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Camping in Northern Georgia

Fun times with wonderful friends Memorial Day weekend at James H. (Sloppy) Floyd State Park in Summerville, Georgia.

Camping in Georgia

This was not our first time camping in Georgia. As we live in neighboring Alabama, it is easy to made the trip to a Georgia campground. Even so, it was a great weekend! We had site #4, which had plenty of shade and was near the bathhouse. The park was well-maintained and the bathhouse was kept very clean. The hosts for the park have been there for eleven years and seem to work very hard to keep it clean and attractive. They have many repeat guests.

Rain was expected off and on for most of our time at the campground, so we utilized only our privacy tent for changing clothes. We set-up quickly and were ready to go, which was nice.

Relaxing and camping in Georgia — Big Guy relaxing

The first night, we grilled steaks with our friends and turned in rather early. The temperature was cool in the evening and we slept very well with only our fan and the windows open.

Camping and Hiking in Georgia

On Saturday, we took a ranger-led tour to the Marble Mine, one of the park’s main attractions. It had gotten warm by that time and the heat plus the steep incline to get to the mine made it quite challenging. We saw a very large rat snake along the way that remained very still for about ten minutes. We estimate that he would be about six feet long if stretched out. Needless to say, we were very careful where we stepped after seeing him! He is not venomous, but still scary to me.

The hike was steep at the end, but we made it to the top. The waterfall with its crystal-clear water was worth the effort. It was quite beautiful and the water ice-cold. We were so hot by then, we would have liked to wade in it.

Hiking while camping in Georgia — We made it!

Games and Rain

The afternoon was spent playing Mexican Train Dominos and then dinner at The Crushed Tomato in Summerville, which features pizza, calzones, and several flavors of ice cream for dessert. We highly recommend this place! Our pizzas were excellent with perhaps the best crust I have had in the U.S. Also, it was quite inexpensive.

Saturday night brought torrential rains in the middle of the night. We had our fan vent opened widely and it rained in some on the middle of our bed. I have left it partially open before in the rain without it coming in, but it did not work in this case. We woke to a slightly damp middle of the bed and a very wet campsite, so the Rainy Day Plan was evoked for breakfast. When we returned, the sun was shining and our campsite was beginning to dry out.

Paradise Garden

In the afternoon, we visited a local attraction, Paradise Garden. It is a collection of folk art by Howard Finster, who has been called the Andy Warhol of the South. Mr. Finster passed away in 2001, but has achieved quite a bit of acclaim for his work. His art is displayed at the Smithsonian. He also designed album covers for groups such as R.E.M. We were very surprised by the number of people visiting the gardens. As you can see below, his art is very eclectic.

We rounded out the day with games of Rook and Mexican Train Dominoes. We grilled hamburgers for dinner at the campground. This was our last night, so we took down most of our gear before going to bed because my Big Guy likes to leave early going home. This is a long-standing habit of his. Not my favorite, but he does a lot to make me happy.

A few lessons learned:

Rain will come in the fan vent if open and it rains hard enough. A small opening works fine though.
Peggy should always come because I get to play lots of games when she is around. 😃
Put chairs in the car if it might rain. I knew this, but did not take the time.
A minimal campsite can be great if you are in the shade. We don’t really need a tent if it is just the two of us.

This camping trip in Georgia was awesome. We are looking forward to our next trip to Arkansas and Lake Catherine in Hot Springs! Check out our States Visited, a Campsite Resource to see where else we have traveled.

Camping Checklist, Don’t Forget Your Important Items

As new campers, we have found a checklist to be vital. We also use a checklist for food on each trip. This is our camping checklist.

Our camping checklist was very critical to the success of our camping trips when we first began. However, we did not use it as much later because many of the items are stored in the camper and footlocker.

Currently, we have a much smaller list of the optional items we are taking and the items that must be added to the cabin for transport.

Camping Checklist:

Tent/shelter with poles and stakes
Binder clips if attaching tent to Trailer
Ground cover/rug
Fuel for stove
Lighter
Chairs
Table
Water hoses (2)
Power cable with adapter
Privacy tent
Porta-potty/tissue
Co-axial cable
Leveling blocks
Hitch locks
Flashlights
Extension cord
Duct tape
Heater (if cold)
Electric blanket (if cold)
Bucket if no sewer for dishwashing
Box of assorted tools
Outdoor fan (if hot)
Awning

Cooking Gear

Most of the following is in a large footlocker that is always packed.

