*Tent on Wheels at DISNEY* M-I-C (See You Next Time!) K-E-Y (Why? Because we LOVED it!)

It's always a sad day when you have to pack up and head home from a great camping trip, but I think post-Disney vacation blues is a serious condition!  We struck camp from Disney Sunday morning, dropping the golf cart off, hooking up, and starting our 995 mile, 14 hour and 34 minute trip back home. 

On the way across, we spent the road time listening to the Spotify playlists my team had made for my birthday - an eclectic mix of rock, rap, country, easy listening, Latino, and Disney songs.  I arrived home and they had even sent me a lighted plaque with a QR code at the bottom that lead to one of the playlist songs!

On our way home, we fired up the Audible app and listened to David Grohl narrate his book, The Storyteller.

We really enjoyed listening to his book while supplementing the stories he told with Google searches of the concert where he broke his leg, the Fresh Pots coffee promo, the harmonica surprise from Huey Lewis and the Foos, and his performance of BlackBird at the Oscars. Getting to listen to the author of a book read their own story is such a cool thing (Matthew McConaughey reading his book Greenlights is another one we loved to listen to on road trips).

We stopped every hundred miles or so to fuel up the truck and take a stretch break. We appreciate the set up at LOVE's because they're really designed for tractor/trailers, which makes navigating the gas station easier.  We were prepared for the fuel costs for this 2400 mile trip, but it certainly hurt our budget a bit as fuel prices rose subsequent to the Russia/Ukraine conflict.   

We stopped over the KOA in Milton, FL.  We pulled in after dark, and noticed quite a bit of road noise, but the stop was super convenient right off the highway.  

We were in site BN1, which was really easy to get into and pull out of the next morning.  The campground was well kept and had a cute hay bale decoration right up front as we left.

RDB was up _early_ that next morning and we were on the road by 8am.  I must not have had a good nights sleep, or maybe all the running around at Disney finally caught up with me, but I dragged a pillow into the truck with me and zonked out for the first several hours of the drive on Monday.  We were making really good time, as we had our next stop at the KOA in Lafayette, LA which would only leave about 3.5 hours to home Tuesday; we had it to the KOA by noon and decided to go ahead and stop, have. good meal, and rest for the evening. 

This KOA was larger than most we've stopped at.  The sites surrounded a lake with paddle boats to rent. There was a putt-putt course amongst the large old, moss-draped oak trees.  In the office, there was a detailed and beautiful quilt in the front office and we were impressed but the incredibly friendly front desk wishing us "safe travels." 

We dropped the camper in Site 309 and then took off for a little afternoon adventure.  Food first - we relied on Yelp to help us find a spot and once again, Yelp didn't disappoint.  We had lunch at Bon Temps, and as the name implies, it was GOOD.  The jalapeno cheese grits would be worth driving back to Louisiana for! 

And if there's something that Louisiana is known for, it's good food.  Good and spicy food. So it's no surprise that it's also the home of Avery Island and the Tabasco Brand Manufacturing Plant and Museum.  

I had the chance to drop in for a tour back in my road warrior days, and since then have really wanted to take RDB over to see how our favorite flavor-enhancer is made.  It was a total spur of the moment detour for the day, but was 100% worth it!

I'm a little sweet, and a little spicy! 

The viewing area into the manufacturing plant was the only thing that was on the 'tour' the last time I was there, so it was neat to see how they expanded out to include the people-sized bottles and other various props and historical objects.  You have the opportunity to walk a self-guided tour around the property, pretty much seeing the process from seed to sauce.

In addition to the little red peppers that Tabasco is known for planted there on the island, there's also a significant grove (or several, actually!) of bamboo. 

During WWII the Tabasco 'family' worked with the USDA to plant over 60 species of bamboo on the island, and nearly 35 of those still exist. (No surprise there - bamboo is sooo invasive!)  We stopped by the gift shop before we left, and I'm pretty sure we spent more on souvenirs from Tabasco than we did at Disney World!  (Also - those cinnamon Tabasco suckers were over the top delicious!)

We packed up the next morning and finished out the last leg of the trip home.  The great thing about Lafayette, LA is that it's less than 4 hours from home - not any longer than a normal weekend camping trip.  We were home in plenty of time to get a little laundry done and set up the camper as our "guest house" for WLTR, in town for the weekend and hanging out at our place!

We had bought a bottle of scotch before we left, with the thought that we might share Walt Disney's preferred drink (Scotch Mists) with others at the campground, but with all the fun we had in the parks and everything else, we never had a chance.  It turned out to be the perfect night cap of this dream of a vacation trip we had!

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Be sure to check out our other posts from Tent On Wheels at DISNEY!  

*Tent on Wheels at DISNEY* Second Star to the Right, and Straight on 'til Morning...

It’s hard to imagine that it’s here - finally here! - because we've had this trip on the books for nearly a year and a half; but here we are! Heading out for the Most Magical Place on Earth! 

RDB and I had everything packed, safety checked, and ready to go by Saturday afternoon.  Perhaps the hardest part of leaving was taking the critters over to the kennel for their stay.

