Vogel State Park, Georgia

Dates: April 3 – 5, 2023
Site: 42
Total Round Trip Millage: 207

Vogel State Park, established in 1931, is the second oldest state park in Georgia. The park system of the state of Georgia was founded in 1931 with Indian Springs State Park and Vogel State Park. Indian Springs has been operated by the state as a public park since 1825, making it perhaps the oldest state park in the US.

At an elevation of 2,280 feet Vogel is nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the base of Blood Mountain. The park lies in the middle of the Chattahoochee National Forest and covers 233 acres with a 22-acre Lake Trahlyta. The lake was built in the 1930’s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and named after the Indian Princess Trahlyta.

Camping – the park provides 103 tent and trailer campsites, most with water and electrical hook-ups. There are 4 comfort stations in the campground as well as two sanitary disposal stations.

Bear Hair Gap Trail
The Bear Hair Gap Trail is a little over 4 mile loop up and over the lower ridges of Blood mountain. The trail leaves the park and travels onto the Chattahoochee National Forest. It took us a little over 2 hours to complete the trail and you have to cross several creeks. I found the hike to be moderate in difficulty.

Byron Herbert Reece Nature Trail
Mr. Reece (1917-1958) was a mountain farmer and poet. He was born near the base of blood mountain. He received inspiration for his poem from this mountain environment. You access this Nature trail from the Backcountry Trailhead located near the campground. This trail is about a mile long, easy and takes about and hour. There are several information markers along the trail to education about the plants and wildlife in the area.

Karen and Barry, my sister and brother-in-law, drove up from their house in Kennesaw, Ga for the afternoon to hike and have lunch with me on Tuesday. It took us about 2-1/2 hours to hike the 4.5 miles of the Bear Hair Gap Trail. We finished the hike and had lunch around 1:30PM and they headed home around 3PM.

Truma Service Center

Truma Service Center
Lakeland, Florida
Monday – January 30, 2023

Hello! I would like to introduce you to Dave and Bruce – Dave is on top of the RV and Bruce is manning the ladder. Together Dave and Bruce manage and operate the Truma service center in Lakeland Florida and are the most helpful and courtesy corporate service persons I have ever met. That’s not my RV they’re working on – mine is in the bay getting a new Truma instant hot water heater. At Christmas time I was busy with my family and did not properly winterize my unit so when the temperature dropped to the single digits my unit froze and cracked. 

Dave and Bruce – Truma Service Center – Lakeland, FL

After conferring with several friends I decided to go directly to the Truma service center instead of going to a general RV service center – and I’m so glad I did. If I had gone to a general RV service center I would have had to make an appointment for diagnosis and then parts would have had to be ordered and installed – not only would I have paid a lot more but there would be no telling how many days or weeks it would have taken. 

I called the Truma Service Center, talked to Dave and made an appointment for 9AM on Monday January 30,2023. When I drove up at 8:45AM that Monday the bay door was open and Bruce was there to greet me. It took him about 10 minutes to diagnose the problem and another 45 minutes to replace the unit and get me back on the road. They had a comfortable waiting area with bottled water, coffee and a clean restroom that made the wait seem like no time at all.

Charlotte getting a new instant hot water heater

Truma is a German company with their headquarters and manufacturing based in Munich Germany. Truma has a long history as a leading supplier of comfort systems for the recreational vehicle industry. Truma has been providing innovative, quality solutions to campers all over the world since 1949. In one of their brochures they say: “ A commitment to our customers is part of Truma’s history and core values”. Dave and Bruce are proof to this commitment – something that’s hard to find these days. If you are ever thinking of an RV upgrade or need servicing I highly recommend Truma and the Lakeland Florida Service Center with Dave and Bruce.

