Last Hurrah of Spring Break: Seminole State Park

To top off my spring break, we spent our final weekend at Seminole State Park.  So close to home, yet we'd never been there. Of the ten nights of spring break, we spent seven in the SolAire in three different parks.

Our first impression of Seminole: well-manicured.  This park is a well-kept beauty.

Mirror image in the lake viewed from our campsite #10

Friday evening sunset over Lake Seminole

The cabins and campsites encircle a portion of Lake Seminole, more like a pond than a lake, but large enough that several boats with tubers and jet skis kept the water churned up much of Saturday.  "Beware Alligators" signs didn't deter water sports enthusiasts.

The park was just half-full when we arrived Friday evening, but as would be expected, the lakeside lots were already occupied.  We selected a lot with a good lake view;  this lot challenged our preparedness: it was significantly unlevel, forcing us to use all of our boards and leveling blocks and extending our jacks maximally.

Working his magic to level and stabilize our rig on this gently sloping lot

Jamie experimented with his Dutch oven on Saturday.  His pizza "from scratch" turned out just right - crunchy on bottom and ooey-gooey on top.

Dutch oven cooking - counted the coals to determine the temperature; pizza cooking inside

The finished project: homemade pizza

For dinner, his parents joined us and treated us to Big Jim's.  Atmosphere! Water running across the tin roof and twirling fans kept this screened shed comfortably cool.  Shrimp, catfish, bacon-wrapped pork loins -- our meals were delicious.

What a treat! 

Loved the camp atmosphere at Big Jim's!

We were "entertained" by a sinking pontoon boat; its passengers disembarked at the lake's edge. They must've hit something and knocked a hole in one of the pontoons - that's easy enough to happen in Lake Seminole - lots of tree trunks still exist in these waters. Fortunately, they got the boat tied up and the passengers were safely on land.

While we drank our Sunday morning coffee, we watched an alligator glide peacefully across the lake; that "Beware" sign is no joke!

Rested and rejuvenated, we'll head back to our respective workplaces tomorrow.

River View Relaxation and An Academic Outing

Spring Break '16 proved to be a relaxing week filled with plenty of camping - just what we needed to soothe away some job-induced stress. The weather cooperated, offering comfortably warm temperatures with low humidity, a gentle breeze, clear blue skies . . . . Ahhh.

High Falls State Park is conveniently located just a few miles north of the Georgia Department of Public Safety Training Center; since Jamie needed to attend a class there, camping at the park was an ideal compromise during the week: I could vacation and he could go to work for the day.

View of High Falls

Looking down river - gorgeous view  & soothing sound of water rushing over rocks

Our site overlooked the Towaliga River, though the river view was a bit hidden by new spring growth. High Falls is a lovely park with level sites, making setup super-easy; we'll be sure to return.

The level site made setup easy.

Towaliga River south of the falls

River view from Site #88

From the river looking toward the campsite

On Thursday we headed to Athens for an academic lecture on the Dixie Highway and a screening of the GPB documentary on the DH. (You may watch the documentary here.)  The film crew interviewed Jamie a couple of years ago as they were working on the show.  All the major players were present for the day's event at the UGA Russell Special Collections Library. 

Jamie's interest in the history of the Dixie Highway is not new, so it was no surprise that he has served on a planning team to have our portion of the highway designated as a scenic byway.

Jamie in front of the Russell Special Collections Library at the University of Georgia

 

Dr. Tammy Ingram, a Seminole County native, researched the building of the Dixie Highway.

Though we returned home Friday morning in time for Jamie to get to a work function, we didn't unpack; the weekend was just a few hours away!

#93KDay

Coach Kirby Smart got his wish!  He asked Bulldog fans to fill Sanford Stadium for the annual G-Day spring scrimmage, and, boy, did they!  The official count released was 92,700.  The actual number had to have been much higher - there was standing room only, and people were standing two and three deep in the aisles and along the walkways. The stadium was packed!

