Grayton Beach State Park - Santa Rosa Beach, Florida (October 2021)

We had just about given up on going back to Grayton Beach State Park. It seemed that too many people had discovered it and it was just about impossible to find an opening there. We were surprised to find online a cancellation and quickly made our reservations. 

There are two loops in this campground. One appeared to be older than the other. Our site was in the older loop, which was upgraded a few years ago to full hookups. 

Both loops were next to a dune lake and some sites had a water view. Not ours. Our site backed into the woods and had a thick tree limb that was low enough to keep an eye on when parking Rosie, our Airstream trailer’s name. It is always a good idea to inspect your site before parking your RV to avoid hazards that could damage your camper. 

Rosie in Grayton Beach State Park avoiding the low tree limb

This is definitely a bicycle park, but not for the trails inside it. The best trails are through the beach communities surrounding the park. You could call them bike friendly communities. 

Along the bike path in Watercolor, Fla

One of the parks along the bike paths near Grayton Beach State Park

Speaking about the bike trails, we were surprised to see the number of people using them. I thought that we would not see too many people riding bikes around Grayton Beach during October. I was wrong!

Why were the bike paths, beaches and communities packed with people? We arrived at the peak of Fall Break. That helped explain the large number of families in the area. 

We started identifying what we called “bike rage” on the crowded paths. These were people riding too fast and too close to hikers and other bikers. As much as we enjoyed riding our bikes on the paths in the past, it wasn’t as much fun this time. 

A quick adjustment at the Bike Repair Station

The real star of this park was the beach. The Gulf was a short bike ride in the park from the campground. As with the surrounding communities, we were amazed at the number of day users coming into the park to use the beach facility. 

Becky and Suzy on a trail near our campsite

Rosie in the park

Our campsite

This has been one of our favorite campgrounds for many years. Sadly, this trip was memorable for all the wrong reasons. We will try to avoid camping during school breaks in the future. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• There were two loops in the campground
• One loop appeared to us to be newer than the other
• Our site was a back in
• Our site had shade
• Most sites had some space on both sides
• Our site was paved with dirt and we needed to use leveling tools to correct a side-to-side lean in Rosie, our Airstream trailer. 
• 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 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 CBS, NBC and PBS using Rosie’s TV antenna. Digital channels seen were CW, Circle, Dabl, ION and ME-TV
• There were restaurants and shopping nearby
• This was a pet friendly park. The sandspurs were abundant making it difficult to walk dogs without having to stop and pull sandspurs from their paws and coats 

Selfie at the beach

Shadows as we rode our bikes

Sunrise 

The famous Grayton Beach trees

Sunset

Sunrise

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