Townsend Great Smokies KOA Holiday - Townsend, Tennessee (August 2021)

If we had to create a list of favorite places to camp, the Florida Gulf Coast and the Smoky Mountains would be high on it. Both places are associated with very happy family memories. Maybe that is one of the reasons heading to the Smokies made sense when we postponed our WBCCI Southwest Adventure Caravan. 

Once we decided to head to the mountains, the next question was where to camp? We limited our choices to Maggie Valley, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Townsend. All of these places are on the Tennessee side of the mountains except Maggie Valley, which is in North Carolina. They are all special places to our family, but we ended up choosing Townsend. This is on what they call the quiet side of the Smokies. We felt fortunate to book a site on the river in the Townsend Great Smokies Campground on short notice. 

The sign at Townsend's KOA Campground

I was disappointed when we arrived at the park. There were several loops with sites along the river. I hoped our site was in the lower loop, which is closer to the water. We ended up in the other loop where the sites were on a hill. That meant we were farther from the river and the sounds of rushing water. We didn’t know it at the time, but our site assignment turned out to be fortunate for us. More about that in a minute. 

Rosie up a hill from the river

Becky enjoying the Little River behind Rosie

The Little River behind Rosie

In the category of firsts, we received a text from the campground telling us that a bear was in the park and everyone needed to be in a safe place. A few minutes later, a text was sent out saying the bear left the park. We didn’t know if we should be happy or sad that we missed seeing the bear. 

Bear warning text message

We discovered a hiking/biking trail across the street from the campground. We enjoyed taking Suzy, our dog, for walks along that trail. Since this campground was a family destination with lots of children and campfires, we enjoyed being able to walk without having to smell campfire smoke. The walkway has probably been there for years, but it was new to us.

On Townsend's hiking trail

Suzy enjoying the hiking trail

Townsend is close to Cades Cove in the National Park. Somehow we missed going there this time, but we enjoyed driving through the Smokies and visiting spots our family members loved. 

Sign at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smokies

The mountains

Newfound Gap in the Smokies

Another view of Newfound Gap

We did drive through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg one day. The busy traffic and crowded sidewalks screamed that we had made the best choice by camping on the quiet side of the Smokies. 

A diner in Pigeon Forge our children enjoyed when they were younger

Tubing was the noisiest activity around the campground. It was entertaining to watch large groups of people float down the river on inner tubes past Rosie, our Airstream trailer. 

Tubers on the river behind Rosie

Tubers on the Little River

While we were there, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred passed through our area.  It rained and rained and rained. For nearly two days it rained ranging from downpours to steady rains. That would have been a miserable time if we were in a tent. Of course, it was nice and dry inside Rosie. 

Then we started watching the river. It grew from a lazy pace behind Rosie to a swiftly moving flood of water that would make an experienced white-water rafter fearful. We were surprised to see two men holding their beverage cans as they went zooming down the swollen river on inner tubes in the rain that afternoon. 

Two tubers during a tropical storm

Later that day, our amusement at watching the river rise turned into concern as we watched the campground start evacuating the lower loop sites along the river. Those trailers were being moved to open sites deeper inside the campground.  As “insurance,” we hitched Rosie up to the truck leaving only the power connected. If necessary, we wanted to be able to move quickly. 

Rosie hitched up in case we needed to evacuate during the tropical storm

Water rising on the river and flowing much faster

It was still raining as night approached. By the last light of the day, we saw that the river was flooding the low lying areas of the campground. We noticed that a campground staff person was driving his yellow golf cart every hour to a site near Rosie and checking the rising river. He wasn’t alone as multiple other concerned campers along with us were also frequently checking the river's rise. 

Checking the river from inside Rosie

The water rose beyond the swings and partly up the hill that night

Needless to say, we knew we were not going to sleep that night. The river was rising at an alarming rate and was at the base of the hill behind Rosie by 9 pm. 

I was able to talk to the park staffer as he made his 10 pm check. He stated he had never seen the river flood that high before and the water was still rising at an alarming rate. He also said that NOAA Weather Radio said the river would crest by 11 pm and that was good news. 

I waited until 11:15 to check the river’s level.  The water was still in flood stage, but had receded a significant amount. That meant we could finally go to sleep for the night. 

