Here and There

Scott and Jackie's Travels – Thousand Trails Reviews, Campground Reviews, Fulltime RVing, European Travel

Tag: state park

2017 – Campground Review: Fort Boonesborough State Park, KY

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Our stay at Fort Boonesborough State Park near Lexington, KY was a short but enjoyable one. The roads in this large campground are good and the sites are all paved. The campground has 161 sites. All have electric and water but only 18 of them are full hookup. Be sure to pay attention when making reservations if you want full hookups. The water hookups are shared between every other site and some of them are a long way from the campsite. I ended up getting out some hoses I haven’t used in a while to reach our spigot.

The road you turn on to get to the campground is at the bottom of a “trucks use lower gear” hill just before the Kentucky River Bridge. You will want to keep your speed down to make the turn onto Hwy 388 to get to the campground. Also, about half way down that same steep hill is the turn off for the Fort itself. You don’t want that first turn, but rather, Hwy 388. It is all pretty straightforward once you are actually arriving but, again, be ready for that steep downhill just prior to turning off to the campground.

While there is plenty of space between the individual campsites you might want to be aware that the back in sites aren’t all deep enough for a larger RV. Also, if the campsite description says the slope is moderate or severe you can believe it. Some of the sites are pretty steep. Again, be sure to read the site description when making reservations.

Of course, the reason for this state park is that this is the location of Fort Boonesborough which was constructed in 1775 by Daniel Boone and those he lead. Today the recreated fort is a living history museum. We thoroughly enjoyed looking around, watching an informative film, and especially chatting with the folks who gave us a glimpse into life at the fort. We think the fort is well worth the time and modest entry fee and highly recommend it to all traveling through this Kentucky bluegrass country.

2017 – Volunteering at San Jacinto Battlefield and Battleship Texas

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We’re just concluding our third winter of volunteering at San Jacinto Battlefield and Battleship Texas.  Honestly, my previous reviews pretty much say it all.  Once again we’ve enjoyed spending most of our volunteer time talking to people about the Texas – the only remaining battleship that served in both WWI and WWII.  We’ve also enjoyed working with other volunteers who, like us, fulltime in RVs.  Some are have come here year after year, so when we return it is a bit of a homecoming.  Others are new friends and it has been fun getting to know them.  The park staff are a pleasure to work with too.  If you haven’t gotten the message: we like doing this and plan on returning next fall for another winter of volunteering.

As has already been described, 2016 was a non-traveling year for us.  Because of that, we’re looking forward to a return to our touring fulltime RV life.  Our stationary circumstances left me with even more time to plan our 2017 Adventure than I would have had otherwise.  We have a potential route planned and several reservations have already been made.  No doubt, we will end up making adjustments, but if you don’t have a plan it’s impossible to change your plans!  Also, we’re headed for some popular areas in the coming months and without reservations we’d end up struggling to find a suitable spot or end up paying premium prices somewhere.

One change we’re making this year is adding a couple of extended, one month stays.  The idea is to spend extra time in interesting areas, save a bit of money by paying monthly rather than weekly or daily rates, and stay in southern states till warmer temperatures arrive in northern states later in the spring.  Time will tell if we like this strategy and will include it in future planning.

We’ve had a good stay at our winter quarters of San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship Texas and we’re looking forward to great days on our 2017 Adventure.

2016 – Sightseeing Without the Houston Traffic – west of Lake Conroe

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We’ve enjoyed several visits to Lake Conroe Thousand Trails near Conroe, TX and our big travel adventures have all started and ended with stays at this nice campground. Many people who visit here make sightseeing trips into Houston and even go as far as Galveston. However, since we lived in the area so many years and actually volunteer at one of the primary Houston attractions, San Jacinto Monument and Battleship Texas, we aren’t interested in fighting the Houston traffic to go sightseeing there during our Conroe stays.

The fun fact is that there are some really great places to visit within an hour or so of Lake Conroe. During our stay this time we revisited a couple of interesting areas just to the west of Lake Conroe.

Last but not least, the park is the home of the Barrington Living History Farm. The home of Anson Jones, the last President of the Republic of Texas, is here. It’s a working farm with costumed staff and period livestock. We saw Texas Longhorn cattle, Ossabaw Island hogs, and chickens. Scott was happy to spot a small “historical” snake making itself at home in one of the restored slave quarters. Our hostess was a friendly lady dressed in period clothing. She gave us a lot of interesting information on the farmhouse and its history.

