Twist and Shout

It’s been exactly one week since we hitched up and departed our winter home in Davenport, FL.  Seven days, and we’re on our fourth campground in our Springtime Sojourn.  Four down, 17 more to go!

First stop took us to Madison, FL (Florida is a really weird state to travel in, and it takes a whole lot of time to leave it!), to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park.  There was a small water park, but temps were a bit too chilly to partake.  Besides, being a family-centric campground, there were a large amount of actual FAMILIES there, one presumes due to Spring break for schools.  It was loud, the kids were out of control, zipping around the campground in golf carts, pint-sized 4-wheelers, motorized scooters (the stand-on kind, like what we had as kids that we used to propel with one foot), and on foot.  No regard to speed limit, people walking around, or individual campsites that they used as a cut-through to the other side.  Needless to say, we were very happy to leave there.  On our off day in between traveling, we took care of a few errands, but didn’t do anything otherwise.  As I said, we were glad to move on to the next stop……

Which took us to Theodore, AL, just outside of Mobile.  Quiet campground, mostly folks like us just passing through.  Our site was overlooking a pond that had its own motley assortment of inbred geese (or hybrid, or crossbred, however you want to describe them………they were really STRANGE looking!)  The geese would waddle through the campsites, which was adorable, but also disgusting.  Goose poo everywhere!  We definitely had to watch where we walked!  The weather was overcast the entire time, but we took a quick trip to Dauphin Island to see the Gulf one last time.  The salt air was much appreciated, since it cleared the stuffy sinuses nicely.  (Florida’s pollen season is crazy.  And unrelenting.  It was definitely good to get a nice dose of sea breeze in our nostrils!)

From Theodore, we moved on to Pelahatchie, MS, just outside of Jackson.  It was another Yogi Bear Jellystone Park, but this one was quiet and not a lot of folks there.  Perhaps it was because it was mid-week, or maybe because the water park there was being renovated.  For whatever reason, we appreciated the quiet.  Our off day consisted of a short drive on the Natchez Trace, and a peaceful view over the Barnett Reservoir for about a half hour.  Very pretty spot, and we enjoyed the respite.  We followed it up with a visit to a frozen custard shop in Jackson – what a nice treat!  It took us back to our youth, and the little frozen custard stands that used to dot South Jersey’s back roads to the Shore.  (Custard’s Last Stand immediately came to mind!)  Alas, our lovely day turned to a rather scary evening, when we found ourselves in a tornado warning.  The sirens were terrifying enough, but knowing that we were sitting in the middle of the woods in a TRAILER……well, that was the biggest fear I had when we decided to make the trek to Oklahoma for the DRV rally!  Tornado Alley in April seems like it’s inviting disaster.  I didn’t expect it to be March and in Mississippi!  Suffice it to say, the tornado touched down 25 miles from where we were staying, in the same area where we had, only hours before, been enjoying a tranquil view.  We now know that storm shelters in campgrounds, unless otherwise noted, are in the restrooms/bathhouses.  Good to know!

What wasn’t mentioned earlier is that, when planning a trip/itinerary, one needs to be flexible.  Or, as one of our fellow DRVers says, you need to have Jell-O plans!  Tim had heard while we were still in Mobile that the campground we were reserved for in West Memphis, Arkansas had been flooded, being located right on the Mississippi River.  He checked our go-to resource, rvparkreviews.com, and found another campground that was highly recommended for big rigs.  So, a reservation was made, and the destination was recalculated.

We arrived in Southaven, MS yesterday, very tired and very happy to have found a place that was easy to maneuver into.  This place has an indoor hot tub, which we took advantage of last night.  A nice way to relax after a stressful previous 24 hours.  Another amenity offered is an on-site massage therapist.  Yes, I did.  My first massage in about four years, and my first really good massage in a very long time.  It doesn’t get much better than that!  We’re here for 3 nights, so today is our day to chill and do nothing (other than my massage!).  Tomorrow, we plan on driving up to Memphis, TN to play tourist.  It’s a nice diversion, that’s for sure!

Time for a little observation:  We’ve driven through the length of Mississippi, on state roads and interstates, and we have been duly impressed.  Mississippi is a very pretty state.  Despite it being classified as a poor state, there hasn’t been any evidence to that in what we’ve seen.  Yes, there are certainly trailers galore.  But having driven through Georgia and Florida many times, states that are much wealthier, Mississippi really does stand out as taking pride in its environment, and homeowners in their own property, no matter the structure.  It’s been a very pleasant surprise.  (Now, if they would just get rid of the Stars and Bars on their state flag…….)

Sunday, we leave for a Corps of Engineers campground in western Arkansas, and from there, we head to Weatherford, OK for our rally.  After that, we head a little farther west, and then north, and then east into Canada, before we turn south and head into Vermont for the summer.  By then, we will be ready for some quality time with our grandchildren…….and our children, too!  Missing family is definitely the hardest part of this lifestyle.  Thank goodness for email, text, Facebook, and Skype!  I couldn’t have done it without them!