Once they were settled in, we took off for the first leg of the trip- a ‘short’ drive of ~4 hrs from Houston over to our first KOA of the trip in Denham Springs, LA (just a little East of Baton Rouge).

We rolled in after dark (because we didn’t leave home till late afternoon, thanks rain!) and found our spot for the night.  RDB and I both noticed that this was the most crowded KOA we’ve stayed at yet; they are definitely getting as many campers in as they can. But for us? We didn’t even unhook, we weren’t going to stay long.  

Early Sunday morning we were back on the road, crossing over state lines, stopping at Love’s to get refueled, making our way to Florida.  I had a heads-up from several travelers on our Facebook pages to get the SunPass toll tag when we crossed over into Florida.  I’m pleased to say, the Florida Welcome Centers had hospitality down to a T: we were treated with a fresh, cold cup of Florida orange juice, and a booth where we could purchase and activate the toll tag. There was even a display forDisney's 50th Magical Celebration! 

Sunday was our longer driving day- getting from Baton Rouge over to Perry, FL.  It was about ~7 hrs, so that we only had a short ~3 hours on Monday to get in to Orlando.  RDB is always so awesome at making sure we get where we need to go but today, he encouraged that I give hauling the camper a try - and I did! It's a bit nerve wrecking, but it was the perfect day for it (once we were past the rain that we keep playing leapfrog with this trip).

We made it into our second KOA stop - the Perry Holiday KOA - well before nightfall and took the opportunity to run over to the Wal-Mart and pick up a few forgotten items.  I was really impressed with this KOA - the host asked if we would like an escort to our spot (didn't need it, but heck, first time we were offered, so sure!)  We were in awe at the giant, old trees draped with Spanish moss.  The entire town has a very old-south kind of feel to it. (Kid you not - the picture below was from the Wal-Mart parking lot!)

We settled in for the evening with a bottle of Champagne, a bottle of Florida OJ ;-) and whatever we could find on local TV.  I took the opportunity to do a bit of decorating around the camper (I"ll post more once we get to Disney, and I've decorated the campsite, too.).  An early night in, and then our last leg of the trip: about ~3 hours drive over to Orlando. 

We woke up to that same rainstorm we’ve been playing leap frog with this trip, know that we had plans to meet up with SAM for lunch once we got in to Orlando; S and I have been colleagues for nearly a decade and he works on the Virtual team with me, too.  We were timing it out to met up right after RDB and I got in to the KOA; but I completely forget to change the analog clock in the camper (the only alarm clock I’m using this trip) and so when we crossed over time zones the night before, the alarm was set but was an hour behind.  Opps!  Either way, SAM are cool with being flexible (“You’re on Florida time now!” He replied when I texted him to say we were running late)

We had a premium site (#120) at the Orlando/Kissimmee KOA and I am really impressed with the amount of space that it’s giving us.  There are lots of amenities here, too, from a kids playground to heated pools and a dog park (yes, we’re missing our Diesel at this point!). 

We made our way over to the American Social restaurant that SAM suggested for lunch, and had the place practically to ourselves.  I was tickled pink by the cuteness overload that was my PB&J Old Fashioned.  Dinner was great, and the conversation even better- we hung out for nearly four hours! And we definitely want to try to have dinner with them again before we leave (thank goodness for flexible plans and rest days!)

It’s hard to imagine that this trip is finally here! And with a safe trip across, perfectly placed KOAs to stop  at, and great friends to welcome us to their city and start our vacation- it can only get more magical from here!

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Be sure to check out our other posts from Tent On Wheels at DISNEY!  

Last Call

Only pictures from Lake Fausse Point State Park, and not too many at that.  Winding down to the last weekend of our two week trip; it wasn't that RDB and I were tired of being on the road, or camping - it really had been a wonderful adventure - it was simply that we were within striking distance of home.... and this camp ground, out in the beautiful no-wheres-ville of southern Louisiana, had no cell service.  

Like, none. Zip.  Zilch.  Nada. Which meant no blogging, no TV, no surfing thru social media, no geocaching.  And with wet trails from the prior days' rain, a whole lotta not much going on.

Even Diesel was looking at me like: what're we supposed to do here?

So, we called an audible and Saturday morning got up, made a late breakfast, then packed up and hit the road back home to Houston.

This campground has great potential - if you really want to be off the grid and detached from the outside world (and after this week's political chaos, that's not a bad thought!)  RDB and I even saw a bald eagle flying across the marsh as we were driving out - so I'd anticipate there's an opportunity to see really incredible wildlife.  

The big downside of this site though, was the way they had the sewer hook-ups set up.  I kid you not, we'd have had to have a 50' stinky slinky to make that connection work!  RDB said that other sites weren't set up as poorly, so maybe just be on the lookout if you're in this one.

We were at Lake Fausse Pointe State Park in St Martinsville, LA Site #9.  Pretty active park - it wasn't completely full, but there were obviously a few camping groups there Friday night as we pulled in.  In the welcome packet from the front desk there was a flyer for the local Dutch Oven Cooking group - looks like they meet on a pretty regular basis and cook up some fun.

