cooking club was also there serving up, stews, rice & beans & dessert. All in all it was very interesting.

The next day we went into town about 8 miles away. We ate late lunch/early dinner at a family run restaurant Demo's. Highly recommend. 

We then went to the cemetary to pay respects at Joyce's grave. The cemetary was MUCH larger than I anticipated & knew we didn't have enough daylight left to try & find her grave. We found the office but it was closed. I called the # on the door, no answer. I texted her son Troy, in hopes that he could tell us where to go. While waiting to hear back from him a car drove up & it was the cemetary director who just happened to stop by for something. He went inside & booted up the computer & found where it was located & how to find it. Lucked out on that one because Troy texted back that he could get to it but didn't know the # or the lane on which it was located. Bittersweet but glad we were able to go.

We were also able to go to a pottery shop just a few miles away - Silver Ridge Pottery It is owned by a very nice couple & the shop is adjacent to their home. Lee is the primary potter but her husband Marshall also makes unique & whimsical things. Lee gave us a very detailed tour & then we were left to browse. We bought a few platters for us & for Christmas gifts. Also met their sweet pups - Diana & Katie.

We also has a very sweet brindle cat come to the site every day for a morning & evening snack. It was feral but would let you pet him/her & didn't look like he/she was starving.

Met a few other pups too. Buddy, a black & white bird dog from California. 2 standard poodles (black & grey) from Flaggstaff, AZ (the one that wanted to climb in my lap was named Dutch), their parents were Jackie & Dave. Archie, a beautiful black lab whose parents were full timers originally from S. Dakota.

Weather was again very nice .... mid 70's during the day & mid 40's at night. The fire pit was located at the far corner of the site & was very high so we only had a fire one night.

Still missed Nelly but agreed that she wouldn't have liked this site very well either.

Extra note: We found one of the nicest liquor stores we have ever been to - The Golden Bear. The manager was very nice & personable & helped us make a decision on what to buy.

Cheaha (SP) 9/26/22 - 9/30/22 (#14) - Part 1

This is part 1 of our 14th camping trip. We had reservations at 4 different parks (AL, TN, MS, AL) for a total of 14 days camping. Our longest trip yet. Unfortunately our best friend, Nelly got sick a couple of weeks before the trip. As we watched her decline we thought we would be able to make it to at least this 1st stop w/her & then planned on cancelling the remaining 3 parks, go home & spend the time with her that she had left. But, she lost ground VERY fast & knew she wasn't in any shape to enjoy the trip. We made the hard decision to not have her suffer. We had her put down on Monday, September 19th, 2022. 

We begrudgingly decided to go ahead with the trip. Needless to say, it was not as enjoyable as we wanted it to be but thought that going 'on' with life was the best decision for us.

Cheaha SP in Delta, AL had been on our list for quite a while. Finally got reservations at a FHU site #33 for 4 nights. It was about 5 hours from the farm.

The site was a pull through in the Upper (less crowded) CG which backed up to a wooded area. 

This park is at Alabama's highest peak (2400'). Very cool temps at night but warmed up to the upper 70s/low 80s during the day. Beautiful weather, actually. It was very windy all 4 days, which made it feel a bit cool all day. It calmed down enough at night to have a campfire but that was about it. 

We had neighbors come in the 2nd day. A group of 5 or 6 guys that were obviously going to be going to Talladega Motor Speedway for a race the upcoming weekend. They brought enough firewood, food & beer to last a few weeks. They kept a fire going all . day . & . all . night . long. They weren't that obnoxious but did get a little loud as the evenings progressed. You can only imagine why. They probably had to make an extra beer run during their stay. Their ages spanned from about 25 - 60 so their taste in music varied but wasn't bad or very loud.

Before we left, we had been watching what direction hurricane Ian was headed. It looked like it was going to hit S FL & skirt the coast of Jax but we still wanted to keep up with what it was doing. But, we had NO local TV or cell service at the campsite. We had to drive down to the park office (about 1.5 miles) to check emails or make calls to see if everyone was ok from the hurricane. Everything & everyone was safe which eased our anxiety.

Here are a couple of pics of the campsite:

Notice the new addition:

We had burned a lot of fuel on the way there & was down to a 1/4 tank. Our custom is to ride around the area but didn't feel comfortable doing that w/o a full tank. So, we drove into Oxford (20 mi) to refuel & drove the area for some pretty scenery. We also took one small hike (1.5m) to Bald Rock lookout. My small camera ran out of memory so no pics but it was a beautiful view. We just weren't up to hiking & exploring as much w/o Nell.

We went to the lookout tower & walked the stairs to the top. No pics from there since the windows were grainy.

Statue of CCC worker

The last night we drove down to the Vista Cliffside (used to be a restaurant but only open for special events now) to watch the beautiful sunset.

So did a lot of other people. Some were from the CG, others from the hotel on site & others there for day use.

We missed Nelly terribly but both of us agreed that this wouldn't have been one of her favorite campsites. We did meet a very nice couple from Clearwater, FL (Don & Kim) with 2 very sweet pups - Lady & Bruno, both rescues.

Meeting pups kind of became the theme of this trip.....