St. Joseph Peninsula State Park - Florida

This park has been one of our "must stay" destinations for the past ten years. But things were different this time around. Instead of staying in a tent, we were making our inaugural visit there with Rosie, our 25' Airstream trailer.

The road leading into this state park.

Without question, this visit was different in that we were not sleeping on the ground and we didn't have to abandon the park midday to escape the afternoon heat.

There are two campgrounds in this park. The first is the Gulf Breeze park and it appears to cater to RVs. While there is some shade, many of the sites sacrifice shade for being closer to the Gulf of Mexico.

The other campground is called  Shady Pines. As advertised, this area has more shade and more tent campers.

As a sign that it is hard to break old habits, we reserved a spot in the Shady Pines area for our recent visit.

Our campsite in the Shady Pines campground

Camping sites in both area offer electricity and water hookups. There is a single dump station serving both campgrounds, so you may need to plan departure time around when you can access the dump station without having to wait your turn behind a bunch of other campers wanting to leave the park.

As expected, the main attraction at St. Joseph Peninsula State Park is the beach. It is easy at this park to see why many people say the Gulf Coast features many of the best beaches in the world.

The beach at St. Joe State Park

The warm waters of the Gulf plus the clean white sands are enough to draw us back to this park year after year.

The boardwalk at Port St. Joe's State Park

Another draw is the wetlands area. There is a boardwalk connecting the two campgrounds. People who enjoy bird watching or observing a natural wetland area love this walk way.

Since this is a peninsular, you have the Gulf on one side of the park and the bay on the other. You frequently find pelicans sunning near the boat launch. We see an alligator in this area approximately every other year. (We saw him last year, but not this time.)

Pelicans at the boat launch on the bay side of St. Joe State Park

Some specifics about this park:

• Most sites have 30 amp power service
• Two bath houses and restrooms are located in both campgrounds (Gulf Breeze has the newest restrooms)
• Pets are allowed in the campgrounds
• They say RVs up to 40' can be accommodated at this park. Larger RVs may find this to be a tight fit. (We were able to reserve a site that give us plenty of room for our 25 foot Airstream)
• Expect to pay around $25/night for your campsite through ReserveAmerica.com
• Some sites are better than others in that some appear to other campers to be a shortcut to the restroom. Outer loop campsites tend to avoid this problem.

Shady Pines campground at St Joe State Park

We had spotty service from AT&T on our iPhones. We were able to find a "hot spot" about four miles outside of the park allowing us to load "The Daily" on our iPads.

TV service from Dothan, Ala. and Panama City, Fla. was reasonable. At one point, we saw a TV station from New Orleans slip in. We camped in this park during the NCAA's March Madness and there were a couple of basketball games that required heroic effort in order to keep the signal and watch the games.

Sunset at St. Joe's State Park

Apalachicola, Fla. is about 20 miles to the east and you can find some excellent seafood restaurants there.

Panama City Beach is approximately 40 miles west and that was a welcomed barrier between us and the college spring breakers invading that community while we were in the peaceful Port St. Joe area of Florida.

One final point, there were six other Airstream trailers in this park during our stay. People were asking if we were having a rally, something that many people seem to associate with Airstream trailers.

No, it was coincidence and not a rally. But it was interesting to talk to the other Airstream campers to pick-up some pointers. As we are new to the world of trailers and Airstream campers, we were able to pick up several tips that will make our subsequent trips better.

A Problem with Rosie

“There’s a problem with Rosie.”

The urgency in my wife’s voice on the phone was piercing. We had suspected for a while that Rosie had a problem, but Becky was the first to say it aloud.

This has been a rainy winter in Alabama and we have been going by the storage facility where we keep Rosie when she isn’t on the road and drying her out after the rains. I thought the seal around the storage compartment was letting water seep in and that the window by the table was leaking a little.

After a day-long soaking rain, Becky called me while I was at work and boldly said, “There is a problem with Rosie. There is puddle on the floor and I think I see some mold growing there.”

I drove straight to the storage lot after work that day. Becky was there with towels and buckets of a product that is designed to absorb moisture. I joined her in trying to soak up the unwanted water inside Rosie. I also made a few “adjustments” to the windows and storage doors in hopes that these “tweaks” would magically fix the problem.

We would know in a few hours if I had found the source of the leaks because there was another strong rain predicted that night.

The next day, Becky called to let me know that Rosie was soaked again and that we had a big problem with leaks. We talked about taking Rosie back to Airstream’s factory in Ohio, but the timing was poor. I could not take a few days off work to make the trip back to Airstream's mothership. That was when Becky said that she was going to call Dandy-RV, the dealer we purchased Rosie from, and ask them for help.

When we purchased Rosie, we noticed some water streaks under a window and asked if the trailer had a problem with water leaks. We were told that they would check for leaks and fix them before we pulled the Airstream off their lot.

We were about to find out how good our dealer was when Becky called them to ask about the problem we were suffering through with the leaks.

About an hour later, Becky called and asked if we could take Rosie back to Dandy-RV in a couple of days. My schedule was clear so I said we would go.

