Tawanda's Tracks: April 2014

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

McKinney CG (Allatoona Lake COE), Acworth, GA

Date of Stay: Thursday April 17- Tuesday 22, 2014 (5 nights)

Rate: $15/night (Access Pass discount)

Website: McKinney CG
   6659 McKinney Campground Road
   Acworth, GA 30102
   678-721-6700

Description: Just a little north of Atlanta off of I-75. All roads are paved and quite hilly, too hilly for a pedal bike. We were in site 50 (W/E 50A) next to Dan and Tricia and had plenty of space and privacy. Nice waterfront spot and we could have put the boat in here if we felt like it. Sites are paved although the pavement has seen it’s better days. Some sites have too steep of an incline for big rigs but most are fine. Near the town of Acworth for shopping and Red Top Mountain State Park for hiking. Since this is near Atlanta, there are many marinas on the lake and the water got busy on the weekend. Trains run quite often on the far side of the lake and if the wind is blowing right, they sound closer.

Activities: We enjoyed campfires and shared meals with D&T. Bojangles in Acworth hit the spot! D&T took their boat for a spin while we relaxed. I enjoyed a nice hike with them at Red Top Mountain State Park which is just down the road. We looked at the cg there but it is not big rig friendly. It rained some but I still managed a couple of morning walks. Deer were quite used to humans as well as the Mallards and Canada Geese.

Trash and Recycle: Several dumpsters throughout the cg and at the dump station. No recycle.

Site 50

Our patio on site 50 D&T on site 51

View from our site Other campers across the cove

Friendly (hungry) Mallards at our site

Dan and Tricia on White Tail Trail in Red Top Mountain State Park

Thursday, April 17, 2014

Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park, Cordele, GA

Date of Stay: Monday April 14 - Thursday 17, 2014 (3 nights)

Rate: $26/night (Friends of GA State Parks discount)

Website: Georgia Veterans Memorial State Park (GA)
   2459 US Highway 280 W
   Cordele, GA 31015
   229-276-2371

Description: Located near I-75 south of Macon, this park has paved roads with gravel sites bordered by railroad ties. Georgia State Parks let you choose your site when you arrive and we got site 41. All sites have cable tv with water and electric (30A and some 50A). Gin used her pigtail to give us 50A. Even though we were under heavy tree cover, we still got satellite tv. The park is dedicated to the veterans of Georgia who have served the US from the Revolutionary War through the Gulf War. At the Visitor Center, there is a museum and an outdoor ordnance exhibit with tanks and aircraft. It is located on Lake Blackshear and has a resort and golf course. Great place to ride bikes and a couple of hiking trails in the woods.

Activities: We were travelling with Dan and Tricia and we all needed a park with more natural surroundings than Cedar Key RV for a change of pace. Mission accomplished! I purchased a Friends of GA State Parks membership here to get a little discount. We plan to stay at some more GA State Parks in the Fall so it will come in handy for the discounts. We had a rainy day to catch up on some rest and then we enjoyed geocaching in the park while riding our bikes around. We never made it to the museum in the Visitor Center but we checked out the outdoor exhibit and monument. We are truly thankful for the sacrifice and dedication of our veterans and this park serves as a great reminder of their service. Near the entrance to the park is an interesting convenience store with a great butcher shop on premise called Stripling’s General Store. We hope to return next Spring.

Trash and Recycle: A couple of dumpsters in the cg but no recycle.

Site 41

Visitor Center Tricia and Gin at the GA Vets Monument

Displays at the Outdoor Ordnance Exhibit

Monday, April 14, 2014

Cedar Key RV Resort, Cedar Key, FL

Date of Stay: Saturday December 28, 2013 – Monday April 14, 2014 (3 and a half months!)

Rate: We bought Lot 75!

Website: Cedar Key RV Resort
   11980 SW Shiloh Road
   Cedar Key, FL 32625
   352-543-5097

Description: We have reviewed this place a few times before because we have stayed here some the past couple of winters. This time was different. We bought Lot 75 right beside our great friends Dan and Tricia. The park is FHU (50A) with cable. There is a heated pool at the nice clubhouse which has a full kitchen for entertainment. The roads are paved and the sites are concrete. The site sizes are about 45’x80’. Our site is actually deeper and extends to the fence which borders the rear of the park. We have added a nice patio in the back (Pelican Place) with much help from Dan. It’s nice for an intimate campfire or hosting a wienie roast with a few friends.

Activities: We spent a lot of time getting our lot just right. We timed it right with Carl Jones of Jones Masonry (352-493-0300) and had some concrete added to our patio while we were still at Lazy Days. Our site had no grass really, and I can’t stand tracking sand all over the place. After a bit of thought, Gin and I came up with our landscape design and contacted Bobby Barnhill of Barnhill Landscapes (352-949-5127) who laid Centipede sod, planted a Pindo Palm, put in a couple of sidewalks, and put down weed block with white rock around our concrete. Both businesses were very professional and fairly priced. Dan did a great job laying patio blocks to build Pelican Place with a little help from Charlie and myself. Dan had already cleared out most of the thick stuff around the saw palmetto and lots of pine straw was spread out to help hold down the weeds. We also installed an 8’x10’ storage building. Once again, Dan was a great help putting in a ramp for the doorway. Along with the 4 bottlebrushes that Barnhill had planted, I added several more plants around our patio (2 Robellini or Pygmy Date Palms, 4 purple fountain grass, 6 flax lilies, 2 crotons, and a few other miscellaneous plants). We won’t have to worry about landscaping any more.
     It wasn’t all work and no play for us though. We did manage to make it to a few card games at the clubhouse, potluck dinners, and even hosted a NC barbeque dinner there with Gin doing most of the work fixing chopped bbq and coleslaw. We met Bill and Nancy at Rainbow River State Park to enjoy a paddle along with Rick, Gail, Charlie, Dot, Dan and Tricia. Gail and Rick stayed in the park a few days and Nancy and Bill popped over for a visit too. We biked in Cedar Key a few times to see the owl’s nest and also the bald eagle’s nest. Sherry and David visited once too while they were camped at a nearby state park. There’s lots to do in the area and yet, it’s still a very rural laid back kind of place.

Trash and Recycle: Set your bag out in the morning and it will be picked up or drop it in the dumpster on your way out of the park. There is a county recycle trailer a couple of miles away on the way in to Cedar Key.