Wednesday, April 29, 2020

4/24 Reed Bingham State Park, Adel, GA

This campground was highly recommended to me, even after I had made reservations several months ago.  My plans then were to leave my Florida state parks in the Panhandle and head northeast to the Blue Ridge Parkway.   Unfortunately, the corona virus shut down not only the state parks in the Florida Panhandle, but also the visitor centers and campgrounds in the parkway.  However, since Georgia had kept it state park campgrounds open, and I had found out that the rates of virus cases in this park of Georgia were very low, I decided to head hear on my slow trip back to Ohio and Michigan.

It turned out to be a pretty nice place, with sites well-spread apart and mostly empty campsites except for the weekend.  I had chosen a site, as usual, that was open so I could get good satellite service.  I absolutely have to have Verizon cell service so I can get internet access, but I really do like to have my TV service!

Weather for the first few days was nice, with highs in the low 80s and lots of sun.


As with most state parks, this one did have a lake, which I really don't care about as much as I care about having internet access and TV, but here it is--typical inland lake. 

Nice little fishing pier.  


What was interesting was the type of dam.  It was not a high dam, but it had a cement rim of sorts where the water was constantly flowing down to the river in the upper left of this photo.  Height of distance from top of dam to river was about 8'.

However, one day this past week, it rained hard all day, for a total of 3" within about 8 hours.  So, when I went to look at the dam two days later, there was hardly any dam showing.  The water was flowing over so heavily and the river so full on the other side, that the height of the dam was only about a foot higher than the river!  I noticed a lot of flooding in fields as I drove out of the area. 

So, next stop is Tennessee!  I have reservations in two campgrounds there for a week each--one on the Tennessee River near Lenoir City and the other in Jellico at the northern border of the state. 

Saturday, April 11, 2020

4/11 Strawberry Fields for RVers

As everyone else is, I have been bored for the last few weeks, but I have been catching up on minor repairs and cleaning chores.  Not being able to sightsee or drive has given me a lot more extra time.

After a bad experience in another campground, I have been in a very nice place for the past week.  The problems with the last campground were a dusty road behind my campsite, dirt/gravel campsites that produced even more dust, a lot of families around with constant golf carts driving around, and a lot of people not obeying distancing rules for coronavirus.  Part of the problem is that I was put in a long-term spot near the laundry room, which was close to all the activity.

This campground had a pool and in contrast to a lot of campgrounds right now, it was open and packed with kids and families.  In addition, there were a lot of people sitting close together around the pool and kids playing games under the open-sided activity building.  In addition, there was a parade of two golf carts, covered with Trump stickers and a person holding a sign saying that the virus was a hoax!  Did not make me comfortable about the safety of being around these other campers.  Lesson learned is to stay away from campgrounds with pools or beaches and a lot of activities.

Anyway, I found this much nicer and brand-new campground about 50 miles south, but still in northern Florida.  (So far, only 6 coronavirus cases in this very rural county!)  It is run by a young couple with two small children and has all pull-through sites with full hookups for about $7 per night cheaper than the one with the pool.  This place will have a pool, but they have just finished constructing the second of four phases.  It will be a really big place when finished!

It is also within walking distance of an ACE hardware and a small grocery store.  Town is about a mile long and has a Walgreen Drugs, Walmart Superstore, and a McDonalds.  Can't beat that for a small rural town!

All of the campground roads and camping sites are paved.  Sites are also large and fairly well spread apart.  Grass is a little sparse, but they went around today raking to get the ground ready for more seed.  It is expected to rain most of next week, which will help it grow.



I have been to a lot of campground laundry facilities, and for the most part, they are basic and not entirely clean.  This one is spotless and it is obvious that someone has taken a lot of time to decorate it. 

Love the paint scheme and the use of laundry product containers as decoration!  Also a choice of top-loading (left) or front-loading (right) washers.  Also nice to have a sink with paper towels and an iron and ironing board available.



This is the bathroom building, right next to the laundry room.  Cute design on the outside also!

Instead of large men and women rooms, this place has six individual bathrooms, three on each side.  There are coded locks so people cannot wander in from the outside. 

Does this not look homey??  Not at all like a public bath and shower room you get at most campsites.  And the floor is wood-like linoleum instead of the usual concrete.  

Also note that there is paper towel available and TWO electric receptacles!  You might get toilet paper in a campground restroom, but almost never paper towel and soap. 

Here is what the rest of the campground looks like.  Instead of families taking a weekend or so at a pool, this place is filled with people like me--full-timers or long-timers who got stuck because of the virus shutdown. 

The next few photos are of the newer area.  The two rows on the right were finished in a hurry this winter because the area constructed in the early fall got full.  To the left is the area that they just put in the asphalt and utilities.  

This area to the left just got grass seed planted this past week.  It also can use rain since there is no sprinkler system installed.

Lots of new "strawberry field" RV sites for next year.