Dandy RV in Anniston, Alabama

Dandy-RV’s general manager, said that they stood behind their products and that they would make-good on their promise to fix the leaks when we purchased Rosie three months ago. They would also kill the mold.

A couple of days later, we hitched up Rosie and traveled back to Dandy-RV. The GM said that he was going to assign a specific technician to work with Rosie because this person was tenacious when came to tracking down leaks. Dandy's GM also asked if they could hold Rosie for an extended period of time to insure that they leave her outside during several rain storms, allowing them to verify that they found and stopped the leaks.

Rosie in Dandy-RV's service bay

Four weeks later, Rosie was declared to be healthy enough so that we could take her home. When we went to pick her up, the technican showed us where the leaks were coming from. The biggest culprit was the electrical socket on the outside skin. This is there so that you can plug in a TV or some other electrical device when sitting outside your RV. It seems that the previous owner changed that socket and didn’t re-install the Airstream gasket in the process. Without that gasket, this electrical plug was letting in buckets of water.

The second problem area was the taillights. The seal protecting the wires where they enter the trailer failed and was allowing water to seep in. To be safe, the technician replace the seal around the base of the trailer.

While at Dandy-RV, we asked the service department to repack the axle bearings and to replace some of the halogen lights inside the trailer with LED bulbs. We noted that the halogen lights generated too much heat and you could not reposition the reading lamps once they were switched on.

The lessons learned from this adventure were:

1. You are going to have problems with your RV. No matter how bad the problem appears to be, it is probably something that can be fixed.
2. If you don’t know a lot about RVs when you purchase one, you need to know that your dealer is solid and trust-worthy. This experience confirmed what we suspected—Dandy-RV is tops when it comes to being a dealership. They stood behind the used Airstream they sold us when most dealers would have screamed that used trailers were sold “as is.” They said that they would fix the leaks when we purchased Rosie. Since we continued to have problems with leaks, they invested a lot of time and effort into making that right. We didn’t know it at the time, but we were purchasing our RV from a top-tier dealer and one that we can recommend without reservations to want-to-be camper owners.

Rosie is home. We have changed our storage facility to an indoor one. This will help with winter issues and will keep this hot and aging sun from beating down on Rosie as she waits for our next adventure.

Rosie spends the night at our home

Tickfaw State Park - Louisiana

We didn't know what to expect as we headed to Tickfaw State Park in Louisiana. We selected the park because it was close to Baton Rouge, where our son is currently working on his Ph.D. degree at LSU. If the park turned out to be a dud, we would spend most of our time in Baton Rouge. If the park turned out to be a gem, we would invite our son and his fiancee out to the park.

One of the swamps at Tickfaw State Park

 The main draw for this park is the ecosystem. The park is home to several swampy areas and there are several boardwalks allowing visitors to hike through the swamps without disturbing them.

Hiking on one of the boardwalks at Tickfaw State Park

 In case you are wondering, there are alligators in these swamps.

A "green" swamp at Tickfaw State Park

We had strong 3G coverage from AT&T for our iPhones. That was good because the park did not offer WiFi service. We were able to watch off-air digital TV signals from Baton Rouge plus a couple stations from New Orleans. In other words, we had good coverage for both our Internet and TV needs.

The actual camping area of Tickfaw State park is level and many sites have a wooden deck to the side. The park had electrical and water connections. There was a dump station located near the entrance to the camping area.

Camping area at Tickfaw State Park

 It appeared that many of the campers in the park were locals. There were several family groups and camping friends all around us. That added to the our camping experience. Groups were cooking some great smelling Cajun foods and they always extended an invitation to us to join them. I guess that is one of the fringe benefits of camping in Louisiana.

Jeremy and Elizabeth join us for lunch inside Rosie.

Becky in Rosie's kitchen area

There is an interesting visitors center at this park. You will want to plan on spending an hour or two going through their exhibits.

This is a park worth visiting and exploring.

Buccaneer State Park - Mississippi

Visiting Buccaneer State Park in Mississippi brings your face-to-face with the destruction of Hurricane Katrina. While New Orleans grabbed the headlines, you quickly realize that you are at ground-zero when approaching this park. This is where Katrina's eye came ashore.

Only the foundation remains after Katrina struck this church.

The park's staff will tell you that this park was destroyed during Katrina and there are enough reminders scarring the community to let you know that this park is being completely rebuilt.

You have to put the emphasis on the fact that this park is being rebuilt. They were in Phase Two of their rebuilding campaign during our visit. Phase Three should start next year.

Buccaneer State Park - Mississippi

You have a couple of choices to make when you enter the park. You can either camp directly on the Gulf of Mexico or in a camping area that appears to be more in the woods.

There are a few factors that enter into this decision. The spaces directly on the Gulf are a little more expensive and only include water and electricity. Plus, there isn't a lot of shade on the beach side of this park. Sites in the more traditional campground areas are $11 less per night and feature water, electricity and sewage connections.

While it appeared that most campers in the park elected to have the sewage connection, we felt we needed to be close to the Gulf. After all, how often will you have a view similar to this.

