Indian Creek at Mark Twain Lake - September 2016

We camped at the Indian Creek campground at Mark Twain Lake. The camp was filled with boaters out to enjoy one last weekend on the lake. This was a campground which I remember from youth. I remember Monroe too, because I think that is where Dad got a speeding ticket, when Mark and I had the caged squirrel, and were hiding from the officer in the bed of the truck for fear he'd ask us why we had a squirrel...

I remember Mom and Dad driving up to Mark Twain Lake many times. What I don't remember is how out in the middle of nowhere it feels. As one who has given up on paper maps in favor of the ever-present Google Maps, it was quite the shocker when the phone reception gave out. Of course Google Maps left us on the shortest route, which did not include any State Highways like 41, but instead abandoned us at the intersection of two county roads between corn fields. Not very descriptive landmarks, once you are that far north in Missouri. Go north of Hannibal and the difference between Missouri and Iowa is purely political, not geographic.

Thankfully, there were signs pointing to the Indian Creek Marina, and the logo of a spear with feathers was a familiar one. We made it in to camp just fine. But next time, I'm going to bring a Rand McNalley with us, if we can still buy one of those.

The Indian Creek campgrounds are near the Indian Creek Marina. The marina store on the docks was open until 10 pm. The store rented boats and sold ice cream. The diner served breakfast, lunch and dinner, to hungry boaters. The marina store sold bagged ice, but not firewood. The docks looked very similar to how they had 25 years ago. More ski-dos less sailboats, but generally the same. I don't think my boys had ever seen so many bass boats all in one place. My oldest seeing what the "good life" looked like decided he wanted a piece of it. He scanned every FOR SALE sign he could, judging how many yard mowings it would take to save up for a boat...and a truck to pull it...

I did snap into "Army Mode" once. The boys were scootering down the road, and I was following with the dog. A Jeep was coming down the road, and the boys being boys didn't exactly notice. Two did, but not the third. He just kept scooting....slowly...in front of the Jeep. Just about the time I was ready to holler at the boy, the driver made a "REALLY?!" comment snidely to my boy. I guess he was too stupid to notice me walking at his fender. I barked back "REALLY?!" at him, and gave him some neighborly advice about how he should drive, and be on the watch for pedestrians, and about how if he didn't like that, then maybe he was in the wrong place. He just turned real red, and drove on.

It was a good life lesson for the boy. He realized that he'd caused the altercation, and apologized to me for it. I asked him to be more aware of his surroundings in the future. It was also a good life-lesson for the Jeep driver...

The weather was wonderful, 80s in the day and 60s at night. The CFO enjoyed our campsite as it overlooked the lake. She also enjoyed her Merlot.

The boys took charge of the fire, and the oldest made breakfast on his own on Monday morning. I was very pleased to see my boys' skills improving. Making a fire without gas or chemicals is a basic life skill. Making your own breakfast is too. Bribing your parents with breakfast already made is an art.

These times are chances for the boys (and the parents) to unplug from our normally very electronic life. Eegads no wifi, no internet, NO YOUTUBE!! The initial shock can be rough, but in the end, the rewards are great. Conflict can be defined as two brothers in the same room. Conflict resolution is therefore a good camping trip. Additionally, while one brother may hassle another brother, woe to the strange boy who attempts to pick on one of the brothers at the play ground. Where there was just one brother, suddenly there are three!

Dad gets a chance to attempt to back in the trailer to a campsite, and do it successfully. Sometimes he makes it on the first try, like this trip. Sometimes, he doesn't. Sometime towing a trailer is easy. Sometimes you have to travel behind the Sunday driver out on a Monday afternoon. And then sometimes a giant combine comes down the road where there is clearly not room for his header, let alone for him to meet traffic. At these times, you just get to stop and watch the laws of physics dictate what happens next. (Both of those happened on the way home...)

Monday turned hot, but we were packed and gone before the weather got into the 90s.

Campground
Loops
The campground is divided into a East and West campgrounds. The East Campground has two loops for electric, and one rustic tent-only loops. The West Campground has three loops for electric hookups. Some electric sites have water, some have sewer. Some don't. You'll need to pay attention to which site you reserve to make sure you get what you want.

Shower Houses & Latrines
There were three latrines on each loop, one of which was a shower house. These were kept fairly clean. All had running water and flushing toilets. Public water spigots were well placed between campsites.

Playgrounds
There was one playground for the East Campground and one for the West.

Trails
There were several short trails that led from the campground loops to the lake shore. These were short and graveled. Hilly portions were landscaped with railroad tie stairs.

Campsites
Terrain
The main section of the campground is level, and had good asphalt road between the sites.  The area was generally mowed along the road, but the areas between campsites were filled with abundant poison ivy and aromatic sumac crops. The lack of well mowed area between campsites was disappointing and concerning as this limited the children's play area and presented a concern for skin rashes.

