North Abutment CG (Grenada Lake COE), Grenada, MS

Date of Stay:  Thursday May 23 - Monday May 27, 2013(4 nights)

Rate:  $10/night (Access Pass discount)

Website:  North Abutment CG
   4823 Scenic Loop 333
   Grenada, MS 38901
   662-226-5911

Description:  Rolling hills in Mississippi but all the sites are level concrete pads with water and electric (50A).  There are three circles each with their own dump station and paved roads.  Loop 1-36 over looks Grenada Lake with several sites having nice water access.  Many have great views but I really liked 14 and 17.  Loop 37-61 used to be the tent loop so the sites were a bit closer and the road was less big rig friendly but still quite nice.  We were in site 50.  The other loop, 62-88, over looks a pond with a swimming area and two fishing piers.  Each loop has 10 first come sites so about 60% are reservable.  If you have reservations, remember your site number since there is no one working at the gate (there is none).

Activities:  Glad Gin got a reservation about a month prior because this place was full of families for the Memorial Day weekend.  We just relaxed and did a little people watching.  The cg is right next to the earthen dam that you drive over to go to the town of Grenada.  Grenada Lake is quite nice with a few day use areas and a State Park CG on the banks of the Outflow Channel.  There is a Visitor Center on the other side of the dam that has a nice view of the dam and lake.  Within the cg, there is a dam to form a pond.  You have to drive over that dam to get to one of the loops.  Kinda crowded but a nice place to ride bikes, at least all the kids thought so.  Golf carts are popular with the locals.

Trash and Recycle:  No recycle and only noticed one dumpster at the exit.

 

Site 50

 

Views from Loop 1-36

 

Boat ramp                                                Canada Goose family

  

Outflow channel                        Grenada Lake from the VC                        Outflow channel river

Gunter Hill CG (Catoma Loop) COE, Montgomery, AL

Date of Stay:  Thursday May 9 - Thursday May 23, 2013 (14 nights)

Rate:  $11/night (Access Pass discount)

Website:  Gunter Hill CG (Catoma Loop)
   561 Booth Road
   Montgomery, AL 36108
   334-872-9554

Description:  The Catoma Loop is only a couple of years old and is FHU 50A with paved roads, concrete parking pads and pea gravel patio.  Busy but quiet woods all around.  On the Alabama River Lakes with a boat ramp in the older Antioch Loop which is in need of updating.  Only water and electric there and better suited for smaller rigs.  We were on site 35 right across from the playground.  It is difficult to get the Catoma Loop to pop up on the Reserve America’s site.  No swimming here but nice place to rides bikes, relax and soak up the green.

Activities:  This is a very nicely done new loop in a COE Park.  Can’t beat the deal!  First thing I noticed was the sweet smell of honeysuckle.  Having been in Florida all winter, I didn’t realize how much I missed the green of oaks, hickory, sweet gum and other hard wood trees.  There was a cardinal here that tried to defend his territory from the other cardinal in our mirrors.  Great place to relax and ride bikes.  I saw 4-5 deer a couple of times during my morning jogs and soaked up more honeysuckle fragrance.  Gin did a couple of projects here and we visited with her cousin Joe who lives in nearby Prattville.

Trash and Recycle:  Dumpster at the dump station.  A can at the main bathhouse that only takes cans for recycle.

 
 
Playground and small bathhouse                Our patio on site 35

 
Crazy cardinal                                           Bike stand project

 
The road to the cg loop is great for a jog or bike ride

 
 
Relaxing view of the water                          Ahh… green trees!

Avalon Landing RV Park, Milton, FL

Date of Stay:  Saturday April 6 - Thursday May 9, 2013 (33 nights)

Rate:  monthly $547+electric ($71 for us) and $39/night for 3 more nights

Website:  Avalon Landing RV Park
   2444 Avalon Blvd
   Milton, FL 32583
   850-995-5898

Description:  Near Pensacola and convenient to I-10.  Two sections both fairly new.  We stayed on site 65 in the brand new East section which has paved roads with gravel pads and concrete patios.  The West section is at the office and has a boat ramp, small swimming pool and clubhouse.  Those sites are grass/gravel with paved road.  All sites are FHU 50A and about 40 feet wide.  Located on a canal leading into Escombia Bay.  New trees planted and woods around East section help cut back the traffic noise somewhat.  Wendy in the office is friendly and informative about the area sights, stores and restaurants.

Activities:  We stayed here because it was very convenient to our doctor’s offices for our wellness checks.  Gin finally got new glasses.  Turns out she didn’t need eye surgery, just needed prescription eye drops.  There is a lot to do in the Pensacola area but we didn’t do it all.  We checked out Crestview since our mail forwarding service is located there.  The Blackwater Heritage State Trail is a nice paved Rails to Trails bike path in Milton.  We biked 16.5 miles one day.  We went to Fort Pickens to check out the Fort and it’s museum.  The beach there is very nice and there are a lot of free public access parking lots to the beach all along the coast.  We certainly did our share of shopping and restaurant hopping.  We never made it to the Naval Aviation Museum so I guess we’ll have to go back.

Trash and Recycle:  Each section has it’s own dumpster.  No recycle at the rv park but there is a county bin at the Suntrust Bank near the Rail Trail in Milton.  Also a recycle bin just before entering Fort Pickens property.

 

 

Office at entry to East section

 

Our “apartment building” and “apartment”

  

Fort Pickens cannon                                  Parade ground at Fort Pickens

 

View from the top of the Fort                       the Gulf and the Bay

 

Overcast cool day at the beach