Topsail Hill Preserve State Park - Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (October 2021)

How can this be the first time we really camped in this park when we stayed here three times before? Let me try to explain that claim.

Our first camping experience in Topsail was a disaster. Something went wrong with the power stand and it melted the connector on our power cord and the plug on the stand. The park was full so we could not move to another site and the power stand had problems with no estimate as to when an electrician could fix it. We ended up moving to another Florida state park and buying a new power cord while on the way there.

The second and third times at Topsail were to attend Airstream rallies always held in January. It was cold and rainy both times; we stayed with our group and we didn’t explore the park.

That brings us to this trip. We had a spare power cord and there wasn't an Airstream rally taking place while we were there. The only potential problem was the weather. 

Sign at Topsail State Park

The weather was great as we arrived and setup our site. We were able to walk around and explore the campground that first evening. Then it started to rain. The rain turned into a thunderstorm later that night. It was still raining when we got up the next morning. It rained during lunch. It did stop raining for a few hours that afternoon. It was interesting to see everyone emerge from their campers to enjoy the park. 

We were surprised to see that some campground roads and sites were flooded with the water six to ten inches deep. Our site had standing water off the concrete pad, but it wasn’t flooded. Rosie, our Airstream trailer’s name, was dry and cozy. 

Streets and sites flooded

Standing water around Rosie

It started raining again after dinner. It rained all through the night and until mid morning the next day. We used the opportunity to wash clothes and to clean Rosie’s floor. We were able to slip in a bike ride before the start of the next rain cycle. 

According to a local TV station between ten and twelve inches of rain fell during the first four days camping in Topsail. In between storms, there were a few hours each day that allowed us to explore the park with our bikes. 

 

Multiple sites were flooded

Streets and sites underwater were the norm during our time in this park. The conversations while walking around the park during the interludes without rain usually focused on the other couple telling us how many years they have camped in Topsail and that they never saw any flooding in the park before. We believed them and decided the weather was unique during this visit. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were multiple loops in the campground. It seems that the interior loop is preferred by most, but this was were we saw the most flooded sites
• While not at the level of a KOA, most sites were much closer together than what you expect in state parks 
• Our site was a back-in 
• Our site was paved with concrete and 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 
• There were multiple trash dumpsters throughout the campground. It was easy to walk there with your trash
• There was a bathhouse located near Rosie. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on its condition
• The park did not provide WiFi service 
• AT&T provided 3 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 Circle, Grit, H&I, LAFF and ME-TV
• The campground provided basic TV cable at our site. We preferred watching live TV from Rosie’s antenna
• The campground was near Destin, Fla. That meant there were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park 
• There were multiple signs warning about Florida Black Bears in the park. Our son was the first to notice that it was very unlikely that bears were near the park because campgrounds with bear problems have bear proof trash cans. This park didn’t have any bear proof items

This is a park that you need to bring your bikes to. There are a few hiking trails, but they were mostly under water during our visit. Bike trails were paved and led to an amazing beach and a rare dune lake. 

Selfie by rare dune lake

Dune Lake Campbell

Our son, daughter-in-law and grandson were able to join us over the weekend. It was great having them camp in Rosie and that made this trip very special. 

Our grandson visits

Our son's family inside Rosie

Having fun in the campground

Grandson reads a book

The bottom line is that this visit did change out minds about Topsail. I’m not ready to call it a “favorite,” but it has some beautiful beaches that are less crowded than other ones in the area. 

Looking for a snack along the shore

The dunes

The boardwalk

A warning flag for beach goers

Rosie in the campground

A few pointers about shuffleboard 

Suzy watching the trash truck

Gulf State Park - Gulf Shores, Alabama (September 2021)

One of the things that stood out in our minds about camping here last time was the heat. We camped in Alabama’s Gulf State Park during September eight years ago and Rosie’s air conditioner could not keep up. (Rosie is our Airstream trailer's name.)  It was hot in the park and hotter inside Rosie during our previous visit to this campground. 

Sign heading into the park

Pointing the way to the campground

Things were different this time in that we were in our new Rosie with dual air conditioners. We were confident we could deal with hot temperatures and having a second AC unit helped beat the heat. 

Rosie in the campground

We didn’t escape all of the weather woes this time. We simply traded heat for rain. There were a few breaks in the rain storms the first couple of days that allowed us to walk around the park or to ride our bikes. The rains thinned out by the third day and that allowed us to explore the park. 

Bike path in the park

While riding our bikes on one of the boardwalk trails, several other hikers or bikers started telling us about “Lefty.” We pieced together that Lefty was an alligator with up to three baby gators. 

We found that some people on the trails were very willing to share their “best guess” directions to Lefty’s favorite water hole. Most of these well meaning directions conflicted. Finally, we noticed a groups of about a dozen bicycles parked along a bridge. Yes, that crowd found Lefty and guided us to her. We saw Lefty and several baby gators!