The camp is set next to Mark Twain lake. The hikes down to the lake can be steep, but the trails are well marked, and even have landscape timber stairs.

Pad Space
The pads are generally all of a good length, and are pretty level. These I might even describe as deep, since campers can generally fit a combination of trailer, truck, and boat on the same pad.

Amenities
Each campsite came with one aluminium picnic table , one fire pit, and one lantern pole. The electric site all have electric hook-ups at a post at the back of the pad. The sites are all leveled and have been terraced with landscape timbers and gravel to mark out the main picnic area. There is no camp store. The nearest general store is in Monroe, MO. However, a local farmer off HH sells firewood in generous amounts. We paid $10 and got a whole load of wood in the back of the Traverse.

Camp Staff
Check-in Hosts
The check-in hosts were efficient at the gate. We were allowed to check in early without issue. However, small talk was not in the game plan, as the Labor Day weekend caused several campers to stack up in the check-in lane.

Campsite Hosts
Campsite hosts did check on campers by driving by in a pickup truck. They were identified by polo shirts.

Rangers
We had no interaction with any Rangers.

Programs
The camp offered a nature trivia night on Friday night. We missed it.

Silver Mines Campground - June 2016

(Author's Note 09/05/2016 - this is being posted very late.)

Hot.  That was how to describe this camp out.

Our good family friend, my Best Man, and my Wingman joined us for this trip. The boys were super excited to have Jason along - he's the best Uncle they've never had.

Silver Mines is a camp which I had stayed at as a Boy Scout. The Long Ride was a week-long horseback ride through the Mark Twain National Forest, and this was one of our stops. I remember shooting through the dam like a water slide. I don't know if you can still do that today...we didn't try.

The curve in the creek presented a natural swimming hole. The creek was filled with slipper rocks. You could be ankle deep one moment, and over your head the next. There were a few large boulders in the creek which the boys jumped off of.

Due to the heat, we spent much of the time in the water. And due to the heat, my brain melted, and I forgot to take pictures.

My wife really liked this campground. The camping loop was small, so there weren't too many neighbors. The camp staff was very concerned that all tires fit on the pad, but the pads were fairly small. So Jason had to park in the overflow parking by the showerhouse.

Campground:
Loops -
The campground has three major loops.  The southern most loop is across the river from the other two.  The south loop boasts spacious sites, level parking pads, electricity, picnic tables, lantern poles, and raised concrete fireplaces.  The grounds are grassy, but with ample trees for shade.  The only downside was the lack of site-specific water and the sites on the riverside tended to be pretty sloped off the pad.  The middle loop and north loops were primitive campsites only.  All have ready access to the St. Francis River.  Only the southern loop was in use while we were there.  This was likely due to the lack of electricity at the other loops.
Shower Houses -
There were no shower houses, only latrines.  The south loops latrine was serviceable, but not well kept. The other loop latrines were very clean, but we suspect this was from the complete lack of use of the other loops.
Playgrounds -
There were no playgrounds or activity fields.  The St. Francis River was the focus of all activity.
Trails -
There were few trails in the park.  We did not venture onto them due to the heat.

Campsites:
Terrain -
The ground is relatively flat, as the campground was down in the St. Francis River valley.  The ground and the river was decorated with the purple granite rocks which are characteristic to the area. The river itself had a few large granite boulders in it which were good for jumping and splashing off of.  The river bed was filled with more of the slippery rocks.  River shoes are a must, and walk carefully as you will slip.
Pad Space -
Pads were just long enough to park our popup camper and one vehicle.  Visitors were made to park in the overflow parking by the latrine.
Amenities -
Each campsite comes with one picnic table (not chained down) and one fire pit.  The electric sites also have one electrical post and one water spigot.  The full hook-up sites add sewer.

Camp Staff:
Check-in Hosts -
There is one check-in at the campground entry.  The check-in office is staffed by State Park employees and rangers.  Everyone was very nice.
Campsite Hosts -
The were no volunteer hosts.
Rangers -
We met one ranger. He was gracious enough to check our water spigot and get it working again.
Programs -
none offered

Montgomery Bell State Park, TN - April 2016

(Author's Note 09/05/2016 - This is being posted very late. So, I'll do my best.)

This camp was an enjoyable, but strangely cold, time. My mother camped with us, and the boys were very excited for that. The CFO and I have been to this campground once before, when there was just one boy.

