Easter Sunday, 4/9: 296 miles, parked at the KOA in Baton Rouge, Louisiana
We had a long drive today, so we were on the road by 9:00. Traffic was rather light until about noon, when the roads started getting busy. The route was I-610 east and north out of Houston, and then I-10 almost all the way. Shortly before Baton Rouge, we picked up I-12, which is a northern bypass around New Orleans. The park is convenient to access and the transient sites were all gravel with a cement patio. There was a large area to the rear of the park nearly full of more permanent RV's.
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| Baton Rouge KOA |
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| Site 22 |
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| We are the second from the far end on the right side. |
We met an interesting couple next to us traveling in a truck camper. They had a F-450 dually diesel carrying a truck camper with 3 slides. They were pulling an enclosed trailer. I asked if that was for motorcycles. Nope! He is a retired mechanic engineer and rancher. Don was as typical a Texas cowboy as you could get. He was tall, lanky, wore a Stetson cowboy hat and cowboy boots. With his smooth Texas drawl, he could sell anybody anything. As a retirement project, he and his wife manufacture dog treats and the trailer was full of them. They travel and sell them at craft fairs and festivals all over the southwest. I had a great visit.
Monday, 4/10: 229 miles, parked at Gulf State Park, Gulf Shores, Alabama
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| I-12 to I-10 to Rt. 59 south. |
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| Black arrow points to our site, 426. |
Today was a lesson in patience. Remember the old adage, "Patience is a Virtue"? Well, today I learned it the hard way. We had a shorter drive today, so we were going to leave by 10:00. We made a quick run to a nearby Walmart to get diesel fuel. The line was huge. "I'm not going to wait in line. I'll go to another place where I won't have to wait". Just down the road was a Circle K station with no lines. Yea!! Pulled up, put my card in, and the pump didn't work. I go inside and I'm told, "Oh, that pump must not work. Sorry, but thank you for reporting it. Try pump number one". So we navigate to pump number one. Now the card reader there doesn't work!!!! So I take the card inside, pay and then pump the fuel. FINALLY, we pull out of the KOA 30 minutes late!!!! If I had only waited 5 minutes at Walmart.
Then.......As we are going south on Rt. 59 toward Gulf Shores, the GPS blurts out, "You can save 15 minutes by taking the Foley Beach Expressway". So who in their right mind wouldn't save 15 minutes of stop and go traffic? We follow Siri and the GPS. She or It tries to take us into a rear entrance of the park and we end up on a dead end dirt maintenance road. We finally find a spot to turn the camper around, get a few wild stares from local utility workers, and finally make our way to the front entrance of the campground. There, trying to save 15 minutes cost us 45 minutes!!! Therefore total for the day: we tried to save 20 minutes, and it cost us almost a total of one hour and 30 minutes. UGG!!
So trust me: PATIENCE IS A VIRTUE!
Gulf State Park is probably our favorite campground of all the ones we have stayed at in the lower 48 states. The sites are huge, the roads are paved, there are full hookups, and there are 28 miles of nearly flat hiking and biking trails. And there are lots of places to eat and shop in the surrounding area. We are going to relax and enjoy this campground for the next 11 days.
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| Gulf State Park, site 426. |
One of Judy's daughters, Christl and her husband along with their daughter and granddaughter rented a condo and flew to Gulf Shores for Spring Break. So they will be hanging out with us from time to time. They stopped by after we arrived to say "Hi" and catch up and meet Parker and Zoey. We grilled a flank steak along with a bunch of hot dogs for dinner.
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| Zoey giving a watchful eye as everyone wants to meet the new puppy. |
Tuesday, 4/11:
This morning Christl's crew and Judy went to the nearby zoo and had a great time. I stayed back at the camper with some back pain issues flaring up. Judy was home by 1:00 for a light lunch and then our afternoon naps. About 5:30 Christl and family came to the camper and brought Low Country Shrimp Boils for dinner. Then we sat around a campfire until the mosquitos came out.
Wednesday, 4/12:
Laundry day!!!! Yep, we had 10 days worth of laundry to do. The campground has a huge laundromat. You would need it for 486 camping sites. We got there about 9:00 and only one other person was there. By 10:30 when we left, the place was nearly full. Anyway, it's done for awhile.
For dinner, we met Christl and crew at the Flora-Bama. The food was GREAT and the atmosphere was relaxed and informal. We beat the dinner rush by going at 5:00. I ordered shrimp and grits, which I love, and Judy had some excellent fish tacos. Flora-Bama is right on the state line. In fact, our truck was parked in Alabama, while we dined in Florida.
Thursday, 4/13
We had a terrible wind and rainstorm overnight. Fortunately the dogs slept through it.
We visited Christl and family at their condo for an hour or so this morning. By noon, the skies had cleared and it warmed up into the low 70's. After lunch, Christl's crew came to the campground to visit the Nature Center. Later we all sat outside and visited. Christl and Judy decided that Parker needed another bath, so that was their project. He didn't mind it a bit, and it was nice enough outside for him to bask in the sun and dry off. Dinner was pizza and wings. We ordered from Chico's and they even delivered to our site at the campground. We had an interesting chat with the delivery guy. He had family in the PlattsburghNY and Burlington, VT area. He was familiar with North Country and Adirondacks.
