Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi - Gulfport, Mississippi (December 2025)

We were convinced that the electrical problem we diagnosed while camping in Pensacola wasn't going to fix itself. The best course of action for us was to take Rosie, our Airstream trailer, to Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi in Gulfport and let them figure it out. 

We hitched-up the night before so that we could get an early start to Foley RV. We were able to leave Battleship Row and start our trip to Mississippi before sunrise. Our goal was to arrive at Foley RV around 9 a.m. We knew we could eat breakfast at the restaurant next door while Rosie was being worked on. 

Foley RV in Gulfport, Mississippi

We arrived at Foley RV before 9 a.m. and they immediately started working on Rosie. We walked next door for breakfast. I had it in my head that the battery converter was questionable. As we sat in the restaurant enjoying our breakfast, we saw Ron, the manager of Foley RV, walking across the parking lot headed to us. 

It is never a good sign with the dealership manager hunts you down while your Airstream is in for service. Yes, Ron was looking for us and yes, he knew what the primary problems was. Rosie's AGM batteries were toast. 

Airstream suggests replacing those batteries every three to four years. Rosie's batteries were five years old, so i felt we had a bonus year with our batteries. 

Foley RV had the batteries in stock and Rosie was ready around 11 a.m. We were able to start for home.

Unloading Rosie as the sun sets

We arrived home with less than an hour of daylight remaining in the day and quickly emptied Rosie before driving to the storage lot. We had to park Rosie in the dark and had to go back the next day to winterize for the coming cold weather. 

We have to say that our abbreviated camping season was a success and we have already started making plans for next year. 

Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Battleship Row, Pensacola, Florida (November 2025)

We wanted to squeeze one more camping trip in before having to winterize Rosie, our Airstream trailer. Once again, Becky wanted to head south to the Gulf coast. 

We first tried to get reservations in Big Lagoon State Park and were surprised to learn their campground closed nearly a year ago for renovations. We camped there after Hurricane Sally hit in 2020. Both the park and the campground suffered major damage from that storm. We are glad the State of Florida is working to improve the park.

I called a military FamCamp in Pensacola next. We were able to reserve two weeks on Battleship Row at the Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area. We always enjoy being at this campground.

In the past, we had to search for an open site once we arrived at the park. This time was different in that we were assigned a site when we arrived. I asked the person who assigned our site how the new system was working. She said it was fifty-fifty between those who disliked it and those who really disliked it.

Road sign for the Blue Angels Naval Recreation Area

Sign directing visitors to Battleship Row or Anchor Cove 

Battleship Row

Rosie in our site on Battleship Row

We watched several RVs back into their assigned spaces that appeared to be too small for their oversized rigs. One across from Rosie missed hitting a light post by what appeared to be a few inches. The new assigned parking system seems to be giving arriving campers something to talk about. 

Mobile (Alabama) was 90 minutes away from Battleship Row. That allowed us to travel there for our grandson’s birthday and for Thanksgiving. The FamCamp sponsored a “pot luck” Thanksgiving meal for the campers in the park, which we heard was great.

Thanksgiving with our grandson

Traveling through the I-10 Mobile Bay Tunnel while heading back to Pensacola

Many campsites in the park were decorated for Thanksgiving with lights and blow-up turkeys. That quickly changed over to Christmas decorations, lights and Santas the day after Thanksgiving.

Turkey decorations for Thanksgiving

We made it to Big Lagoon State Park to talk to a Ranger about their campground renovations. I was disappointed to learn they were not adding sewer connections to their campsites. The changes were focused on upgrades to the electrical and water systems.

Selfie from the tower at Big Lagoon State Park

Boardwalk at Big Lagoon State Park

We ate breakfast at Johnson Beach two mornings while camping in Pensacola. Johnson Beach is part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. We enjoyed walking on the beach.

Enjoying the view at Johnson Beach as we ate breakfast there

The temperatures dropped below freezing two nights while we were there. The heat pumps kept Rosie very cozy inside. 

Cold weather camping in Rosie

We noticed an abnormal number of "boat ramps" in this U.S. Navy FamCamp. I asked the camp host if this had been used to train pilots for boat planes. The camp host confirmed that most Navy flying boat pilots during World War II received their flight training here. He added that John Wayne starred in a movie filmed at that base called "The Wings of Eagles." I was able to find the trailer for that movie and was surprised at the number of buildings that used to be in what is now the campground. 

