Two Rivers Campground - Carrollton, Kentucky (March 2020)

This is a new campground that first opened in 2012. We applaud the City of Carrollton for creating this park because more campgrounds are needed to serve the growing number of campers traveling the roads.

Sign at campgrond

Maybe the newness of this campground was the reason our Garmin and Ford Truck GPS systems never heard of it. Both Apple and Google Maps had no trouble getting us there and we learned about this campground from the All-Stays app.

The name of this park is obvious when you arrive there. It is on the banks of the Kentucky River just before it flows into the Ohio River. You can see both rivers from an observation platform that juts out into the Kentucky River.

Kentucky River

There was a paved walkway that led from the campground to a community park. There were signs along that path that the river had recently flooded. We saw no evidence that the campground, which was significantly higher than the walkway had ever flooded. 

The Carrollton-Prestonville Bridge was just outside the campground. It spanned the Kentucky River. This bridge was built in 1952 and was painted blue, University of Kentucky blue to be specific.

Bridge over the Kentucky River looking toward the Ohio River

Under the bridge

As a new campground, there were not any trees mature enough to give shade. Of course, we were more concerned about freezing temperatures that night than shade during our stay. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a pull-thru. There were a few back-in sites that overlooked the river
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• There a dump station in this park
• Our site had a concrete pad
• Our site was level
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. It was modern, well maintained and clean. It was also heated and that was appreciated because the temperature dipped near freezing that night
• The park provided WiFi service. We were unable to do much with it as it was extremely slow. 
• AT&T provided two bars of 4G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch ABC and NBC using Rosie’s TV antenna. We also received digital channels Bounce, Court and Laff 
• The park had a nice playground for children 
• This was a pet friendly park 

We heard a big thunderstorm around midnight. It woke us up, but Rosie, our Airstream trailer, kept warm and dry. We were shocked in the morning to learn of the terrible tornados that hit Nashville that night. The destruction and the growing number of people killed in that storm was hard on us as we pulled Rosie through Nashville about eight hours earlier that day. 

A selfie in the campground

The campground

Mystic Springs Cove WBCCI Airstream Campground - McDavid, Florida (February 2020)

It was easy to spot the Mystic Springs Cove Campground as we drove up to it. The unmistakable shapes and silver colors of Airstream trailers pointed us to our destination. There were more than a dozen Airstream trailers in the campground when we first arrived at the park. That number would double over the weekend.

Sign entering the campground

The Mystic Springs Cove Park is owned and operated by the Pensacola  Unit of the Wally Byam Caravan Club International (WBCCI), the Airstream owner’s association. That meant this was an “Airstream Friendly” campground.

Checking in

We arrived at this campground in Rosie, our Airstream trailer, for a combined rally of the Alabama and Pensacola Clubs of the WBCCI. 

This park is located between the Alabama state line and Pensacola. It is situated along the banks of the Escambia River. It is wooded and quiet. Make that very quiet.

Along the river

The park had a clubhouse with a kitchen, a needed amenity for Airstream rallies. Several group meals were prepared in that kitchen.

Inside the clubhouse

Dinner time!

Discussing grits and eggs

A little entertainment in the club house

I’m not sure if this is exclusively an Airstream park. There were only Airstreams there while we were in that park, but some “Airstream” parks allow other brands in as space allows.

The rally was our excuse to take Rosie, our new Airstream trailer, out for a second shakedown trip. We needed to figure out where to logically put things in Rosie. We also wanted to hunt for any “bugs” that Airstream needed to fix. 

The temperatures dipped below freezing one night. Our heat pump automatically switched over to the furnace as needed and that kept us warm and cozy inside Rosie. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site had 50 amp electrical service. Some sites had 30 amp service. 
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection . 
• Sites were paved with dirt. Our levelers sunk into the dirt during a rain storm. 
• AT&T placed a marginal signal over the campground 
• Park documents said that WiFi service was available at the clubhouse. We couldn’t find that WiFi service, but we didn’t invest too much time trying to find it 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. We also saw digital channels Charge, Court, Grit and ME-TV. 
• This is a pet friendly park.

There were some historical photos of the campground in the clubhouse. These were probably from the 1960s. What amazed me was that there wasn’t a pickup truck in the park. All of the Airstreams of that day were being pulled with family passenger cars. It is amazing how cars have changed over the past 50 years because you need a powerful truck to pull a travel trailer today.

Airstream trailers in the campground

More Airstream trailers

Sitting around the campfire

Talking with other Airstreamers

Suzy, our Yorkie, enjoys the company of other Airstreamers

Gunter Hill COE Campground- Montgomery, Alabama (January 2020)

Shakedown!

You can almost hear Deputy Barney Fife yelling “shakedown” as we started talking about a short camping trip to help us figure out where things should go in our new Rosie. (Rosie is what we call our Airstream trailer.)

