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Trip to Mississippi May, 2010
Sunday, May 9 Bracebridge to Luna Pier MI • Snow on ground and 0’C at home when we left at 10:00 a.m. to go to Gravenhurst Canadian Tire to have problem with our trailers left signal and brake lights fixed. Even though it was Sunday, they had us out in ½ hour. They also fixed a missing dust cap for free. Well done!
• Travel along highway 401 through Toronto was easy as it was Sunday and there were few 18 wheelers on the road. It felt comfortable to only have to watch other cars.
• Made a quick stop at Costco in London and ordered a whole pizza to take with us!
• Took about ½ hour to cross border at Windsor (13’C). No problems.
• Detroit—a new route right at the border. Made it a little easier to pass through this city. Anything would be better than what they had before.
• Arrived in Luna Pier which is between Munroe, MI and Toledo, OH on Lake Erie. Stayed at a nice, clean Super 8; fairly new; of course indoor pool not working.
• We walked to Lake Erie shoreline a
few blocks away, and along fishing pier; it was almost dusk.; very pleasant, quiet; quite cool. A few young couples fishing for trout, walleye….We were shocked that Lake Erie came this far west; confirmed it on Streets and Trips software back in the room!
Joe’s Best: appreciated the great, friendly service @ Canadian Tire and getting our problem fixed. We were lucky they were open as Bracebridge is not on Sundays.
Carol’s Best: the free feeling of being on vacation; the lovely hot coffee and sub after being so cold: nice Super8 hotel in Luna Pier, MI
Monday, May 10 Luna Pier Michigan to Lexington, KY • Left at 9:30; sunny, clear, 9’C
• Highway became much smoother when we entered OH a few miles down the road
• The weather became warmer the further south we went—around 18’C with light cloud.
• We arrived at the Kentucky Horse Park at around 4:30. Between Ontario and Texas, the Kentucky Horse Park is one of our top 3 campsites. There is so much to see if you a bicycle (many others have golf carts) and there is always something going on and admission
Jumping
Kentucky Horse Parkis free with campsite. This was our 4th visit and we hope to come back on the return trip.
• We set up in our old spot, site 151, rested with a drink and read for ½ hour and then we went off to bike to the horse park to look around.
• We took pictures of the new stadium that has been completed since we visited last year.
Carol’s Best: Travelling on such a lovely day with puffy white clouds set against a deep blue sky
Joe’s Best: Crossing the border easily and getting to one of our favourite campgrounds—Kentucky Horse Park.
Tuesday, May 11 Lexington, KY • We went looking for a truck cap at Bluegrass Truck Caps in Lexington
• Selected a silver one to “match” the strip at the bottom of the truck body; doesn’t quite match, but looks good; the guy washed and dried it before installing it. Saved $300-400 over similar one back home
• We set off at 6 p.m. on our bikes for the new stadium at the Horse Park to see the “Black Stallion” horse show. We made it in 10 minutes beating our neighbours
who took their car. At $10 each, tickets were reasonable for what turned out to be a show aimed at improving reading of children. That part of the show was a bit hokey, but the horses’ and their riders’ talents were amazing.
• The stadium is beautiful, with a reddish dirt floor, and had great lighting. It was built specifically for some world class horse show this Fall.
Carol’s Best: Sitting outside under the starry sky on a balmy night. What a lovely end to a lovely day!
Joe’s Best: Getting a truck cap that was a good fit with our truck, at a good price, and that was the only one in stock that would have worked anyway! Wow!
Wednesday, May 12 Lexington, KY • In the morning shopped in Georgetown
• Biked back to the Park and browsed through the Horse Museum. Even though we know little about horses, this is really worth seeing! (in our case Free!)
• Stopped to watch horse jumping in the park. The sun was shining, fountains spewing water in background, horses and riders performing so beautifully. This is our favourite activity at the Park, and we
never seem to get to stay long enough. I hope we will come back on the way home.