Camping of the Gulf of Mexico at Buccaneer State Park, Miss.

What a view! We were able to sit at the table in Rosie (our Airstream's name) sipping coffee in the mornings while watching the Gulf. This is a campground that should not be skipped over because of the rebuilding process.

Camping less than 50 feet from the Gulf at Buccaneer State Park

The parts of the park rebuilt during phases one or two of the reconstruction programs are first class. The showers and restrooms are new, clean, well-maintained and built up so that you have to climb stairs to access them. (They also feature ramp access to comply with federal laws.) I guess this is an attempt to place these facilities above the floodplain, in case another devastating hurricane strikes the park. Of course, the best plan is to enjoy this park then hitch-up and move if a hurricane is in the Gulf.

We found lots of TV stations from Mississippi and New Orleans using only the small antenna on our trailer. AT&T's coverage for our iPhones was 3G and solid. I don't think the park offered WiFi access so the strong 3G coverage was welcomed.

By the way, we found a good cajun coffee shop in Waveland, Mississippi.  Da Little Cafe served good beignets and hot chocolate.

Enjoying Beignets and hot chocolate at Da Little Cafe in Waveland, Miss.

Blue Springs State Park - Alabama

Blue Springs State Park is approximately 40 miles southeast of Troy, Ala. This is a park that some say was very popular in the 1960s because of its natural springs and "beach" features.

We camped at this park in November 2011, and I am sure this park is very crowded during the summer. We found only a few brave campers in the park at that time of year.

Cozy Rosie at Blue Springs State Park in Alabama

Most of the camp sites appeared to be level and we were able to watch TV from the Dothan market using our TV antenna.  The park materials said that WiFi was available, but it may have been turned off because the park was mostly empty. We were not very successful in finding a reliable location to receive service on our iPhones from AT&T.

This did appear to be a friendly state park in the middle of the woods. There were some good bike paths, a small playground for the children and--the main attraction--the spring.

The natural spring at Blue Spring State Park in Alabama

Part of my family's heritage is that my father owned a water company in the 1940s. During WWII, Dad provided distilled water to the US Navy for submarine batteries. I bring that up to let you know that natural springs hold a place of importance in our family.

The natural spring at Blue Springs State Park pumps 3,600 gallons per minute of 68 degree crystal clear water around the clock. I can see why people enjoy going to this park during the hot summers to cool off. 

While this may not be one of the top tier state parks in Alabama, the grounds are well kept and the staff is helpful and friendly.

Cozy Rosie is named

Our Airstream needed a name. Somehow, referring to “it” as "it" didn’t seem to describe “it.”

Cozy Rosie

I need to back up for a moment and talk about our desire to name objects.

One of my responsibilities at work is serving as an administrator for several UNIX (Linux) Web servers. All of these servers have names that they go by on the Internet.

I was having hardware issues with a new server, which was under warranty. I called the service department and started explaining the issue. In the conversation, I started calling the machine by its name and explained how it was the backup server to another named machine.

That was when the service technician asked if these machines were running Linux and not Windows. When I said yes, he chimed in that he knew it because UNIX people always name their computers then start talking about its personality.

Since I work with UNIX/Linux computers, naming inanimate objects seems normal to me.

Some of the first names we considered were TravelStar Galactica or the Aluminum Falcon. While these were great names, they didn’t seem to fit our camper.

We settled on Rosie since this was a play on the World War II Rosie the Riveter campaign. That was shortened to Riveting Rosie, which lasted about a week. That was when my wife remarked how cozy it was in Rosie. At that point, our Airstream had a name and it was Cozy Rosie.

I think the service technician was correct in suggesting that UNIX/Linux people not only name things, but they also assign personalities to them. Cozy Rosie definitely has a growing personality—something we continue to learn about as we continue our adventures in Rosie.

Wind Creek State Park, Alabama

Our first adventure in our new (to us) camper was a one night stay at Wind Creek State Park in Alabama. This would be our first opportunity to practice the steps we were shown at our orientation when we took possession of our new trailer.

Wind Creek State Park

For some reason, the set-up seemed much easier at the dealership. Fortunately, several seasoned campers were quick to identify us as "rookies" and came to our rescue.

The first problem was our assigned site. There was a ditch on both sides of the little bridge we would have to back our Airstream across. With less than 15 minutes of trailer backing-up experience among us, this was too big of a challenge. The park rangers agreed and moved us to a less challenging site.

After backing in to our site, we had to connect the power, water and sewage to the park. We discovered that is is easier to connect than disconnect.

Next, we moved inside to discover we didn't know where anything was nor did we have a handle of where things should be located. And that was how we spent our first day in the camper--trying to figure out where we should logically store stuff.

ABOUT WIND CREEK STATE PARK

It would be unfair for us to attempt to evaluate this specific park because we were overwhelmed with making our peace with trailer camping. We did note the following:

Park Focus: a large lake
TV Reception: campers on a hill could see Birmingham stations. We could not receive any stations.
WiFi: Yes, and it worked reasonably well.
Camping sites were paved and had water, electricity and sewage hookups.

We plan to return to this park and to take some time to enjoy it.