After a wonderful visit from Skip & Dakota, we left Goose Pasture Campground heading toward Sunny Hills, Florida. We planned to stop in to help Algis get his lake house ready to sell, and to check out some land Kyle's dad owns in the area. We stopped at his dad's lot first. While surveying the land, we met two sweet stray dogs, had a visit from the sheriff, and one of the nearby neighbors introduced himself.
We left the camper parked on the lot and headed over to Algis's lake house. We got to hang out there for a few days while we helped get it ready to sell. The lake was beautiful, clear, and fed by multiple springs. There were also some cool trees growing out in the water, and the early morning fog over the lake was gorgeous. There were a few really nice beaches on the lake, and an old park which we kayaked to and explored.
We met one of the neighbors who used to rent the house. He told us the water in the lake had healing properties and swore that he had been healed by it. Apparently a lot of the neighborhood believed that and had for a long time. It was definitely interesting to hear stories of how the neighbors would go swimming together. Though we didn't believe the water had any magic powers, we sure enjoyed the lake while we were there and the dogs loved it too.
While in the area, we checked out Sunny Hills Golf Club in Chipley. It was a great course, but we had some bad experiences with rude staff.
After wrapping up at the lake house, we headed to Wilderness Landing Park in Baker, FL which was recommended to us by another camper at Goose Pasture. On our way out there we heard the dreaded "pop!" that can only be a flat tire. This time we had to pull over on the narrow shoulder of a very busy highway with huge trucks zooming by making the camper sway as they passed. Kyle got it changed within 15 minutes and we were back on the road.
WLP is another awesome free spot, with no reservation needed. Plenty of wide open space, hiking trails, great access to the clean tea-colored water of the Blackwater River, lots of wildlife, and even a bathhouse with HOT showers! It doesn't get much better for free! However, if the sound of helicopters bothers you or perhaps reminds you of a war zone, this may not be the place for you. It must have been in a helicopter training area with medical helicopters flying by every hour or more for the extent of our stay.
There were beautiful trails near camp where we saw a wild Florida Glass Lizard!
We also worked on a few projects during our time at WLP like removing the Rockwood labels from the camper and finishing my first embroidered pet portrait!
While fishing at the river near camp, a family with three little kids came down to swim. The little boy was doing a "survivor man" impression jumping off of rocks and calling to the helicopters to rescue him. It always makes me happy to see kids out enjoying nature and exploring its wonders. We talked to them for a few minutes and they invited us over to their campsite later for s'mores! As it turns out, this was their very first camping trip as a family. I was so excited to get to witness the kids soaking it all in and it seemed like they all really enjoyed it. The whole family was very sweet and the dad even offered to drop us off up river so we could kayak back. We thanked him but passed on the offer. They left the next morning, but not before I was able to give them a little memento I made for their first family camping trip.
Inspired by his offer, we did end up doing a long kayak/bike trip on the Blackwater River. The next morning we left in the truck around 10am to drive downriver and find a place to hide our bikes. We locked them up, set up a bright orange marker (VS-17 Panel) so we would be able to tell where to stop kayaking/where the bikes were, and drove back to camp. We loaded our gear in the kayak and took it down to the water, putting in around 11am.
We floated slowly down the river, stopping to fish at a few neat beaches along the way. We explored near the springs that fed into the river along the way, mixing clear almost blue water with the orange tea colored water.
It took us over five hours to make it to the marker - or where the marker should have been. Luckily we'd marked it on the map as well, because the marker was gone! Someone had untied it from the tree and taken it down. We locked up the kayak and rode the bikes back to camp, making it there right around sunset.
About halfway through March we started hearing more about the Coronavirus and that things in the US were starting to get serious. We researched a few alternate options in case the place we were camping closed, and talked about what other precautions we should take. While driving around the nearby campsites we found big signs at each one that they were shutting down as of March 20th for at least 30 days. We just knew our campsite would be next.
