Hurricane Recovery Respite

After ten days of recovering from Hurricane Michael's ravaging windstorm through Mitchell County,  our weekend reservations at Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear offered a welcome retreat.  Jamie's workdays had stretched into double shifts most of those days, plus he pulled one 23 hour day; he needed to get away for a couple of days to refresh.

Brilliant reflection at the entrance to Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear

Setting up camp at site #66, spacious & secluded

We set up camp in the early afternoon, and I captured a few images of the swampy cypress entrance to the park where Spanish moss hangs low and algae grows thick on the backwater surface.  On this blue sky autumn afternoon, the reflection in the water was brilliant.

Moss draped over cypress limbs near the entrance to the park; water reflects trees & blue sky

Algae patches in the swamp

Moss hangs low on a cypress branch, while reflection on water produces an abstract pattern.

Then we returned home for the Homecoming football game and half-time festivities. Near midnight we pulled into the campground, but not before we were met by several groups of deer awaiting an opportunity to cross the roadway.

Can't miss Homecoming when your nephew is on the court.  

Deer at night

At daybreak I found an empty spot on the lakeshore to capture some morning color.

Morning Has Broken

At Water's Edge in Morning Light

A quick trip into town for a few supplies also doubled as a courthouse photo opportunity.  We're continuing to capture these images, building our collection ever so slowly.

Saturday evening we attended a lovely wedding at the resort.  The lake served as a beautiful backdrop, despite the rain delay.  And, the power went out while the guests waited -- imagine that! The best part of the evening for us was spending it with all of our kids.

Our Family

William & his girlfriend

Sunday ushered in cooler temperatures; ahh, maybe a little bit of fall is here after all.

Saturdays are for Learning

This Friday evening haul through downtown Atlanta proved bearable; the traffic slowed, but did not stop, making our drive to Red Top Mountain State Park about a four hour trip.  Not bad!  Of course, we arrived after hours, but our check-in package was awaiting at the camp office.

Fortunately, the first campsite for our reserved size was available.  The campground road and right of way are tight for a long trailer like ours.  A giant rock and steep drop off on the right of way caused concern, but my driver's expertise prevailed.  No dents. No getting stuck.  No cursing. Our radios make these back-ins nearly pain-free; we don't even wake the neighbors.

Our morning view

Pleasantly beautiful area; narrow road with significant drop-off

Lake Allatoona at Red Top Mountain State Park

Saturday morning we headed to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw.  Jamie had seen the billboard on the interstate for this attraction; we were pleasantly surprised to find free admission on this day.  We felt the Civil War section of the museum was a bit slanted toward the north.  The Glover Machine Works section contained an impressive collection of molds from the Marietta-based manufacturer that were used for building locomotives.  The highlight of the museum was The General, the locomotive in the Great Locomotive Chase of the Civil War.

Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw

The General:  every train buff needs to visit, right?!

A leisurely lunch at Olde Towne Tavern & Grill allowed us to catch the last half of the Georgia-Missouri game.  Wings in their house sauce, a spinach-artichoke dip pizza created on a tortilla, a Greek Salad and a mountain of garlic knots with marinara and cheese sauces filled us up for the day; we skipped our evening meal.

The small screens on one wall mirrored those on the opposite wall, but off to side, a theatre-size screen ...

While I participated in a late afternoon photography workshop in Roswell, Jamie checked out several nearby thrift shops in search of a camp stove.  And yes, he found what he was looking for!  $8.  A straw hat & a corkscrew to replace the Houdini I stripped rounded out his purchases.  I picked up a couple of tips for making better exposures and for creating dramatic lighting.

Photography workshop on Lake Cherful in Roswell

We turned southbound on Sunday morning with a courthouse tour route, mostly traveling down US 19.  We added 9 photographs to our collection.  Making progress!

He may not look like it, but this chauffeur + photographer's assistant is a patient man.

Spring Break Getaway to Crooked River

Our early departure plans for this Wednesday morning were slightly delayed by a fire call; unattended food on a hot stove will start a house fire, and a house without working smoke detectors is asking for disaster. Make sure you have smoke detectors with fresh batteries, and turn off the stove before you leave the kitchen.  This PSA brought to you by the chief & his sidekick.

After a quick shower to wash away the smoky odor we absorbed on the scene, we headed for the Georgia coast. Fortunately, we had spent the previous weekend spring cleaning the SolAire, purging the unneeded collection of various doo-dads, replacing out-of-date items, replenishing our food supply, and updating our wardrobe.  An outside scrubbing left her shining and ready for a spring break jaunt.