• All in all, a pleasant, varied, productive day.
Joe’s Best: Biking in the Horse Park.
Carol’s Best: sitting in stands watching horses and riders perform.
Thursday, May 13 Lexington, KY to Kendall Recreation Area near Jackson KY • Left at around 9:30 from KHP; 28’C, warm sunny and humid; beautiful morning
• Travelled along smaller highways through limestone rock cuts, green hills of KY farmland, through little towns with myriad churches and their attractive spires
• Trees are similar to deciduous back home; a little further advanced in leaf development. We love this countryside.
• Arrived at Kendall Recreation Area Army Corps of Engineers Campground at Wolf Creek beside the dam.
• Campsite is gravelled; private with trees on both sides, and lots of birds, just opposite Wolf River National Fish Hatchery. Spent time reading outside in the heat
• At around 9 pm went for a walk up the road to the top of the Wolf River dam; pleasant, balmy; saw quite a few deer grazing on the grassy slopes; one was lying down at
rest for the night in long grass beside the road. We’d never seen one do that. They must feel very safe here. It was so peaceful…a warm, light-breezy night; so beautiful. The roadway was well lit.
Joe’s Best: Jogging in the sweltering heat and not a problem
Carol’s Best: the evening walk.
Friday, May 14 Kendall Recreation Area, KY • Bike ride to fish hatchery and visitor centre; information on local fish and the dam were very well done. Toured the Fish Hatchery but not much to see except lots of tanks with hundreds of thousands of different size fish in each one.
• Biked through the park
• It was raining and the sun was also shining at around 11:30 am
• Although they do not have WIFI at the park, somehow we found a signal and used it.
• Went for a walk through the bush to the next campground and back. Adjacent campground is new and has beautiful washrooms. The sites are level, large, and completely in the open, with no trees separating. Would be good if it were cooler. 2 bad things occurred today
•
Joe’s Best: Finding Internet access. Carol’s Best: walk to the next campground.
Saturday, May 15 Kendall Recreation Area, KY to H near Birmingham, AB
• Left around 8:30 (7:30 central time…didn’t know we had crossed yesterday)
• Cool with bright light cloud
• Passed from KY into TN—great highways 111, 50,55 and 65 with split 4 lanes, smooth and beautiful; so green and lush with deciduous trees and green grassy fields
• Sunny and warm (30’ C @ 12 p.m. Central Time)
• Countryside Trailer Park ? at exit 251 $29 cost way too much for what we got—open site, not very pretty, electric hook-up didn’t work; sewer hook-up wouldn’t reach; picnic table broken; nice washroom and shower, however and site was level; never saw owners who offer 24 hour service
• Was stinking hot and humid; others in campground very friendly, offering us information and inviting us to join their family birthday party—lots of food!
Joe’s Best: Sunny day and scenic drive.
Carol’s Best: Scenic drive and getting trailer and truck looking good!
Sunday, May 16 Birmingham, AB to Hattiesburg, MS • 22’C, light cloud, humid, forecast is for rain; left at around 7:30
• Travelled
south on I 65 to Gardendale for Wal-Mart and breakfast out at Shoney’s; sweet smell of honeysuckle as we drove along the highway--heavenly
• Highway 59S was scenic/
• At MS Welcome Centre had free coffee, heard weather warnings for severe storms and reports of flash floods; very helpful staff; used free wifi to check weather and mail
• Arrived at Shady Cove Campground on Hwy. 49N Hattiesburg and found a really nice spot opposite the one we were accustomed to having. Went for a jog along Hwy. 42 with no shoulder; very busy traffic-wise; had to run in the long grasses along the road; got a tick in his calf; had a kerfuffle with a dog. What’s new!
Joe’s Best: the jog in the heat was one of my best
Carol’s Best: friendly welcome centre in MS
Monday, May 17 Hattiesburg • Sunny, hot and humid day and hit 34’C
• Biked along the Longleaf Trace in a.m. from Gateway Southern Miss to Clyde Depot (24 km round trip).