If all State Park organizations modeled themselves from the TN State Parks, the world would be a pretty good place. Clean campsites, friendly staff, a convenient camp store. The only slight thing was that the voters of TN apparently think that parents are not free to decide whether or not their children need bicycle helmets or not. For one who grew up when I wasn't too good to go through the front windshield with the rest of the family, this seems like a tremendous overreach. Children peddling through campgrounds at 10 miles-an-hour cannot possibly benefit from a helmet. Either the helmet is an unnecessary style statement, or it is woefully under whelming protection. But, the TN voters have spoken, the boys wore their helmets, and yes, we had them.

Having just come off a chilling and snow Missouri camp, we were hoping for the warmer weather that more Southern climes guaranteed us. Imagine our surprise when again, we saw it snowing...in April...in TN! This time we did have a space heater in the camper, and it did its part - Mom and the dog happily snuggled together next to the heater on the middle bed. Us on the outside beds had a more chilly time.

All in all it was a great camping trip. We will try TN again, but this time in warming weather.


Campground:
Loops -
There is one large campground loop that is subdivided into a few sub-loops.  Each loop caters to a different level of camper.  The tent sub-loop provide a spacious, grassy area to camp beneath cathedral like pine trees.  The electric sub-loop provides moderately spaced gravel pads with electric and water hook-ups.  The sewer sub-loops packs camper tightly together, with full hook-ups.
Shower Houses -
There were three shower houses. One had coin-operated washers and dryers. The facilities were kept very clean.  The dumpsters were kept at the far end of the loop. (TN recently moved from keeping individual trash cans at each side to dumpsters at the end of the loop.)
Playgrounds -
There was a large play ground and a large activity field, suitable for football games, baseball, kites, or any other sort of field sport.
Trails -
There were several trails in the park.  These range from short nature hikes directly from the campsite to several mile backpacking trails with back country campsites.

Campsites:
Terrain -
The ground is hilly, "hills and hollers" with steeps climbs and babbling creeks.  Middle Tennessee is where the earth begins to change from Mississippi river bottom land to Appalachian foot hills.  This makes for a beauty but hilly area.
Pad Space -
The pads are different depending on the sub-loop type.  Tent sites allow parking parallel to the road. Electric sites offer generally deep gravel pads that contain parking space, picnic tables, and a fire pit. Full sites offer deep pads, but space is minimal to help tight-pack in the RVs.
Amenities -
Each campsite comes with one picnic table (not chained down) and one fire pit.  The electric sites also have one electrical post and one water spigot.  The full hook-up sites add sewer.

Camp Staff:
Check-in Hosts -
There is one check-in at the campground entry.  The check-in office is staffed by State Park employees and rangers.  Everyone was very nice.
Campsite Hosts -
The were no volunteer hosts.
Rangers -
We met one ranger. He was gracious enough to check our water spigot and get it working again.
Programs -
none offered

Rules of Campsite Courtesy

1. Camp on the campsite which you have rented.  Don't squat on a campsite for which you did not pay.  Arrive on time and leave on time.

2. Leave the campsite better than you found it.  Defacing the campsite or leaving it trashed is ugly behavior.

3. Dispose of trash properly.  Do not stuff trash into the fire pit.  Do not leave trash on the site.

4. Keep public water public.  Pitching tents around the public water spigot is rude.  So is running a water hose from a public spigot to your RV.  If you want a private water supply, rent a campsite with one.

 5.  Treat someone else's campsite like you would treat someone else's home.  Don't walk through their site uninvited. Ask permission before entering another campsite.

6.  Treat rangers, hosts, and volunteers with great respect.  These individuals are a camper's greatest resource.

7. Do not allow your smoke alarm to beep through out the evening, night, and early morning. If campfire smoke is blowing into your RV or trailer, either close the door, or power off the smoke detector. No one likes a false alarm when they are on a vacation, especially repeatedly.

8. Share the camp road. Drive like it is your kids you are meeting on their bikes...chances are it is. If you drive slowly, and smile, and wave, you are guaranteed to make a new friend. Campers are generally the neighborly kind, and enjoy kindred spirits. However, they can be defensive toward rudeness.

Meramec State Park - March 2016

I took the family camping this last weekend.  It was supposed to be the first camping trip of the summer.  And it was...if one ignores the snow and overnight freezing temperatures.  Of course the CFO did NOT ignore the cold.  She didn't like it at all.  But she made it through.

Our camper's AC/Heater unit did put out heat, if barely.  The 5000 BTU unit had been made to just take the chill out of the morning air, not actually defrost five frozen human beings and one dog.  It did keep things from freezing, so there was that.  We decided we would bring an actual space heater for any future spring or fall camp-outs.

(Now look - before you go poking fun at me, yes, I have camped out in a tent in the cold with both the Boy Scouts of America and the US Army.  I've seen it snow INSIDE my tent as my warm breath rose, cooled, froze, and then fell back on my face.  Been there.  Done that. Got the polar bear patch.  But, I'm paying my own fare now.  I don't have to skip the heat just to prove to some jack-wagon who signed up sooner than I did that I can suffer as much as he did when it was his turn...OK moving on...)