We decided to stock up at Walmart before we had to leave. Seeing the shelves bare of chicken, water, & bread was eye-opening and scary. Literally the only thing left in the chicken area was one pack of chicken "paws". No gloves, masks, hand sanitizer or toilet paper either. Most people looked scared or at least nervous. It was so weird to see the things we take for granted begin to fall apart and to watch people realize the hidden dangers behind what was going on. We checked the Dollar General nearby which did have bread, frozen chicken, & ground beef.
Early on the morning of the 23rd, a man in a bright yellow vest gave us the news we had been dreading. He said the campground is now closed and that we'd have to leave ASAP. They'd even put up signs saying "No Camping" near the front. We had no choice but to pack up and head out. Before learning about the Coronavirus our plans had been to explore more of the panhandle, then make our way to New Orleans for some good food and fun. Both of those areas were now hot spots for the virus, so we made the decision to find a nearby National Forest instead, where we could be alone out in the woods.
We left Florida after four amazing months, only stopping once for fuel and Kyle wore gloves at the pump. We were heading to Desoto National Forest, in southern Mississippi. Like many other National Forests, dispersed camping (no hookups) was free with a 14 day stay limit, and from what we could tell on their website that hadn't changed due to the virus. We drove around for a long time trying to find the right spot. Many roads were gated off or closed, some with big puddles that we didn't know the depth of and couldn't risk getting the camper stuck.
Down one long road that ended at a gate, there was nowhere big enough to turn the truck and camper around. Kyle had to back the truck & camper up about 500 yards, which is no easy feat. It was starting to get dark, so when we hit another dead end at the gate of a hunting camp, we decided to call it a night. We parked in a small muddy clearing next to the gate. There was a sign close by that marked this area as part of the National Forest, so we felt confident that there shouldn't be any trouble. It was not a glamorous spot by any means, and first thing in the morning we left again to find a better spot, and boy did we ever!
After some map recon and a short drive around, we found the perfect spot on FS35000. It was right next to Cypress Creek and under a big beautiful old tree. When we parked nearby to get out and check the spot before pulling in, a truck pulled in with a dog running alongside. The driver asked if we were camping there, and Kyle said we were planning on it and inquired if it was a good place to camp. The man confirmed that it was and said he lives nearby and has been coming to this spot for 40 years. He actually came to bathe in the creek, so we gave him his privacy and waited to pull in until he was finished.
We didn't have service there, but we were only about 20 mins from the nearest town (tiny Beaumont) and it was such a great spot right on the clear creek. Once we parked the camper, Kyle set up two hammocks overlooking the creek and we had a great view of the water, even from bed.
There was a nice little beach just a short walk from camp. The dogs loved playing in the sand, and the easy access to the water. We did quite a bit of fishing but didn't catch anything bigger than a bluegill there. We did see a few bigger fish while looking over the nearby bridge, and a few locals did stop by to fish the creek while we were camping there.
One afternoon while hanging out at camp, we saw a dog in the water running toward us from upstream. Following behind were two other dogs and a human in a kayak. The craziest part is that one of the dogs that had followed it's owner so far downstream and through many obstacles was a tiny chihuahua named Chichi! A local that parked near our camp to walk downstream to fish also recommended kayaking the creek. We figured if Chichi could do it, we could too. We kayaked up & down stream exploring the area, and were intrigued by the soft clay that made up the creek bed. It supported weight and looked like rock, but would easily crumble if squeezed.
There were many areas where we had to get out of the kayak and drag it over rocks/branches to get back to the water, and even one deeper area where both of us had to get out and balance on a huge floating log while we pulled the kayak over top. It was quite the adventure but well worth the extra work.
Our time on Cypress Creek was so peaceful and quiet. We loved watching and listening to the creek, breathing in the fresh air, and we felt safe in the area. We even had a nice campfire on the beach and made s'mores, which is surprisingly rare for as much as we camp. We had a lot of downtime there and got to catch up on reading, playing guitar, crafting, organization, and tying flies!
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