Kolomoki Mounds State Park: Our First Visit

It was a 196 mile drive from Indian Springs to Kolomoki Mounds State Park, but we were well rested and ready for the trip. There were stops along the way, of course. There always are. We stopped at Wal-Mart in Forsyth Georgia first. Gary was on a mission to find some Hot Wheels cars he's been looking for, so stopping at Wal-Mart stores along our way had become a regular thing. The next stop was McDonald's in Byron Georgia, and then we bopped across the street to the Big Peach Antique Mall. We always stop there when we're in the area. Dodge and I know that parking lot VERY well. Three hours later, we were rolling again, but we were FAR behind schedule. Gary called ahead to the Kolomoki Mounds park office to find out what to do if we arrived after closing time. We were told to go to our assigned campsite, and to check in the following day. It was a long and mostly rainy drive, and it seemed like it took forever. The cellphone navigation routed us through some strange areas, and we were 14 miles from the park when we had a VERY close call with a deer that ran across the road. YIKES!!! We finally got to the park just a few minutes before 6PM, and we settled in for the night. Our stay was for three nights, December 10th, 11th, and 12th, 2018. The next morning, Gary got our campsite properly set up, and drove down to the office to check in. He took a few pictures, then made the 30+ mile trip to Dothan, Alabama to go antique shopping. We only had a few TV channels, but I was content watching old shows on the Laff channel. Oddly, we got that channel during all four of our stops on this round of camping, but we don't have it here at home. I LOVED it! Gary and Dodge were in Dothan for hours, and didn't get back until well after dark. There were only three campers in the park including us, so it was as quiet as it was at Indian Springs. The lower numbered campsites (we were in number 11) are all on Lake Kolomoki. Our site was the last in the row, so it was the most secluded. Nobody was close to us at all. The next day (our third and last), Gary explored the park and hung out with me all day. Most of these pics were taken on that final day. He climbed the steps to the top of the Temple Mound (the largest one), and visited Mound D, which is the next biggest, but tiny in comparison to the Temple Mound. Most of the trails in the park were closed due to downed trees from Hurricane Michael. We saw LOTS of devastation all the way from Albany Georgia heading south to the park. Thousands of trees were down. Some of them had sliced through houses and crushed vehicles. We were amazed at the amount of damage. It was sad to see. As for the park, we enjoyed our stay. We wouldn't hesitate to go back. Gary said the restrooms were nice.  I was bummed that we only saw one squirrel the whole time we were there, but that's okay. There's always next time! Temperatures were in the mid 50's, and very pleasant. With Kolomoki being the final stop on round two of our camping season, here's the stats for our trip. A total of 1576 miles were traveled from start to finish. Gary and Dodge went 688 miles without me, and I was with them for 888 miles. No wonder I'm tired! Our next trip will be considerably shorter, but I'll tell you all about that in a future post. I likely won't talk to you all before the Holidays, so Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Thank you for putting up with me for another year. I'll be back to annoy you again soon! Love Always, Toaster.

Wet In Indian Springs

We had a relatively short drive from George L. Smith State Park to Indian Springs. It was only 88 miles from campsite to campsite. Unfortunately, it rained almost all the way. It also got progressively colder. The temperatures were in the lower 50's during the days we were camping at George L. Smith, but they were in the higher 30's by the time we arrived at Indian Springs. The persistent winds and rain made it feel even colder, but no complaints from us about the temperature, only the rain. We LIVE for nice cold weather. It's something we seldom experience in Florida, and we LOVE it! We've camped at Indian Springs on several occasions. It's one of our favorites. We greatly enjoyed the campsite we were in last year, so we booked the same one for this visit. This was a three night stay, December 7th, 8th, and 9th, 2018. Due to the weather, we had the campground almost entirely to ourselves. Like most parks, this one usually fills up on the weekend, but nearly everyone stayed away. We counted two other campers besides us during our entire stay. It was eerily quiet. TV channels were limited, but just like at George L. Smith, we had all the basics. We arrived on Friday, and Gary and Dodge hung out with me and took it easy. On Saturday, they cruised across I-75, and met up with Gary's sister Pat and her husband Dan in the town of Barnesville. They went to an estate sale, went to one of their favorite antique stores (Antiques On Atlanta), had lunch, and then drove over to Woodbury to Pat and Dan's farm. Gary and Dodge didn't come back to the park until almost 11 o'clock. I was kind of scared being all alone in that nearly empty park, and I was DEFINITELY happy when they got "home". On Sunday, the boys went out shopping again, but they weren't gone as long as they were the previous day. When they got back, Gary and I watched football together, and Dodge rested up. Our next destination (we were leaving the next morning) was going to be a lengthy drive, so we all needed some good sleep. Sorry I don't have more pictures for you from Indian Springs, but the weather just wouldn't allow it. I've posted plenty during our previous visits if you'd like to search through all the posts to find them. It's a BEAUTIFUL park!

Our Second Visit To George L. Smith State Park

Our second stop on our second round of camping, was at George L. Smith State Park in Twin City, Georgia. We stayed there for two nights, December 5th and 6th, 2018. We had been to the park once before, but that was way back in April of 2013. Lots of things have changed for the better at the park since our previous visit. The park office was new, replacing the little cabin we checked in at before. Across the street from the new office, is a brand new group shelter (not pictured), and they are busy creating some new campsites adjoining it. One thing that Gary wasn't too thrilled with on our first visit, was the REALLY old restrooms in the campground. But that's no longer an issue. Also not pictured is a brand new restroom that Gary nicknamed the Bath Mahal. Apparently, it's SUPER nice. All of the campsites are two levels. Dodge and I were on the upper level, and there were three steps down to the fire pit and picnic table. All of the outer campsites, like campsite 16 that we were in, are lakeside. The 412 acre lake is filled with cypress trees, something that we haven't seen anywhere else we've been to. They are definitely interesting looking, with their bell-shaped bases. The park is perhaps best known for the refurbished Parrish Mill. It's a combination grist mill, saw mill, covered bridge, and dam. It's sometimes open for tours, but not during either of our visits. It was originally built in 1880, and that's just slightly older than my buddy Gary (HaHaHaHa!!!). We didn't have as many TV channels as we had at Fort McAllister, but we had all the basic ones. Squirrels were everywhere, and there's even a trail named for my favorite little animals. For some unknown reason, Gary took a selfie. He rarely does that, so I thought I'd include it with the rest of the pics. The red holly berries (I think that's what they're called) were seen all over the park too, and that made it feel a bit Christmasy (is that a word?) Gary and Dodge left me behind for a day, and went antique shopping in the nearby towns of Metter and Stateboro, and they looked at buildings for sale in Metter and a little further south in the town of Claxton. The one they saw in Metter has REALLY peaked his interest. I doubt if we'll ever move from St. Augustine, but time will tell. Anyway, our time at the park was MUCH too short, but we'll be back someday. There's no doubt about it!