This was the first weekend that Meramec State Park campground was open.  The electricity was turned on, and there was one working water spigot for the whole camp.  While recent river flooding had left several dump truck's worth mud covering the park roads, all surfaces had been scraped and washed clean. There were some uprooted trees that had floated on the floodwaters into the camp and were left lodged precariously 30 feet overhead in the branches.  That was not something to camp under, and the park management had cordoned off those sites.  Over the previous week, MO State Park employees had been hard at work repairing the damage.  Most of the electrical boxes were repaired, and all the picnic tables were still chained to their concrete pads. New grass had even been planted around the shower house.  The camp site water was lacking, but the system hadn't been certified clean yet.

(This brings up a good point: April 1st is when MO promises to have all the amenities turned on, not before.  So if you pay for a full-hook-up site for March 15th, and nothing is on, you just paid top dollar for a tent site...sorry...And if you reserve a campsite during flood season, don't be surprised if you can't camp at all.)

One of the benefits of going camping this early in the season was the limited number of people at camp.  A campground with about 200 sites feels very roomy when there are just a few campers.  The ones who came and camped were like us, serious campers testing out this season's equipment to ensure it works as desired.  Two of our weekend neighbors had just bought new campers.  For us, it was seeing how well our new 2016 Chevrolet Traverse LTZ (yeah baby!) towed the camper.  Even the campsite host was testing equipment: after the flooding he was testing and repairing every single one of the electrical boxes.  These folks were wonderful neighbors.

There always seems to be somebody who comes to camp just to cause a ruckus.  This weekend that was the 50, or so, college kids who thought that it would be a good idea to try to take the group campsite away from the Boy Scout troop already encamped there.  If you happen to be one of the hooligans who came down to camp expecting to party hardy over Spring Break WITHOUT paying for a campsite, I have no sympathy for you.  Getting lippy with the camp host (not even a Park Ranger) about the lack of water at your campsite gains you no friends.  Leaving your trash behind for the host to pick up shows your juvenile arrested development. All you did was frustrate the camp host who was a retired sailor who was actually trying to get the campground back in working order.  Have you ever cleaned up after a flood? Try it sometime.  I'm a Guardsman. I know.  I've been there. Done that. If you are one of the hooligans' parents, shame on you for not instilling better manners in your children. Now the world has to suffer with more child-adults who can't cope with real life.

Our new Traverse worked very well for towing our 1999 Viking pop up camper.  The Traverse even has a stabilizing system in it to help take the shakes out of towing, giving it a nice smooth feeling when towing.  But, the Traverse was a bit susceptible to having its tail lifted up as the trailer bounced up and down.  Having driven an Envoy before, getting my butt lifted occasionally was a bit of a surprise.  Another down-tick on the Traverse are the moving mirrors.  The mirrors aim at the rear tires when backing, "Park Tilt Mirrors".  This is likely handy for backing into a parking spot, but it gave me sea-sickness when backing the trailer.  Not fun.  I'm turning that option off as soon as I can figure out how.  An enjoyable surprise was that the Traverse appeared to get BETTER gas mileage while towing than when slick.  The Envoy dropped to a terrible 10 mpg average, but the Traverse seemed to rise up to an over 25 mpg average.  I can't explain it.  I'm not sure I can repeat it, but I liked it.  And I'm hoping for good things on the next trip too.

This is our third season with a pop-up camper.  By now, everyone knew their job, and packing was a breeze. The CFO had everyone packed by the time I got home on Friday. I hitched up and the boys stowed gear.  We were away from the house within an hour's time.  We had some McDs on the way through St Clair, and we pulled into the campsite, just as the sun went down.

Saturday was a beautiful day.  We started it with Mickey Mouse style eggs in a basket, bacon, sausage, and OJ.  From there we took a walk through the campsite, saying hello to our weekend neighbors.  The host was an old SeaBee who could blacksmith, blow glass, and rewire just about anything.  One set of neighbors had just impulse-purchased a like-new 2008 JayCo pop-up camper. GOOD PURCHASE. The next set of neighbors was a cav scout (11th AACR) family with strong ties to Germany and had seen the Wall come down. They had just purchased a fixer-upper Class A RV. Nice family. Dog lovers. Polite teens who'd look you in the eye when they spoke. Good raising. The RV came with 47 states filled in on the rear-side map.  I hope they fill in that North Dakota spot real soon. The BSA Scout troop made a parade-like convoy when entering and exiting the camp.  They drove slowly and waved at my boys as they went by. Nice folks. We finished the afternoon with a hike along the half-mile nature trail.  It was a nice trail with a short detour to a nearby open cave.  We photographed what I think is a Little Missouri Brown Bat.  Could be an Indiana Bat, but he didn't have any State registration papers on him.  By then the sky had gone overcast, the temperature dropped, and my back was starting to tire out.