That was the second time we were in a flood situation while camping in Rosie. We had to flee the campground the first time. We were vigilant in watching the river this time and our site on the hill kept us away from the water. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was paved with gravel and we had to use leveling blocks 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
• There were several dumpsters around the park
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on its condition
• The park provided workable WiFi service 
• AT&T provided maybe one bar of unreliable 5Ge voice and data service over our campsites 
• We were not able to watch any TV stations using Rosie’s TV antenna.  The park provided cable TV service, which wasn’t working when we first arrived. A quick text to the office brought two staffers to our site and they quickly found the problem
• This was a pet friendly park 

As scheduled, we left that campground the next morning heading for our next Rosie adventure. We hope that it will not be as exciting as watching a flooded river behind Rosie.

The river after Tropical Storm Fred went through

Chattanooga North / Cleveland KOA Journey - Cleveland, Tennessee (August 2021)

This campground wasn’t where we planned stay for the night in Rosie, our Airstream trailer. Our plan was to head west and join the WBCCI Southwest Adventure Caravan. According to our calendar, we were supposed to be in Mississippi, not Tennessee. 

What changed between making our Mississippi reservations and showing up in Tennessee? 

The answer was that a surge in COVID hospitalizations forced us to rethink going on a caravan. While we love sharing caravan adventures with other Airstreamers, doing so during a pandemic isn’t wise for anyone with other medical issues. We agreed that we needed to go solo for now and move our caravan reservations to another year. 

Instead of heading west, we decided to return to one of our family's favorite vacation spots while our children were growing up. We planned to spend a week in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

This change in plans meant that we could leave at a reasonable time and camp north of Chattanooga our first day. This would set us up to arrive at our campground near the Smoky Mountains right after lunch the next day. 

Both the AllStays and Campendium apps agreed that the Chattanooga North/Cleveland KOA was a good choice for the night. The apps were correct. The campground was well maintained. In addition, the office staff was friendly and helpful as we checked in. 

Park registration building

We didn’t unhitch since this park was simply an overnight stop. 

We did notice a problem with Rosie after we arrived in the campground. Water from the hot water heater had an odor. We drained all water tanks and lines after our last trip because we knew Rosie would sit for a month in the Alabama summer heat before our next trip. We forgot to drain the water heater tank and it stunk. We drained and rinsed the tank and that cured the problem. 

Rosie in the campground 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was paved with gravel and was level
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site did not have a sewer connection. Most sites in the campground had sewer connections. Since we were spending only one night in the park, we elected to accept a site without full hookups 
• There was a dump station in the park. 
• There were several dumpsters around the park
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on its condition
• The park provided workable WiFi service 
• AT&T provided two bars of 5Ge voice and data service over our campsites 
• We were not able to watch any TV stations using Rosie’s TV antenna.  The park provided cable TV service 
• This was a pet friendly park 

We didn’t hear any road noise mentioned by some reviewers on AllStays and Campendium from our site. That isn’t to imply that the park was quiet all night. Somewhere between 10 and 11 pm we heard what sounded similar to a crop duster airplane going through the park. This was startling and a quick peak out the windows was amusing. The yellow KOA golf cart was chasing down an old bus that appeared to have been converted into some form of a motor home after being retired from public transportation. It didn’t take long for the yellow cart to take command of the situation and park the noisy bus. 

For the record, we are looking forward to going on many more WBCCI Airstream caravans once the pandemic is under control. Until that time, we will continue to enjoy going out in Rosie by ourselves. 

Suzy out for a walk

Rosie next to "the bus"

Isaac Creek COE Campground - Franklin, Alabama (May 2021)

First, this campground has to be a destination because it isn’t close to anything. I thought it was about 20-30 minutes off I-65. I misjudged the distance by an hour. It was closer to an hour and 20 minutes off the Interstate.

Second, we passed Holman State Prison on our way to this campground. This is where Alabama's "death row" is located. We were weary about the prospect of camping too close to a maximum-security facility. As it turned out, this prison was about 30 minutes from the campground.

Third, it is a bad omen when the camp host informs you that there is nothing to do at the campground and the community around it. We quickly discovered that was true. You want to make sure you have all of the supplies you need when you arrive because you are miles and miles away from a store. 

Fishing seems to be the primary reason people camp here. 

Sign at entrance to the campground

The campground volunteer's check-in building

Having said that, the sites along the river were  beautiful. They were also large and well shaded. 

Large sites along the river

Great view from our site

There were several indications that this may be an older campground. It has been a long time since we saw a working pay phone and a public water fountain in a campground. Both were near our site. 

A public water fountain in the campground

It looks like a pay phone outside the bath house

Yes, it is a real pay phone in 2021!

Maybe the pay phone was needed since cellular service was spotty in the campground. 

We arrived in the afternoon and left early the next morning, so we didn't have time to fully explore this campground. The neighbors around us appeared to be enjoying the park and the hosts were very friendly and helpful as they volunteered to switch us to a site with a better view when we arrived.

