A February Side Trip Holds Great Surprises

Sure, the big summer trips are amazing.  Thousands of miles and hours upon hours of planning go into the big bucket-list-check-off kind of traveling.  Sometimes, however, it is the unexpected side trip that provides beauty, entertainment and fun that you  just cannot plan for.

We recently did a wild thing – we bought a new camper.  We weren’t unhappy with our old one, but we did it anyway.  That is a story for another post on another day.  Today, our side trip is the focus – a 2,839 mile trip from Clermont, Florida to Carthage, Missouri, to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania – in FEBRUARY!

This was the fairly unplanned “February Side Trip” we took to pick up our new home on wheels:

The first half of the trip was loosely planned out (and the second half was hardly planned out at all).   I made reservations that kept us on a southerly route for as long as possible, before we had to turn north toward what the weather reports told us was a cold and snow-covered Missouri.

Stop #1:  Paynes Prairie Preserve State Park, Gainesville, FL – The sole goal of this stop was to visit my baby, Ella, a bright 20 year-old (both in brains and in personality) attending college in Gainesville.  Florida state parks are notoriously difficult to get a campsite reservation for, but I snagged one night just days before our departure.  It is a pretty little campground in an even prettier little state park that was developed with the intention of restoring and preserving prairie land in the state.  Our little 20 hour layover turned into learning about what old Florida might have been like, and got glimpses into some wildlife that we had not expected!  We spotted bison far in the distance (part of a prairie restoration project), several armadillos up close, and two magnificent Bald Eagles resting in a tree far above us.  There is an observation tower and a small visitor’s center that are also worth a stop, and we are told that wild horses live on the prairie as well.

We ended our short stay with a visit to see Ella while on her 15 minute work-break at Walmart, and even had the pleasure of meeting her supervisor, a really sweet lady that spoke so highly of her single son and of Ella, that she had me convinced that Ella really should consider going on a date with him (naw, it’s not awkward when mothers play matchmaker, is it?)!

We hope to return to Paynes Prairie Preserve some day to focus on hiking – and perhaps a longer visit with our youngest child!

Stop #2:  Grover T’s BBQ, Milton, FL – We have enjoyed our Harvest Hosts membership for nearly two years, and this addition to our adventures did not disappoint us.  With a wide open and level area to park for the night alongside several other RVs, we made our way into the restaurant for an early dinner.  One nice benefit of an overnight Harvest Hosts boondock is that with generally no water, power or sewer, the easiest thing to do is to take our time and enjoy our evening at our host’s business.

A polite and capable young man was our attentive server, and we discovered that all HH members at this stop receive a complimentary order of some darn good onion rings.  We added a LOT of food to our order, enjoying fried jalapenos, brisket, bbq, and an order of wings and ribs to go home with us!  It mattered little that there was only one type of red house wine.  We were in a rural area of Florida, where the food was delicious, our fellow boondockers were friendly, and the prices were very affordable.  Stop by Grover T’s some time if you find yourself in the Milton, Florida area!  You guessed it – for us it will always be a return trip when passing through the state’s panhandle.

Stop #3:  Big Creek Water Park, Soso, MS – Don’t let the name fool you.  This campground is part of the Pat Harrison Waterway District and includes a beautiful 2,000 acre lake (and no “water park” as you might imagine).  It was a bit too cold and rainy for us snowbirding Floridians who have become accustomed to warmer temperatures. But the campsites run all along the lake and the sites are spacious.  We were only one of three campers on our loop, so our stay was private and quiet.

The gem of this two-night stay was a day trip to nearby Laurel, Mississippi, the home of Ben and Erin Napier of HGTV’s Home Town fame.  I have enjoyed the show since its start, so it was fun to nerd out as a fan for a day.  However, Laurel is worth a visit even if you do not know the show, as the historic, once-deserted downtown is indeed bustling and alive in recent years.  We ate a great southern meal at Cafe La Fleur and stopped in a number of great little shops.  We ended the day with a visit to the Scotsman General Store and Woodshop, where they were filming the show behind a window that looked in from the store and into the woodshop!  

A gentleman acting in a public relations capacity (and an AZ transplant), answered our questions about the impact of such fame on a perhaps reluctant rural town.  We shopped and hung out while cameramen and production staff worked busily setting up the next shot for the show.  We saw other stars of the show (Malorie) and past homeowners that were featured in prior episodes (among them, Brooke and son, Kingston, from one of my favs – season 5, episode 1). It was a great day, discovering some of the secrets of Laurel.  Before we even left, I was ready to think about when we might be able to return for a deeper dive into a small town that is experiencing the wild ride of hope, restoration and fame.

