Roosevelt State Park, GA

We cannot always build the future for our youth, but we can build our youth for the future.~~Franklin D. Roosevelt

We made our first trip to FDR State Park in our RV. Jeff and I visited on a day trip years ago BK (before kids). This was our first trip to camp there. The camping area is very nice although it seemed a bit tight to navigate in certain spots with a 40' motorhome.

We received a nice surprise on Saturday morning. Rachel and Anna have been wishing for snow all winter. And, snow is just not something that we experience much in the middle to southern parts of Georgia. But, we awakened Saturday morning to a steady snowfall. The girls couldn't wait to get outside to play in it. Unfortunately, it didn't stay around for long. As the day started to warm, it quickly melted.


Jeff, Rachel and Anna walked on a trail behind our RV prior to us leaving on Saturday morning. They encountered a goose at the lake who was either very territorial or simply in a bad mood. Either way, what followed next wasn't a pleasant experience for Jeff. The goose approached Jeff. She was honking at him. Jeff, thinking it was entertaining, stood his ground and honked back. The goose proceeded to charge at him and bit his crotch. After that, Jeff was a bit more careful with this goose. But, she had decided she didn't like him and any time he approached the lake, she would follow him and honk at him and chase him. She didn't do this with the children. I was talking to another guy camping by the lake and he said this same goose bit his arm and flogged him. She must not like men. Here is Jeff with his new girlfriend on Sunday morning as she followed him along the trail.



After breakfast on Saturday (and after Jeff's pride healed), we drove to the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Park. This was our first time to visit this animal park. While they do allow you to drive your own vehicle through the wildlife preserve, Jeff had read this isn't a good idea as the animals with horns may accidentally scratch you vehicle, etc. We decided to pay the $11 fee and rent one of the park vehicles for one hour. We were the first people there and it wasn't crowded at all so we had plenty of time to drive through twice. In addition to the car rental fee, you also have to pay the admission fee. And, if you want to feed the animals, you also have to pay for food to do so. We did enjoy our visit and recommend it for our friends to try at least once. I was glad the weather was cool because there was not any unpleasant smells to deal with. There was lots of animal feces throughout the preserve and I can only imagine the unpleasant aroma along with the bugs that would accompany that in the warmer months of the year. Since we were the first ones to enter that morning, the animals flocked to our vehicle. I have to say that the zebras were our favorite. The different types of cows were very friendly too. You had to be careful with them though or they'd lick you or slime you with their drool. All animals would eat from our hands and many would allow us to pet them.





We walked through the rest of the park to see the animals that they had in the cages and then we drove to town and had lunch at the Purple Cow Cafe. We had dinner there on Friday night as well. The girls like it so much that we decided to return there for lunch on Saturday. Jeff ordered a grilled cheese sandwich Friday night. The girls ordered a ham and cheese sandwich. After we sat down to eat, both Rachel and Anna were looking at Jeff's sandwich and asked for a bite. After their bite, they decided they liked it better than what they had. Being the thoughtful Dad that he is, he gave up his sandwich to them. I felt badly for the poor guy but it was humorous at the same time. He wanted that grilled cheese sandwich so badly. On Saturday, the girls ordered their own grilled cheese and Jeff was finally able to enjoy the sandwich that he wanted on Friday.

After lunch we drove to Warm Springs and visited FDR's Little White House. Rachel and Anna enjoyed their visit there and learned some interesting things about FDR. I purchased a book at the FDR Little White House gift shop titled "Little Hands Celebrate America" authored by Jill Frankel Houser. This book is great for teaching young children about American symbols and traditions using crafts and activities.

Jeff and Rachel in front of FDR's Little White House

We drove back to the park after that and stopped at Dowdell's Knob. This was a favorite place for FDR to picnic at and the park erected a statue of his likeness looking out over Pine Mountain to remember his visits there. (That is the photo at the opening of this post)

The park was hosting several events to remember the era that FDR lived this past weekend. We visited the event where the park rangers provided period toys for the children to play with. Afterwards, the girls went outside and played on the playground with other children camping at the park.

We had dinner at our camper on Saturday night; complete with a nice fire. We grilled hot dogs. I made homemade hot chocolate and s'mores for dessert.

On Sunday morning, we relaxed at the campsite. The girls had a good time playing in the streams and trails behind our campsite for a while. We wanted to get back home early as there is plenty of laundry to wash and we'll have lots to get caught up on during the next few weeks while preparing for our trip to Texas for spring break.