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were two loops in the campground. The sites along the river bank were larger and nicer than the other sites.
• Our site was paved with concrete and was mostly level
• 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 was a dump station in the park. 
• There were trash cans in front of each campsite
• There was a bathhouse but in the campground. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on its condition
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided one bar of intermittent 4G voice and data service over our campsites 
• We were not able to watch any TV stations using Rosie’s TV antenna.  Rosie is our Airstream trailer.
• This was a pet friendly park 

View of the dam on the Alabama River

Selfie in the campground

Rosie through the trees

Davis Bayou Campground - Ocean Springs, Mississippi (April 2021)

Our original plan was to camp on the Florida side of the Gulf Islands National Seashore at Fort Pickens. That changed when our reservation was cancelled because of flooding in the campground. After a quick search for a new park we ended up getting reservations on the Mississippi side of the same Gulf Islands National Seashore in the Davis Bayou Campground. 

Sign at entrance to park

The road to the campground

We always think of visiting Fort Pickens as a beach trip. Florida beaches are very different from the ones in Mississippi. To be fair, we could only reach the Mississippi beaches behind the barrier islands. We missed the soft white sands found on the Florida side of the Gulf Islands Seashore. Perhaps the soft white sand we are used to seeing is found on the Mississippi barrier islands, which are reachable only by boat.

We did find the beaches around the casinos in Biloxi. The imported white sand there felt nice as we took several walks on the beach. 

On the beach in Biloxi

Having “Bayou” in the campground’s name creates a different set of expectations for this park. If "bayou" paints visions in your mind of swampy wetlands with ample "critters," you are on the right track.

The ranger told us as we checked in that the alligators were awake and active. We saw our first “gator” the next morning in one of the park's ponds. 

A gator in one of the park's ponds

The ranger told us the raccoons were active. We overheard some people our first morning saying they left some food out overnight and the raccoons had a feast. 

The ranger did not tell us about the birds. We found them on our own. The ranger did not tell us about the turtles. We found them throughout the park. The ranger did not tell us about the pelicans. We found them, too, and enjoyed watching them scout for their meals. We found ospreys building their nest near the visitors center. We also enjoyed watching the lightening bugs, as they are called in the south or fireflies for those from the north. They entertained us in the evenings. Yes, the bayou critters were active. 

A pelican in the bayou

The osprey nest

Speaking of birds, they were everywhere and filled the air with happy bird sounds. This reminded us of the sounds that seemed to be everywhere during our childhoods. That was very nostalgic and fun to hear. 

Another "critter" roaming the park

There were an unusual number of bikers, hikers and bird watchers in the park. It turned out that the park was surrounded by several nice residential areas and there were special gates that gave those neighbors quick access to the park. It appeared to us that the local residents loved to bike, hike and observe birds in their backyard park. 

This is a small campground with only 51 sites and several appeared to need repairs and were unavailable. Since we made our reservations at the last minute, we had to switch campsites after a few days. As with any campground, some sites are better than others. We enjoyed our second site more than our first. 

First site in the campground

Second site in the campground

It appeared to us that the Biloxi casinos were a reason some people camped here. Others were here to spend some time in the bayou and enjoy the quiet solitude found in this park. We found the quiet intermingled with the sounds of birds and the bayou animals was a great reason to visit this park. The bike paths and the hiking were the icing on the cake. 

Biking in the park

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• This is the first park we camped in that vigorously enforced check-in time. You will not be admitted to the campground before 1pm. 
• There were two loops in the campground. 
• Most sites could be classified as "full sun." Only a few had shade.
• Most sites had ample space on both sides. Our first site must have been in the park’s buddy site since the space between our sites can only be described as “tight.” We had to change sites after a few days. Our second site was better. 
• Both of our sites were paved with asphalt and we needed to use leveling tools to correct a side-to-side lean in Rosie, our Airstream trailer. 
• Our sites had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our sites had a water connection
• Our sites did not have a sewer connection 
• There was a dump station in this park. It was easy to pull your sewage tote to it.
• 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. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on its condition
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 2 bars of 4G voice and data service over our campsites 
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, FOX, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were Antenna-TV, Circle, Grit, LAFF and an overload of crime related channels
• The campground was near Ocean Springs, Mississippi. That meant there were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 

Fellow campers told us about the big gator in one of the park's ponds. Having grown up in Florida, we recognized the sounds of a large gator, but didn’t see him our first week in the park. He lived up to his billing as a big gator when we finally saw him. 

The big gator in the pond

We are glad we had an opportunity to experience this campground. 