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Stop #4:  Twisted Lane Candles, Pine Bluff, AR – Harvest Hosts includes a lot of wineries, restaurants, museums and golf courses, but this was our first candle shop.  Nestled in the middle of a residential neighborhood in rural Arkansas, we made a hard left and a sharp right and went all the way back to a little cul de sac that had a level, paved parking pad right in front of a cute little, fully operating candle manufacturing business (AKA a converted garage beside their home)!  After parking, we walked to the backyard to the back door where the owner was kind enough to share her story and business evolution.  

We sniffed every one of her available scents and we walked away that evening with some adventurous scents that are totally “us”!  I have long loved candles, but have also long-loathed food smells and too-strong flowery smells in candles, so it quickly became clear that I might just be in Twisted Lane Candle’s target market.  With no dyes, no frills, wooden wicks and some uncanny real-life often masculine scents (think Pipe Tobacco and Bourbon, or even Mud), you might just be amazed like me!  In addition to all of these great features, it is important to note that these candles last 60 hours or longer, depending on the jar (due to supply chain issues, they recently had to change their jars).  Never before have I found such a clean, slow-burning candle.  Check them out!  Even if I never get to stop back in Pine Bluffs, Arkansas, I surely will be ordering some more candles on her website!

Stop #5:  Coachlight RV Park, Carthage, MO –

We arrived at the place that was the reason for the entire trip!  We bought our new rig, sold our old rig, and had a great experience (yep, I hope to write that story soon as well).  But the secret sauce in little Carthage, Missouri?  AMAZING Mexican food!  A quick Google search for restaurants in the area revealed to us a heavy leaning toward Mexican food.  Generally not our go-to cuisine (for me, Mexican and Chinese foods are a once-in-a-while kinda thing), we relented and chose Habaneros Mexican Grill for a trip out on the first evening for dinner and a search for moving boxes.  

Always in search of the best Jalapeno Margarita, I ordered one with our server, who quickly returned with a bottle of jalapeno and cucumber-infused tequila.  Yep, I was up for it.  I followed that cocktail with Habanero Steak that included roasted vegetables and a baked potato.  What a deliciously spicy meal!  Andrew’s meal was equally enjoyable, but I honestly was so taken with mine that I barely noticed his meal (we are always willing to share a bit of our meals with each other to expand our culinary experiences)!

A day later, in need of a lunchtime meal to wait patiently for our new rig to be ready for pickup, we went to El Charro and were just as impressed by the quick take-out service and delicious meals.  In both cases, these were locally owned, busy restaurants that offered quick, efficient and attentive service with some of the best Mexican food we have ever enjoyed!  We KNOW we will be back in the Carthage area some time in the next year (warranty work), and we will happily return to both restaurants.

Both businesses were decorated like the small-town, small-biz businesses that they were….an it worked.

Stop #6:  Craighead Forest Park, Jonesboro, AR – As we left Carthage following our nine-night stay which included a lot of work and a little bit of delicious restaurant eating, we woke up, broke down camp, got into the truck, opened up the GPS and THEN decided where we would go next.  This was a big moment in our full-time RVing life, as it was the most unplanned travel day so far.  We had nowhere planned, we could point ourselves in any direction (except westerly), and we chose on a whim – Craighead Forest Park.  

Arriving at dusk, a big no-no in our travel world, we pulled into a city-owned 692-acre park that included a small campground and a 3.2 mile trail hike around a lake, which was just steps from our campsite.  Once again, we had struck waterfront-camping gold (one of my FAVORITE ways to camp).

We found a campsite and checked in with the campground host as darkness fell, discovering that not only was the campsite only $15 a night, but they offer free all-you-can-burn firewood stacked up for campers to enjoy as well!  Unfortunately, we had more wind and rain than sunshine, despite deciding on a three night stay, so we will have to save the campfire for our already-desired return visit some day.

The dogs especially enjoyed our walk around the lake and we were impressed by the many waterfront tent sites with wood platforms, many covered pavilions, recreation facilities and even a dog-jumping dock along the lake.  Yep, we’ve added this little gem to our list of places we would like to return to, but I would bet that when warmer weather returns, this first-come-first-served campground is tougher to get a site in.  I think it may be only a matter of time before the city of Jonesboro realizes their untapped market.  If they allow reservations and implement an online reservation system, they can likely charge double or triple a night in their high season and still fill up the campground every night.  Shhh.  I won’t tell them if you don’t!