We had a great time visiting these “no-Houston-traffic” attractions and recommend them to young and old alike.

2015 – Tip: Other uses of Google Maps

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I use Google maps a lot for planning. I mostly use it for routing. Sometimes if I’m unsure of a section of highway (or want to check out the campground entrance) I check out the street view and virtually drive along a section of highway to see what it looks like. Here’s a nifty website that automates journeying the street view.

If I’m in unfamiliar country and concerned about taking the 5th wheel over a highway I’ll go to Google Earth view and zoom in close enough to see what kind of vehicles are on that road. If I see a few 18 wheelers or campers I know I can drive it too.

Recently, just for fun I was looking at San Jacinto Monument (and Battleship Texas) where we volunteered last winter and will return to in less than a month. I was surprised to see that sometime during our stay there last winter the area was photographed by Google Earth and our camper was photographed from far above. Cool, huh!

2015 – Shortstop: Natchez, MS State Park

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There are two campgrounds at Natchez, MS State Park (plus a primitive camping area and a cabin area). We stayed in the newer Campground B a couple of years ago and liked it very much. Our stay this time was in the older Campground A, we like it too. Campground A has the only full hookup sites in the park and there are only six of them. Not only that, but it appeared to me that three of those were taken by long term campers. I’m not sure how that works in a state park, but I remember seeing at least one other long term setup in the newer campground a couple of years ago. The full hookup sites are all back in but between two one way roads in and out of the campground. The sites are level, reasonably spaced and concrete slabs. The other sites in Campground A are water/electric only. Some look like they would be okay for bigger rigs, but there are others that would be a tighter fit. I could get my 5th wheel into the lower part of Campground A but I don’t think I would like doing it very much.

Getting to Campground A is an experience all in itself. As I mentioned in my 2013 review, to get to this state park one turns off of Highway 61 onto State Park Road. You will wind your way past several buildings that are at the falling down stage right on a pot-hole filled road. In a few minutes you come to a sign instructing you to turn left off of State Park Road if you want to go to Campground B and the main offices. Otherwise, you continue down State Park Road to the entrance to Campground A. The rough road only gets worse as you come, but it’s only a mile or so to the campground entrance. The back in, full hookup sites are right there.

You could get into this campground from the main state park road (not to be confused with the road I just described “State Park Road” – how’s that for confusing!). However, that way into Campground A is via a narrow road just wide enough for one vehicle down and through the lower part of Campground A. Then, once you get to the row of full hookup sites you are going the wrong way with no place to turn around! Needless, to say, you don’t want to do that, so approach Campground A on State Park Road and not the road into the rest of the park (I know, confusing).

I managed to get most of my satellite TV channels but it was a challenge. Had it not been fall with the tree leaves thinning out, I doubt I would have had any success at all. My Verizon 4G was a fairly good 2 bars. Now that I’ve stayed in both campgrounds at Natchez State Park I think I’d go for Campground B for shorter (no sewer hookup) stays and Campground A for longer stays, and that only if I could get a full hookup site.

Shortstop: LeFleur’s Bluff State Park – Jackson, MS

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Our shortstop at LeFleur’s Bluff State Park in Jackson, MS is our second stay at this campground. We were here two years ago as we journeyed down Natchez Trace Parkway the first time. There’s really not much new to say. We still like it here.

Our review from 2013 is here.

One good change is that the unnecessary concrete island at the entrance has been removed, making it easier to navigate through the gate. Before, there was no one at the entrance station but now we noted that it is manned. I mentioned in my previous review that I thought satellite TV would be easier to get in the sites across from the bathhouse. I was mistaken. “North” isn’t quite where I thought it was and the satellites are still out through the trees. From what I can see, the sites nearer the campground entrance might be best for satellite, but as wooded as it is getting a signal there would be challenging at best. However, there are lots of local over-the-air channels so a TV watcher will still have plenty of entertainment available. This is a busy campground on weekends so a person would be wise to reserve a site early if possible.

Campground Review: Tombigbee State Park at Tupelo, MS

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This is our second stay at Tombigbee State Park at Tupelo, MS. We were here two years ago and as we journey down Natchez Trace again we’re staying at the same places as we did then. Obviously, we like this state park. The campground features nice paved sites, 50 amp electric, full hookups, and a nicely done and clean bathhouse that even includes a laundry. The route back into the state park is, of course, still a hilly, twisting road that is a bit challenging but do-able.