Selfie in the park

Boon-Docking in Mobile, Alabama- Visiting Family (April 2021)

Our reservations at Fort Pickens Campground were canceled by the National Park Service because of flooding in the campground and on its access roads. We learned about this as we tried to enter the park. 

While we understand the need to keep campers safe, it left us without a place to park Rosie, our Airstream trailer. This problem was compounded by the fact that Fort Pickens has approximately 200 campsites and every site was reserved during our planned visit there. The campground closure meant all those RVs had to scurry to find somewhere else to stay. Every park we called was full.

Our son, daughter-in-law and grandson were about 60 miles away. A quick call resulted in an enthusiastic response. A few minutes later, our son called to say his neighbors were currently away. He texted them and they said it was OK for us to park Rosie in their driveway for the night. That was a perfect solution. 

It was wonderful to see our family members. Our four year-old grandson loved being inside Rosie. Needless to say, we loved being with them. 

It is always fun when our grandson is inside Rosie

We wanted to test boon-docking in Rosie before adventuring out to some national parks in the future and this gave us an opportunity to do so. Would Rosie’s solar panels keep the batteries charged?  Our results were encouraging. As a bonus, we discovered that the 1,000 watt inverter in Rosie had ample power to run our coffee maker.

Driveway camping in Mobile

We were able to make new reservations for the time we planned for this trip. We hoped our new park would  not be underwater when we arrived there. 

Our son and his family were up early the next morning to get to work and preschool on time. We got up in time to say goodbye and to hug our grandson again. 

Saying "see you later, gator" after a wonderful experience

This turned out be a fantastic answer to our Fort Pickens cancelled reservations problem. 

Fort Pickens Campground - Pensacola, Florida (April 2021)

We always knew there was a chance our reservations at Fort Pickens Campground could be altered by the weather. The road leading into the campground areas is on a thin stretch of land between the Gulf and the Bay. You can easily see both bodies of water as you drive into the park. 

But we expected weather issues during hurricane season, not early Spring. More about the weather later. 

It had been years since we camped at Fort Pickens. It is hard to get reservations there. Very hard. 

After multiple attempts to find an opening, we were able to snag four days in what we consider to be one of our least favorite loops. Well, we rationalized, this will get us back to Fort Pickens. 

On the way there, our chorus of GPS units was routing different from our normal path to Pensacola. When our Ford Navigation system, Garmin GPS, Apple and Google Maps all agree to take us out of the way, you know something is up. We found that the bridge we normally take to cross over the bay to Pensacola Beach was damaged by Hurricane Sally and was closed. 

About a decade earlier, we crossed the toll bridge our GPS systems were taking us to. We learned then that it was very expensive, especially if you were pulling a camper with two axles. We were glad to see as we approached the toll booth that the state suspended the tolls while the other bridge was being repaired. 

We crossed the bridges and soon saw the white sands and surf of the Gulf. Needless to say, we were excited about returning to the coast. That was when we saw “THE” sign at the start of the entrance road to Fort Pickens. The sign that announced the park was closed because of flooding in the campground and the access roads were under water. 

There is a problem at Fort Pickens

We didn’t see the sign until we were past any point we could turn around. Besides, there were several RVs in front of us driving into the park. Maybe the park was closed to day visitors and open to campers, we hoped. The Ranger’s Station was ahead and we could find out about our site there. 

By the time we arrived at the Ranger Station, we watched all of the RVs ahead of us make a U-turn and exit the park. Our turn with the Ranger wasn’t different from the others. 

An exasperated ranger told us that the park closed three days earlier and that Recreation.gov, the website used to book reservations in federal and national campgrounds, was supposed to send us an email advising us that our reservation was cancelled and our fees were refunded. They didn’t and the long line of RVs heading into the park suggested we were not the only ones Recreation.gov forgot to notify. 

There was a parking lot just outside the park’s access road. We noticed it was full of RVs that appeared to be boon-docking there until the park reopened. We pulled off the road at another parking area and started calling state parks and private campgrounds trying to find somewhere to stay for the night. It was apparent that the 200 RVs that should have been in the Fort Pickens Campground were dispersed among every other desirable campground in that area. 

Rosie parked outside of Fort Pickens

Rosie parked on the side of the road

A find on the beach after a quick walk to the shore

It quickly became apparent that full campgrounds tend to ignore their phones on Sunday afternoons and that we needed to widen our search for a place to park Rosie, our Airstream trailer, for the night. 

What did we do?

Stay tuned to see if we were stuck with a lemon for the night or if we were able to turn our situation into lemonade. 

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.)