White Oak Creek COE Campground - Eufaula, Alabama (March 2021)

It’s funny how you get out of the habit of loading up your camper after parking for the winter. Unique to this year, the “COVID Safer at Home” time compounded our apprehension. We felt like “newbies” trying to remember the must-haves for o this camping trip. 

As we hitched-up Rosie, our Airstream trailer, for our new adventure, we were confident we had everything we needed packed away inside the trailer. We quickly discovered we left something at home and would have to drive back the next day to get the missing item. More about that later!

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we wanted to camp in parks with large sites and we didn't want to be too far away from home in case we needed to quickly return there. Core of Engineer Parks were perfect because their fees are reasonable, they are usually along a lake or river and their individual sites are normally larger than what you find in a privately owned campground. 

There are about half-a-dozen COE campgrounds near our home, so we started looking for reservations for a one week stay. One-by-one, parks were eliminated because they were booked up. We were able to find a week available at White Oak Creek COE Campground. If that sounds familiar, it was where we camped only five months earlier.

Sign at White Oak Creek COE Campground

Only one camping loop was open when we camped there in October. All of the loops were open this time and the campground was close to being full. It appeared that we were not the only people wanting to get back to camping and the large sites found in most COE parks were appreciated by us.

This campground is along the shore of Lake George in Alabama. Lake George is somewhat confusing to the "locals" as they call it Lake Eufaula. We noticed that the water level in Lake Whatever was significantly higher this time. 

View from our site

Rosie in our site

We also noticed what appeared to be multiple family gatherings in the park. We were curious about a family gathering of about four trailers in our loop. They had a full-sized ping-pong table that was well used by the group. This was the first time I have seen a ping-pong table brought to a campground.

We knew from our previous camping trip to not expect too much TV service from Rosie's antenna. PBS was watchable about 50 percent of the time and a CBS station was watchable only about 20 percent of the time. Just as the last time we camped in this park, we brought a DVR loaded with TV shows and movies we wanted to watch. The problem was that I left the power cord home. 

A visitor to our site

Another visitor

Suzy looking out Rosie's window

My first reaction was to suffer the consequences of leaving the power cord home to remind me to always check for it in the future. That was before our "Informed Delivery" app told us an important document was being delivered to our home and it required quick action. That meant I was going to drive the 90 minutes home to deal with that mail. It also gave me an opportunity to get the power cord and a few other things we might need while camping.

It turned out to be a good thing I was able to pick up a few overlooked items because it rained several days and turned colder while we were in this park.  Back in our tent-camping days, a cold rain was a sure-fire camping ender. Our move to camping in a trailer meant we were able to enjoy the park while staying warm and dry inside.

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were four loops in the campground. 
• Most of the sites in this campground were on the water. It appeared that sites not on the water had water views. 
• Some loops have more shade trees than others.
• Our site was paved with concrete and was level. It appeared to us that the sites in the other loops were also paved with concrete
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site did not have a sewer connection 
• There were two dump stations in this park. Both were a distance from the camp sites and you ended up having to drive there to dump your sewage tote
• The trash dumpsters were at the dump stations. That meant it was too far to walk there with your trash
• There were multiple bathhouses in the campground. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on the condition of the bathhouse near our camper.
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided decent 4G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to occasionally watch PBS and a CBS affiliate using Rosie’s TV antenna. The PBS station came in mostly mornings and evenings. Reception of the CBS station was random, but mostly unwatchable. We were glad we brought our DVR with episodes of TV shows and movies we wanted to watch
• The campground was near Eufaula, Alabama. That meant there were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

We did not see any problems with ants this time. We came prepared with ant powder, but noticed the campers around us were not in what we call "RV Ant Mode." Several camping neighbors said they had not noticed any bug problems in the campground.

Full "Ant Mode" with all utilities off the ground

This trip was during what we call pollen season in the South. We were thankful that the rain storms washed the pollen off Rosie and our truck.

Getting ready to launch the kayak

Suzy enjoying the kayak on the lake

Another relaxing trip using the kayak

Rosie in our site

We understood the elves baked cookies in this tree!

Rosie as seen from the lake

There are hills in this campground that add a challenge to your bike rides

An original watercolor painted by Becky of flowers
seen in this park on a rainy day. (This was painted from
photos of the flowers and they were not picked for this painting.)

Meadow Event Park - Doswell, Virginia (July 2019)

We finally arrived with Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, at the staging area for the WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International, the Airstream Owner’s Association) International Rally in Doswell, Virginia. We arrived a few minutes before 9 a.m. so that we could enter the park as prearranged with our group.