My Verizon data has been a weak but usable 3G and satellite TV is pretty good, although in this particular site I wasn’t able to get my third satellite which has some of the HD channels on it. My only real complaint is the same one I had two years ago: late every night the campground voltage rises to the point that my electrical management system shuts the electric off to my camper to protect it from high voltage. I spoke to the office about this two years ago and brought it to their attention again. They know about the problem and the too high voltage is related to an effort to keep the voltage from dropping too low during busy, hot summer months. Our solution was to unplug overnight and use a heavy duty extension cord to run a space heater. It’s a minor inconvenience for us, but I do wonder how much wear and tear is being done to campers that are experiencing this higher-than-optimal overnight voltage each night.

Sightseeing Review: Mackinac Island, MI and vicinity

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As we planned our 2015 Adventure we included a visit to historic Mackinac Island, MI as a highlight of our trip. It did not disappoint.

Once we arrived at Mackinac Island we took a horse drawn carriage tour of the island. Really, there are too many historic homes and buildings to see in one day. I especially enjoyed touring Fort Mackinac. Many of the buildings there are furnished with period items and sound effects give a feel for what it might have been like to have lived at the fort. We were entertained by the close order drill that included many of the audience. There was also a noisy and interesting rifle firing demonstration. After the Fort we walked over to the Grand Hotel. We were disappointed that they charge $10 admission to even walk into the foyer! Having already paid for the ferry, the carriage, and the fort – and still planning on buying a few souvenirs we decided to head to the main shopping areas rather than entering the famous hotel. As we walked, we were impressed by the beautiful flowers in the yards along the way. We bought a few things, but my favorite was some of the world famous island fudge! It will come as no surprise to my friends that I especially enjoyed visiting the public library which has some terrific outside seating overlooking the water – what a great place to relax and read a good book!

Campground Review: Beeds Lake State Park – Hampton, IA

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We’ve come to this area for years to visit family but this is our first stay at the state park. The campground is more or less divided between RV sites and grassy tent sites and the RV sites are somewhat divided again between a few pull-through sites or more or less standard back-in sites around the parameter of the campground and “parallel parking” campsites up and down the roads in the middle of the campground. Those campsites are interesting to say the least. RV’s line up in “parallel parking” mode, with the people opposite one another sharing a grassy strip between them. Since we stayed during the Independence Day weekend the campground was completely full so we saw the parallel parking in full swing. Several RVs were so close end-to-nose that the fellow in back had to wait for the folks in front to get hooked up and out before they could hookup to move. All the above seemed to work and the grassy strips between the lines of campers looked like one, big happy block party. Of course this was Independence Day; normally there are lots of vacancies giving everyone a bit more breathing space. When the campground isn’t packed the parallel parking sites function as convenient pull-throughs. I reserved early and picked a back in site that turned out to be a terrific, lake-view site with a nice, big “front yard.”

The lake was built by the CCC a long time ago and they built a large stone “stair step” dam that functions as a beautiful waterfall. We could hear it from our campsite – talk about ambiance: it was terrific. Our spot was so pleasant I almost felt guilty when looking at the folks who were packed into the sites across the center of the campground. I almost felt guilty, but I somehow managed to avoid it!

Again, this is a much loved local state park. One advantage of being here over the holiday is that the local Jaycees do a great fireworks show over the lake. People lined the shore to enjoy the show. It was a lot of fun and watching Independence Day fireworks in small town Iowa at a campground was about as American an experience as you will ever get.

You might want to know that all the RV sites are 50/30 amp only with no water or sewer hookups. There are water spigots scattered around the campground so it’s easy enough to fill up with fresh water upon arriving. However, there is only one dump station for the entire campground. After the busy weekend there was a line of people waiting their turn at the dump station. The campground boasts a couple of new shower houses and restrooms. I had a clear sky for satellite TV and my Verizon phone got a weak, but working 4G connect. There’s a fairly busy train track not far from the campground. We often heard the trains but it wasn’t a big deal.

If you happen to be traveling I35 through northern Iowa and don’t mind driving 10 miles or so off the freeway you might want to keep this place in mind. I suggest you make a reservation so you can guarantee a parameter, back in spot unless you think you would be satisfied with a parallel parking site that will feel like a pull-through when there are few fellow campers around.