The large concrete pad with airplane tie-downs in front or Battleship Row

One of the many "boat launches: in this campground

We did notice a potential electrical problem one cold night. Rosie's batteries were down to a 30 percent charge. Normally, I look for a Navy Chief when facing a problem with our Airstream while in a military FamCamp. Past experience has shown that they can diagnose and fix anything. I could not find a Navy Chief, but a retired Navy pilot was about four spaces from us and he was willing to help. He also had an Airstream trailer and loved talking about how he did most maintenance on his trailer. 

Suzy ignoring the sign

Suzy in the playground area

We were able to determine that we had a "real" electrical problem with Rosie's batteries and that we couldn't ignore it. We called Foley RV in Gulfport, Mississippi and they said they would be able to work on Rosie the next morning. 

We left about 6:30 the next morning headed to Foley RV. We hoped their service department could fix Rosie before noon. 

This was our fourth camping trip of the year since getting the "go ahead" from my physicians after the bike accident. It was wonderful to be out camping again. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were two campgrounds (Battleship Row and Anchor Cove) and multiple loops in each campground
• Our site was a back in
• Our site had shade
• Most sites had some space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt with a concrete pad. We needed to use leveling tools to correct a side-to-side lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The trash dumpsters were near the two laundry buildings in both campgrounds 
• There was a bathhouse in the campground 
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 1 bar of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Antenna-TV, Bounce, Charge, Comet, Court-TV, Cozi, Dabl, Grit, ION, LAFF, ME-TV, Outlaw and Rewind
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi - Gulfport, Mississippi (October 2025)

Rosie, the name we call our Airstream trailer, sat idle for 15 long months while I recovered from a mountain of medical woes. As expected, we compiled a list of "maintenance problems" during our first camping trips. We were pleasantly surprised that our "problem list" was short. 

We could not ignore one of the problems. A small amount of water was leaking in through the front window. It appeared we didn’t have a major problem with this leak because we had more than an inch of rain while camping near Mobile and Rosie was dry inside, but we knew the leak would only get worse over time. 

Foley RV / Airstream of Mississippi

We decided to close our second Rosie adventure of the year by visiting Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi for some service from the dealer who sold us our Airstream.

We knew we had to leave the Mobile area early on our service appointment day. Complicating the travel time was the tunnel under Mobile Bay. That tunnel has a reputation of being very slow weekday mornings. 

We completely hooked-up Rosie to our truck the night before and had to take down only the electric just before pulling out. Our planning paid off as we made it through the tunnel before the traffic slowed down to a crawl during the normal morning drive time. 

We were able to travel the 75 miles and arrived at Foley RV just as they were opening for the day. After giving the service technician our problem list, we headed to the fast food restaurant next door for our breakfast. 

Breakfast time!

When we walked back to Foley RV's Service Department, the technician had a list of the problems he found with Rosie. There were three areas around the front window that caused a "slow leak." All of the repairs could be completed by noon, but we needed to stay overnight to make sure the fresh window seals set properly.

While the technician worked on Rosie, we looked at the new Airstream trailers and the Basecamps. Fortunately, we didn't find a new trailer that we liked more than Rosie. 

The technician working on Rosie's AC units

Then it was closing time at Foley RV. There are three full hook-ups spots behind the service bays that customers can use while their Airstreams are being serviced. All three camping sites have a pronounced left-to-right lean, which would be unacceptable at a campground. We would have to live with the lean for a night while Foley RV repaired Rosie.

We were locked in their lot and given emergency contact numbers, which we did not need. The traffic and train noises died down around 9 p.m. Suzy, our Yorkie, didn't seemed confused by all of the other Airstream trailers. She always returned to Rosie's door when we took her out for a walk. 

Rosie in the service area's complimentary overnight parking

It was surprisingly cool the next morning. We turned on the heat pumps to make sure they worked. The technician was there by 8 a.m. and tested the new seals. A new problem was discovered and quickly fixed. We were ready to leave for home by midmorning. 

Meaher State Park - Mobile, Alabama (October 2025)

We were surprised when we arrived at Meaher State Park. Three years ago, we noticed the gate was too close to the road. That meant your trailer was still on the road while opening the park's gate.

This time the gate was moved farther inside the park. The result was that even "big rigs" could safely enter. 

That wasn't the only thing that was different this time. The number of campsites appeared to have doubled since we were there last time. 

Rosie among friends at Meaher State Park

The new camping loop looked like a parking lot. Any trees in that area were cut down to make the campsites. On the positive side, the paved sites in the new section were generously wide. Also, the bathhouse in the new area was very nice. 

New section of the campground

One of the disadvantages of the new section was road noise. Perhaps the noise will be less when the trees grow back. The park has plans to plant 150 trees in that area.

Meaher's is a relatively small state park and does not appear to be a destination type park unless your goal is to spend the day fishing. We noticed there were a handful of people constantly fishing from the pier or boardwalk areas. 

