Keesler Air Force Base FamCamp (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Biloxi, Mississippi (March 2023)

This was our second time camping in Keesler Air Force Base's FamCamp. The first time we selected this campground because it was close to Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi and we had a service appointment early the next morning. 

Office at Keesler AFB FamCamp

We reserved here once again because it was convenient. Our original plan was to spend the night in Keesler then head to our destination, which was the rendezvous campground in Louisiana for the Airstream Club's Cajun Caravan. Sure, we could have pushed it and made it to Louisiana in a day, but there were advantages to stopping for a night at Keesler's FamCamp. 

When we made this reservation, the first and best reason was that stopping in Biloxi allowed us to spend a few hour in Mobile to watch our grandson play baseball. 

The second reason is well known among RV'ers. Highways I-10 and I-12 are horrible in Louisiana. Several rivets popped and the leg on our main table broke the last time we drove on those roads. We could not come up with an alternative route, so we decided to take our time and to keep our speed to no more than 55 mph. Stopping for the night in Biloxi meant we could take it easy the next day heading to join the Cajun Caravan. We didn’t need any additional reasons to stop at Keesler for the night. 

Of course, our priorities changed when we discovered we had a problem with Rosie’s hot water heater. (Rosie is what we call our Airstream trailer.) We were able to add an additional day to our Keesler reservation so that we could arrive at Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi early Monday morning. Once again, our reason for stopping at this campground was to arrive early Monday morning for a service appointment at Foley RV. 

We arrived at Keesler after the office closed for the day. That meant the camp host checked us in and guided us to our site. We appreciated his professionalism and willingness to help extend our reservation for an additional day. 

Rosie in Keesler AFB FamCamp

Our site was intimidating in that there were two trees on either side of the site’s access. To make things more difficult, the rig across the street was too big for that site and spilled over onto the road. 

After several failed attempts to back into our site, a fellow camper walked over and suggested that we go around the campground and enter the site by driving over the grass behind our site. Then he added that most people assigned our site give up trying to back in and park by driving over the grass. We did and it was easy to park Rosie. 

As we we’re setting up Rosie, we noticed an Airstream trailer parked several sites away. It appeared suspiciously as if the people in that trailer were also heading to an Airstream caravan. 

It turns out that we were correct. They were heading to a caravan in Louisiana, but not the one we were heading to. 

We noticed the sounds of several trains that passed near the campground. The train was far enough away that the soft sounds in the distance were pleasant to hear. 

It turned out that Keesler was a good choice for our stop near Foley RV. We were able to arrive at Foley RV a little after 8 a.m. on Monday and they were able to fix our problem. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were multiple loops in the campground
• Our site was a back in
• Most sites could be classified as "full sun" as trees were few and far apart
• 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 Airstream trailer. 
• 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 at the entrance of the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse in the campground 
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 2 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, CW, FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Antenna-TV, Bounce, Circle, Court-TV, ION, LAFF and ME-TV
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Boon-Docking in Mobile, Alabama - Visiting Family (March 2023)

We were starting a new “camping season” and discovered a problem with Rosie, our Airstream trailer, while in our first campground. The water heater wasn’t working. 

We called the technical support teams at the Airstream factory and our dealer. They quickly diagnosed the issue. We were relieved when our dealer, Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi, told us to be there around 8:00 Monday morning and they would take care of us. 

RV'ers know that you always need to plan for unplanned things. Our original plan was to travel from Destin to Keesler Air Force Base for a night then to the first campground on the Airstream Club's Cajun Caravan arriving on Monday. Plan B meant we needed to be in Gulfport, Mississippi on Monday. We needed to stay an extra day at Keesler. 

I-10 Tunnel near Mobile, Ala.

Instead of being a problem, we saw this as an opportunity to driveway camp at our son's house, watch our grandson's team play baseball and celebrate our daughter-in-law’s birthday a little early. 

Driveway camping in Mobile, Ala

This was the second time we ended up camping in their driveway after an unplanned change in our carefully planned camping trips. 

Our daughter-in-law’s birthday celebration came up first. There is an amazing seafood restaurant in Bayou La Batre that we enjoy. The food was amazing and we enjoyed her birthday celebration. 

Enjoying ice cream in Bayou La Batre

We went to our grandson’s T-Ball game the next day. We were impressed by his progress from his first year playing the sport. 

Slugger at bat!

We didn’t unhitch Rosie because we knew we would need to quickly leave after the game to get to Keesler AFB during daylight. We were glad that our Plan B allowed us to driveway camp in Mobile and visit our son’s family while there. 

Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground (U.S. Military FamCamp) - Destin, Florida (March 2023)

If we didn’t know that it was Spring Break, we had a big reminder as we headed to the campground. Traffic crawled on the roads around the beach areas. While Destin is not a primary destination for Spring Breakers, enough people were there to create traffic problems. 

We arrived at the Destin Army Infantry Recreation Campground a little after noon. The person at the check-in desk told us that their arrival time was 2 p.m. and we would have to exit the park if our site was not open yet. This was because the campground did not have an overflow area.

Sign at the campground at night

Our anxieties were relieved as we drove around the campground and saw that our site was empty and waiting for us. 

Rosie in the campground

We knew from camping here last year that camping sites are narrow and it takes a higher level of parking skills to successfully park in our site. Becky expertly maneuvered Rosie, our Airstream trailer, into our site.  

It didn’t take long to set up Rosie and we were off on our first of many bicycle rides around the area. The campground was not on a busy highway and was surrounded by private homes which helped make bike riding enjoyable. 

There were two sections in this recreational area. The area closest to the Bay was cottages and something similar to motel rooms. The campground was located behind these rooms. There was a swimming pool and a children's splash pad next to the bay. There was a marina in the park where you could rent jet skis and boats to explore the Bay. 

Swimming pool area

The only reminders of Spring Break were when we went to the Gulf beach area. It was very crowded over the weekend, but tolerable during the week. We also noticed that the people at the beach tended to be families and not the college age crowd. 

One of the more popular events in the campground was watching sunsets along the bay. The adirondack chairs along the Bay were full of people enjoying the spectacular views. 

Sunset in the park

The pier at sunset

A tradition we noticed last year in this park was the 3 p.m. gatherings. A group of men gathered outside one R.V. for what they called the Commander’s Call. That is military jargon for a meeting called for the top leaders on a base with the purpose of solving problems. 

The women met at another RV.  They said their job was to identify the problems the men needed to solve. 

The problem the men haven’t solved yet is getting reservations in this campground. As with most popular campgrounds, it takes persistence and patience to successfully reserve a site. 

We had a first while camping here. The park held a fire drill! That was mostly for the cottages and motel rooms on this property. Still, it was interesting to see all the signs about the drill posted throughout the area. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There was only one loop in this campground
• Our site was a back in
• Most sites could be classified as "full sun" as trees were few and far apart
• Sites were best described as “tight.” We found it a challenge to squeeze our truck next to Rosie at our site
• Our site was paved with concrete.  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 dumpsters were at the entrance of the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. It was clean and maintained while we were there 
• The park provided WiFi service.  We measured download speeds of 4 mb. 
• AT&T provided 2 bars of 5G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch CBS, CW, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Circle, Comet, Get, Grit, ME-TV and Stadium
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Selfie at night along the Bay