We sat here in Section 108 with Jim & Christy who were kind enough to reserve some space; Tim & Lynn, David & Marie headed to the upper deck to claim one of those empty seats.  By the time they arrived, those seats were full, too!

The weather was perfect for a spring game - bright sunshine, bearing down warmly - hot enough to run thousands of spectators out of the gates by the half.  We were among them.

We climbed the hill(s) of north campus, making our way across Broad Street and down to a rocking little pub where we met the rest of our group who had given up the scrimmage sooner than we did.

It was fun to be a part of history-in-the-making: being at Sanford Stadium on #93KDay, welcoming Kirby as Head Coach, checking out the prospects of the Fall season ahead.

If two people are in the picture, is it still a selfie?

While waiting on a street corner for our limo-bus to pick us up, we were entertained by a three-person purple-clad folk band, who advertised ten cent photo opps with the giant.  He really was extra tall, and their music added pleasantness to our wait and our people-watching.

Jamie & Lynn with the purple-clad folk singers; the giant is standing - this photo doesn't do justice to his height.

Our camp host at Big Dog Tire apologized profusely earlier in the day; we didn't think much of it, until we heard the "music" at the party.  Not sure that can be called music: heavy thuds, indistinguishable utterances -- some call it rap music. At least it lasted only until 11:15 PM, and we had been forewarned. We were in a college town on a beautiful spring weekend with a football game - outdoor parties were to be expected.

David, Jamie & Tim hanging out before the scrimmage

The camping sites overlooking the Middle Oconee River behind the tire company on Atlanta Highway are level - a big plus when arriving late at night like we did.  No water or sewer hookups - fill your tank and bring your generator.  There are some bathrooms, but if there's a big party going on, you will not want to walk through the crowd to get there.  Limo shuttles will take you to the stadium and pick you up.

A generator is a must at the Big Dog Tire campground 

We reserved four sites for our group; there was plenty of room for others for G-Day.  On a typical fall game weekend, the sites are fully booked.

The Big Dog welcomed us to camp.

Miss Joy & SFC Tabb joined us Saturday night in the canned ham; they were in town for a family function. Of course, Jamie prepared his now-famous breakfast burritos Sunday morning.

The troopers catching up over morning coffee

Another travel trailer adventure in the books! Many more to come . . .

Rocky Bend, Again

We love Rocky Bend! So it's the perfect getaway when we have weekend commitments at home: we can camp and we can attend family functions.

This weekend was especially JOYful.  We arrived at camp late Friday afternoon to find that our good friends Jerry & Angie were set up and waiting for us, and Miss Joy had already set up her new vintage-inspired canned ham camper.

Not only have we known Miss Joy practically all of our lives, but she's the mother to a State Trooper - of course, that's close to Jamie's heart - and, with her formal title of Dr.,  she served on my dissertation committee several years ago.  We were delighted to have her join us on her first outing in her adorable canned ham.

Ol' Grillbilly Jerry marinated our steaks and fired up the grill while we ladies prepped the rest of our dinner.  Miss Joy's appetizer of cream cheese and butter with a stir-in of herbs and garlic hit the spot; I was hungry. Did I miss lunch again?





Becky and John came for the grillin' - another great feature of camping close to home - and brought the potatoes and salad, and with Miss Joy's loaf of bread, dinner was complete .

We visited by the fire pit until deep into the night.
 

Miss Joy decided it was time to turn in, so she made her way back to the canned ham only to realize that she'd inadvertently locked the door. Oh, no! It's a good thing our two public safety officials know a thing or two about unlocking locked locks. Success!

A screwdriver and a flashlight - always a must have!

Lesson learned

Jamie shared his best campsite breakfast burrito the next morning, and we enjoyed listening to the river rushing over rocks and around trees.

Breakfast - Sara & Kayleb joined us Saturday morning 

The Flint River was out of its banks, minor flooding evident at Rocky Bend.  Throughout the weekend, the water level was dropping.  We were amazed as we watched various markings go from completely covered to completely uncovered over several hours.

