Country Oaks RV Park - Kingland, Ga (Oct 26 - 29)

Monday, October 26 - We got out of bed at 7AM and were on the road by 9:30. We stopped for gas once and again at Cracker Barrel for lunch. When we were about 30 miles from our final destination the left tire blew on the camper. This is the second tire to blow. The first was when the tire had less than 20 miles on it back in January. Thankfully, we were on a stretch of highway that was under construction and had cones set up on our right. John was able to cut in between the cones and had a nice big, flat area well away from traffic to change the tire. This time we had a floor jack and tire wrenches in the trailer storage area and were able to change the tire in about 20 minutes. We called Lonnie at Country Oaks and got a recommendation on where to take the camper to get new tires. He went to school with "Mike" who owns Kingsbay Tires. We took the camper there and got both tires replaced in less than an hour. We finally arrived at the campground about 5:30 after driving 267 miles, and got set up. They were having a pot luck for Halloween at the clubhouse and we were invited to partake. It was very good and we enjoyed talking with Lonnie and Steph, the campground owners, and her parents.

Tuesday, October 27 - Today we drove over to Ft. Clinch State Park in Florida where we will be camping in February. While we were there, we visited our friends, Jean and Gary, who are hosts there. They showed us around the park and we went into Fernandina Beach and had lunch at a nice restaurant that overlooked the beach. After we left them, we went to an area where we could fish from the rocks. The only fish we landed was a lizzard fish that Joan caught.

Wednesday, October 28 - We drove over to Crooked River State Park and checked out both the campground and the boat launch. There were some nice sites, but we didn't care for the area around the boat launch. It looked like there had been a recent oil spill, and not at all pretty. We then drove into St. Marys and checked out the Cumberland Island National Seashore Information Center and got information. Next, we stopped at a kayak outfitter and talked to Julie, the owner about opportunities in the area. We ended our outing with lunch at a restaurant that overlooked St. Marys River. When we got back to the campground, we fished in the local pond. Joan caught two very nice bream, but John lost everything he hooked. We are getting ready to leave in the morning for Rodman Dam campground.

Petersburg Corp of Engineers Campground (Oct 19 - 26, 2009)

Monday, October 19 - It took some time to get packed up this morning, but finally got underway at about 10:44 AM with a temp of 41 deg. We drove 202.5 miles and arrived at the campground at 3:45 pm and 60 deg. This campground is on the J. Strom Thurmond Lake near the S. Carolina border and near Appling, Ga. It is really beautiful here as you can see from the pictures. There is not much development and the sites are very spacious and spread out. Our closest neighbor is about 100 yards away.

Tuesday, October 20 - We took two long walks, the first one with our coffee, and checked out most of the campground and noted sites we would want to camp on in the future. However, this site (#44), which Joan picked out just from the map is one of about a dozen we would choose to camp in again. It was cool last night, about 45 deg., but warmer than it was at Trackrock the night before we left. It dropped into the upper 20s there. With the help of a small electric heater and our microfiber blankets, we were quite warm and comfortable both nights.

Saturday, October 24 - We got rain in the night, but right now at about 1PM, it is beautiful, with a fairly strong breeze. We have given up on the lake fishing, but may try the small pond again, where Joan caught three bream. The campground is quite busy, but because the sites are so spread out, it is very peaceful here. We have had the bikes out and yesterday traveled out on nearly every loop. This place is huge, and even with 93 sites, they are mostly very private. We are sitting on our site looking out over the water and enjoying watching a flock of Canada Geese swim around our little bay. The Bartram Trail passes through here, and they allow bikes, but we will have to get orange blaze vests to wear before we can ride it. It is hunting season and anyone using the trail must wear vests.

Sunday, October 25- We went into Evans this morning to the Wesley UMC for their contemporary service which was very nice. It is a huge church with 4 services on Sunday mornings. After the service we went to breakfast then had to make a stop at Wal-Mart to get us blaze orange so we could do the Bartram Trail this afternoon. We were hoping to ride to the Spring Lake area which is about 5 1/2 miles but Joan pooped out after 3 so we did 6 miles total. The trail is pretty demanding so it is not like riding on pavement. Came back to camp and started preparing for departure in the morning. Shhh-------John is watching the BEARS get their butts beaten, not a happy camper!!

View Pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/johnjoanW/PetersburgCOEOct1926#

Trackrock Campground (October 2009)

Tuesday, October 13 - It rained most of the day yesterday and is overcast today. Tomorrow we are forecast to get heavier rains. We are trying to get packed up and prepare the fifth wheel to leave next Monday. It has been cool and wet for about a week, since we returned from Tallulah Gorge. The leaves are beginning to turn, but many have already fallen to the ground. It doesn't seem as pretty as last year, but perhaps some sunshine would help. We are feeling sad to leave here, but also are looking forward to seeing our Florida friends and enjoying fishing saltwater and the lakes there. We have several camping trips planned for the winter and have reservations for six weeks so far. We'll be glad to e-mail a schedule to anyone who would like to join us.

Wednesday, October 14 -

We got a break from the rain yesterday and the sun actually came out. It's back to rain today and quite windy. The fall colors are just beginning, but many leaves are already on the ground. It looks like the weekend will be clear and cool for our final steps getting ready to leave here