When we started this road trip five months ago we'd already spent a year researching what life on the road would be like. We felt prepared for almost anything: flat tires, finding places we'd be able to stay, getting food/water/fuel along the way, self-repairs on the travel trailer, vehicle recovery/auto accident plans, etc.. In our time on the road we've learned a lot too and been through enough of a shake-down to feel like we are pretty capable and even able to help others. Nowhere did we read about what to do during a global virus pandemic and we were certainly not expecting the whole country to shut down and so many of the conveniences we relied on to make this trip work suddenly disappear. Immediately we had to figure out where we would be able to stay as emergency regulations went into place and everything around us started shutting down. Then, how we could get supplies when they were flying off of the shelves and many stores were closing. Even things as simple as showering became a lot more difficult as we dealt with conserving our limited potable water for drinking. It got harder to find places to fill our water tank and many stores put emergency limits on water purchases. As the country went into a panic, more than ever we were also conscious about staying safe while out on our own. Not only considering getting/spreading the virus or the what-ifs from desperate people, but also that emergency personnel had bigger fish to fry and we'd have to be even more prepared for handling most things on our own.
Staying isolated was actually one of the easier parts. We usually try to pick spots to camp far out in nature and away from people. We stay flexible with timing and site preferences, and can get off-road to places many can't, which helps us find more secluded spots. We have plenty of storage onboard and are able to stock up with weeks of supplies without having to go into town. So that's what we did. We hunkered down in the woods using the total 14 day limit allowed in each spot and stayed away from others/populated areas as much as possible. There aren't a ton of epic adventures to write about this month. We just laid low and camped. We spent a lot of time sitting outside listening to the birds, fishing, and relaxing in the hammock. We read a few great books, and worked on art and music.
We started the month at DeSoto National Forest near Cypress Creek. I talked about it in more detail in March's post but during the first week of April we continued to enjoy the pretty mossy site overlooking the creek, with a soft white sand private beach just a few steps away and perfect spring weather.
On our last night there, we got out the small tent and did a little beach camping with Khaleesi while Mindi got to stay cozy in the camper. We had a small fire and spent the night curled up together under the stars. There were frogs hopping around next to us, singing us to sleep.
After Cypress Creek we moved to another beautiful waterfront spot in Leaf River WMA, at Leaf Pond which was fairly small but clear, clean, and cool.
The pond was beautiful but I almost lost my phone in it. We had Khaleesi with us out on a kayak trip and I took a few pictures then put the phone back in my pocket. We got back to shore and checked pockets - no phone. We went back to camp, got into swim clothes, and got back out on the kayak. Luckily because the water was pretty clear we were able to see some areas of the bottom. I paddled the kayak around while Kyle scanned under water with goggles and a snorkel to see if he could spot my phone. Let me mention here that it was not comfortable swimming weather but chilly and windy. Besides that, there had to be a million to one chance of spotting it, and it kind of felt ridiculous even looking, but we still had sunlight and nothing better to do. Then, after probably twenty minutes of searching, down in the silt under about five feet of water he saw the sharp angle of the corner of my phone and the round camera pointing up and was able to dive in and grab it!! Neither of us could believe it but maaaan I was so thankful we didn't have to deal with replacing my phone!
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| Last picture taken before it fell in. |
The area of the Leaf River WMA where we were camping is normally a hunting camp but in off season (and Covid-19 had a lot to do with it I'm sure) there was almost nobody around for the entire two weeks. We saw log trucks driving by, and a few people stopping to fish on the other side of the pond (including one who offered Kyle a whole stringer of bass/panfish he'd caught), but anyone who turned down the road we camped on was only turning around.
That was until the very last day there when the Camp Manager came by to check on us after a particularly bad storm. He didn't get out of his truck or stay more than a minute, and he was really friendly. It was nice while feeling so alone to have someone check that we were alright. On our way out, we also had a conversation with two turkey hunters at a game cleaning stand while they were weighing their bird. They told us about the "biggest magnolia tree in Mississippi" nearby. They said it was huge and old and apparently had been partially filled with cement to help support it yet was still alive. We followed their directions and looked for it along the drive out but weren't able to find it.
