Crooked River State Park, GA

Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it. ~Russel Baker

The heat has been unbearable in middle Georgia throughout the month of August. And, for this reason, we did not travel much. But, we have had plans with Jen & her family since earlier this year and we wanted to make the trip to the Georgia coast despite the heat and the mosquitoes that we knew awaited us.

Jen, Mike, Ellis, & Cooper arrived last week in Atlanta from the U.K. and stopped at our home on Thursday evening. Rachel and Ellis were so happy to be reunited.

Jen and family traveled to Crooked River State Park on Friday morning and checked into their cottage that they had reserved for the weekend. We had planned to join them Friday evening but my job kept us home as I was late getting home. We decided instead to depart very early on Saturday morning in our motorhome. Last year we stayed at the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Saint Mary's. But, since Jen could not get onto the base, we decided to stay at Crooked River State Park so we would all be in the same location.

We made it to Crooked River State Park around 10 am. By the time we checked in and got the RV parked and set up, we were ready for lunch. We headed into Kingsland and had lunch. It was on the way to Kingsland that a horrible rain storm came through. We were so disappointed as we had planned to drive to Fernandina Beach on Saturday. But, with the weather looking so threatening and hearing it was no better south of us, we decided to stay put for the afternoon. We jokingly blamed the rains on Jen & her family. Since Great Britain gets lots of rain and we rarely get rain in Georgia, we said the weather followed them here. It rained in our home town the night they arrived and it rained along the coast while they were there....and the park ranger said they had not had rain in three months. Surely, it was because our British friends brought the weather with them. :-)

We were expecting other friends Saturday evening for dinner. So, we decided to drive to the store to pick up a few items for the evening.

Crooked River State Park was not disappointing at all. The staff at the Vistor's Center were quite nice and the RV sites were very roomy. The only complaint we have is there is a limited number of 50 amp sites and they can't be reserved in advance. And, they do not offer full hook up but they do have a dump station. The 50 amp sites were pull through and many were private. The park was very clean and actually quite scenic. Howeve, between the weather and the mosquitoes, we decided to pass on the nature trails but would like to go back some time and try them out. The park also had a nature center and a putt-putt golf area.

On Saturday evening, our friends Kerri and her family drove from Jacksonville, FL, and joined us for dinner. Since the weather was still questionable and since Jen had more room in the cottage than we had in the RV, we decided to spend the evening at their place. All together, we had 6 adults and 9 children. The men huddled in the kitchen at one point to enjoy some cognac. I guess a house full of 9 children will do that to you. :-)

Actually, despite the large crowd, we all had a pleasant evening. The children got along wonderfully. The only crying we heard were from accidentsthat occurred while playing. Kendall fell and got quite a large goose egg on her forehead as a result. And, Rachel bumped her head and chin on the sofa before we left with her chin accident leaving a nice cut on her chin.

On Sunday, we were determined to make it to the beach as we had promised the girls we would go. And, the weather looked clear and sunny. But, the problem we had was that it was highly unlikely we could drive to Fernandina Beach, enjoy some time at the beach, and drive back before check out time. But, since the park was not busy, the park ranger at the visitor center told us we could leave the RV past our check out time and that they would not charge for it. We were extremely greatful for their generosity as we had a wonderful time at the beach and could not fit it all in otherwise. Plus, it had been quite a few years since Jen and her family had made it to a beach. I think that Mike, her husband, had the best time of all of us. The kids had a great time playing in the sand and looking for shells and crabs. I still like the gulf beaches a whole lot better but Amelia Island and Fernandina Beach are a great next best choice.

We made it back to the RV around 3 pm. We were home by 7 pm. We had a wonderful weekend and the only complaint we have is that it was too brief. I'd love to go back to that area and spend more time...maybe when it is a bit cooler and the mosquitoes aren't quite so numerous. One of these trips, I'd love to go to Cumberland Island.

Jen, Mike, Ellis & Cooper headed to Savannah for a brief stay before they make their way back to our home town to visit with us for a bit more before they fly back home to the U.K.