Onwards To Watson Mill Bridge State Park

Hey everyone! Can you believe that this is my second post this month? After being a slacker for nearly half the year, I think I'm finally getting back into the swing of posting again. I had forgotten how much fun it is. It's always fun to reminisce about our camping trips, and I love to share our travels with all of our friends. Let's see.....where did I leave off from last time? Oh yeah, that's right. We had spent two hot, muggy, and rainy days at Magnolia Springs State Park, and we were heading further north in search of cooler temperatures. It's roughly 125 miles from one park to the next, so it wasn't going to be an extremely long drive. We went just a little bit out of our way so that Gary could stop at Aunt Tique and Uncle's Junk's Antiques in Thomson, GA. It's on a short list of Gary's FAVORITE places to look for treasures, so stopping there is always an absolute must every time we're even close to the area. Dodge and I had a nice little rest while Gary spent more than an hour doing some shopping. As always, he found some interesting items that he just HAD to have. The skies were partly cloudy while we were there, but it looked even darker towards the north where we were heading. Not long after leaving Aunt Tique and Uncle Junk's, it started to drizzle, and the drizzle persisted until it got even worse as we got within 20 miles of our destination. The skies turned black and the wind got REALLY strong. It was scary. It actually looked like a tornado could appear at any second. The rain was coming down sideways, and visibility was minimal. We made it safely to Watson Mill Bridge State Park, checked in at the office, and headed towards the campground. The rain had pretty much stopped when we arrived at the park, but the wind was still blowing strongly. The temperature had dropped dramatically. Hot and muggy had suddenly changed to pretty darn cold, especially with the wind blowing the way it was. We were happy about that. After about eight months of Florida heat, the coolness was EXACTLY what we wanted. Campsite 16 was ours for our four night stay, and it was VERY nice. The campground only has 21 campsites, so it's small compared with most of the ones we go to. The park itself is 1,018 acres, and it contains the very picturesque covered bridge that is 229 feet long, and spans the South Fork River.  It's the longest original covered bridge in all of Georgia. The morning after our arrival, the temperature was 35 degrees. It strangely climbed just one degree each morning during our stay, and the highs during the day were right around 60 degrees. It was BEAUTIFUL!!! It was sunny and bright during the remainder of our time at the park. Another favorite place that Gary likes to shop at, is Neat Pieces Antiques in Carlton, GA. It is only about a mile from the entrance to the park. He spent many hours there on two different days during our visit. And yes, poor old Dodge filled up quickly with Gary's many purchases. TV channels were very limited, but I found something to watch while Gary was out antiquing. I also napped a lot and enjoyed watching our neighbors. We usually don't have campfires because Gary is such a hot natured guy, but I enjoy the sights and smells of everyone else's campfires.  Gary also went antique shopping in the towns of Athens, Bishop, and Watkinsville during our stay, and of course he went to a Walmart or two, because he NEVER misses going to Walmart! He explored the park some also, and enjoyed seeing the fall foliage colors. That's another thing we miss by living in Florida. We hated to leave Watson Mill Bridge State Park, but there were more adventures ahead of us. On arrival, we had entered the park through the back entrance, bypassing the covered bridge. But I got to see and travel through the bridge myself on our way out of the park. It's SUPER cool! I hope you've enjoyed this episode of my blog. Check in again soon!