Finding the Georgia State Parks

By Clyde Terrell

Traveling north on I-95 after leaving Melbourne, FL some sixteen years ago, Jane got excited over a billboard she kept seeing every 40 miles or so.

“Look at that big RV dealership they have in Jacksonville” she exclaimed!  “We need to stop and look there if we have time.”

“Now why would we want to do that?” I questioned.  And her reply came back with even more excitement, “Because we might want to get one!

”And so for the first time in my life, I went into an RV dealership. Because we had no clue as to any of the attributes we were looking for in an RV, or what we would do with one, the polite salesman showed us a couple and offered us his “best deal” on the one we looked over with more interest than the other.  Thankfully, we left that day without an RV, but now had time to think about, among other things, what we would do with it.  In case you are wondering, I strongly urge you to avoid getting an RV on impulse.

At any rate, maybe a year later, we dropped into another dealership in Hickory, NC, where the salesmen were willing to spend all day introducing us to RV’s.  We learned about Class “A”, Class “C”, and Class “B” campers, and were introduced to travel trailers and 5th wheels.  There are many good sources where you can learn about RV’s and it really does get down to the question, “What will you do with it?

.”Then, in 1998, at an RV show in Atlanta, Jane saw what she wanted and we picked it up in January of 1999.  Living in Aiken, SC, at the time, we drove a car over to become RV owners and I had but one thought in mind which was to drive it to our house, park it, and study the owner’s manuals.  Silly me.

Our salesman spent hours showing us how to use the RV.  We chose a small Class “A” and he made us take it for a test drive (which I now recommend to potential buyers before settling on the RV you want).  Drive-ability is a very important attribute and not all RV’s drive the same.   Now late in the day, Jane was all set to go camping!

Without my knowledge, she’d packed sheets and towels in the trunk so we could stop at a campground.  She seemed so disappointed with my plan, that as she followed in the car, I decided to take Exit 148 from I-20 in Georgia to try camping at A. H. Stephens State Park.  From the Interstate to the Park Entrance, there were signs at every turn and they did a wonderful job of getting us to the gate.

Of course, at 10:00 PM, there was no one at the Welcome Station and the Office was closed, so we stopped in the road in front of the Manager’s Residence where there was light coming through the curtains.  Jane knocked on the door, and was politely welcomed to the park and directed to the campground where we would find the Campground Host.  How cool!  We later learned that almost everywhere you find RV camping, there is a host to greet after-hour arrivals.  In fact, the Hosts pretty much set the tone of the park once you get in the camping area.

So we spent our first night RV’ing, and I did get to learn a great deal about our new camper.  We met a retired couple from upstate New York the next morning who were living full-time in their pickup truck camper and had followed spring the year before from Florida to Alaska.  Having a wonderful time in their 70’s, they told us that in all their travels, the Georgia Parks stand out above others for a number of reasons, and as we got more and more into the RV lifestyle, we came to really enjoy the Georgia State Parks.

Not all of the parks are “Big-Rig” friendly; jargon for those bus look-alike RVs.  You know if you are driving one of those, and you will want to check with the park ahead of your arrival to see if they can handle a big rig, or maybe even give you an alternate entry route due to road weight limits or low clearance overpasses.

 We don’t think it is just the fond memory of that first night that made A. H. Stephens become one of our favorite places to camp.  Instead, it was the nature trails, the wildlife, the history, the wonderful staff, and playground for the grandchildren.  Oops!  Did I say grandchildren?

Savannah Jane was born the same year we got the RV.  Before she started to school, she became a fixture in the RV and was as much a part of our pre-departure checklist as was marshmallows for the campfire or fuel in the tank.  Even Savannah Jane, if given a choice, wanted to go to A. H. Stephens to go camping with PaPa at every opportunity.

I think the thing about camping that is so neat is everyone can make, and have, their own memories.  What makes it special for Savannah Jane is seeing so many new things for the first time, and for me, I see them through different eyes for the first time.  Nothing ever prepared me for the first time that little girl stopped skipping beside me to put a bear hug on my leg and exclaim, “I love you, PaPa!”  The spontaneity and sincerity humbled me in a way I’d never experienced.  And there is a lot of laughter around the Georgia State Park campfires - laughter that is good for the soul.

One day, walking through the woods holding 4 year-old Savannah’s hand, she pulled me back and said, “Look out, Papa!”  “There’s poopy in the trail!”  She was right of course, and I explained to her that it is called “scat,” and came from an animal.  In fact, I pointed out the persimmon seeds in the scat and suggested it probably came from a ‘possum.  She had no idea what a ‘possum was, but I did my best to explain to her everything I knew about the North American marsupial.

The next day, after we came out of the woods and were walking on the road back toward the campground, it seemed like deja vu; “Look out, Papa!”  “There’s poopy in the road!”  A little tired from the trek through the woods, I did not explain to her that with no seeds in the scat, it probably came from ad ifferent animal than the droppings we’d seen the day before.

“Do you think it could hav e come from a deer?” I asked her. 

“Nah,” she scoffed in her reply.  “It was probably a Pilgrim.

”Well, you know those Pilgrims!  Just might drop trou’ in the middle of the road.  I’m still laughing six years later. We now have a newer RV and Savannah has a little sister Tori. Our camping trips with them continue. Check out those Georgia State Parks at:

http://www.gastateparks.org/