We arrived at Crooked River State Park near St. Mary's, Georgia, just before 3:00 PM, checked in at the office, and pulled our rig to the campground to discover a nearly perfect site.  Nearly - because our view of the water was obstructed.  Perfect - because the site was level.  Not a single leveling block needed.  Easy setup!

Crooked River State Park, St. Mary's, Georgia

Wouldn't it be courteous if every camper would remove his site tag upon departing the campground? The perfect campsite, the one with a gorgeous water view, was empty, but tagged.  Our gut told us they had left the camp a day early, but our southern manners wouldn't allow us to replace their tag with ours and take the site.

The campground is spacious, with easy back-in sites and some pull-thru spaces, plenty of room to maneuver big rigs without fear of taking out a pine tree or a site post.  Even so, the neighbors placed bets on Jamie's ability to back into the site with me directing (yes, they admitted this later).  Our radios come in handy at times like these - no shouting back & forth for the neighbors to hear.

The park sits atop a cliff - a sand hill is more like it - in a sharp bend of the river.  Fencing with warning signage prevents you from stepping too close to the edge and potentially dislodging a hunk of earth and landing in the swift current.

We explored the park by truck and by bicycle: a marina with bait shop and boat dock hosted pelicans and seagulls and a few afternoon fishermen; several group shelters, including one lovely enough for a wedding venue; mini-golf for those so-inclined; cabins; a nature center where schoolchildren on a field trip oohed & ahhed over petting a snake - I quickly departed the building; several trails through the palmetto forest; and a path down to the river's edge where we found a couple of grandfathers and their grandsons had filled a cooler with a day's catch.

Our hybrids took a beating, and so did we, when we went off-road onto the trails, first bumping along the boardwalk, then over tree roots and finally onto the sandy floor of the forest.  Thanks to a layer of pine straw, we managed to pedal through the sand.

We climbed up the stairs to a bird viewing stand to gain a bird's-eye view of the forest, only to find we were viewing a solar farm on the grounds of the Kings Bay Naval base.

We found better bird-watching at our campsite.  A pair of cardinals visited each morning, and another soon-to-be mother tried to build a nest next to our outdoor fridge.  She selected the softest of materials and was persistent in her attempts to start her nest in our camper until we finally closed the door, shutting her out entirely.  I wonder where she found to start anew.

A squirrel and his buddies enjoyed Jamie's can of Planters peanuts.  That plastic blue lid was no barrier. He chewed his way into the goodies.  We didn't intentionally feed the wildlife; they are thieves, scampering about, up and down the pines, climbing onto our tables and chairs, not afraid of humans.

Our sightseeing trip into the city of St. Mary's quickly turned into a trip to Fernandina Beach. St. Mary's was sleepy, with just a few businesses open downtown.  We had visited here one evening on a previous trip to find the park bustling with activity, but on this midday trip we found little to hold our interest.

In Fernandina, we visited the historic district, browsed in a few shops, and found a local spot for dinner, The Crab Trap.  Food was good!

What a small world - we failed to recognize until we had returned home - that some college friends of ours were in Fernandina with their son playing baseball at the same time!  Missed opportunity to reconnect.  We'll plan better next time.

Jamie had high hopes of kayaking and fishing along the river and in the marsh, but the wind was too brisk and the air a bit cool to venture out on the kayak this trip.

We'll definitely revisit Crooked River State Park, but only when we know we can arrive early. This park stays full, so late arrival will yield few, if any, choices of sites.  It's a quick trip from the Jacksonville area; those Florida tags were all over this campground.

Mountain View So Close to Home

F.D. Roosevelt State Park sits high atop a ridge in Pine Mountain, Georgia.  Driving up Highway 190 into the park, dormant trees allowed me to see off into the distance in both directions. The views are incredible!

I arrived to find that Jamie had already set up camp for us and had the campfire burning.  He really must be an expert trailer backer; the Minnesota neighbors complimented him on backing into the site on the first try; apparently, they'd had some good laughs in recent days at the expense of some less-apt backers who gave up trying to situate their rig in that site.  Good for us!  Jamie claimed the site with ease, and I wasn't even there to assist.

The temperature dropped significantly during the night; we woke up to a reading of 29 degrees. I'm appreciative of the electric fireplace in the SolAire; it sure does come in handy occasionally. Fortunately, the sun came out and it warmed up outside so we could enjoy the day.

We took in a short hike at Dowdell's Knob, the overlook where President Roosevelt often picnicked. We traversed the rocky, root-covered path to a memorial for a 1950's era plane crash. The season is perfect for a hike; no jacket needed and no perspiration, either; and with the leaves gone, we could see through the trees for miles.