The wind has been terrible since we arrived here on Monday. Double red flags have been posted on the beach, which means the beach is open, but the water is closed to public use.
Friday, 4/14
"Parker the Puppy here: Being a puppy is so much fun. I just have to tell you about a totally funny time this morning. Dad woke at 5:30, got me out of my sleeping crate and I took him for a walk. Back in the camper he made coffee and I napped for a bit. Mom woke about 6:30 and boy, was I ever excited to see her. I love my mom!!
I was running and jumping and having a great time. So dad, in his wise old ways, decided that now was a good time to shower so I could have some bonding time with my mom. And wow, did we ever play. At least I thought it was play. Apparently mom didn’t think it was so much fun. She doesn’t like it when I nibble on her toes, pull her bathrobe, or I get caught behind the recliners chewing on the electrical cord.
Dad said it was the most non relaxing shower he has ever had. The camper was rocking, mom was yelling, I was barking and Zoey, my sister, was howling in protest about all the noise. So now it’s mom’s turn for a shower, and by now, am I ever tired. So I lay down for a nice long nap and mom gets a relaxing shower, and dad gets a relaxing cup of coffee. Mom says she got the poor end of the deal, but I love my mom so much!!!!"
Today was a perfect weather day. Sunny and 75. The beach flags were changed to yellow this morning. We stopped at the Condo to chat with Christl and crew. They were all outside at the pool enjoying the sun. Judy and I made a Walmart shopping stop on the way back to the camper. Later, after naps for everyone, the crew came here for dinner. We had burgers, hotdogs and a steamed mix of potatoes, onions, carrots, and peppers. Ice cream cake was served to celebrate the upcoming birthdays of Judy and Ava.
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| Watch out. The magnificent 4! 😀 |
Saturday, 4/15
Heavy rain is again forecast for late afternoon and evening, and sure enough it did, although not as bad as the other night. The rain mostly quit by 5:00 and we all met at the Hangout Restaurant for dinner. It was loud, busy, and fun with lots of music and families and kids.
I got some play time with Parker before bed.
Sunday, 4/16
For Christl and her crew, Spring Break is over. Christl and Kylee have to get back to teaching tomorrow. They have an 11:00 flight out of Pensacola this morning. They stopped by the camper about 7:00 for a quick goodbye. We had a blast with them, even if the weather didn't always cooperate.
Monday, 4/17:
It was a beautiful morning. Parker and I went for an early walk, and saw the morning dawn over a lonely Long Leaf Pine. Being the tallest one around, it must have survived many a hurricane. We did a couple loads of laundry, got caught on on our blog writing, and got our afternoon naps in. The day turned out being a beautiful sunny and 75 one.
We got the e-bikes out for a ride for the first time on this trip. The first 9 days of the trip were go, go, go. Then in the Hill Country we were doing something every day. In Houston we spent every day with Pamela and Clyde. Christl and her family were here the last week. So, here we are, all by ourselves, with nothing to do. LOL. We love our RAD e-bikes. They are very comfortable to ride with the fat tires and padded seats. You can use them with no peddle assist all the way to full battery power and no peddling needed. Judy has had her bike for about a year, and after riding hers, I finally broke down and bought one last fall. In fact, today was the very first time I rode it, and we had a great ride. With over 28 miles of paved hiking and biking trails, there is something for everyone.
When walking the dogs, I caught a beautiful view of the constellation Orion and the planet Venus over the camper tonight.
Tuesday, 4/18 thru Friday, 4/21:
We were blessed with 4 more days of absolutely beautiful weather. Everyday was sunny and in the mid 70's. The dogs were constant entertainment. Zoey was sure there was something in the woods. There are dozens of fresh armadillo digs every morning. They are a nocturnal animal and we have yet to see one. But apparently every night they come out and dig for grubs in the sandy soil. Most homeowners in the south consider them a real nuisance because of their constant digging.
I take back not seeing an armadillo. Later in the week Parker and I saw 2 of them on our walks, both times just as darkness was beginning to fall.
On Wednesday, we went for a late breakfast at the Woodside Restaurant, with is part of the campground. Then we took a late afternoon long bike ride and ended the day by grilling some filet mignons for dinner.
Thursday was Judy's birthday. So, to celebrate we went grocery shopping at Walmart. 😀 Kidding aside, we had a nice relaxing day. We had agreed about a month ago that Parker was going to be our joint birthday present. Mine was last month. It has been an interesting month on the road with a puppy. Lots of laughs, lots of exercise, some tough love lessons and lots of cuddle time. He and Zoey are gradually becoming more friendly as Parker smartens up and Zoey becomes more forgiving.
Parker learned today to jump on the sofa all by himself. Oh boy, one more puppy headache for us. He is so proud of himself. 😀
It was too hot and muggy to bike, so we started doing some breaking camp chores. One included mounting the bikes. That took about an hour to mount and cover them. They are a bit heavy and need to be mounted really secure. We even have a special 5th wheel certified bike rack for e-bikes. While we were doing this behind the camper. Parker went crazy and dug a huge hole in the sand while we were out of sight remounting the bikes on the RV bike carrier.
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