Category: Road Trip

A night on the Mississippi Gulf Coast

Posted in Mississippi, Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State ParksTagged , , , 9 Comments

Our day began driving south on I-65 to Mobile, Alabama and heading west on I-10 to Mississippi. Our home for the night  was Buccaneer State Park in Waveland, Mississippi.

This part of Mississippi suffered major damage in August, 2005 when Hurricane Katrina came ashore with winds of over 160 MPH and a storm surge of 30 feet. Damage from the storm was evident all along the beach. The remains of several docks are still standing as a reminder of the power of the storm.

Blondie always enjoys a walk on a beach
Laughing Gulls
Dock remains in Waveland, Mississippi
Walking along the beach in Waveland, Mississippi
On the beach in Waveland, Mississippi

All of the structures at this popular state park were completely destroyed by Hurricane Katrina. Reconstruction of the park was completed in 2013 and the results are amazing. All of the buildings, water park, wave pool, and splash pool have been rebuilt and look brand new. It looks more like a resort than a state park. The large campground has several loops with paved pads and full hookups as well as a primitive camping loop. There are even some beach campsites with views of the Gulf of Mexico.

The hurricane also destroyed much of the vegetation in the park but some old oak trees survived the storm.

Majestic oaks in Buccaneer State Park
New Activities Building and Campstore at Buccaneer State Park
Office and registration building at Buccaneer State Park
Castaway Cove at Buccaneer State Park

As I walked on the beach and around the park I couldn’t help but think about what the area must have looked like before Hurricane Katrina came ashore 10 years ago. I also thought about how much work must have gone into the restoration of the state park and the private homes in the area. Kudos go out to the people of the state of Mississippi for doing such a great job with the rebuilding.

On the Road Again

Posted in Alabama, City Park, Parks, Road Trip, RVingTagged , , 12 Comments

After several months at home taking care of doctor’s appointments and chores we are finally on the road again for our much anticipated spring road trip!

I am calling this the Lonesome Dove Cattle Trail, Gulf Coast, Cajun Country, Whooping Crane, Bluebonnet and Brisket Tour. Can you guess where we will be going?

Our first stop was Sherling Lake City Park, a wonderful city park just a few miles from I-65 in Greenville, Alabama. For $25 we had a full hookup, paved pull through site with a nice little deck. There was even WiFi at the site!

After setting up camp we took a short hike on the walking trail along the lake. Spanish moss draped trees surround the lake. Campers can fish without a permit.

Taking a walk beside the lake at Sherling Lake Park
It’s great to get out and walk after a day of driving
Sunset at Sherling Lake
Sherling Lake
Early morning at Sherling Lake
Campers can fish without a permit
Sherling Lake

As we traveled from Georgia to Alabama we entered the Central Time Zone the weekend we were supposed to spring forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time. So on Saturday we were on Central Time an hour behind Eastern and on Sunday we had to spring forward an hour for Daylight Savings Time and were back to the same time as we were before we left home. We didn’t have to change our clocks at all!

Two COE campgrounds in Alabama

Posted in Alabama, COE Park, Parks, Road Trip, RVingTagged , , , 4 Comments

Our last two stops on the way home to Georgia were two Corps of Engineers campgrounds in Alabama. I made last minute reservations for two nights in Tuscaloosa and two nights in Montgomery. Our drive from Arkansas to Tuscaloosa was pretty long for us. We drove east through the entire state of Mississippi with fields of cotton still on the vine on both sides of the road. As we traveled through Mississippi we passed by several places of interest:

  • The Jim Henson Museum near his birthplace in Leland, Mississippi
  • B.B. King’s birthplace of Itta Bena, Mississippi
  • Greenwood, Mississippi with signs proclaiming it the cotton capital of the world
  • Tennessee Williams’ birthplace of Columbus, Mississippi.

We arrived at Deerlick Creek on Holt Lake on the Black Warrior-Tombigbee Waterway in the rolling hills northeast of Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Behind our RV were a few steps up to a patio area with fire ring and picnic table. With trees all around we felt like the only campers there. Our two nights there were quiet and peaceful.

Holt Lake, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Dam at Deerlick Creek
Wildflowers at Deerlick Creek
View from our patio at Deerlick Creek
We had to make this tight turn and go down the hill to turn around before we could exit the campground
We had to make this tight turn and go down the hill to turn around before we could exit the campground

Our site 28 was on a hill in the RBLU loop. We enjoyed this park but I would not recommend staying in this loop with a big rig. Getting out of the loop was a challenge. We drove down the hill, made a sharp left turn to continue down the hill, and turned around in a very tight turnaround to go back up the hill to exit the park. We had an audience watching but I never doubted Henry’s towing skills!   Our second Alabama COE park was Gunter Hill on R. E. Bob Woodruff Lake in Montgomery, Alabama. I really felt at home when I saw Spanish Moss on the trees. We were in site 99 in the older section of the campground in a beautiful lake front site. There is a newer section which has been renovated with paved sites and full hookups. When we arrived the Saturday before Halloween we discovered the park was full for their traditional Halloween Trick-or-Treat. Families reserve their site six months in advance for this popular event. Elaborate Halloween decorations were seen throughout the park. I love it when we stumble upon an unexpected event! It was a great place to end our fall trip.

