2019 Summer Journey – Florida, Louisiana & Mississippi

Our Travels - 2019 Florida to the Northeast and Midwest
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On the Road Again!

We had several goals when purchasing a small travel trailer back in 2014. One of our main ones was to have an affordable way to get away from the heat of Florida for a while each summer. Last year some medical issues caused us to stay closer to home, so we were more than ready to get away this year.

Our son and his wife are housesitting for us while we slip away for about seven weeks. While our main destination is my hometown in Michigan, we decided to take our time getting there. Both Fay and I have spent most of our life living in Florida and Alabama, so we have a lot of family and friends in this part of the country. As a result, we decided to start our journey with two weeks down south.

Meeting Vonda

Our first night we wanted to check out a campground in the Florida panhandle, about an hour west of Tallahassee. I got acquainted with a lady named Vonda who found my tinyTowable groups on Facebook. She owns Hitchin Post Corral and Campground in Cottondale and had encouraged us to come by when we were in the area. What a nice experience it was to meet her and stay there for a night. There is no question that she is the friendliest and most helpful camphost we've ever met! If you are ever driving with your RV on I-10 and need a place to stop between Pensacola and Tallahassee, Vonda's campground is a good option. Check out our campground review for more information and to see some photos of the place.

Vonda - Owner of Hitchin Post Corral and Campground in Cottondale, Florida
Our First Stop for Visiting
Next, we started our visiting with two nights in Pensacola. The first night we spent staying with lifelong friends of Fay's on Pensacola Beach. We had a great visit, but on Thursday things were already getting busy out on the beach for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend. We had dinner on the beach and got to enjoy the water view, at least from a distance. Friday night we moved into town and stayed with Fay's childhood best friend.
Dinner on Pensacola Beach
Memorial Day Weekend with Family

We spent Memorial Day weekend in Louisiana with our older son and grandson. There's never enough time, but we're always excited to spend whatever time we can with them. The little guy is five, so while it was really great to spend time there, we were pretty exhausted by the time we left.

We stayed at Fairview Riverside State Park in Madisonville. It's not your typical state park in the woods, but a large open area with some trees and large grassy areas. They have a nice playground, which along with the grassy areas, makes it a good place for our grandson to come and visit us.

The news has been dominated by bad weather lately, with a lot of flooding in parts of the country. The bayous of Louisiana were no exception while we were there. We took a ride on Memorial Day on some back roads near Madisonville, but didn't get too far!

Flooding of the bayou's in Lousiana
Back on the Road...for a Bit!
Back on the road, we spent one night at Twiltley Branch Campground, north of Meridian, MS, then two nights at DeWayne Hayes Campground in Columbia, MS. Both campgrounds are really nice and managed by the Corp of Engineers. Particularly nice is the fact that they are both really affordable at only $18 and $22 a night. For us, with the America the Beautiful Senior's pass, they were 50% off so only $9 and $11 a night!
Twiltley Branch Campground in Mississippi
A Little More Visiting Down South

Next we're headed to Birmingham. Fay grew up there, and thirty-some years ago, it's where we first met. We have lots of friends there and will catch up with a few of them over the upcoming weekend. After that, we start focusing on heading north. Our plan is to be in Michigan a week from now.

We have the tinyTowable logo on each side of our truck, as well as the spare tire cover on the back of our Casita. If you spot us along the way, be sure to wave us down so Fay and I can stop and say hello.

tinyTowable on the road
Be sure to drop me note if you have any questions.
- Denny
Denny Johnson

Denny Johnson

After having spent most of our adult life in Orlando, my wife Fay and I moved to Knoxville, TN in 2020. We are loving the change of seasons and being near the mountains. Plus, this part of the country is loaded with great places to camp. 
 
We camped years ago with a pop-up camper, but got serious about it when we purchased our Casita in 2014. There was a lot to learn as we started traveling with it, and a lot of conflicting opinions on line. That's when I decided that creating a website would be a good retirement project. I started tinyTowable.com to share things we've learned along the way that have worked well for us in hopes that the information would be of help to others.
 
However, since moving to Tennessee, I've gotten involved with new hobbies (you can check some out on my personal website at https://www.softrite.com) and we haven't camped very much. So, at the end of 2023, I made the tough decision to stop updating this website.
 
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2 thoughts on “2019 Summer Journey – Florida, Louisiana & Mississippi”

  1. Surprised to see Vonda! She is a real sweetheart. It is now a regular stop on our way back to Central Florida. We can take advantage of the sewer hookups to flush the tanks and arrive home cleaned out.

    Reply

    1. That she is Steve! I suspect she will become a regular for us too whenever we are passing through her area.

      Reply

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