Fishing pier at sunset

The primary reason we wanted to camp in Meaher State Park was to watch our grandson play baseball on his “kid-pitch travel ball" team. Needless to say, we were very proud watching him bat, pitch and pick-off a base runner on second base trying to steal third.

Our grandson about to hit a double 

 

Our daily visitor on the boardwalk trail 

Look carefully and see the horned owl in this tree 

We saw several alligators in the water while on our walks. They ranged in size from three feet to probably eight feet or larger.

We saw several rabbits while on our walks. They seemed to be used to people because they did not run away as we continued our walks and came very close to them. 

We were surprised to see a horned owl in a tree. Of course, we saw the normal birds found along the water.

We may have set a record for the number of Airstream trailers in the park during our visit.  We saw seven Airstreams including an Atlas and two Interstates. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were multiple loops in the campground
• Our site was a back in
• Our site had some shade
• Most sites had some space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt and we needed to use leveling tools to correct a side-to-side lean in Rosie
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The trash dumpster was in the middle of the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse in the campground 
• The park provided WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 3 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Antenna-TV, Comet, Charge!, ION, Grit, ME-TV, Rewind, Roar and Story
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Rosie at Meaher State Park

Selfie with our son and his family

Rosie at sunset

Eating out at a Cajun restaurant

Sign at the start of the fishing pier. 

Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Destin, Florida (September 2025)

Our first camping trip since the "bike accident" was a success. We decided we needed to go out again in Rosie, our Airstream trailer.

Becky wanted to see if we could get reservations in a campground along the Florida or Alabama Gulf Coast. Experienced campers know it is always difficult getting reservations in a prime park in that location. Starting the search less than two weeks before wanting to arrive is just about impossible to end successfully.

I had low expectations when I called Destin's Army Infantry Recreation Center. I was surprised when they said they had a "premium" site available for two weeks. Of course, I quickly grabbed that site. More than likely someone cancelled his or her reservations just before I called.

Welcome to Destin

We classify Destin as a top-tier military FamCamp. It is along the Bay in Destin and has the campground along with a hotel and cottages for guests. They also have a great swimming pool and splash pad setup for the children. The fishing pier in this park is well maintained and we enjoy walking out on it. This is a great park and it has some spectacular views of sunsets.

Entrance to the Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground

We had a unique experience with our truck while we pulled Rosie to Destin. Our truck is equipped with the technology allowing it to drive itself. It is better at catching speed limit signs than me. Often times, I'm just another passenger in the truck. 

As we were approaching Fort Walton, I noticed that we were going very fast. We were at 75 mph and accelerating. 

It was easy to figure out what went wrong. The truck misread the sign for Florida Highway 85 as the speed limit and was dutifully trying to reach 85 mph while pulling Rosie when I took over the driving responsibilities from the truck. That was the first time the truck misread a highway sign for a speed limit.

Sites are assigned when you arrive at this FamCamp. By the luck of the draw, we were assigned a site on one of the campground’s curves. That made it easy for us to park Rosie.

Walking around the hotel section of the campground

Walking Suzy in a park near Watercolor, Florida

There was a new gadget in the office area. It was a coffee machine. We enjoyed getting a cup of coffee every morning.

A pirate ship sails past the campground 

Plants in the park 

We were not the only ones enjoying the sunset

We celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary while at this FamCamp. We went out for an authentic Gulf seafood dinner.

Enjoying lunch on our anniversary

A couple we talked to one evening during sunset recommended the Gulfarium, a marine life aquarium and show in Destin. We both enjoyed the exhibits and shows.

Enjoying the show at the Gulf Aquarium

There was a bumper crop of sandspurs in the campground area this time. We had to carefully check Suzy every time we took her out for a walk.

We always enjoyed riding our bikes at this campground on previous visits there. Since the bike accident, our bikes are staying at home. We discovered that we also enjoyed taking walks. Our watches told us we walked more than five miles a couple of days.

We constantly looked for dolphins in the bay or at the beach while at this FamCamp. We saw dolphins on our last day in the bay near the pier.

Rosie in the Destin Army FamCamp

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• We found one loop in this campground
• Our site was a back in
• Our site did not have any shade
• Typical of most FamCamps, most sites had very little space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt and concrete
• Our site was level and we didn’t need use any leveling tools
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• The trash dumpster was at the entrance of the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. It was very clean 
• There was a laundry room in this campground 
• The park provide WiFi service. 
• AT&T provided 2 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna
• The FamCamp provided a cable TV connection with more than 80 channels we didn’t want to watch
• The park has a swimming pool and a splash pad for children. The splash pad was closed for repairs 
• This was a military FamCamp. You must have a military ID or a VA Health ID that states you have a service-connected disability to camp in this park
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Enjoying the beach

Another sunset at Destin

Solo pelican flyby 

R. Shaefer Heard COE Campground - West Point, Georgia (September 2025)

What happened? Why has it been 15 months since our last Rosie adventure? (Our Airstream trailer answers to the name Rosie.)