The question was where was the group?  The staging area was empty because the volunteers were parking Airstreams as fast as they arrived. We told the parkers that we wanted to be parked with the unit we planned to arrive with and they said they would take us to that area. 

Waiting in the Staging Area before being parked

That was a good thing because our unit friends somehow were parked in a premium location. We were farther away from the meeting areas than at past International Rallies, but we had great utilities.

Rosie parked in Doswell

We couldn’t have been set up more than 10 minutes before we started seeing people we knew from our previous caravans. One of the things we love about WBCCI caravans is how we make friends with others sharing that journey. 

It is always amazing to see a sea of 700 Airstream trailers in one campground. I imagine that local people driving by the park couldn’t help but notice all of the shiny aluminum Airstreams in the park. 

Some of the Airstream trailers in Doswell

The Doswell International Rally was different than the ones we attended in the past in that most of the excursions this time included a two hour bus ride to get there. That didn’t tempt us to sign up for any tours. 

Another anomaly with Doswell as an International Rally was that it only had a couple of restaurants and the arrival of hundreds and hundreds of Airstream trailers completely overwhelmed them. We did find a nice restaurant about 15 minutes down the Interstate and enjoyed our multiple visits there. 

You always learn useful information at International. The programs we attended were helpful to us. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was grass and that was much better than parking in the heat on asphalt 
• Our site could be best described as a back-in. It is hard to tell when you are being parked in a field 
• Our site had both 30 and 50 amp electrical service. Most sites at this campground had a “shared” 50 amp service. That meant most campers could only depend on 25 amp power
• Our site had a dedicated water feed. Most sites at this campground had shared water connections
• Our site had a sewer connection. Most sites did not have sewer connections
• The restrooms and showers were few and far between. The temperatures inside them easily exceeded 100 degrees and they were not stocked nor maintained. 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS and NBC using Rosie’s TV antenna. We were also able to see digital channels Antenna, Bounce, CHARGE, COMET, Escape, Grit, ION, LAFF, ME-TV, and MY-TV
• AT&T placed 3bars of 4G service over our site
• The campground had very overwhelmed WiFi service available in select buildings 
• There were many roads in the park that were bicycle friendly 

The heat was a big issue while in Doswell. Temperatures exceeded 100 for nearly a week. We were relieved that Rosie’s air conditioner preformed well during the heat wave. 

The temperatures returned to normal the second week and it was great to see people riding their bikes and out walking during the day. We have noticed that everyone is friendly to each other at the WBCCI International Rallies. 

The claim to fame at Doswell’s Meadow Event Park was that Triple Crown winner race horse Secretariat was born there. Multiple reminders were around the park of its past significance in breeding race horses.

I'm sure they won't mind if we take the horse out for a spin around the park! (OK, it’s a horse mural!)

Catching the shuttle to move around in the park

They say that Virginia is for lovers . . . 

Lilly pads

Rosie's flags in the breeze

Suzy about to enjoy the show

Becky's original watercolor painting entered in the art show

This was labeled as the world's second largest horseshoe

Grumpy Bear RV Park and Campground- Bryson City, North Carolina (May 2019)

The drive from Blue Ridge, Georgia to Bryson City was very nostalgic to me. We traveled on two-lane mountain roads with swift moving streams following along the sides of the highway. I could not help but think of the many times during my childhood my parents traveled similar roads while on our family vacations. 

The warm memories of happy times from my childhood had me in a great mood to start the WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International) Taste of the Blue Ridge Caravan. This caravan will travel the entire length of the Blue Ridge Parkway for the next four weeks. 

The sign at Grumpy Bear

Our first campground was Grumpy Bear Campground and RV Park in Bryson City, North Carolina. This campground was about 15 miles from the southern entrance to the Blue Ridge Parkway. 

To answer a potential question, we didn’t see any bears while camping at Grumpy Bear. I doubt that a bear would be grumpy here because this campground was along the shore of the Tuckasegee River. The sound of rushing water flowing behind Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, was very pleasant. So how could a bear be grumpy here?

Rosie and a few Airstream Friends

There was a strawberry festival going on over the weekend across the street from the park. We ate more than our fair share of strawberries while at this campground. 

Barn at the strawberry farm across from Grumpy Bear Campground 

Strawberries!

Becky came down with a cold so she skipped the whitewater rafting trip down the Nantahala. Breaking a long family tradition, Steve didn’t fall out of the boat and into the water while going through the rapids. 

