Winter camping Archives - Big Guy Tiny Trailer

Winter 2022, Florida Camping

Since retirement, we have sought to escape the cold for a few weeks every year and winter 2022 was no exception. Last year, we also went to Florida, Winter in Florida, Two Weeks Early in 2021. This year, we were several hundred miles south in Florida for four weeks. The standout memories for this trip were the time we had with our friends and the beautiful water views.

Topsail State Park, Winter 2022

Winter 2022 camping began at Topsail State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida. We booked many months ahead and were able to snag two weeks at this epic park. Our site was roomy, but we were beside the main path and it was a little noisy. Despite that, we loved every day we spent there.

We walked Sophie a lot at this campground and she loved it. The photo below was taken at No Name Lake. Most days during our stay were warm and sunny, but we had a few that were cold and several that were also rainy.

The private beach was just a mile or so from our site, down a road dedicated only to pedestrians and bikes. There is also a tram that runs daily which transports people to and from the beach. We rode our bikes to the beach a couple of times during our stay and walked it once. Sophie stayed in the camper when we rode our bikes.

It was so wonderful to spend some time on the beautiful emerald coast. The beach was glorious!

Winter 2022 at Topsail — Enjoying the beach at Topsail

Restaurants Nearby

I cooked a lot while we were at Topsail, but we did enjoy a few meals out. The most memorable was Emeril’s. It was a rare, bucket list type of experience and a delicious meal. We had a less expensive meal that was equally delicious at Shunk Gulley. Also, we had a nice meal at Thai Chiang Rai.

Winter 2022 at Emeril’s — Dinner at Emeril’s

Gamble Rogers State Park, Winter 2022

Next, we had eight nights at Gamble Rogers beachside and the best views of our entire trip. Our first four nights were not on the waterfront, but we were gifted by access to our friends waterfront site for the last four nights because they had to leave early. It was one of the most beautiful sites we have ever had.

Winter 2022 at Gamble Rogers — Site # 23

Gamble Rogers was special because we were able to spend time with our very good friends, Peggy and Chan. It was chilly for most of their stay, but we still had a great time. Peggy made a special steak dinner for us for Valentine’s Day and it was delicious.

Access to the beach was beside our site. It was lovely, but most days it was rather cold and windy.

The thing about the beachside of Gamble Rogers is that is such a beautiful environment. Sophie took multiple walks every day and got to know a lot of the campers and volunteers. That girl is very sociable.

Day Trips

Gamble Rogers is located near many areas one would want to visit. We took two day trips while there.

Ravine Gardens State Park

A friend recommended Ravine Gardens State Park and it was very pleasant. The 146-acre park has multiple trails and some, like the 1.8 mile paved road below, are very easy to walk. Cars and bikes can also access it. We took our pup and had a very relaxing day.

We were there during the blooming season for azaleas and they were present throughout the park. We also saw citrus fruit along our walk.

We checked out the suspension bridge in one of the ravines and enjoyed a cool view of the trails below.

There is a 64-foot obelisk dedicated to Franklin D. Roosevelt, who was responsible for the the park’s construction in 1933 by the Work’s Progress Administration.

Saint Augustine

Saint Augustine was our second day trip. We have been there before, but did not have time to visit Castillo de San Marcos. The fort is the oldest masonry fortification in the continental United States and has a interesting history. I highly recommend a visit if you are in the area.

We had a fabulous lunch at Harry’s and then a walk along the river. Saint Augustine is a gorgeous city and we had beautiful weather that day.

Presnell’s RV Resort, Winter 2022

Our last campground was Presnell’s in Port St. Joe and we were there for a week. Our site had full hookups and was very comfortable.

Presnell’s has a marina that almost always has visiting pelicans. The campground also has a heated pool, but we didn’t go in during our stay.

The bay was just across from our site and we enjoyed the views most nights. It is truly a beautiful place.

A big plus about our stay was spending time with our friends who were also there. We had bike rides, saw pickle ball played and many great meals with them. Our favorite restaurants were Shipwreck, Mango Marley’s, Indian Pass Raw Bar, and Pepper’s Mexican Grill.

Our winter 2022 camping was so much fun! This could become addictive!

Happy Camping!

Cold Weather Camping in North Carolina

Cold Weather Camping

Cold weather camping can be tricky because of uncertain temperatures and the necessity to prevent water from freezing in the camper. Our trip was in mid-November to North Carolina with the Southeast T@B group. Ironically, we experienced temperatures in the high nineties just a couple of weeks prior.

We had been tracking our local weather and the weather in Apex, where we would be camping. It became clear that temperatures in the teens would be occurring in our home area a couple of days before we left, so we had to winterize our camper. However, we wanted to use our water system camping in Apex and it would be above freezing while we were there. So, we used the blowout method for winterization and filled our fresh water tank while on the road. If freezing temperatures had continued on our trip, we would left our camper winterized.

Crosswinds Campground

Our group had a nice representation at Crosswinds Campground, despite the weather. There were approximately 10 campers from our group. The campground is very nice with an immaculate, heated bathhouse. We kept our campsite pretty basic because rain and high winds were expected.

Cold weather camping at Crosswinds — C Loop Site #27

Southeastern T@B Group

It was good to see several friends with whom we have camped before and to meet new people. The weather impeded some activities, but we were still able to spend some quality time with group members. There was a meet and greet by a campfire one night and a potluck on another. We also met several in the group for an early dinner out at nearby Al’s Burger Shack. The weather was good enough one day to allow for a brief hike with a few from the group. We really enjoy camping with these people!

