Tag: State Park

Ohio state line; here we come. Getting out of Pipestem turned out to be a challenge, as Lola sent us on “Scenic Byways” and dirt roads to boot! Once out of those byways, the Interstate was very busy but we needed to make tracks. The Ohio Welcome Centre should have been clue to what was next. No personal “welcome” as there was simply vending machines & pamphlets and no real photo ops.

We found a state park that was opened year round and no reservations required! When we arrived, we realized why. Jefferson Lake State Park may be an ideal summer retreat but not one we’d recommend for a winter stopover. OMG, maybe we should have stayed at that Wal-Mart after all!

Doorless, latrine-style pit toilets and tree debris everywhere was not what we expected. They only plus for this location was the electricity! So we plugged in, turned on the heat and settled in for the night. It was a little creepy (OK, Jo says very creepy!) and we tossed & turned for most of the night.

We woke this day to thunderstorms and steady rain and thankfully we didn’t float away! We got on the road late, as we were waiting for a break in the rain which never came. Our destination was Pipestem Resort State Park and with the rain we decided to explore the lodge and the Black Bear Cafe for, you guessed it, another flight of beer!

This was our last stop below the snow line and time for winterizing Winnie before heading further north. Luckily the temps overnight were above freezing and with the rain stopped by morning, we winterized and headed out. This was a sad moment as we realized we were really heading home…

Welcome to Tennessee, the Soundtrack of America and apparently the best “State Parks in the Nation”! We tested this state park claim by staying at Panther Creek State Park. Many of the state parks in Tennessee were flooded due to the heavy rains so we headed for higher ground in the northeast and still had to pass through some flooded roads!

This park is nestled on the shore of Cherokee Lake and, even in the rain, this mountain area was gorgeous. Jo was on a mission to hike to the Cherokee Lake Overlook so we set out on the (mostly) dry walkways but Jo was persistent and we eventually found ourselves in the woods on the muddy trails. As it was early in the season, the trails were not yet groomed and we faced the challenges of going around, over and even under some downed trees. The view of the lake was spectacular even as the fog shrouded the islands. With dusk creeping in we arrived back at camp just before the heavens opened!

Well, today was Jo’s pick for parks and Cloud Canyon just sounded so promising and it did not disappoint! The park offered great hiking trails and we traversed over 7 kms of trails, stairs and rocks to visit 3 waterfalls and both major canyon overlooks. It was both exhilarating and exhausting but well worth every sore muscle the following day! There was over 600 stairs down (and of course up!) to 1 waterfall alone!

We were now in northwest Georgia and the weather was perfect for hiking with the afternoon reaching 18 degrees. We highly recommend this park and wish we could stay a few more days but we must be on our way…

In nature one receives far more than he seeks.

John Muir

After maxing out the day of beaches yesterday, we decided to crash for the night in Apalachicola. Steve used the trusty iOverlander app and we found Battery Park located just under the bridge where Highway 98 leaves town. Essentially a gravel parking lot next door to a marina and a community park. Steve slept through the night however Jo not so much. We were on the road by 8:23, as Jo made sure of this!

We headed north to Chattahoochee Bend State Park in Georgia. This was a 500 km day of driving but first we needed to check out the Bloody Bluff Landing Wildlife Management Area that we had skipped the night before. It was located deep and desolate in the Apalachicola National Forest and the night under the bridge turned out to be the much better choice after all. 

On arrival at Chattahoochee Bend we were fortunate to walk portions of the Riverside, Tower and Wild Turkey Trails before the sun set. This was a beautiful park with well maintained sites & facilities that we’ll definitely keep on our radar for future visits.

Our big adventure here was the canoe ride which Jo was OK with now as it was guided and supposedly no Crocs in this park. The volunteers from the Friends of Collier-Seminole Park offer this 3 hour tour Friday, Saturday & Sunday mornings. We learned so much about the value of the mangroves and Jo became very friendly with them as Steve had some issues steering and videoing at the same time (distracted canoeing I guess?). The volunteers also gave us insight into the local history and other things to do in and around the park. Definitely a must-do!

We are now officially 1 week into our trip and still loving it! Can’t you tell?

We learned a valuable lesson today in that Winniefred can’t play with the big boys. When you visit a truck stop for fuel & propane, don’t go where the truckers go!

This park was rustic and provided a nice disconnect from the outside world. It’s also surrounded the Tomoka & Halifax rivers and a great spot for canoeing (next time!). Did you know Florida has bears? Well, we didn’t see any ourselves but lots of signs, both man-made and natural. The signs also warned us of the alligators but luckily we didn’t see any of those either. I’m surprised Momma Jo left Winniefred!

We stayed here also for 2 nights and that first one was a wicked thunder & lightning enhanced experience. The second day we got the bikes out again and headed to the quaint town of Ormond Beach about 10 kms away. A lovely picnic lunch on Grenada Pier with a visit from a few dolphins while we chatted with the locals fishing from the pier.

This day proved the power of positive thinking. We headed to Anastasia State Park knowing that it was full but felt it was worth a try to check it out on our way. Lo and behold as we walked through the door, the ranger just had a cancellation. We booked the next 2 nights right away and what a stay this was!

This was the first time we took the bikes off the rack and we put over 20 kms a day on those bikes riding throughout the park and the nearby town of St. Augustine. The weather here was much more Florida-like! We ate outside, beach-combed, hiked, and simply played in the surf. The warm sand on your bare feet and the sounds of the birds singing… How does it get better than this?

Today’s travel had us enter into South Carolina. We finally de-winterized Winniefred and settled in for a few days at Myrtle Beach State Park.

The warmer weather had us walking barefoot on the beach, picnic lunches on the pier, dipping our toes in the Atlantic Ocean and being mesmerized by the sound of the surf.

Today’s travel had us surpass our goal of Virginia as we pushed on to this North Carolina State Park.

We arrived just after sunset and imagine our surprise in the morning, to wake up to this little piece of heaven! The day greeted us with a chill but quickly warmed up to 16 degrees.

How pleasant it was to walk around the campground; it felt like a dream and the peacefulness was almost majestic. This is definitely a place to go back to.