Baby gator with "Lefty" keeping an eye on him

There are multiple trail boardwalks through marsh areas and spanning fingers of the lakes and creeks. We came across a raccoon while crossing a trail bridge across part of the lake. We backed away to give him plenty of room to escape. It was interesting to watch the raccoon run to flee us and our bicycles. 

Unusual road sign!

Another sign in the park

While riding our bikes on a trail, we noticed an eight foot gator floating in a creek beside the path keeping up with us. We decided not to stop to take a picture because gators move much faster than most people imagine. 

Something significant happened while we camped in Gulf State Park. We celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary. We marked the day by looking at our wedding photos and eating a seafood dinner.

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were multiple loops in the campground. 
• Most sites could be classified as "full sun" probably the result of too many hurricanes hitting the area.  Only a few had shade.
• Most sites had some space on both sides
• Our site was a back-in
• Our site was paved with asphalt and was level
• 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 for all 490+ campsites in this campground were at the entrance to the park. It was too far to walk and that meant a nightly trip in the truck to the dumpsters 
• There were multiple bathhouses in the campground. Some were open while others were closed. There were several “porta-potties” in front of the closed bathhouses. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check the conditions of the bathhouses nor the “porta-potties”
• The park provided good WiFi service. We measured the download speed as 32 mbs
• AT&T provided 3 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 Circle, Comet, Court, Cozi, Grit, LAFF and ME-TV
• There were restaurants and shopping near the campground 
• The park has a great swimming pool, tennis courts and multiple playgrounds 
• This was a pet friendly park 

Our impressions formed the first time we camped here were wrong. This is a great park to camp in and one you need to bring your bicycles to because the trails and boardwalks are great. 

Boardwalk to the beach

Selfie at the beach

Sunrise over Gulf State Park

One of the many boardwalks in this park

Selfie from the trail

Selfie on the beach

Selfie in the picnic area

Cloudland Canyon State Park - Rising Fawn, Georgia (August 2021)

The last time we camped in a Georgia State Park, a reservation was nothing more than a hunting license to look for the best open campsite. Things have changed because your reserved site is now where you must park your camper. 

Sign at entrance to the park

Had we known that, we would have been more selective when we made our reservations. The East Rim camp sites are closer to the more popular trails. The West Rim sites are larger, but you need to drive to get to most trails. Our reservations were for the West Rim and that is where we had to park Rosie, our Airstream trailer.

We are not complaining because the old policy didn't make sense and late arrivals were always stuck with the least desirable sites. We know going forward to be careful when making reservations in Georgia State Parks.

Our site in the West Rim Camping Loop

We felt better after driving through the East Rim Campground. Those sites were much closer to each other and those sites didn't have as much shade as the ones in the West Rim. Also, we felt we had a better area to walk our dog in the West Rim campground. Maybe the West Rim turned out to be a better choice during the COVID pandemic.

If you need to get a few supplies while camping here, there is a grocery store at the base of the hill. It takes about 15 minutes to get there and you have to go through two hairpin curves.

We expected the composure of the campground to change over the weekend. While we did see more children on bicycles, we were surprised at the increase in number of single people camping.

The big draws to this campground are the trails. There are multiple trails to waterfalls and into the canyon and some are highly rated by a national backpacker's magazine. It is easy to see why the trails in this park are favorites of many campers.

One of the park's trails

The view from a trail

The overlook trail

Some of the trails in this park are steep and challenging. We decided to keep to the knee-friendly trails this time. We were surprised by the lack of other people on the trails. We shared the trails with multiple people the last time we camped in this park. We only saw one couple behind us for a short way on a trail this time.

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There are two camping loops in this park
• Our site was a back-in
• Our site was gravel. We needed leveling tools to correct a slight side-to-side lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection. The documents from the park claimed the campground had high water pressure. We measured the pressure as 42 psi
• Our site did not have a sewer connection
• There were multiple gray water dump stations in the campground. The black water dump station was a significant distance from the West Rim campsites
• We could not find any WiFi service in this park
• AT&T provided two bars of 5Ge service for voice and data over our site
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, CW, Fox, NBC and PBS using Rosie's TV antenna
• We were able to see Antenna, ME-TV, Bounce, COMET, Charge, GRIT and THiS digital TV channels
• There were several bath houses in the West Rim campground. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on their conditions
• This was a pet friendly park

We ended up leaving a few days early. Our neighbor from home called to let us know we had a jury summons in our mailbox and we were on deadline for turning in the accompanying questionnaire and paperwork. That took the wind out of our sails and we left to get home in time to turn in the documents required by the court. Now we are waiting to see if we will watch our local version of Perry Mason in action.

A waterfall

A view from a trail

Another waterfall

The canyon

A hummingbird in the canyon

Rosie in our camping site

Suzy gets to watch a work machine

Selfie next to Rosie

An interesting tree in the camping loop

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