• We came to Hattiesburg mostly to bike along the Longleaf Trace, one of the top 3 or so of the 25+ rails to trails
that we have biked. There is a separate travel blog here on our trip to the Trace last year.
• Returned to trailer to shower and head out for shopping at Turtle Creek Mall and free wifi at McDonalds
Joe’s Best: Biking
Carol’s Best: Biking and shopping.
Tuesday, May 18 Hattiesburg • Drove to Prentiss, MS on hwy. 42 which is the end of the Longleaf Trace. Carol Drove back and I biked the 65 km to Hattiesburg. Unlike last year when I did 100 km this time at least there was no rain but definitely HOT and HUMID. Completed the 65 km in 3 hours and 10 min.
• We spent the afternoon relaxing around the campground.
Joe’s Best: 65 km Bike ride in heat and humidity.
Carol’s Best: getting laundry done
Wednesday, May 19 Hattiesburg to Waveland, MS • Today was a day trip to the Gulf Coast without the trailer. We were originally going to spend 3 days there but decided to drive less and enjoy more.
• Humid, and 28’C as we left
• Toured coast near Waveland to see the lasting effects of Hurricane
Katrina which struck this area 5 years ago.
• Buccaneer State Park just opened 2 sections and there is one rig camping there. The palm trees at the entrance are leafless. The rest of the park looks barren and sad; it needs people and trailers. We really liked this park 20 years ago when we discovered it and 5 years ago before Hurricane Katrina destroyed it.
• Along the coast, all the homes had been destroyed; around 10 in the area have been rebuilt and are quite beautiful, ranging from wood siding to cement or brick. Even the Catholic Church had to be rebuilt.
• Most of the lots along the shoreline are for sale. I guess people can’t afford to or don’t want to rebuild. How sad.
• The beach itself is beautiful, clean, pristine, white sand with a few clumps of green beach grass growing. There was a team of orange shirted men who looked like prisoners cleaning up the beach under supervision.
• Oh, how lovely the air smelled as we biked along the boardwalk to Bay St. Louis. The day was sunny, sky blue, puffy white cumulous clouds, and that lightly salted air that is so
characteristic of this area. It was very hot, and humid, however, with a fairly brisk breeze coming from the east. Biking was pleasurable but it took effort as it hit 34’C.
• We ate lunch at Emma’s Eatery, a little diner in Bay St. Louis. It was blessedly cool and dark inside, quite a contrast with the day outside. With our Coors Lights we each had a sandwich: Joe—a catfish poo'h boy (fresh crusty bread) which he loved, and Carol had a hamburger (playing it safe). We shared a huge plate of the most delicious deep friend onion rings.
• Afterward, we biked back, taking pictures along the way. Upon our return to our truck, we took a walk along the brand new fishing pier, which had opened in April to the public. Boy is it beautiful. It is built with a cement floor, dark brown wooden rails, blue roofed spots for shade, and graceful white lights.
• We swam in the Gulf (no, we didn’t get covered in oil from the BP oil spill further out), where the water was bathtub temperature. The bottom of the Gulf is sandy with a few pebbles here and there. Relief from the
Slippery Elm Trail
Bowling Green Ohio heat came when you stood up and the wind dried the moisture from your skin. It felt good to get the sweat and suntan lotion off our bodies.
• A heavy rain fell late in the evening. Great end to a lovely day. I sure enjoyed it!
Joe’s Best: Revisiting the Gulf after being away many years
Carol’s Best: Eating out and the day at the beach.