We started our Dutch oven for jambalaya and a campfire for s'mores.  The CFO doesn't like shrimp and isn't much for sausage. BUT when it's cold enough she loves jambalaya, shrimp and all.  We don't do ours terribly spicy, since our oldest son doesn't like that too much.  But it was hot enough to warm us up, and we did have a 5-nose sniffle chorus while eating.  We threw on all three packets of fire wood to roast s'mores, but the temperature dropped too much and everyone was soon inside the camper.  Overnight, it dipped below freezing, and early on Sunday morning, I found myself walking through sleet and snow to get to the latrine.  The dog, being from Labrador, thought the weather was great.  (By the way Labrador is a real place, in Canada. At one point it was its own separate dominion.  Kind of like Texas.  This place is the only place the German Nazis ever made an armed incursion in North America, installing an automated weather station. Wikipedia has a whole page on it: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labrador.  )

Sunday morning, my oldest and I cooked cinnamon rolls in the Dutch oven, while the others stayed inside.  The lack of a good space heater took its toll on group morale, and everyone returned to their sleeping bags after breakfast.  The morning saw larger and larger snow flakes and the cold continued. I gave up hoping for sunlight at 11 am.  We dropped canvas wet and packed up.  The trailer can dry at home.

Campground
Loops
There are three main sections to the camp.  We've decided that we like the far left side of the camp best.  But if you are a tent camper, then you would probably like the middle section best.  And if you have a big diesel RV, you'll probably want the middle or right side.

Shower Houses & Latrines
The shower houses were closed in the pre-season.  There was one vault toilet (aka latrine) open.  It was spotlessly clean, but smelly (it's a latrine).  Regular camping season starts April 1st.

Playgrounds
There was one playground.  There was also a big open field for football and baseball.

Trails
There is a short half-mile nature trail near the camp.  We took it this time.  The trail leads to a small overhang cave, which contained live bats (don't touch...rabies, protected species, etc.)  Early spring is a great time to see the small and delicate Ozark wild flowers.  It is also a good time to go hiking without all the undergrowth.  The trail leads around, up. and over the hill over the main Fisher Cave entrance.

Campsites
Terrain
The main section of the campground is very level, and has good asphalt road between the sites.  The area is well mowed providing nice areas between the sites.  This is probably the best tent-camper state park near St Louis.

Be aware of the Centennial Tree which hangs over the main road.  More than one RV has lost AC or a dish to this low hanging monster.

Pad Space
The pads are generally all of a good length, and are pretty level.  The pads are just pads; they don't cover the campsite.  There are a few handicap campsites with wide pads big enough to hold the pinic table and the fire pit.

Amenities
Each campsite comes with one picnic table (chained down), one fire pit, and one lantern pole.  The pits and poles have likely been in service since the late 80s, but are in good repair.  You can pay for electric hook-ups, water hook-ups, and sewer hook-ups, depending on the size of your camper and the type of site you want to rent.

Camp Staff
Check-in Hosts
There were no check-in hosts this time.  The MO State Park employee, handyman extraordinaire, was the camp check-in and loop host.  The gentleman was knowledgeable and friendly.  Between rewiring the electrical boxes, he frequently checked on us, and was disappointed when the weekend campers began to leave.  He was hoping we'd stay an extra night.

Campsite Hosts
There were no campsite hosts during the spring pre-season.

Rangers
We had no interaction with any Rangers.

Programs
The camp offers cave tours during a limited summer season, and nightly amphitheater programs. These weren't offered during the spring pre-season.

Gulf Islands National Seashore - Fort Pickens Campground - Part Two

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Fort Pickens Campground

(Part Two)

HELPFUL TIP:
When you are on the Santa Rosa Island, and it is 30 minutes until sundown, go inside.

There are tiny mosquitoes that bite like crazy.  They come out at dusk, and go away once it is completely dark.  Deep Woods Off, bug bands, and the other bug repellents just don't work.

FRIDAY:
The boys woke up and immediately went for bike rides.  The CEO made coffee and I made breakfast: my world famous egg-in-a-basket a la Mickey.  From there we took a lazy start to the day.  I drove to the cam p store by way of the beach and then back to the store.  The scenery was just too gorgeous to not take in.  We went back across the bridges to the mainland, and drove over to the National Naval Aviation Museum, the home of the Blue Angels.

It was an amazing place.  Anything that was Navy and could fly was in there.  Planes, blimps, kites, and streamers.  Literally, everything that every flew that ever came in contact with the Navy, including some NASA stuff.  There was a nice display for the Coast Guard in the corner.  Fittingly, the St Louis products, the F-9s and F-18s took center stage.  The Navy museum had a gift shop, so I bought an ARMY kite to fly at the beach.