Cause if there's no cell service, you might as well spend the day tending a fire, right?

For more camping photos (mostly of Diesel's big snoop) go here. 

Park (P)review: South Toledo Bend State Park, Anacoco, LA

Park (P)review

We haven't camped here yet, but I've driven around and checked it out!

South Toledo Bend State Park
337-286-9075 or 888-398-4770 toll free

*Nestled in a pine woods area, with great access to the Toledo Bend Reservoir
*Amazing open dam area just right down the road from the park
*Several of the sites have wood decks
*Sites: Electric and Water: Site 2 is well shaded, has a deck, and a decently private lake view
            Sites 7 and 8 would be a well shaded group site
            Site 31 is very large, shaded, and has a great lake view
            Sites 33, 35, 37 are all shaded and have good lake views
*Cabins are also available for rent 9didn't have a chance to preview any of these, but they looked really nice

This Place is a Zoo!

Ducks? Check!

Deer? Check!

Various Flying bugs? Check!

A Doberman puppy? Oh Yeah!

Alligators? Um, yeah...

Raccoons? Ugh, yes.

Zebras?

Wait, Zebras?!

Yep, them, too. Camping this weekend was like an adventure to the local zoo - all the regular wildlife (like the squirrels, and birds, and bunnies) and the annoying camping critters (like the raccoons that invaded the camp around midnight and the kids with too-loud radios) but there were a few new surprises. Like the puppy. And the zebras.

Lots of time in the truck,  but still
not sure how to get out of the truck.

We left out early evening on Thursday and made it to the site around sundown. We had in tow the newest member of our family: may I introduce Diesel Tank. He's our Doberman puppy (about 11 weeks old at this point). Diesel does wonderfully well on road trips- he came from Abilene and we drove to Dallas to pick him up- so he's certainly had road time at this young age. Camping, we realized, was a perfect way to do socialization: he met a Girl Scout troupe, several other dogs, and lots and lots of various critters. I'll post more later about tricks and tips of camping with a young dog (hint: lots of treats).

I went off to work Friday morning in Lafayette with one of my favorite clients. I gotta say, getting dressed in business formal in the middle of a casual campsite gets you lots of curious stares.

RDB and I took several walks around camp- with a puppy, there's plenty of walking to do. We met up with one group of campers that were enamoured with our little tag-a-long. They asked where we were from, and we did the same. "Oh, we're from here in Lake Charles," one of the guys said. "We just like to come out here and pretend we actually went somewhere." Yeah, we liked thier point of view!

....drool....

Since we got into camp early, we had the chance to watch a lot of the other camping families come into camp and set up. In the site beside us late Friday afternoon, we watched an awesome set up arrive: a beautiful newer model extended cab silver Ford F150 towing a set of kayaks and a clean, streamlined silver Airstream with wrap around windows in front and back. RDB and I just drooled over this get up- its the kind of rig we could see ourselves in somewhere in the *ahem* distant future. We were watching them back into camp... And back in... And back a little bit more... And stop...  *Crunch*

Well, they stopped, but the Airstream didn't. It rolled right into a tree. Busted up the bumper and smashed out the back window. We felt for them, and quickly reminded each other: "parking brake and chocks."

The rest of the weekend, thankfully, was uneventful. We were impressed with how well Diesel adapted to the new outdoor surroundings and sounds, and to his camping "tent" crate in the camper. He was a camping champ by Saturday afternoon: he stood at the door of the pop-up wanting to go inside to his crate (and the air conditioning) to escape the heat and commotion from other dogs and kids. Once inside, he happily chewed on his toys and took a nap while we sat out and enjoyed the fresh air. We are in love with this pup!

We did a bit of exploring around the Westlake/Lake Charles area- and that's when we saw the zebras. Truly random, but hey, it's the country; you will not see this kind of stuff in the city and that's why we love to go camping.

Being out on the marshes was pretty neat this go around.  I realized Thursday night that the croaking of the frogs sounds an awful lot like the beginning of my cell phone's alarmclock.  (Note to self: change that, pronto!)  Saturday night we went out on the docks to watch the super moon rise.  It was this month's full moon coinsiding with the perigee of the moon's orbit.  (Meaning: the moon is really close, and really bright, and really big.)  My pictures don't do it justice - it was like sleeping directly under a 1,000 watt street light all night.  Again, you only get this stuff camping! 



Moonrise over the Marsh.

We camped this weekend in Site 21 at Sam Houston Jones State Park just north of Lake Charles, LA.  This is certainly another one that would go on our 'places to revisit' list.  So far, they've had the best bathhouse of any of the State Parks we've been to: There were 4 shower rooms - each like it's own self contained bathroom.  You can lock yourself in and have lots of room to move around, potty, shower, dress, etc.  The handicap 'rooms' also had handheld shower heads - which could come in great handy if we decided to bathe Diesel while we're out.

Can't wait to go again....

... with the entire family!

For more camping photos, go here.