Friday, June 21, 2013

Revisiting Cotton Hill Campground - Ft. Gaines, GA


 Friday, May 3, 2013
In the late afternoon, we headed out of to revisit Cotton Hill Campground. I had worked most of the day and was a little hesitant about so late on a rainy day, but then camping in the rain is better then sitting home. We made it at about halfway to our destination and decide to embark on a new adventure, Parking Lot Camping. 

I am not sure if anyone else does this, but before a trip I put together an information package with the route we will take, stops along the way, and places we may visit while in the area.  I will estimate my location when I am down to about a quarter tank of gas, then with the help of the internet and online map programs such as Google and Yahoo I locate two or three stations in that area, view which side of the street they are on, the names of a couple of streets I will pass before reaching them and how easy they are to get in and out. I also locate areas that are good rest stops or places to stop of lunch.  All that being said, had already located a Wal-Mart on the left side of the road just a couple of streets past I-75 in Tifton, GA.

When we arrived, I made the courtesy visit inside to ask an associate if campers were allowed to stay overnight. After being given the all clear we selected a spot on the outer perimeter of the parking.  A short time later we noticed other campers staking out their clam to a spot for the night. We had a quick bite of dinner, took Ms. Georgia for a walk, and then settled in for what turned out to be a very peaceful night. 

Saturday morning the rain was still with us and it became harder as we neared our destination. We pulled into our site not bothering to unhitch until the skies cleared on Sunday. 
The next seven days were spent following no agenda and no schedule......

Sleeping whenever you liked.....
Having an early morning cup of coffee by the lake.......
Enjoying Snack time.................

Long walks.......................


 Visiting with a mom & pop  who stopped by our campsite to show off their new family..................



 




The highlight of the trip was making friends with   Carol and Lawton. We spent a every night visiting around their  campfire. They also introduces us to a wonderful place to have lunch just a few miles north of the campground. The Friday Special is Fish. I opted for the Groper and it was the best I had every eaten.Sorry I don't remember the name of the place but it isn't hard to fine. From the campground turn left on hwy 36, and it is a few miles up the road, on the left after your cross the bridge.