We explored the region: first, Manchester. Of course, we checked out the trains!  Then we drove into Pine Mountain, found a barbecue shack and a few gift shops to browse, before heading over to West Point, taking a look at West Point Lake and circling the Kia manufacturing plant, just to see what's there.

We returned to camp in time for an afternoon siesta, and then completely skipped dinner; we were engrossed in playing Rummikub with the Minnesotans.  A little logic workout for the weekend.

A really nice park!  We'll return here.

Entertaining Lakeside

I couldn't get away from home fast enough!  It had been a stress-induced, time-crunched week of state testing, honors events, and graduation.  Add to that, the need to grocery shop in preparation for a Saturday evening party.

So, Jamie headed out earlier than I did to set up the SolAire at Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear.  What a relief to drive up to our already-set-up site, situated at the rear of the secondary campground.  Seclusion, despite a late-spring sold-out campground!  Just what I needed to wrap up the last, hectic week of the school year.

Perfectly placed at Georgia Veterans State Park

Food prep for a big crowd is typically tiring, but completed in the relaxing atmosphere of the SolAire with a view of the woods, this self-imposed task became joyful. Just what I needed!  With Jamie sitting in the same room with me while I checked off task after task, I was reminded of the many days my granddaddy did the same for my grandmother while she prepped meals for our weekly family nights.  Togetherness. Cherished time.

By mid-afternoon the preparations were complete and we headed over to my brother's lake house where the young folks had the tables and chairs set out near the water, offering a lovely view for dinner.  But it rarely fails: plan an outdoor event and a rain shower is a sure bet.  Fortunately, the weather radar alerted us to the possibility in time for tablecloths to be stripped.

A quick rain shower cooled the air. Can you spot the rainbow?  Check the cupola for the pot of gold!

The rain passed soon enough, the decor replaced, the meal cooked by my chef extraordinaire -- thank you, Jamie! --, guests arrived, dinner was served, and another party was in the books.  What a pleasure to celebrate our long-time friend Jeremy and his June bride-elect.

Love that my chef also is a display artist

Friends since fourth grade: Sara, Jeremy & Ashley

Jeremy & Kari opening gifts with happy mom Pam

Sunday morning we sped back over to the lake house to join Lynn & Tim for a ride to Boat Church. We'd heard of this weekly service, a ministry of Warwick United Methodist Church, but we'd never been. A large crowd had gathered both on land and on water. We enjoyed a wonderful worship experience led by our previous Camilla UMC pastor, Ken Myers.

Tying onto the boat beside us; a crowd has gathered on shore.

Returning to the lake house, we delighted in feeding some mighty hefty catfish. Pictures don't show it, but these cats were huge and they gulped the feed in one snappy grab after another.

Time to pack up the SolAire and head home; another work week beckons.

Fun for the Fourth

After last week's camping and biking tour through Virginia, West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland, it was difficult to come home and face the reality of work.  Fortunately, the work week was short and we got a jump start on setting up camp at Lake George for the long holiday weekend.

The SolAire's patriotic display

As is tradition, we joined family and friends for our annual Fourth of July celebration at the lake.  It was convenient for us to have the SolAire so the lake house bedrooms could be assigned to others.

We celebrated our first overnight guest in the SolAire on this outing; Sara found mints on her pillow when she turned in for the night.

Funny how a deployed awning, a few lawn chairs and a grill draw a crowd. 

As everyone gathered Friday evening, Tom grilled burgers and hotdogs, and David started the butt boiling in preparation for his acclaimed Brunswick stew, which we all savored on Saturday afternoon, along with the chicken Chuck grilled on his "small" cooker. The aroma wafted through the air, tantalizing our taste buds.

We had breakfast responsibility for the group - Jamie cooked bacon and our favorite breakfast burritos.

Clouds and scattered rain showers throughout the weekend kept the south Georgia temperature bearable.

Rain crossing the lake

Just about the time to board the boats for the ride toward the dam for fireworks viewing, the sky grew ominous and the wind pushed a rain storm through. Oh well, there's always next year.

Perhaps Jamie had the last laugh; since he had to return to work on Saturday afternoon to handle chief's duty for Camilla's fireworks display, he did get to see fireworks.

We traveled an alternate route home so we could use the dump station at Kolomoki; federal campgrounds like nearby Cotton Hill forbid non-resident dumping and Bagby State Park doesn't have a campground.

Sweeping the pine straw off the roof

Our friends are catching the camping fever; we pit-stopped to help David & Marie hitch up to their new purchase.

David & Marie caught the camping fever and lucked out with this deal.

Can't wait to circle the campers with our growing group of camping buddies.