Relaxing at Gunter Hill, Montgomery, Alabama
R. E. Bob Wooddruff Lake at Gunter Hill COE, Alabama
R. E. Bob Wooddruff Lake at Gunter Hill COE, Alabama
Spanish Moss at Gunter Hill

 

Lake Chicot State Park, Arkansas

Posted in Arkansas, Birds, Parks, Road Trip, RVing, State Parks, Sunset, WildlifeTagged , , , , , , 2 Comments

We continued exploring the Mississippi Delta at Lake Chicot State Park in Lake Village, Arkansas. Traveling south on Highway 165, a section of the Great River Road, we passed fields of cotton on both sides of the road.

The largest natural lake in Arkansas, Lake Chicot is also the largest natural oxbow lake in the United States. Our campsite was surrounded by wild pecan trees with a nice view of the lake. Our first day there, we drove across the mighty Mississipi River to Greenville, Mississippi to bring home 3 dozen delicious hot tamales.

Cypress Trees on Lake Chicot
This little raccoon is much cuter than the ones at home
Sunset at Lake Chicot
Sunset at Lake Chicot

Located in the Mississippi Flyway, the park is a great place for bird watching. In addition to egrets, herons and ducks, we were surprised to see a huge flock of White Peliicans on the lake.

White Pelican flies by blue heron over Lake Chicot
White Pelican on Lake Chicot
Far at the other end of the lake we saw this huge flock of white pelicans

We took a self guided driving tour along the Mississippi River levee. Most of the 20 mile tour was right on top of the levee. On one side of the levee were borrow pits with cypress trees, lily pads and many birds. On the other side was farmland.

Egret in the tree on the levee tour
Borrow Pit beside the levee
When traveling the backroads, you never know what you’ll see crossing the road
Cypress Trees beside the levee

We camped at Lake Chicot State Park in site 7 on October 21-22, 2014. For my review of this campground click here.

Barbeque, pie, and tamales in the Mississippi Delta – Part 3

Posted in Restaurants, Road TripTagged , , , , , ,

Hot Tamales in Greenville, Mississippi

After feasting on country cooking for lunch and James Beard Award winning barbeque for dinner with coconut pecan pie for desert on Monday, hot tamales were in our future for Tuesday.

We broke camp in Marianna, Arkansas and pulled the fifth wheel about 130 miles south to Lake Village, Arkansas where we set up camp at Lake Chicot State Park before getting back in the truck to drive across the Mississippi River into Greenville, Mississippi. Our destination was Doe’s Eat Place, another restaurant featured in Alton Brown’s “Feasting on Asphalt the River Run.”

Doe's Eat Place, Greenville, MS
Doe’s Eat Place, Greenville, MS

We were greeted by one of the employees as we entered the front room which was once was a honky tonk.  She told us a little about the restaurant and invited us to look around. After placing our order of 3 dozen hot tamales to go, we wandered through the 3 dining rooms. The lunch rush was over and the employees were busy getting ready for the dinner crowd. We were the only customers. A large gas range is the focal point in the main dining room. Photos and other memorabilia covered the walls.

The original Doe with 2 of his famous Porterhouse steaks
The front kitchen Doe’s Eat Place used to be a honky tonk
A wall dedicated to the sports stars who have eaten at Doe’s E
Doe’s Eat Place James Beard Award

Doe’s Eat Place has a very interesting history that goes all the way back to 1903 when Doe’s father moved to Greenville and opened a grocery store where the the restaurant is today. The building has been a grocery store, honky tonk, and now a restaurant.

In addition to tamales, Doe’s is famous for their Porterhouse Steaks. Doe’s won the James Beard American Classics Award in 2007 and their food has been recognized by publications such as Southern Living, Men’s Journal, and Bon Appetit.

The 3 dozen tamales to go are served in a large food container about the size of a 2 pound coffee can. The tamales are hand wrapped and tied into bundles of 3. The beef tamales are cooked in a delicious sauce that has just the right amount of heat. We enjoyed some for dinner and brought the rest back in our freezer.

Tamales are hand wrapped and tied in bundles of three
Tamales are hand wrapped and tied in bundles of three

Before our visit to the Mississippi Delta, we have probably never eaten in a James Beard Award winning restaurant. Now, in 2 days, we have enjoyed food from 2 award winners!

Doe’s Eat Place, 502 Nelson St., Greenville, Mississippi, owners Charles Signa, Jr and Doe Signa, III (grandsons of the original Doe).

We stayed at Lake Chicot State Park in Lake Village, Arkansas when we visited Doe’s Eat Place.