We didn’t want to stray too far from home in case we discovered a big problem with Rosie. For the record, we found a few things Airstream needs to fix and we went ahead and made our reservations for some Airstream factory warranty service. 

This was our sixth visit to Gunter Hill COE Campground. As with most U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Campgrounds, this is a great place. The sites are large and the Catoma loop offered full hookups. The older Antioch loop wasn't open this time, but it didn’t have sewer connections the last time we camped there.

Sign at Gunter Hill COE Campground

The temperatures were pleasant during the day and close to freezing at night. This allowed us to test the heat pumps in Rosie along with the furnace. As expected, the heat pumps worked well until the temperature dropped too low, then the furnace took over and made sure that Rosie was very cozy.

Rosie in Gunter Hill COE Campground

Roads in the Catoma loop were paved and that made it nicer to walk Suzy, our long-haired Yorkie dog. On one of our walks, we talked with a retired U.S. Army soldier. He said that this was the first COE campground that he and his wife had camped in and he was surprised at how nice COE parks were. We told him that there were a few “rustic” parks out there, but most COE campgrounds were very nice.

Paved roads and the bridge in the Catoma Loop

One of the things we didn’t understand was the reservation system. My estimate was that only one-third of the campsites were occupied. We went in as a walk-in because the online reservation system showed the park as full. This wasn’t an isolated event because we experienced the “ignore the empty sites because the online reservation system says the park is full” syndrome at other COE and state parks. 

There is what appeared to be a river behind the campground. There wasn’t a convenient path to the shore.

Along the shore at Gunter Hill

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• There were two dump stations in this park, one for each loop
• Sites in the Catoma loop had concrete pads
• The Antioch loop was closed so we were unable to note the condition of those sites. They were dirt and gravel two years ago 
• Our site in the Catoma loop was level
• There were two bathhouses in the Catoma loop. Both were modern, well maintained and clean
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided marginal 4G voice and data service over our campsite 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, PBS and NBC using Rosie’s TV antenna. We also received digital channels Antenna, Buzz, Decades, Escape, Get, Grit, H&I, ME, Movies and THiS 
• This was a pet friendly park 

A selfie

Rosie's campsite

Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi - Gulfport, Mississippi (January 2020)

Hello and Goodbye.

We scheduled a trip to Gulfport, Mississippi. It was time for some regular maintenance on Rosie, our Airstream trailer. In the past, this has meant a trip to the Airstream factory in Ohio. Instead of heading north, we decided to go to Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi. We heard from several fellow Airstreamers that this was a good dealer with a strong service department. 

While setting up our appointment, we asked a few questions about their inventory. We figured we could pass the time while they were repairing Rosie by looking at some new Airstream trailers. 

One trailer they expected to arrive from the factory in a few weeks piqued our interest. It checked most of the things we had on our “we wish Rosie had this” list. 

As we talked to a salesman over the next few weeks, we started toying with the idea of seriously looking at this new trailer before starting the planned maintenance procedures on Rosie. We realized that we could trade Rosie in instead of keeping our service appointment. 

It felt funny pulling into Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi knowing that we were really considering trading in Rosie for a new Airstream trailer. It didn't take long to make the decision. We were about to say goodbye to Rosie and say hello to a new Rosie.

I felt like we were taking a page from my brother's playbook. He had multiple dogs who were all named “Happy.” We were very comfortable with calling our trailer Rosie so the new one would also assume the name Rosie.

Our new Rosie was parked in Foley RV’s camping area behind their service building. They parked our old Rosie next to it to make it easier to transfer our things from one Rosie to the other. 

When we awoke the next morning, our original Rosie had been moved to another section of their lot. It felt funny seeing our original Rosie parked away from us. At the same time, we were busy setting up our new Rosie. 

Original Rosie after being moved away from the new Rosie

We were not alone in the camping area at Foley RV/Airstream of Mississippi. One other new Airstream owner was parked in this area at the same time. Our neighbors were planning to take their new Airstream trailer to Montana. While that sounded exciting, January’s winter weather may slow them down.

Camping at Foley RV / Airstream of Mississippi

We planned to stay another couple of days when we saw that a big storm was heading towards the east coast and we didn’t want to travel in what was being described as severe storms going home. 

We said our final goodbyes to our first Rosie as we hitched our new Rosie to our truck, then we were off.

About to hitch up the new Rosie

Pulling out from Foley RV / Airstream of Mississippi

We made it home ahead of the storm and parked Rosie in the storage warehouse we use. We plan to go on a “shakedown” camping trip in a week or two. After all, we have to figure out where things go and we need to start discovering our new Rosie’s personality. 

Goodbye old Rosie. Hello new Rosie. 

River’s End Campground - Tybee Island, Georgia (November 2019)

River’s End was not supposed to be the end of our WBCCI 2019 Southeast Coast Caravan, but it happened. There was one more stop before the caravan officially ended, but we didn’t make it there.