Thursday, May 20 Hattiesburg to Trace State Park, Tupelo, MS • Hot, humid, wet, cloudy, threat of rain, and severe storms in central and north MS
• Left at 8:30
• Great hwy. 59 north
• Went north on 45A to Tupelo, also good highway, divided
• Ran into a pretty good rainstorm as we neared our destination; Our GPS had us going along some back roads to get the shortest route; had to pull over for the worst of it; arrived at Trace just as the rains stopped. Park is really busy for the weekend; luckily we got a great prime site #10 in Deer Campground on a cement pad with full hook-ups, on the lake with space between us and others. How lucky, and
for $24.00/night.
• This is our 4th time at this park and it could be provincial park in Ontario right on a lake with tall pines and oaks.
• Set up and went for a walk to other campground; then Joe jogged to the gate and back.
• Thunderstorms and heavy rain kept us awake from 2:30-6:30 am.
Joe’s Best: Getting this great spot for a great price and a long jog in the heat
Carol’s Best: Sitting out listening to the frogs.
Friday, May 21 Trace State Park • We had a real thunderstorm last night from 2:45 until 7am. Constant thunder and lightning and of course lots of rain. Neither one of us slept during this time
• Spent morning in trailer as it was still overcast
• Out for a long walk in p.m.
• In spite of 4 hours sleep, long walk, high heat and humidity Joe had longest jog of the year and at the end it felt like just a wam-up!
Joe’s Best: Once again, my surprise at the ease of jogging in this heat and humidity
Carol’s Best:
Saturday, May 22 Trace State Park • It
was going to be in the 34’C range today so early in the morning we went in to Tupelo. Joe to use the library wifi and Carol to shop. Then lunch at “Las Margaritas” one of the nicer Mexican food places we have found.
Carol’s Best: Lunch at Las Margaritas and shopping.
Joe’s Best: Free wifi at Tupelo Library and bought used pocket books at a good price
Sunday May 23, Enid Lake Army Corps of Engineers, Persimmon Campground • We woke at 6:30 and already the heat and humidity were not very pleasant
• We headed a short 1.5 hour drive west towards the Army Corps of Engineers’ Enid Lake. We have wanted to try out this place many times while in Mississippi but it was always a bit out of the way. Boy have we been missing something! There are a number of spread out campgrounds and they rank right up there with the
very best that we have found anywhere. The sites re HUGE with a good degree of privacy. For a PREMIUM site with hydro, water and backing on to the lake, we pay $18.00!
• The Persimmon Campground apparently has been
rated as one of America’s top 100 family campgrounds.
• We also toured the Wallace Creek Campground which is across the lake and bigger. Sites there are just as nice!
• There are a couple of beaches here and surprisingly the water is cool and refreshing even when the temperature is 34’C.
Carol’s Best: Time spent at the beach
Joe’s Best: Time at the beach and time spent exploring the park on bike
Monday May 24, Enid Lake, Persimmon Campground • The last 3 nights have not been easy for sleeping. We have not used the air conditioning.
• At 9am (when it was already 28’ C), we set off on bike to explore more Enid Lake. We found the Northern Mississippi Fish Hatchery and we were very impressed. It is a new ultra-modern facility with great educational displays. We actually learned how fish are hatched here! It was a far cry from the one we visited in Kentucky.
Carol’s Best: Riding across the dam (2 km long)
Joe/s Best: Tour of Fish Hatchery and Welcome Centre
Tuesday May, 25 Enid Lake, Persimmon Campground. • Ever since we entered Mississippi about 10 days
ago, we have had above average temperatures daily 32 to 34’C. The humidity has been the worst part. It has been great being here at Enid Lake, with a beach just a few minutes away. Today we used the beach 3 times!
• Did more bike riding and exploring. I have now ridden across the dam 8 times.
• The Army Corps of Engineers has a field office here and I we discovered some of their brochures that we did not have. There seems to be 3 or 4 Corps parks along interstate 55 between Memphis and Grenada MS. We are going to try out Sardis tomorrow!
Carol’s Best: Ride across the dam, again!