By 1:00 pm, we'd made it back to Santa Rosa and over to Peg Leg Pete's.  It was a local establishment that specialized in beer, shrimp, and fries.  The burgers were $15.  The shrimp basket was $6.  Easy choice. The lunch baskets came out super full.  The waitress was very nice.  I had the local Peg Leg Pete's lager which was on tap.  I ate all of my shrimp and fries, and most of my youngest's.  I was so full on shrimp. What a great feeling!  If you haven't been there, go. www.peglegpetes.com

At 3:30 pm, we were back at the beach. We had the place mostly to ourselves.  The wind stayed breezy at about 10 mph.  Flying a kite was not hard.  I just held it in the air, and let go. We needed more kites: note for next time - more kites.  The CEO and the boys splashed in the water. My oldest lost his water shoe, just the left one.  It filled with sand and sank.  The water was too brisk to go after it, so good bye shoe.  Flip flops are great at the beach.  Water shoes, not so much.

As the sun went down, we went back to camp.  This time, we dodged the biting flies.  We had another quick-starting campfire.  Then it was bedtime.  No city noises.  No generators.  Just the quiet ocean waves and breezes.  No back pain.  It was the best rest I've had in a long time.

SATURDAY:
This was a sad day for my boys, being as we had to leave. The CEO made a special allowance for a pre-dawn alarm, and we watched the sun come up over the horizon.  It was a site to see. Us landlubbers don't usually see the actual sunrise.

Having put the trailer up and down six times this year, this time was cake.  Everyone knew their job, and the gear was packed away quickly.  We were on the road by 11:00 am, and we made it back to Mobile to have lunch with some of my cousins.  Their church had a car show, and my Uncle put his VW van in the show.  My boys really enjoyed all the different cars.

We made it up to Meridian, MS, that afternoon and checked into a Holiday Inn.  Compared to the 
Fort Pickens campground, it was OK, but sadly not as nice.  We parked the Envoy and camper in the back corner and went to bed.

SUNDAY:
Well, what can be said for this day?  We made it the rest of the way.  We were sad to put Florida behind us yet once again.  We'd left Missouri experiencing seasonable and warm weather. We returned to fall weather; cool and crisp.  It took my at least a week to scrub the smile off my face...

Gulf Islands National Seashore - Fort Pickens Campground - Part One

Gulf Islands National Seashore

Fort Pickens Campground

(Part One)

This month we took off for Florida!  Having camped once each month in our new camping trailer this year, I felt it was time to stretch out a little and go someplace a little further away. The CEO gave the thumbs up for warmer weather, and we followed the other "snow-birds" to a wonderful Pensacola, Florida, vacation.

The plan was to stay in hotels half-way down and back, and to camp along the Gulf.  Camping was by far the better part of the plan.  The hotels weren't awful, but they just didn't seem to be up to par.  Due to the CEO's aversion to long car rides, we kept the travel times down to under six hours road-time each day.

As the saying goes, you can always improve you fighting position. So, in preparation for this trip, I ordered in some new hardware. I purchased a Maxxtow Towing Products Dual Hitch Extension, and three MaxxHaul Towing Products 2-Bolt Sturdy Anti-Wobble 2" x 2" Hitch Locking Stabilizers. The extension allowed me to both tow my trailer and carry the bike rack.  The stabilizers took the rattle out of the now-four-piece hitch.  I enjoyed not having any extra noise from the rear.  The minions enjoyed having their bikes at camp again.  I had previously been in some trouble, as the bike rack and the trailer both used the hitch, and the minions didn't feel they should have to sacrifice their rides for my stupid trailer.  Now everyone was happy.

Bringing the bikes and adding the extension worried the CEO a lot.  She was worried that something would break loose and blow away, or that the trailer would come off and we'd all die in a fiery explosion.  These fears were put to rest some 2,000 miles later when everything worked as I said it would.  It even seems I am supposed to figure out how to make the second bike rack work, or at least figure out how to transport two more bikes...the CEO was envious of the minions biking freedom.  She was caught several times stealing the oldest minion's bike!!

The trip started Tuesday afternoon.  The CEO had all bags, boxes, coolers, and crates packed for out trip down south.  So after sitting through that last important conference at work, I raced home attempting to not burn too much light.  In the end, I didn't make it.  We loaded and hitched in the dark.  Since it was dark, I wasn't sure but what I should just go to sleep and hitch in the morning.  The CEO insisted that we do it that night, and as usual, I'm glad we did it her way. Once all the new hitch hardware had been added, I found out that the chains were too short.  We had to run to Lowes and get some extra chain. With the trailer packed, hitched, and ready to go, we went to bed, ready for the 0400 wake-up.

