Beginning our Spring Trip
Last year we stayed at Reed Bingham in September, and there weren’t that many campers or park users the day we stayed. There were some people that drove to the trailhead, but that was about it. Easter Sunday this year was a different story. We made it a planned overnight stop. When LeeAnn booked our site, she pretty much had her choice of sites. When we arrived, the day-use area of the park was teeming with people having Easter get togethers. At the campground entrance was a sign explaining that all the campsites were reserved — good thing we reserved ahead of time.
That’s a lesson we learned from our first trip out last year: plan ahead. We tested our new travel trailer with a two night stay at Faver Dykes State Park, which is maybe two hours from our house. The following month we took a trip to Arkansas: about 1000 miles away! We were very used to road trips or even long distance camping trips with our small popup camper. On those trips, we would drive until we didn’t feel like it and find a hotel to stay the night. That was usually as easy as seeing a sign for a hotel or, after smart phones, looking one up on a map app. Not really prepared for Wally-Docking, we started looking for accommodations in south Georgia around the time we were passing through Gainesville, FL. Using the Goog, we found a county park with camping accommodations. Finding a campsite while on the road with no real idea of how far we can travel was a bit stressful, but we found a place and even got there before dark (barely). That day we headed out late since we left after work, and we didn’t have a clear idea of where we would stay. That first trip we learned these were both situations to avoid.
Reed Bingham golf course
Which brings me back to Reed Bingham. We like the park as a relaxing one-day stop. The sites are nice, level, and not piled up on one another. They also have plenty of pull throughs, a nice touch for a one nighter. Some back-ins are too short to stay hooked up comfortably. Our day at Reed Bingham started nice, then weather rolled in. We don’t have a rain gauge, but I’d be surprised if we got less than an inch and a half of rain. We probably had a pound of pine tree stuff on our truck the next morning.
Sunday we talked with a couple from Lakeland and a woman from Tampa. Both were headed north. It seems like this is a popular stop for people headed north out of the central part of Florida. I could see the campsite getting a bit busy during spring break or early summer when families are taking longer camping trips.
After Reed Bingham, we headed to Brierfield Ironworks State Park in central Alabama. The highway leading to the park is the home to many industrial plants and even some mines. I didn’t realize they had so much industry in that part of Alabama; its nice to see new and unexpected things. The road leading to the park was narrow with ditches on both sides. I honestly don’t know what would happen if two campers had to pass each other on the road. Luckily, we didn’t have to find out. We had this park almost to ourselves. There were only three other rigs in the entire campground, and at least one, if not two, belonged to hosts or volunteers.
We met Larry, the host, while trying to find a spot (they don’t assign them here). We took at least two laps around looking for what we wanted. Once we picked one, Larry came to check on us making sure everything was all right. I’m sure we looked lost or otherwise confused. While we didn’t need him for anything, it was nice to know that he cared enough to come check on us.
Brierfield was unlike any park we’ve stayed at before. It’s small (at least the camping area is), but it has some unusual things: the ruins of a 19th century ironworks, a small stage, a covered bridge, a small church used for weddings, and an archery and muzzleloader range. We intended to hike one of the trails, but we got about 100 ft before we called it off: too much of what looked like poison ivy. We’ll stay at Brierfield again if it’s a convenient stop for a one-nighter, but we wouldn’t go out of our way to stay there.
Ruins of the Brierfield Ironworks forge