There was a clue in one of our last postings from more than a year ago. I briefly mentioned a bicycle accident at a campground last June. I wasn’t aware of how that statement would affect our camping plans for the remainder of the year. 

Yes, I injured my back in that bike accident. It turned out to be a compression fracture in my spine and it was very painful. That accident abruptly ended our camping season and we had to cancel our camping reservations in four different campgrounds so that I could have back surgery. 

While in the process of those medical treatments, my physician found a few more medical “surprises.” My fragile physical and emotional mental states were introduced to the “C” word. If there is a positive spin to this, the cancer was found early and the treatments  have been successful. There were other medical issues and we are dealing with them. 

Rosie, our Airstream trailer, in storage for more than a year

Then there is Rosie. Rosie sat idle for more than a year while I was being treated by an army of doctors. We knew that health reasons kept us home during prime camping season, but we were not prepared for how much we missed our Rosie adventures. We were not ready to give up camping in our Airstream trailer. 

After several encouraging medical appointments, we started looking at the calendar to see if we could squeeze in a potential Rosie trip. Our target date was after Labor Day because we knew the number of families camping would dip then.  To be practical, we wanted to find a campsite no more than 100 miles away. That way we could be home in a flash if I had a problem. 

There were several campground candidates, but we were able to reserve 10 days in R. Shaefer Heard Corp of Engineers Campground near LaGrange, Georgia. We camped in this park several times before and always enjoyed being there. 

The sign at R. Shaefer Heard COE Campground

We noticed a problem while loading Rosie. We filled the fresh water tank and turned on the pump to make sure it worked. Becky noticed that the shower head was leaking water even when it was off. 

From past experience, I knew the shower water cartridge needed to be replaced. I had to go to three stores before I found the correct cartridge and that put us behind schedule. We decided to replace the cartridge at the campground. 

Rosie in our site at R Shaefer Heard COE Campground

We found our site and setup before sunset. Yes, it was great to be back camping in Rosie. 

We always enjoyed riding our bikes in this and most campgrounds we visited. After my accident last year, the bikes were left home. We still enjoyed walking around this campground. In fact, I think we wore our dog out taking so many walks. 

We decided to work on replacing the shower cartridge our first day in the park. We quickly realized we were in over our heads and drove up to talk to the camp hosts. They recommended a couple of Mobile RV Repair people, but both were on vacation and couldn’t help. We finally found a service that could help us in three days, but he wanted $300 just to show up. Repairs were in addition to that fee. 

Changing Rosie's shower cartridge

We decided to tackle the shower problem again and were able to successfully fix it. I think the camp host was surprised and impressed that we did it. By the way, the camp hosts were very friendly and helpful during our time there. 

We did have a unique problem while camping at R Shaefer Heard COE Campground. Wasps were very insistent on building nests by one window and in the ball-hitch receiver area of Rosie. I don’t think any of our neighbors had that problem. We now carry wasp spray along with ant insecticide. 

Rosie's site in R Shaefer Heard COE Campground

We have to rate this adventure as a success. The ten days flew by and we started talking about going out again in a few weeks. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were multiple loops in the campground
• Our site was a back in. It had a moderate access slope, but the parking pad for Rosie was level 
• Our site had shade
• Most sites had some space on both sides
• Our site was paved with asphalt and the actual RV pad was concrete. Out site was level and we did not need to use any leveling tools
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service. The entire campground lost power for two hours one day
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site did not have a sewer connection 
• There was a dump station in this park 
• There were several trash dumpsters in this campground. The one closest to our site was a long walk away
• There were multiple heated bathhouses in the campground 
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 3 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch CBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were ION, Laff and an all crime channel we were not paranoid enough to watch. 
• There were restaurants and shopping within 10 miles of the campground 
• This was a pet friendly park 

Just prior to sunset

Suzy posing for this photo

A family of deer visited our site daily

Rosie from the bathhouse path

Suzy on a walk

Sunset

Cypress tree with knees

Becky's watercolor interpretation of Cypress tree with knees

Sitting at the picnic table outside Rosie

Sunset at the campground

Breakfast at a nearby restaurant

Sunset

Another sunset