WEDNESDAY:
It was 0430 before my feet made it to the floor.  With the camper ready to go, all we had to do was buckle the minions in the Envoy and give it some gas.  We were rolling by 0515.  By 0645, we'd made it to Cape Girardeau.  My Envoy was feeling the effects of towing the Viking; it was down to a half tank!  Oh boy!  And so began, the every two hour gas-up routine.  My gas efficiency dropped to a lowly 11 mi/gal.  I knew from previous trips that gas would go faster, but this time, I could measure it with scientific accuracy.  No matter how many times I reset the tripometer and recorded the gallons filled, the situation didn't improve. 11 mi/gal. Done and done.

We made it all the way to Corinth, MS, by 1115.  We were able to catch up with my aunt for lunch. Fried chicken sounded good, so we went to Zaxby's.  Being from a divided State, we'd never had Zaxby's before.  The CEO and I particularly enjoyed the buffalo sauce, but the middle minion's stomach became very ill.  He was sick for 48 hours, with spiking pain in his gut and frequent trips to the restroom.  Thankfully, the frequent gas-and-goes matched his need for the restroom. I don't think the restaurant did anything wrong.  Instead, the middle minion seems to have his grandfather's odd food-aversion to fried chicken.  Poor kid!

We arrived in Tupelo, MS, by early afternoon.  We stopped by Walmart and Barnes & Noble. Then we went swimming in the hotel pool, and had a camping dinner of cheddar cheese, green grapes, summer sausage, and crackers.  With the minions well worn out, bathed, and bedded.  We prepared for another 0430 wake up.

THURSDAY:
Thursday morning, we got rolling early again, and stopped at the McDonald's in my ancestral home of West Point, MS.  Oh the shock, when it took 30 minutes to get coffee.  I dropped the CEO at the front door of McD's at 0530.  It was 0600 before she emerged very frustrated. Apparently, Yankee terms like "mocha" and "frappe" were unknown to the good people of West Point.  "Some coffee" as the only available item, despite whatever might be listed on the menu board.

By 0930 we'd made it down to the Gulf, and we had spotted our first Mobile, AL, palm trees.  The last 20 AL miles of US Highway 45 were surprisingly rough, given the wide-open four-lane MS road. But, the view of the Mobile Bay and the USS Alabama were welcome sights, and the minions immediately began to ask how to the USS Alabama (BB-60), a South Dakota-class battleship, stacked up against the USS Missouri (BB-63), an Iowa-class battleship.  Well, the "Lucky A" received 9 battle stars in battles across the globe and was retired in 1962.  She displaces 35,000 tons and carries nine 16 inch/45 cal Mark 6 guns.  But the "Mighty MO" served until 1998, receiving 11 battle stars.  The MO displaces 45,000 tons and carries nine 16 inch/50 cal Mark 7 guns.  Suffice to say, the Might MO is just in a whole different class.

By 1100 we were at the Florida Welcome Center.  The rest stop proudly displayed a F-9 Cougar Blue Angel. The minions loved the jet planes, and the CEO enjoyed the fresh, free Florida orange juice thoughtfully provided by the people of Florida.  I was amused at how my newer larger camping trailer ranked against the others in the parking lot...it was obvious that we were not the biggest game in town...

By 1400 we were at the Gulf Islands National Seashore: Fort Pickens Area.  OH YEAH!!! Sand, waves, sea gulls.  It was awesome!  There are two bridges from the mainland to the Santa Rosa island.  The first is free and takes you to the island city of Gulf Breezes, which is an aptly named place.  There are plenty of gas stations and grocery stores.  It was at the Walmart Neighborhood Market that I bought the world's best firewood bundle.  I wouldn't discover it until later that night, but the bundle came with a chemical fire starter brick.  (The fire was guarunteed to light, not matter the dampness thrown up by the waves.  Once again, Florida is awesome.  I wish Missouri firewood bundlers would do the same thing!!)  The second bridge takes you out to Island of Santa Rosa.  It is a toll bridge. Whatever Wikipedia may or may not say, it is a toll bridge.  It costs $1.00 to get off the bridge. You can drive onto the bridge for free.  I have no idea what happens if you get to the far side, have no where to turn around, and can't pay the eight bits.  Don't be THAT guy.

We quickly set up camp.  Unhitching was pretty easy.  There was no screaming or crying this time. So, we must be getting better at it.  Partly, I think the bikes were the key to the no screaming thing. The minions begged for their bikes, and began to circle the campground while the CEO and I encamped. Once we were unhitched, chocked-in, popped-up, tied-down, and folded-away, we decided to go to the fort.  The minions wanted to ride the mile from the campground to the fort.  The CEO slowly followed in the pace car while our boys willingly gave themselves some good exercise.