Briziflora Farms

Briziflora Farm -Lake Panasoffkee, FL

It was 7:50 AM when I pulled away from home in Charlotte, my RV, on my first boon-docking trip. Boon-docking is when you are camping with no amenities like water, electrical or sewer hook-ups – you have to be reliant on what you have. I was a little nervous. I took all day Saturday, the day before to get ready. I had done some extra cooking the day before so I would have leftovers I could reheat for the trip and not have to worry about cooking. I slept great Saturday night and got up at 5:30AM my usual time. I had my coffee, fed and walked the girls all before 7AM. I had a longs ways to travel and I wanted to leave by 8AM – I was 10 minutes early. Once I got past Watkinsville and started down 441 towards Madison the nervousness went away and was replaced by a calm, excitement –  I was on adventure. Everything I was doing and experiencing  was new – I was out of my comfort zone but didn’t care. I felt that I had prepared and planned well for this trip and I would just deal with anything unexpected when or if it happened. 

After the first 200 miles I really started to love Charlotte. She drives and handles so nicely and of course it’s beyond great to travel with your own bathroom. It’s also nice to have a refrigerator and freezer on board as well. We got on I-75 at Forsyth and had no trouble keeping up with the traffic at 70-75 MPH. I was a little worried about a 400 + mile trip, but I stopped 3 or 4 times to stretch my legs, eat my lunch and for fuel, plus listening to my book (Autobiography of Malcolm X) the trip went by surprisingly fast. I don’t know maybe this nomadic lifestyle suits me – I just want/need my girls with me. 

My setup for the night at Briziflora Farms

I stayed at the Harvest Host site Briziflora on Sunday night January 29, 2023. It is only about 60 miles from the Truma service center where I had a 9AM appointment on Monday. The farm is located just a few miles off on interstate 75 which made it very convenient. After exiting I-75 onto county road 470 it was just about 5 miles before you turn left onto state road 479 and then less than a mile was the entrance to Braziflora Farm. There are no signs or markings other than some big posts that outline the opening. I arrived about 3:30 PM – it was a 420 mile trip from Athens. When I got there the host was helping some customers with some plants, but she excused herself long enough to show me where to set up. By the time I stretched my legs and set-up my RV, she was ready to show me around. This is a working farm that provides plants, fruits, vegetables and canned goods to the local community. Inside her house she had several free standing racks full of canned goods and a freezer full of different kinds of breads. She had a private tasting set up for me with several of her canned goods and one of her homemade banana breads.

All of her canned fruits, veggies and peppers were made with a Brazilian spice influence – they were delicious. I ended up buying 75 dollars worth of canned goods which included; A loaf of pumpkin, coconut bread, hot peppers (but not the hottest), figs with oranges, pineapples, and a jar of tomato sauce. I probably spent too much, but they were good and I have a special place in my heart for entrepreneurs. This woman has done a fabulous job in the 5 short years since she has started this farm. She is a first generation immigrant and has been here in the US for 22 years. This farm has pigs, goats, cows, donkeys, green houses as well as fields of crops. If you are ever neat Lake Panasoffkee Florida and need a place to stay for the night I highly recommend Braziflora Farms. I wished I had brought my bike because County road 479 was shady and not much traffic – perfect for cycling. I saw several cyclists riding on it.

Meaher State Park – Alabama

Trip dates: December 5 – 8, 2022 Site # 59

Located a short ten minute drive east of Mobile Alabama in Spanish Fort and tucked between Ducker Bay and Bay John sits the Meaher State Park. The campsites here are situated under a canopy of old growth pines that offer some shade and a breeze coming off the bay. There are 71 campsites, boat launch area and a separate canoe and kayak launch dock. Regardless if you are looking for a place to spend a night or relax for a whole month you should give this State Park some real consideration.

Gateway to the Delta – a 1/2 mile boardwalk over the water and marsh.

All of the RV campsites are paved and fairly level and come with water, electrical, sewer hook ups and a sturdy picnic table. They do not allow individual fire pits but, there are a couple fire pits scattered around the premises that can be used on a first come first served bases. There are several public restrooms and 1 very nice bathhouse. I didn’t see any bad campsite in the whole park. The odd numbered sites starting with 7,9 up to 35 are all closest to the water and have nice views, but because there are few trees around these sites there’s not much shade relief from the sun.

