Let the Good Times Roll!: Tishomingo State Park, Tishomingo, Mississippi

Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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November 11, 2006 – on the Road
Drove from Raccoon Mountain to Tishomingo State Park, Mississippi. This park features geology that one would expect to find in the Appalachians or the Ozarks, not in Mississippi. Very cold, although temp is 50 degrees. Our site is near the lake and it seems bitter cold to us Floridians. Wind died down in the evening. Our site has no neighbors due to the cold, I'm sure, and the sites have a lot of distance between them with trees everywhere. Ducks and geese are on the lake, and I saw a grey heron trying to catch his dinner before flying off in the sunset.
Met a nice couple retired from the Navy and we talked about their escapades with trailers and motor homes as they have been fulltime for many years. We have no satellite, cable, or local channels and no cell coverage but we enjoyed the lanscape so much we didn't care.
Rays Reflections - Natchez Trace Parkway We have heard a lot about Natchez Trace Parkway so we stayed in the beautiful State Park in Tishomingo on the parkway. The weather turned very cold, but it was refreshing. The park did not have 50-Amp service or sewer, but a dump station. Again we stayed two days and no biking. Drove some of the area. Nearest grocery store is 35 miles away. We drove the parkway south toward Vicksburg. The drive was very comfortable, little traffic, pretty scenery, slow speed limit, and mostly good road. About twenty miles north of Jackson, MS, there were overpass bridges with no height sign and each one getting lower. I turned off to the interstate. I am going to say this just once and get it off my mind. Some interstate roads in Mississippi and Louisiana are poured concrete slabs and each one is NOT level with the last, therefore creating an uncomfortable rhythm when driving at any speed. Yeah! You know what I mean. Air ride on the coach helps, but get the roads fixed.

November 12, 2005 – Drove the Natchez Trace Parkway and found it to be boringly straight and narrow at times, but beautiful trees. Weather warmed up to mid-60s..
Ray: The Parkway runs from (south) Natchez, MS to Nashville, TN. Very pretty drive but slow due to speed limits. A very low cross bridge is near Jackson, MS.
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FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!