We ended up in the Fort Pickens Visitor Center at 4:29 pm, which was sadly 1 minute before the Ranger closed the shop.  The Volunteer quickly handed us the Junior Ranger program guides and advised us to come back tomorrow.  So, we left the shop and took the self-guided tour.  The Santa Rosa island beaches were just too beautiful, and the fort was pretty awesome.  Shortly before sundown, the boys reversed course and pedaled back to the campground.

We stopped halfway back to enjoy the beach.  I could tell that the CEO wanted to see some waves. She didn't say anything, but I can feel the vibe that we should stop.  This was not an occasion where waiting until the next day was going to be acceptable.  It had been several years since her beautiful toes had been in the ocean, and she just wasn't going to wait any more.  It was a treat to watch her enjoy the Gulf.  It was even more amazing to watch our youngest two boys.  This was their first time at the ocean.  They hadn't seen waves or white sand before.  Our youngest began to whoop and holler and run up and down the beach.  Our middle boy began dodging in and out of the water as the waves rolled up onto the sand.  Their smiles were huge.

That evening we finished off with a quick dinner of PB&J sandwiches, and a camp fire.  Best firewood bundle EVER (see above).  We also learned something the hard way.  The mosquitoes came out just at sundown and disappeared at dark.  Everyone else in camp seemed to know this, so they stayed inside their campers.  We didn't.  We got bit.  Us being the only thing on the menu for the little blood suckers, they bit us hard.  We learned.  Everyone came back out after dark.

The Fort Pickens Campground was awesome.  There was only one set of tent campers.  We were the only pop-up campers.  Everyone else outclassed us in both RVs and decades, but that was great. They loved talking with our motor-mouths, didn't seem bothered by kids on bikes, and were super helpful. The shower houses were as clean as at home.  The showers had plenty of hot water.  The weather was ideal.  At sundown, every went to bed pretty quickly.  There were no obnoxious neighbors. No loud party crowds. No arguements to heard from across the grounds.  It was just quiet. There was no road noise either.  Because of the perfect Florida weather, no one ran any A/C or heater equipment.  As the CEO and I went to bed, all we heard were the constant Gulf breezes and the waves.  I slept deep that night.  My back pain stopped.  I didn't even snore. I was the least tense I'd ever been in a long, long time. It was like magic.

TO BE CONTINUED...

Campground:
Loops -
There are five loops (A, B, C, D, and E) and a group camping area.  Loop A is on its own, while loops B through E are part of a larger connected area.
Shower Houses -
There were four shower houses.  Ours had full-sized restrooms on one side and four individual shower rooms on the other side.  The facilities were kept very clean.  The dumpsters were kept at the far ends of the loops, far away from the shower houses.
Playgrounds -
There were no playgrounds.  There were two fantastic, huge beaches within a few hundred feet of camp.
Trails -
There were several boardwalks from the main road to the beaches.  There were several bike trails that crisscrossed the area, including one trail which lead from the campground to the fort.

Campsites:
Terrain -
The ground is flat and level.  White sand and dune grasses are common.  Pine trees provide some shade for the camp.  The main road and campground roads are all asphalt.  Some parking areas are gravel.  Generally speaking, in your vehicle, you want to stay on the road, and off the sand.
Pad Space -
The pads are short.  Each is big enough to fit a camping trailer or RV, but the towing vehicle has to be parked sideways across the pad to avoid having to park in over-flow parking.  However, that seems to be the intent of the design, to allow camping equipment on the pad, but to push vehicles to the gravel lots.
Amenities -
Each campsite comes with one picnic table (not chained down), one fire pit, one electrical post, and one water spigot...and lots of gorgeous FL weather.

Camp Staff:
Check-in Hosts -
There were two check-ins: one for the park entry, and one for the campground.  Each is manned by a combination of National Park Ranger and Volunteer.  Everyone was great.  They all seemed to especially like grandkids!
Campsite Hosts -
There were three sets of hosts on duty while we camped.  One host came prepared with a folder entirely dedicated to local restaurants, arranged by catagory.  He was like our very own concierge. One host gave us the guided tour of the place, when we asked her to simply guide us to the trash dumpsters.
Rangers -
The Rangers were awesome.  Every Ranger or Volunteered seemed genuinely excited to talk with and teach our boys about the area.  Everyone was tickled when our boys were sworn is as official Junior Rangers...they were big stuff, let me tell you!!
Programs -
The National Park offers Ranger-guided tours and self-guided tours of the old Fort Pickens.  There is a Junior Ranger program, where youngsters fill-in an activity booklet and participate in activities. At the end of they get badges, patches, and a huge feeling of accomplishment.