Joe’s Best: Riding and enjoying the nice beach and water
Wednesday May, 26 Clear Creek, Oxford. • This is another Army Corps of Engineers Campground that we had been to before. It wasn’t easy to find, as we had to manoeuvre through Oxford MS, and then 18 km north. There is only one way in and out of this campsite. The campsite is old, but the bathrooms/showers are new and have all been tiled. There were only about 4 or 5 campers
in the whole park.
• We walked (1/2 hour) to the day use area for a swim at the beach.
• With hydro and water the sites here are a mere $10.00 per night! Hard to beat!
Carol’s best: Nothing
Joe’s Best: Find a beach and the low fee at the park
Thursday May 27, Piney Grove Park, near Booneville • We discovered Piney Grove (Army Corps of Engineers) about 2 years ago and this will be our 4th visit. It is another park that has everything (including swimming), reasonable rates ($18.00) and good county roads for biking.
• Since this coming weekend is Memorial Day weekend, we thought we would arrive early. Good thing! We got the last campsite, but could only get it for 2 days.
• Spent the afternoon at the beach and left just as a torrential down pour happened. We lost power in the trailer for about 1 hour.
Carol’s best: the beach
Joe’s Best: Being back at Piney Grove and the swim in cool waters.
Friday May 28, Piney Grove Park • Just before noon we left for the other beach within the park but about 13 km away
by county road. We have made this trip many times before and it is a pleasant ride along a fairly level, low traffic road. The beach at the end is a little bigger than the one at the park with clean white sand.
• We have been trying to get additional nights here but with the Memorial Day weekend everything has been reserved for months. We finally found one family that had reserved “many sites” and one of their members could not make it, so we are here for 4 nights in total.
• We swam a lot today!
• For a “lark”, we went to see some gospel singing at the amphitheatre. We were actually very impressed with the music and the singing.
Carol’s best: bike ride and the beaches
Joe’s best: same
Saturday May 29, Piney Grove Park • Moved to the new site this morning and then we took off for a duplicate of yesterday biking to the other beach. Today it was a bit cooler and more comfortable.
• Got back mid afternoon and just relaxed.
• We have said this many times before …. We can’t get over how polite, kind and friendly
the people are. This is especially so of kids! They are polite beyond anything we have up north. We are camped right beside a playground and even with 30 plus kinds, noise is not a problem. Three of them came up and were curious about Canada and wanted to talk. At the end the shook our hands and thanked us!
Carol’s best: bike ride and the beaches
Joe’s best: same
Sunday May 30, Piney Grove Park • Woke up to a nice warm morning with very little humidity for a change!
• Instead of biking to our regular beach, we decided to go in the opposite direction. We were gone ½ hour when the skies opened up and it POURED, and thundered and Lightning for the next 40 minutes. We huddled under a tree but after 10 minutes, EVERYTHING was dripping wet! We biked back and at times, it was hard to see, since the rain was still coming down hard!
• Relaxed in and out of the camper for the afternoon as we got more rain.
Carol’s best: the hot shower after the storm
Joe’s best: surviving the down pour
Monday May 31, Bailey’s Point Army Corps of Engineers, Scottsville Kentucky
• This was the USA’s Memorial Day.
• We drove about 200 km along the Natchez Trace Parkway through MS, Alabama and Tennessee. We have been on the Trace so many times that it is like a home coming. A real gem!
• We arrived at Bailey’s point late in the afternoon. We had been to this park 2 years ago and this time we decided to spend two days here. Due to massive flooding about 6 weeks ago, much of the campground is underwater and not accessible.
• We ended up with a very nice site with a huge area behind us that leads down to the water.
Carol’s best: the new campsite, watching a swarm of fire flies at night
Joe’s best: Driving along the Natchez Trace again.
Tuesday June 1, Bailey’s Point Park • We are having a second day of perfect weather. Sunny, dry and warm but with low humidity.
• Took a bike ride along county road outside the park that we had been on 3 years ago. The scenery is reminiscent of many countries in Europe with farmer’s buildings and crops occupying land right
up to the road and no shoulders.