Restrooms and bathhouse – very clean.

On one end of the park there is a Gateway to the Delta boardwalk that takes you out over the water and through some of the marsh. This boardwalk loops around and is about 1/2 of a mile long. Take your time here, especially early in the morning, because there is a lot wildlife to be seen. At the other end of the park there is a very nice fishing pier. The pier is 300 feet long then T’s into another 200′ foot section. If you like night fishing, no worries, the pier has lights.

This little trail was all washed out at the time I was there – enough alligator warning signs – I turned back!

Biking – not too many great paths or trails for biking or walking except for just around the camp sites. The WIFI signal strength was good – strong enough for me to catchup on a few of my favorite Apple shows. There were also several TV stations I could pickup with just my antenna.

Nothing like sitting around a campfire cooking s’mores and talking with friends – life is good!

The city of Spanish Fort has a population of a little over 10,000 and offers some since restaurants and shopping. The history of Spanish Fort dates back to 1712, when Jean-Baptiste Bienville of France founded the city of Mobile. Originally, Spanish Fort was the site of a trading post established by the French during their occupation of Mobile. Bienville goes on to found the city New Orleans and the Bienville Oysters were named for him. 

Below is an annual average temperature for Spanish Fort use the slider on the bottom pick your best time to visit.

Address: 5200 Battleship Pkwy, Spanish Fort AL 36527 (251) 626-5529
Hours: 7AM to 3PM. Too many beautiful images of this park to post them all – below are a few of my favorites, enjoy!

Images from the Meaher State Park in Alabama.

Jekyll Island Campground

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Situated on the north end of the heavily developed Jekyll Island off Beachview Drive sits the Jekyll Island campground. The campsites are all nestled under huge, old live oak trees creating a shady almost mystical environment. The individual sites are fairly close together but that didn’t matter – everyone was so respectful I didn’t even notice my neighbors. The main roads around the campsites were paved and the others were hard packed dirt and gravel. 

Entrance and check-in booth to Jekyll Island Campground

Check-in time is 2 PM and I was greeted by Harry and Barb, the hosts till April. Barb handled the paperwork and other details while Harry escorted us to our site in his golf cart. Setup was easy and the utilities were easy to access. Most of the sites were fairly level and I didn’t see any sites I wouldn’t want to stay in.

Beautiful big live oaks and Spanish moss shade the whole campsite.

The campground is located on the opposite end to the island from where the large conference center, hotels, shopping  and restaurants are so it was quiet. There are 179 campsites – 167 with full hook-ups and 12 primitive sites. But plan to make your reservations early because this is a very popular campground and fills up fast – especially in the winter. The sites come with 30 and 50 amp electrical service as well as water, sewer and TV hook-ups. Each campsite also has a very sturdy picnic table. The whole campground is pet friendly and has 2 very clean bath houses with toilets and hot showers. There is also a general store on site for personal items, propane and firewood and an onsite laundry mat. 

The Dunes before the ocean

Biking – Jekyll Island has many beautiful miles of dedicated biking and walking trails. These trails run along the beaches, through the marshes, wooded areas and the historic district. No worries if you forgot your bikes because the campground offers bike rentals.

Pam, Karen and Bruce on a bike ride around the island – thanks Barry for taking this photo

Driftwood Beach – is just a short walk from the campground. There is a walking entrance in the back of the campground that leads you down a short dirt road to the main road which is just a few yards to the entrance to driftwood beach. 

Driftwood Beach is incredible with the amount of driftwood there.

I was here for just 2 nights November 5,6 2022 but will definitely be back. 

Jekyll Island Campground
1197 Riverview Rd. 

(912) 635-3021

Hours: 9AM – 4:30PM