There was such an interesting balance of peace and stress this month. On one hand, every site we stayed was beautiful and had great water access. As ready as we were for it, no authority figure came to tell us we had to leave and no sign ever went up saying our site was closed to camping. Luckily the National Forests had very few closures other than public bathrooms / pay campground areas. Our recently installed solar panel has been working wonderfully and we had plenty of power to charge the necessities. When we did have to get supplies we were careful to wear masks and gloves when necessary, and we found that most locals were friendly. Everyone looked worried but surprisingly few people wore masks. On the other hand, on top of Covid-19 issues, we had to run from multiple tornadoes this month. One evening, during a particularly wild and windy thunderstorm, our phones went off with an "Imminent Threat Alert" saying there was a tornado in our area. We'd been following the storm on radar but were hoping it'd miss us. We ran outside in the dark to load the dogs into the truck and drove through pouring rain to a tornado shelter we'd seen on the way in... only to find it locked.
Whatever the reason it was locked, on top of everything else going on, not having a safe place during an emergency really made me feel vulnerable and like things were out of our control. We ended up hiding under a big concrete bridge during a few crazy storms this month, but besides a tree falling near camp, we didn't have any damage or real issues from the storms. While driving we did see a house that had been hit by a tornado and the roof was in pieces on the other side of the road.
After Leaf Pond we stopped in Homochitto National Forest at a spot along Porter Creek which comes out of nearby Okhissa Lake. The creek, with giant concrete floodgate, ran through a wide open grassy field along a fairly busy road (which Mindi was not happy about). While there, we explored a nearby sandy riverbed where Kyle lost his flip-flop after a long battle with quicksand!
There was more bad weather coming in though so we moved on two nights later ahead of the storms. When we crossed the same riverbed on our way out, the entire sandy surface where we'd walked and explored was submerged under fast moving brown muddy water.
We continued over the monstrous Mississippi river crossing into Louisiana and stopping at Corney Lake Campground in Kisatchie National Forest.
Kyle spotted an adorably shy Ouitchita Map Turtle on the other side of the dam.
Even though this spot was a more developed campground with a boat launch area and public bathrooms (which were closed and locked), it was wide open with lots of space between sites, free and confirmed to be open via signage & website, quiet most of the time other than fishers and boat traffic, and had potable water at each site! Having free unlimited running water is such a luxury for us while on the road and we took full advantage of it. It helped us catch up on laundry which was so helpful since most laundromats had been closed for almost a month.
There were large muskrat families basking on their dens out in the water near camp and we loved watching their daily routines. We also overheard a local mention they'd seen 16 ft alligators nearby but we didn't see any during our two weeks there.
While kayaking on the lake, we got to see a ton of lily pads bloom and when it got windy the pads flipped over to show bright red underneath!
Our stay at Corney Lake was peaceful and relaxing. It felt good to catch up on camper projects and with everything else going crazy we got some much needed downtime to just breathe. We did have one minor issue on our last day there when our camp shower was stolen! It's only $8, just a black plastic bag that holds 5 gallons of water, and it weighs like 50 lbs.! Who steals a 50 lb. bag of lukewarm water? Idk... but I hope it busted in their car.
There were a couple of other campers at Corney Lake during our stay, but they gave us plenty of space. We do notice at more public parks many campers tend to litter, not follow camp rules, and/or disrespect nature. On one end you have RVs running their generator past quiet hours and people dumping their trash where it doesn't belong which is frustrating to others trying to enjoy the park. Then even worse, those that cut down trees to make room for off-roading trails, chase the muskrats, or leave things like paracord tied on trees which is not only damaging to the environment but to what the park is trying to preserve. Keeping nature beautiful for future generations is so important to us and to see people who really don't care about it is sad. We try to do our part to leave places better than we found them and set a good example for future campers too.
Next month is my 29th birthday & marks 6 months of life on the road! We'll be continuing West (crossing into Oklahoma on our way toward Colorado) and we're so excited to see the Rocky Mountains start peeking up over the horizon!