Frying pan
Cooking pot
Plates, bowls, cups, glasses, cutlery
Paring knife, spatula, cooking spoon
Coffee maker
Toaster
Corkscrew
Tablecloths (2)
Salt/pepper/spices
Plastic storage bags for leftovers
Foil
Paper towels
Cooking spray
Sponge, dishcloth, scrubber
Dishwashing liquid
Cooler
Water for drinking and cooking
Trash bags
Food

Clothing

Daytime clothing
Sleepwear
Rainwear, if applicable
Extra layers for warmth
Swimwear, if applicable
Shoes: hiking, flip!flops
Hat
Sunglasses

Personal Items

Sunscreen
Towels & washcloths
Soap
Insect repellent
First Aid kit
Medications
Toothbrush & toiletries in shower bag for each person
Hair dryer/flat iron
Makeup
Bikes, locks & helmets
Laundry bag
Laundry detergent

Other Items

Camera
Campsite reservation
Games
Tablet
Electronics chargers

We hope this list is helpful to you new campers because camping is more fun when you have brought what you need. If you would like to view more of things we have learned, we have a camping resource page you might want to access. The page will be updated as we have more information to share.

Wishing you safe and happy travels!

Camping in Relative Luxury

Coastline RV Resort in Eastpoint, Florida was certainly camping in relative luxury for us because of the amenities offered. It was our third camping trip and we were there with friends for six nights in late February. Coastline Resort is a small campground with 30 sites on Apalachicola Bay and they also have Coastline Campsite nearby with 14 sites and fewer amenities.

Our campsite is in the photo below. We used an EZ Up tent because they do not allow a tent with a floor to protect the grass. All sites have a patio, grill, picnic table, Wi-Fi, cable television and 20/30/50 amp service.

Camping in relative luxury at site 19 — Coastline Site 19

Many owners of very large RVs book sites for a month or more. However, we were the only teardrop and the photo below will give you an idea of how small we were relative to our neighbors. Many were curious about our camper and very friendly.

Luxury Camping

Coastline offered some amenities that we lack in our Little Guy (LG). There is a recreation building with a full kitchen, which we were encouraged to use. We prepared several meals in the kitchen and watched movies on Netflix in the evenings. Few of the other guests used the facility as they had large fully-equipped motorhomes or trailers. It was a very nice place to hang out with our friends.

Camping in relative luxury with a recreation area — Recreation Area

There is also an exercise room, laundry room, screened porch, and pool. It was a little cold yet for the pool, but I did lay out in the sun once. The real luxury for me, however, was the bathrooms. They were just a few feet from our site and very, very nice. In addition to the tiled men’s and women’s bathhouse, there were two ADA-Family bathrooms that were seldom used. A photo is below.

Camping in relative luxury in this bathhouse — ADA Family Bathroom

The Surrounding Area

The area has been described as being similar to “old Florida” without the development found most places. Also, it is fairly isolated and the view from the bay is beautiful. I took the photo below from the campground. Highway 98 is between the bay and the campsite and there is some traffic, but not like in more populated areas. The towns of Carrabelle and Apalachicola are approximately 15 minutes away and St. George Island is about seven minutes away.

Camping in relative luxury with an amazing view — Sunset from Coastline Resort

Things we did on our trip:

Saw a play in Apalachicola. We saw “Oystertown Revisited” our first night in town at the Dixie Theatre. You might not expect much from a small town play, but the story of the town and its history was very entertaining and included funny moments and great singing. We thoroughly enjoyed it!
Had delicious seafood and heavenly Apalachicola raw oysters. We visited restaurants in Apalachicola, St. George Island and Carrabelle. (Blue Parrott, Paddy’s Raw Bar, Up the Creek Raw Bar, Fisherman’s Wife)
Rode bikes. We rented them on St. George Island and rode in the State park there and around our campsite at Coastline. (We now have a solution to take our bikes next time we go camping.)
Shopping. There is interesting, but somewhat limited shopping in Apalachicola and St. George has a good selection of island wear.
Visited Veteran’s Memorial Plaza. It is dedicated to soldiers from the South who fought in the Vietnam War. The statue that is in the park is below.

Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve

This was our rainy day activity. There is a film about the Apalachicola estuary, which is a term I did not know. It means where saltwater meets freshwater. Estuaries are very important for marine life and the famous oysters in the area. The Reserve also has exhibits, a beautiful nature walk and a walk to the bay. All of this free; I have paid many dollars in other places to be entertained much less.

Bald Point State Park

This was about an hour away mostly along Highway 98. It was a very small park, but had some beautiful views. Had a delicious lunch on the way back in Carrabelle at “The Fisherman’s Wife.”

Our friends have an airstream and are so much fun. They are pros at camping and have taught us so much!

This trip was probably be the easiest camping we will ever do, but we did have one rainy day. Our friends have said, “what will you do when it rains” and I have always said, “we will go somewhere”. This was our first rainy day camping and our longest trip so far and there were a few lessons learned.