• Four of the six campgrounds here are closed due to the access roads being under water. Kentucky had disastrous floods about a month ago.
• We decided that this would be a good park to return to as long as it was not on a weekend and we could select our site. Some of the sites are difficult to get into.
Carol’s best: Bike ride and looking around a cemetery
Joe’s best: Bike ride along the country roads
Wednesday June 2, Kentucky Horse Park, Lexington KY • We drove along the
Cumberland Parkway to day. Just like the Blue Grass Parkway, it is like an interstate, but without any advertising signs or gas stations/motels at intersections. Both are very scenic.
• We have found that most of the McDonald’s have free wifi. After 10 days or so without contact we stopped on our return at Russell Springs and downloaded lots of email!
• Arrived back at Kentucky Horse Park. Could not get the site we wanted for 3 days so we will have to move for the last day.
• This is the first time that we have been here
when the swimming pool was open (after Memorial Day) It was really refreshing today.
• I went for a jog through the Horse Park and discovered an entirely new section that we had not seen before (and this is our 5th or 6th time here!)
Carol’s best: cleaning the truck!
Joe’s best: jog through the park and the pool
Thursday June 3, Kentucky Horse Park • This morning I took a bike ride to explore and photograph areas that I had discovered last night.
• In the afternoon spent some time at the pool and then we once again explored the horse park and for the 3d or 4th time watched the Parade of champions were famous retired race horses are paraded out. Many of them end of spending their last years here.
• Spent more time at the pool.
• We always enjoy walking the 2 inner and 2 outer loops of the campground after dark. The temperature is just right and it is so quite and peaceful.
Carol’s best: relaxing at the pool and riding around the park.
Joe’s best: Same
Friday June 4, Kentucky Horse Park • We changed sites this morning for
Kentucky Horse Park
One of the many roads our last day
• Set off for the Horse Park again. This time I decided to take the horse back riding tour that you can take. My last time on a horse was in Texas along the Rio Grande 20 years ago. It was basically a trail ride where the horse did everything and I just sat there.
• Spent more time at the pool
• In evening went in to Georgetown for a bit of shopping and supper.
Carol’s best: relaxing at the pool and riding around the park.
Joe’s best: horse ride
Saturday June 4, Fire Lake Camper Park, Bowling Green Ohio • This was primarily a driving day and we arrived at Fire Lake Campground, one kilometre south of the Bowling Green Ohio city limit. This was our first time here and we were impressed. It is totally rural (with wheat and corn fields in abundance) a small lake and a very clean and well maintained campground. Wifi is also available. (
Fire Lake Camper Park, 13630 West Kramer Road 1-888-879-2267 $26.00 cash for a site on the lake with water and electricity)
• To our surprise we also discovered a new rails to trails bike path(Slippery Elm Trail) right beside the campground. It runs a total of 19 km (12 miles) from Bowling Green to Baltimore.
• We walked and jogged a portion of the trail. Very smooth, with great rural vistas. We will have to come back and bike this trail some day.
Carol’s Best: The walk along the Slippery Elm Trail
Joe’s Best: Discovering a nice park and a nice trail
Sunday and Monday June 5 and 6 - Driving home • We found out later today that we missed out on a tornado last night. At our campsite, we had strong winds , some rain and were at the southern tip of the storm. Some areas in Detroit and Leamington Ontario were hit with hundreds of millions of dollars in damages.
• I hope that the border crossing on the Detroit side is going to get better. During the past few years, you seem to go around and around narrow lanes bound by pylons. Something interesting though is that at the duty free area there are now what appeared to be about 20 gas pumps so you can gas up just metres before crossing the border (and the price was good!)
• Since around May 11th the lowest daily temperature has been 28’C with daily ranges 28-32’C with a few days of 34 and 35. Suddenly this Sunday morning the temperature was around 20 and stayed there most of the day! We felt COLD
Pulled in to our home Monday night!
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