Tawanda's Tracks: June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Sam Parr Fish and Wildlife Area State Park, Newton , IL

Date: Tuesday June 28 – Thursday June 30, 2016 (2 nights)

Rate: $18/night

Website: Sam Parr Fish and Wildlife Area State Park (IL)
   13225 E State Highway 33
   Newton, IL 62448
   618-783-2661

Description: Not located near an interstate but still easy to get to in southern Illinois. Concrete parking pads and picnic table area so the sites are nice and level with 50A electric (dispersed water spigots to fill your tank). We stayed in site 9 with T&D in site 10. With about 30 sites, only about a third of the sites are reservable, the rest are walkins. The sites are spacious and the park is wooded so Gin had to set up our mobile dish for tv. The roads are paved with several day use picnic areas so it’s a nice place to ride bikes. There are a couple of boat launches on this small lake which is restricted to 10 horsepower or smaller motors (nice for kayaks too).

Trash and Recycle: Every site has an individual trashcan but there is no recycling in the park. Newton (hometown area of Burl Ives) has intermingle recycle bins at a few businesses.

Activities: Only here for a couple of days so we just enjoyed playing cards, riding bikes in the park and watching campers come in early to get a spot for the upcoming holiday.

On site 9 with a nice patio

Nice lake for small boats

Tricia swinging at a day use area Tricia and Dan on a small dock in the cg

Trumpet vines Local red headed woodpecker

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Tipsaw Lake CG, Catbrier RV Loop (Hoosier National Forest), Tell City, IN

Date: Thursday June 23 – Tuesday June 28, 2016 (5 nights)

Rate: $22/night (Access Pass discount)

Website: Tipsaw Lake CG, Catbrier RV Loop
   21390 Old State Road 37 (entry to park across from this or use gps N38.1360 W86.6372)
   Branchville, IN 47514
   812-547-7051

Description: Located in the beautiful rolling hills of southern Indiana not far from I-64 (exit 79). This is a small loop separate from a couple other loops near a small lake that allows boats with electric motors only (nice for kayaks). Paved roads with sloped, hard packed sites having W/E (50A). We stayed on site 7 and T&D on site 9. Boat launch and nice swim area kept the weekend kids busy some during the day. Dump station across the road near the Branchville Correctional Facility (use this address for directions). Verizon is a little weak and used our mobile dish for tv.

Trash and Recycle: Trash dumpster at front of the loop with a small recycle can only for aluminum cans.

Activities: It was very hot here on the day we arrived. The camp host next to T&D was very informative and told us about nearby Hemlock Cliffs which was a beautiful hike in the woods to a cool canyon with sandstone rock formations. We all enjoyed this rugged hike of more than a mile amongst the rock outcroppings, overhangs, cliffs, rock shelters and ravines along the shady stream. The weekend entertainment was brought to us by the bicycling kids with inattentive parents of about five interrelated families camping in several rigs in the loop.

On site 7

Gin amongst some honeycombed rock formations

Getting down the steepest part first so that you can enjoy the cliffs along the stream

Ferns and trees grow right out of the rock

You have to cross the dry stream bed to get closer to the rock formations

Sunbeam The main cliff with trickle waterfall

Dan and Tricia check out the huge rock shelter

Looking out from under the huge rock shelter

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Kentucky Horse Park CG State Park, Lexington, KY

Date: Sunday June 19 – Thursday June 23, 2016 (4 nights)

Rate: $37/night

Website: Kentucky Horse Park CG
   4089 Iron Works Parkway
   Lexington, KY 40511
   859-259-4257

Description: This is a large (260 sites) campground near I-75 and I-64 in Lexington. The roads and sites are paved with all being 90* back-in and unlevel. The sites are large W/E(50 A) but it feels more like a commercial park than a state park. We stayed on site 22 with T&D on site 23. There are a couple of playgrounds and bathhouses along with tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, and a large swimming pool. There are large fields for overflow and primitive sites along with two double dump stations. The cg is adjacent to the Kentucky Horse Park which is a large complex dedicated to everything horse such as museums and stadiums. A competition had just completed when we arrived.

Trash and Recycle: Dumpsters in the middle of each large loop for trash and only a few small bins for recycle (soda cans, bottles, plastic and paper).

Activities: We had planned to bike the nearby Legacy Trail and enjoy some of the Horse Park but the four of us were either just getting over a bad cold or coming down with it. We just relaxed and recuperated instead.

Beautiful ride in western Virginia on Hwy 58

Cumberland Gap Tunnel on Hwy 25E at TN/KY border

On site 22 with T&D on site 23 Nice sized sites

Rolex Stadium at the Horse Park

Grounds at the Horse Park

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Natural Tunnel State Park, Duffield, VA

Date: Tuesday June 14 – Sunday June 19, 2016 (5 nights)

Rate: $38/night

Website: Natural Tunnel State Park (VA)
   1420 Natural Tunnel Parkway (use gps coordinates N36.696984 W82.738577)
   Duffield, VA 24244
   276-940-2674

Description: In the mountains of southwest Virginia, this is a gem of a park. We stayed in site 12 (T&D in site 11) of Lovers Leap Campground which is a little more big rig friendly than their Cove View CG. Roads are paved with gravel sites having W/E (50A). Good Verizon reception. There are several Camping Cabins (houses really) just down the road in their own area. The reservations are non-site specific so we picked our site when we arrived. There is also a large swimming pool further in the park which is popular with the kids. As with the other VA state parks we’ve visited, there are several excellent hiking trails here. There are several summer activities offered too, most at a minimal cost, such as kayaking, canoeing, guided hikes and caving. The main attraction though is a large Natural Tunnel which was formed over eons of time by groundwater slowly seeping through and dissolving the limestone and dolomite bedrock. Stock Creek diverted underground to slowly carve the Tunnel through centuries of time. In 1890, a railway was built right through the Tunnel. It’s still in use and a train runs a couple of times a day carrying coal. The Tunnel is 850 feet long and 100 feet high inside.

Trash and Recycle: Dumpster and recycle bins (aluminum cans and plastic only) at the exit of the cg loop.

Activities: Lots to do here. We started at the Visitor Center to get a plan of action. We all enjoyed the chairlift ride down to the Tunnel. As Tricia likes to say, “I want to face my fears.” There is also Tunnel Trail (rated difficult with lots of switchbacks) for folks like Bill. I joined T&D for a few hikes and Gin joined us on the Stock Creek Trail to the less visited north side of the Tunnel. It goes right beside the creek and we had it all to ourselves, plus the deer. The sign up sheet for kayaking and canoeing were full before we got to it, but Tricia and I went on the Wild Cave Tour (Natural Tunnel Cavern) and got our shoes very muddy.