Sign at entrance welcoming our caravan

Sign at the campground

Things started off about as normal as it gets on the road. We arrived at the campground and were led to our site by the park’s staff. This turned out to be very helpful because our site had several difficult trees along the path. The park staff person was familiar with how to slip in dodging the trees and provided some helpful hints as we parked Rosie, our Airstream trailer.

Our site in this campground

Once we were safely parked in our site, we noticed that it was a little larger than most sites in that campground. Most sites were very close together and too shallow to hold a 25 foot rig and tow vehicle. Our site was deep enough that we could hitch up without blocking the road. 

We were thankful we were not in the sites along the access road. Trailers in those sites were as close to the road as you could get. They were also packed in about as close as the laws of physics and human interaction allows.  We were happy our site was in the middle of the campground. 

We visited Fort Pulaski National Monument while camping there. The fort was built in 1847 and saw action during the Civil War. We thought this was one of the better preserved forts we have visited from this era.

The moat around Fort Pulaski

Inside the fort

A canon inside the fort

There is a monument to John Wesley near the fort. John Wesley was an evangelist and religious leader of a movement that became known as the Methodist Church. Having grown up in Methodist parsonages, it was interesting to see that monument.

John Wesley, founder of the Methodist Church

There was a lighthouse near the campground. We didn’t have a chance to explore it.

The Tybee Island Lighthouse

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a back-in
• Our site was paved with gravel 
• We had to use leveling tools to correct a left-to-right lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection
• There was a dump station in the park 
• The bathhouse near our site was clean and well maintained 
• The campground provided basic cable TV service 
• We did not check to see if we could pick up any stations using Rosie’s TV antenna 
• AT&T placed two bars of service for voice and data over our site 
• We were unable to find a WiFi service at this campground 

We were in this campground for a day and a half instead of three. We left the caravan a few days early due to health reasons. We hated to leave early, but we knew we needed to head home. 

It seems that all of the WBCCI caravans we have been on have been great and this was no exception. We enjoyed being with that group and hope to see them on other Airstream caravans. 

Hunting Island State Park - Hunting Island, South Carolina (November 2019)

When we camped here in 2014, the park’s volunteers greeted us with, “Welcome to paradise!”  There was no such greeting this time.

Sign at the park

We were shocked to see all of the beachfront sites were gone along with most of the trees in that section. Hurricanes and storms have taken a toll on this park.

The old beachside loop

Also among the missing was the maritime forest that we found to be very interesting during our first visit. It is somewhat ironic that the majority of the park’s destruction came from Hurricane Michael, the same storm that leveled Port St Joe Peninsula State Park on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It was sad to see two state parks, one on the Gulf Coast and the other along the Atlantic, were damaged by the same hurricane.

The beach

The loop we camped in the last time was about six rows of campers back from the beach. Those sites are now as close as you can get to the ocean.

Rosie in the campground

Another photo of Rosie in the campground

Bits of asphalt and disconnected wires from the old campsites were visible along the beach. These reminders of destroyed sites were under water during high tides. 

It was easy to see where the beachside loop was before Hurricane Michael

Two of the things that were the same from our earlier visit were the mosquitoes and raccoons. We learned how important it was to quickly open and shut the door to keep flying pests out of Rosie, our Airstream trailer. 

Our 2019 Southeast Coast WBCCI Caravan was able to attend morning colors and graduation ceremonies for approximately 500 new United States Marines on the training base at Parris Island. It was inspiring to ride around the base watching Marine recruits in training and to see the newest Marines graduate from basic training.

Morning Colors at Parris Island

Graduation at Parris Island

Drill Instructors wait for their platoons to arrive for graduation

Pass and review at graduation

As our caravan group was riding on a bus to Parris Island, I couldn’t help but think about the last time I was on a bus in South Carolina heading to a military basic training facility. I remembered the names of my Drill Sergeants and the head Drill Sergeant screaming at us to get off “his” bus and how a certain part of our anatomy belonged to him. He also emphasized that we needed to quickly move that part of our anatomy off his bus. 

Looking back, it seemed as if drill sergeants tended to believe they owned everything and I was not going to challenge that assumption then or now.

Sign at Parris Island

A Marine Corporal served as our host on the base. He was knowledgeable and a great example of a U.S. Marine. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a back-in
• Our site was paved with gravel 
• We had to use leveling tools to correct a left-to-right lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection with low pressure problems 
• Our site did not have a sewer connection
• There were two dump stations in the park 
• The bathhouse near our site was clean and well maintained 
• We were able to occasionally watch ABC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna as the signals tended to drift in and out—mostly out
• We were able to occasionally watch TV digital channels Bounce and Grit 
• AT&T placed one bar of service for voice and data over our site 
• The campground provided WiFi service that never seemed to work for us
• The campground had a good and well stocked store

The Hunting Island lighthouse

Campstore

Visiting a Kazoo factory while in the area

We enjoyed a horse-drawn carriage ride around Beaufort