Cold weather camping and potluck — Group Potluck

Cold Weather Outside Activities

Cold weather camping also means that it is more likely to be unpleasant outside. Two of our days were windy, cold and/or rainy. We went to nearby Raleigh one of those days. I needed a refill on antibiotics for an upper respiratory issue and Raleigh’s CVS took care of my meds. I was happy to have that done as I was beginning to feel quite unwell.

Because we have visited this area before, North Carolina Camping, Mountain, City, and Coast, we had seen several of its major attractions. So, on this very cold and windy day, we visited one of its lesser attractions, the City of Raleigh Museum. It is a small museum, but indoors and free! I enjoyed a display on “A History of Political Cartoons”, featuring the career of Dwane Powell. It gave me a new appreciation for the craft.

Political Satire — “Mom Begged Aunt Myrtle”, November 2000

Dinner in Raleigh

We topped off our day in Raleigh by meeting Kevin and Gloria, a couple we have known for a couple of years, at a new trendy Raleigh Food Court, Morgan Street Food Hall. They have just about every food you can imagine. The food was good, but pricey for what you get. It was good to spend time with Kevin and Gloria.

Camping Drama

Our last day camping, most everyone from our group had left and it was a rainy day. We planned a movie and dinner out. Leaving the campground, we encountered a truck whose driver was behaving suspiciously. The driver was going slowly through the campground and stopping as various campsites. We felt that our campsite was at risk in this mostly deserted campground, so we followed the truck. The driver continued to behave suspiciously and because the entrance to the park was not manned, we called the number associated with the park. The said they would send someone. When we returned, we met a ranger and we told him we were the ones who called. Was it paranoia or a real threat? We will never know.

What’s Next

While we enjoyed this trip with our SE camping group, it was a long way to travel and the weather was far less than ideal. However, it was a bit of an adventure.

Our next trip is Pensacola and the Tiny Christmas Campout.

Happy Camping!

SW Trip, Stop # 1 Natchez State Park in Mississippi

We are taking a winter trip along the southwestern border of the United States in our T@G MAXL camper. Stop number one was in Mississippi.

Natchez State Park

Natchez State Park was the first stop of our first long trip in our teardrop camper. Our longest prior trip was seven days and we expect this trip to last about four weeks. We don’t really know what to expect as we have never spent so much continuous time in our tiny camper and have not driven in most of the areas. Lastly, although we will be south of most of the country, we will be traveling in the winter. Exciting—but scary!

One of the trip goals was to limit driving hours to 3-5 hours each day. Natchez was a five hour drive and on the long end of our goal, but it gets us well on our path. The post regarding how we planned this trip follows.

Planning That First Long Trip

It was our first time to camp in Mississippi. We reserved site 46 through Reserve America. It was pretty inexpensive, only $16.05 for the night. The campground was nice with typical state park facilities. Fishing and hunting are big activities in the area and it is my understanding that the fishing is especially good at the lake in the campground.

Rain was expected that night, so we did not really set up camp. Therefore, we just moved items that were in our camper to a picnic table and plugged in the electric cord. We had a couple of places to visit and were having dinner out, so it would be dark when we returned.

Items removed from our teardrop — Items removed from our bed

Long wood

Natchez is a city with a very interesting past. I was surprised to learn that before the Civil War, more than half the millionaires in the entire country lived in Natchez. Consequently, there are an abundance of very elegant mansions that still exist from that time.

Longwood, an Oriental Villa, is the largest octagonal house in the United States, designed by famous Philadelphia architect, Samuel Sloan. Construction began in 1860 and it was to provide 30,000 square feet of living space. It had been under construction for about eighteen months when it was halted in 1861 as tensions rose regarding the Civil War. The owners, Haller and Julia Nutt, had the basement area completed early and were living in it while the remaining construction was occurring. The owners never completed the remaining interior levels.

Longwood’s wealthy owner became sick and died while in his 40’s, but his wife and their children lived in it for many decades in this unfinished status. Longwood was often referred to over the years as Nutt’s Folly. The Pilgrimage Garden Club acquired Longwood in 1970. It was designated a historic landmark in 1971.

The estate has many beautiful live oak trees such as the one below. A link to the Longwood website follows.

http://www.stantonhall.com/longwood.php

St. Mary’s Basilica

Another amazing architectural design in Natchez is St Mary’s Basilica. The See of the Roman Catholic Church in Mississippi designed the church and began construction in 1842. Most noteworthy, it is the only church built as a cathedral in Mississippi and designated a minor basilica.

It is a beautiful building. Unfortunately, we arrived at a time when mass was just beginning, so we did not get to take photos of the interior. I would have loved to be able to just sit quietly in all that beauty and splendor for a few minutes. Our schedule did not allow for a return to the basilica on this visit, but we want to see it again if we are in the area.

Main entrance with papal coat of arms on the left

Roux 61 Seafood and Grill

Dinner was at the highly-rated Roux 61 Seafood and Grill and it lived up to its reputation. We arrived at approximately 4 p.m. and the parking lot was full. We had some incredible chargrilled oysters! Our favorites were the oysters, slaw, hush puppies, and bread pudding. We shared a seafood platter and the fish and seafood were also good. This was a very,very good meal!

After dinner, we returned to our camper and watched a movie. It was raining, but we were dry and cozy and the temperature was perfect.

There is still much more to see in Natchez and we hope to return.

Next stop, Sea Rim State Park in Sabine Pass, Texas!