Flood waters at Rocky Bend

Notice how far up the boat ramp the flood waters run

Saturday afternoon Grillbilly started up his magic again when he put a Boston Butt on the grill and a dutch oven of baked beans on the fire; dinner was, yes, quite delicious.

Pulling butt

Frying bacon in the dutch oven to add to the baked beans

This cook is pleased with his iron pot!

We lazed around the campground, soaking in the spring sunshine, reading a few chapters of a just-arrived Amazon delivery, smelling the grill and poking the fire.

On Sunday, Jamie and I joined his parents in Hopeful for a special baptism service and then family lunch at their home.  Afterwards, we headed back to Rocky Bend for our Sunday afternoon nap, lounging riverside; ahh, sleeping to the sounds of the river rushing past . . .

My Sunday afternoon nap view

But all good camping trips must end.  Monday's coming. 

We're counting down the days 'til Friday because we're heading out for Spring Break.

Easter at Lake Claiborne, Louisiana

Rain storms pounded south Georgia, but we were headed west to Louisiana with the SolAire for a long Easter weekend to visit with relatives.

What beautiful weather we experienced!  Sunshine and pleasant spring temperatures made this a perfect camping weekend. We arrived at Lake Claiborne State Park shortly before sunset, set up our rig, and then went on into town to have dinner with our hosts.

Electric jacks make setting up & taking down so much easier.

The eleven hour trip was long, but so worth the time we got to spend with our 98-year-old cousin and his daughters, who've always been some of my favorite cousins - maybe because they were chic twenty-somethings who were never too old to entertain me when I was a little girl.  

We returned to camp well after closing to find the gate locked; luckily, we had the code. But, oops! The gate came off the hinge. Gee whiz!  

Arriving at our campsite, we saw our neighbors watching an outdoor movie projected onto a white sheet hanging on a clothesline.  The smell of popcorn filled the air.  Had it not been such a long travel day, we would've joined them.

Jamie and I ventured into Ruston, LA, Saturday morning to complete some errands.  We rambled through the campus of Louisiana Tech just as the National Anthem played on the loudspeaker to begin a midday baseball game.  The field was gorgeously manicured in lush green stripes and brick red clay.  With the clear blue sky and bright sunshine - perfect ballgame weather -, we exercised great restraint not to go to the game.

We enjoyed the Easter service at First United Methodist Church of Homer and lunch at the country club, followed by a Sunday afternoon nap.  Jamie checked out some dockside fishing in Lake Claiborne, but threw back his tiny catches.

A beautiful lake - a bit rough as this cloud passed over

Just gotta cast that rod a time or two . . .

What a catch! Throwing that baby back.

Daddy joined us for the trip, but only braved one night in the camper; the first two nights he spent at our cousin's house.  We learned that we need to give a better orientation to our overnight guests: he got cold during the night sleeping on the king-size sofa bed; he didn't know where to find the extra blanket (that was on the chair near his head) or how to turn on the fireplace (that was located just beyond his feet).  I hope he'll give camping with us another shot one day, but I'm not convinced he will.

Jamie and Daddy drinking their morning coffee before packing the rig and heading back to Georgia

Though we didn't have much time to enjoy this lovely state park, we were quite pleased with our choice for weekend accommodations.  The sites are paved, though they are closely situated and the pavement is narrow, with drop-offs on either side, making backing into the spot somewhat challenging. Fortunately, someone is an expert backer, and someone else is a decent radio communicator: "Come on back. On back. Stoooop! Now cut it sharp! More to the passenger side. You got it. Whoa!"  At least I can use my quiet voice with the two-way radio instead of hollering out for the whole campground to hear.

Beautiful view through the trees over Lake Claiborne

Crossing the mighty Mississippi going and coming fueled our dreams of summer vacation.  We'll be heading up the Great River Road in June.  Time to read Life on the Mississippi and reserve our campsites for the big adventure. By the way, it is possible to order a book on Amazon while traveling Interstate 20 near Vicksburg and have it arrive at your doorstep the very next day.  Just saying.

My view from the backseat: crossing the Mississippi River at Vicksburg

Colorful sunrise through the trees