Steve survives the whitewater raft trip

Here are some specifics about this park:

• Our site was gravel 
• We needed to use leveling tools on our site
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp power service
• Our site had water service 
• Our site had sewer service 
• The park's restrooms and showers were clean and up-to-date
• The park had two washers and dryers in the laundry area
• We were able to watch NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. We were also able to receive Antenna and ME-TV digital channels 
• AT&T placed two bars of 4G service over our site good for both voice and data 
• This was a pet friendly park

By the way, the campground owners were very friendly and helpful during our stay. They went above the call of duty to make sure everything was good while we were there. 

Becky bought this beaded belt created by the Cherokee Indian shown in this photo 

A Cherokee Indian creates pottery

Original stketchbook watercolor art created by Becky of the barn at the strawberry farm

Original stketchbook watercolor art created by Becky of the view behind Rosie

Ludington State Park - Michigan

Ludington was our first time visiting a Michigan State Park. The entrance was our first clue that this park was different from any other state park we had visited. There were four or five dump stations parallel to each other heading into the park. These had drinking water hoses so that you could top off your fresh water tanks before heading to your campsite. We followed our other camper's leads and filled Rosie's, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, fresh water tanks while draining her grey and black water tanks.

The sign entering the park

Topping off Rosie's fresh water tanks as we enter the park

It was a good thing we took care of Rosie's tank because Ludington's sites are electric only. You need to bring in all the water you intend to use because there are no water connections at each campsite.
We learned from talking to other campers that Michigan isn't the only state offering electric only sites. Several other "northern" states do the same. Maybe it is too hard to protect water spigots from the brutal cold northern winters.

There are multiple camping loops in this park. We reserved a site in the Pines area, which is closest to the shoreline. A 30 foot high dune separated Rosie from Lake Michigan.

The Pines Camping Area

The downside to the Pines loop is that we couldn't see any reliable voice or data service from AT&T. We noticed that the Beachwood camping area had a good 4G signal on our iPhones.

The tradeoff may be TV. We were able to watch TV signals from Green Bay and Milwaukee from the other side of the lake. I don't know if those signals were able to make it inland to the Beachwood and Cedar camping loops.

Looking at Rosie from the dune behind our camping site.

Lake Michigan as seen from the dune behind Rosie

It appeared to me that the Pines camping area had more shade than the others. Of course, that also means more things will fall from the trees onto your camper during rain or wind storms. Yes, it did rain while we were in this park and yes, we heard every acorn that fell onto Rosie.

There are some great biking and hiking trails in this park. One of the popular trails leads to the Big Sable Point Lighthouse. This was a great destination while riding our bikes. We had a flat one day about halfway to the lighthouse. I walked the bike back to Rosie and successfully changed the tire's inner tube.

The path to the lighthouse

The lighthouse

The stairs leading to the top of the lighthouse

Becky on the top platform at Ludington's lighthouse

The view from the top of the lighthouse

We also enjoyed seeing some different types of trees than what we normally see in the south while camping at Ludington State Park. We were probably there no more than three weeks before the fall colors started showing up in the trees.

Here are some specifics about this park:

• Our site had 20 and 30 amp electrical service. Some sites near us had 20 and 50 amp service. You need to check on the power available at a site before reserving it.
• Our site did not have a water connection. You need to bring in a full fresh water tank to your site.
• There are a couple of fresh water taps in each camping loop. These allow campers to refill small water containers.
• Our site did not have a sewer connection. There are dump pads next to most restrooms allowing you to empty your sewage totes.
• We had no service from AT&T at our campsite. We discovered that the other camping loops had better voice and data service.
• Our site was dirt and not level. The soft dirt guaranteed that our leveler would sink into the ground and our unlevel status would only get worse during our stay.
• The left-to-right lean wasn't our only problem. There was a strong front-to-rear slant. This made hitching up our Hensley type hitch an hour-long nightmare instead of our normal five minute deal.
• It rained while we were camping here and that turned our dirt camping pad into a muddy mess.
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX and NBC most of the time. NBC from Green Bay would drift out for a minute or two then fade back in for a while.
• The restrooms and showers were well maintained.
• This was a pet friendly park.

We really enjoyed camping in this park and we look forward to returning there one day.

One of the trails in Ludington State Park

We found Lost Lake

Lost Lake trail

Steve and Suzy in Ludington State Park

A small lighthouse in Ludington, Michigan

In Ludington, Michigan

We found a place serving ice cream in Ludington

Sunset over Lake Michigan

Becky and Suzy in front of the dunes

Art in the park

Pen and Ink drawing by Becky

Becky was able to visit with her cousin in Michigan