Camping in Relative Luxury, Lessons Learned

Plan the night before what you will do if you wake up to pouring rain. My husband got up while I was sleeping with no umbrella and was working on making coffee. He was drenched! While he was in the recreation room, I located where we could have breakfast (amazingly, at the local Mexican restaurant). We should have been prepared to just get up, get in our car, and go.
More days camping requires more patience and effort than fewer days. This was our longest trip in the LG and for that reason, it was a little more challenging than the previous 2 and 3 day trips. It is definitely more work traveling in a teardrop than in hotels.
It is really great to have your bikes on camping trips. Our friends had their bikes, but we had to rent them. This inspired us to really search for a good option to haul our bikes. However, we plan to bring them on our next trip to Hillsborough River State Park near Tampa. It will be five nights at Hillsborough and one night on the way at Stephen Foster Cultural Center State Park.

If you would like to read about our camping adventures, see our page States Visited, a Campsite Resource.

This trip, camping in relative luxury, we had a great time! So, we look forward to more adventures!

Teardrop Camping, The Decision to Buy a Teardrop

Why would a tall man and a professional womañn want to buy a teardrop camper with no toilet? Actually, it was a very logical decision.

My husband and I love to travel, but traveling as we have done in the past is quite expensive and we could only afford a limited amount of that kind of travel. I just did not see anything in my future that would fill the kind of time I would have on my hands.

A friend had recently begun camping with her husband and suggested we give it a try. I had only been camping a couple of times in my entire life and that was tent camping. I dismissed the idea at first, but she kept bringing it up. Occasionally, she would send me pictures of campers. At some point, miraculously, the idea became appealing. We began to consider it an option and my husband and I did some research on line.

Must Haves

A large bed. My husband is 6’3″ and we are both miserable in anything less than a queen.
An air conditioner. Neither of us can sleep if it is too hot and we keep our home very cold at night.
We have an Acura MDX and wanted something it would pull without any issues. We did not want to purchase another vehicle just to pull a camper.
A toilet, and preferably a full bathroom.
A high-quality product that would hold up well to our travel plans.

Various Considerations

Our requirement for a lightweight camper eliminated the majority of campers. Even most of the pop-ups were quite heavy and we felt they would not hold up well over time. It also takes a good bit of time to set them up. Of those that were lightweight, many did not have an air conditioner or a toilet. We finally settled on a Forest River R-Pod 179. It was perfect, with its queen bed, wet bath, and air conditioner. It was pushing it a little on the weight, but if we adjusted the towing package on our vehicle, it would work.

However, we did not consider storage of the camper when we decided on the R-Pod. The R-Pod is too tall to fit into our basement and we live in a neighborhood with covenants. To have an R-Pod, we would have to build a place for storage or pay rent for storage off-site. That seemed like too much for a couple who were not sure they would like to do very much camping.

Our research had also identified the T@G, a teardrop manufactured by NuCamp. I loved it when I first saw it, but when I suggested that we might purchase it, most everyone looked at me as if I were crazy. (I did mention that my husband is 6’3″). Also, it has no toilet and I am a professional woman not known for “roughing it”.

Man sitting behind teardrop camper — My big guy and our new T@G

Our Teardrop Choice

Once we had to consider trailer height into our search, A teardrop was the only type left standing. Anything else required construction or ongoing rent. My husband came around and was even enthusiastic. One thing that did help with the decision was seeing where a couple of other tall men had bought the T@G.

We had to give up some conveniences, a toilet in particular, but it enabled us to have a camper that met all of our other requirements and it weighs just under 1,000 pounds. You can move it around manually. That ultra light weight means that gas mileage is only minimally impacted and our Acura is well equipped to pull it.

The Purchase

We purchased a new T@G XL from Southland RV in September 2016. They had a great selection of small campers and Shonn, our salesperson, was great.

A big plus with the T@G XL is that it has a king-sized bed. In fact, it is basically a bed on wheels with a galley in the back. The interior is really nice with multi levels of lighting, a TV, air conditioner, storage under the bed, cabinets, a stereo/DVD player, and windows with shades and screens. The galley in the back has an electric ice chest, microwave, two-burner stove, storage cabinet, and sink.

One great thing about the T@G is its “cuteness factor”. It is adorable. Everyone that sees it, remarks how cute it is. In a world of big RVs and pop-ups, it is uncommon in the Southeast, which is our area of the country. The

A Blog as Well

I have named this blog, “Teardrop Camping Adventures” because it will be a real adjustment for us and adventure sounds so much better than adjustment. For my husband, the adjustment is because it is so little and he is so big. For me, not having a personal bathroom or even a toilet for days at a time will be challenging. However, I am sure that with our level of commitment, we will make those adjustments and have wonderful adventures!

If you would like to follow our progress, there is a resource page that includes many of the cool things we learn on our adventures.

More to come….