Again, we packed up leisurely, had breakfast, and got on the road at 10:30 AM and arrived at the park at 1:30 PM after driving 133.3 miles. The trip was easy and traffic light on US 27, which is 4-lane most of the way. The campground is nice, but we would have preferred to be at Cotton Hill, because we would have been right on the water. Hopefully, it won't take them long to get it updated. We had a nice dinner, then went down to the fishing pier and fished awhile, but we only got a couple of hits, but no fish. We quit when the mosquitoes started biting. We get very poor phone service, but the air card works well, so that will be our major mode of communication.
Monday - Today was Walmart day, so after breakfast we headed towards Eufala, Al. On the way, we saw a sign that said Rood Creek Recreation Area, so we decided to check it out. This is a very nice area that has a boat launch and small campground. There are no hookups or water available, so you would have to fill before coming in and dump at the next stop. There are also no restrooms to use before launching, so we may pass on putting in here. The lady who works in the office here at Florence Marina SP had told us that there was a great buffet restaurant, called Michelle's, on the way that we should check out. They were headed there for lunch. We decided that a recommendation from a local should not be ignored so we stopped there for lunch. We were not disappointed. Later in the afternoon, some of the other campers came over to our campsite to chat. We had a nice time getting to know them. Another beautiful day here.
Tuesday - We did a little fishing, a little catching (Joan - 1 bream, John 1 bass), a little snoozing, a little hiking and a little eating (burgers on the grill where yummy).
Wednesday - Explore day. We headed over to Providence Canyon SP, which is about 12 miles from here to check it out. It turns out it was much better than we thought. The area was created by poor farming practices and erosion that ran wild. Because of the large amount of iron and other minerals that are in the local soil, the colors are remarkable. Joan could not stop taking pictures (We'll put them on as soon as we get where we have a better signal and it won't take forever to upload). We first hiked the loop around the rim, had lunch, and finally when back down into the canyons to check them out. The trip was well worth the effort.
Thursday - Today we got up fairly early and took the kayaks down to the launch and did some fishing from them. John caught two bass just under keeper size and a bream on a topwater hopper, but Joan came back empty. It was overcast all morning, which kept it from getting too hot.
Friday - Eating day today. We returned to Michelle's for their catfish buffet. It was excellent. We both ate too much, of course.
Saturday - The park filled up for the weekend with many families. We have enjoyed watching the kids having a good time. We were told by the hosts that one of the rangers would be taking a group on a boat trip down to Rood Creek Indian Mounds. We got ready and met, but they were having trouble with the boat, so the ranger drove us and led others in their cars down to the area where the mounds are. She led us on a very interesting hike around the mounds and explained what was known about them. In the evening we took a walk over to the boat launch and sat for awhile. We did a little packing in preparation for leaving in the morning and heading further north.