Stop #7:  Natchez Trace RV Campground, Hohenwald, TN – Out of 11 stops from Clermont to Gettysburg, we had only two disappointments along the way.  This was our first – a two-night stay at a Thousand Trails campground (we camp for free in Thousand Trails with our membership).  In trouble from the start, our RV Garmin GPS was unable to get us to our destination, in an area that was so rural, we had no cell service to call the campground or pull up a Google map, and no ability to turn around our new 37’ 10” RV beast until we wasted 1 ½ hours and the last bits of sunlight for the day (this would have been a helpful time to find an old Tennessee paper map in our glove box).  The Thousand Trails employee was a total savior for staying after closing time to help guide us to the campground (once we got a sliver of phone service), but we were all alone in the darkness trying to find an open site.  We used the days off to buy groceries, do laundry and catch up on bills and such, so we didn’t get to explore anything fun in the area.  We understand that there are some nice lakefront sites in the campground, and we saw that it is the future home of a “tiny home” community.  Unfortunately, we were tucked back into the darkness at the rear of the campground, filled with roadway drop offs, narrow turns and low-hanging branches.  A stressful stay that we hope to not repeat for a long while.

Stop #8:  North Georgia Hair Cutters, Dawsonville, GA –

For me, the best days are sometimes when you can combine some practical tasks with some pleasant experiences.  This Harvest Hosts stay was that type of overnight campsite for us.  This was our first Harvest Hosts stay that included water and 30/50-amp electric hookups!  Freshly paved and soon to include a pavilion and firepit, this business owner made it easy to pull in (again, as darkness fell – what were we thinking?!) and relax for the evening.  In the morning we made a small donation for the campsite hookups and I got a nice haircut at the salon before heading out for the day, hoping to avoid another later-than-we-would-like arrival that afternoon.  No sightseeing needed today – an affordable overnight stay where we met some kind and interesting people was all we needed to call this stop a success.

Stop #9:  Carolina Landing RV Resort, Fair Play, SC – Unfortunately, our second Thousand Trails stay on this February road trip was also our seconddisappointment, but the saving grace was that we were close enough to welcome our first visitor in our new rig – our friend, Steve, who lives in nearby Pickens, SC.  Despite the poorly maintained, muddy and narrow campsites, we had a great visit with Steve on our last day in the area.  It was a far better ending than our start, which included three full days with no water.  We were happy to see Steve and catch up and we will also be happy to find a different campground for our next visit to the area.

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Stop #10:  Sycamore Lodge RV Resort, Jackson Springs, NC – This was our first stop as members of Coast To Coast, an additional campground membership we recently obtained to have affordable camping options when visiting family in Maryland and Pennsylvania.  This campground was a convenient stop on our way north and it was absolutely lovely, rivaling even The Campsites at Disney’s Ft. Wilderness (without Mickey Mouse and the four parks, of course).  Wide open sites, a peaceful large pond with a fountain, and amenities that include a Sunday church service, this campground is surely one to which we will return one day to enjoy the full two-week stay permitted by our membership.  

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Stop #11:  Weldon Mills Distillery, Weldon, NC –

The final stop of our “February Side Trip” was a place, like so many on this trip, that we liked enough to want to return to again.  Happily, this was our third visit to this Harvest Hosts site, where, in the past, we enjoyed a distillery tour, a whiskey tasting flight, delicious cocktails and the stories and experiences of the former JAG-officer-turned distillery business owner.  This visit was like the others – an opportunity to boondock alongside a half dozen other travelers, enjoy “happy hour” and trade our stories of traveling adventure.

Weldon Mills Distillery is still our favoriate Harvest Host location

I may need to make a merch purchase on a future visit

As we drove into Gettysburg the following afternoon, we reflected upon how much we experienced when we pulled back on our planning and loosened up on our travel worries.  By making fewer plans and reservations, our ability to be agile gave us the opportunity to see and enjoy more.  When we discovered a place we liked, we extended our stay.  When we were open to “roughing it” a bit, we met people and places that we would have never planned on meeting.  

This trip to leave Florida, pick up our new camper in Missouri and arrive in Pennsylvania for our nephew’s wedding could have been completed in fewer than 10 days.  But what fun would we have discovered in pushing so fast and so hard?  Not nearly as much as taking our time, taking the roads less traveled, and arriving just in time to see the nuptials. Two thousand, eight hundred and thirty nine miles (not including the lost miles in Natchez Trace) of little adventures and discovery, enjoyed over the entire month of February (plus one day), making life a little bit richer.  Our memories will last far longer.

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