in Pope, Mississippi
And that’s just the beginning of our trip! We are on our way to Gulf State Park in Alabama, and our first night’s stop was in Pope, Mississippi. We stayed at Wallace Creek, a Corps of Engineer campground. We paid $10 (National Parks Pass rate) for a pull through site with full hook ups.
The campground was beautiful and spotlessly clean. The sites were generously spaced, and the lake was beautiful. Our concrete picnic table even had a smooth, shiny top finish where we ate dinner and played Scrabble. The beauty and peacefulness of this place felt so very refreshing. We only stayed one night, but one morning was all I needed to get up before the sunrise, walk over to this nearby bench and see the miracle that happens every morning.
Once the day was underway, we left Pope and traveled to Waynesboro, Mississippi. We planned two nights in this area. Originally, we had reservations at Big Creek Park which is part of the Pat Harrison Waterway District. Big Creek had excellent reviews online, but our reservation was cancelled a couple weeks before our arrival. The campground had been damaged by a tornado on Easter Sunday, and it was not yet ready for business.
The folks at Big Creek recommended we stay at Maynor Creek, another campground in the Pat Harrison Waterway District. Maynor Creek wasn’t too far away, and its location would work well for the activities we had planned for the area. While there were no reviews in Campendium for Maynor Creek, we changed our reservation to stay there.
The day we spent in the area, while at Maynor Creek, was fantastic, and it will be the subject of my next blog post. The details will remain a mystery until my next post is published. That way, the suspense can build, and y’all can get real excited about it!
Even though there were no reviews, I was hoping Maynor Creek would be a hidden gem. After all, Big Creek had 5 stars. But in reality, the no reviews should have been a red flag. Now, there were some good things. The people running the campground were very nice. The sites were spacious. Each site had a trash can, and they picked up trash every morning.
But as a warning to fellow campers, the sites were far from level. That I can live with, but the shower houses were in need of much repair, and at times were gross. The bathrooms did not have any soap, and the hand dryers did not work. Our site had litter by the camper area, trash in the fire pit and cigarette butts on the ground by it. The sewer stank. The roads need repaving. Our friendly camper neighbor said the campground had received a grant and would be addressing these issues soon. So, hopefully things will be much better in the future. Sorry, but we don’t intend to find out.
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
So, this morning we pulled out of Maynor Creek on our way to two glorious weeks at Gulf State Park. Then my sister texted me. She updated us about Hurricane Sally, and we promptly changed our reservation. We delayed our arrival at Gulf State Park until Friday. We will spend the next 5 nights at Paul B Johnson State Park near Hattiesburg, Mississippi. We believe we will have lots of rain and wind, with the worst days being Tuesday and Wednesday. We plan to stay right here in our cozy camper. We’ve got plenty of food to eat, books to read, tv shows and movies to watch and Scrabble games to play.
Plus, I’ve got a post to write about a really great day in . . . oh, hold on a minute there. Good thing I stopped myself. You are just going to have to wait!
And while you are waiting, maybe you could say a little prayer for us – and all those who are in the storm’s path. Cuz I’m just a little bit scared.
Monday morning update: We’ve decided to go further north and back to Wallace Creek in Pope. We will stay there until Friday morning. I will still say a prayer for those in the path. Stay safe!
State Park
Hattiesburg, Mississippi
Chambers on the Road 
Good choice. The photos from Pope make me want to go there now! Safe travels, looking forward to your next post!
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Thank you! It was so pretty there. Plus it’s safe from the hurricane! I appreciate your enthusiasm for my next post. Enjoy your day!
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You have been on my mind as you headed to Mississippi. It is unfortunate you have had such a circuitous route thus far, but stay safe to travel another day!
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Circuitous is the perfect word for what we are doing! But we are safe, and that’s really all that matters. I am not sure where you are in the state. I hope you stay safe, and enjoy your day!
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I am over in Oxford, just a hop and a skip from you right now. When you wrote Pope, I thought there must be a second one in Mississippi since I could not imagine staying over–but the campground location on the lake makes perfect sense. I confess that after 17 years here, I still have to look up places. I just knew Pope was outside Batesville because I did some New Deal research on the schools there. If I ever travel again, I will have plenty of new places here to check out. I hope you enjoy having a little more time with that great view from the first morning!
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Glad you are far north and safe. I am not sure there is much to do around here except enjoy the beauty of the area. Several here have boats for the lake. I do hope to be up before the sun again! Enjoy your day!
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Your blog post reminds me of Robert Burns when he wrote something like “The best-laid plans of mice and men go oft aglee”. My recollection of his poem my not be completely accurate, but it came to mind as you described the changes you have been forced to make during this trip. Stay safe!
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I thought of that poem, too. There is another saying, it might be something like, “God laughs when you make plans.” Although, I really don’t think God would laugh. Last night, as we went to sleep, I told Dan, “This doesn’t feel like a vacation.” We both laughed. So, we are safe, and we are laughing. Thanks for reading, stay safe, and enjoy your day!
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Seems this is a bad year for RVing. Hope things go better and I will say a pray for you.
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Thank you for your prayer! 2020 seems to be a rough year for a lot of things. I pray every day for things to get better. I anticipate people will do a lot of funny things on social media to tell this year goodbye. Enjoy your day!
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Thanks for your comments. 2020 will be a year that goes down in history.
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Sending good wishes. Stay safe.
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Thank you very much. We are settled at the campground in Pope, Mississippi. Have a good day.
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I’m sitting on pins and needles waiting for your next post. Until then stay safe and enjoy the fact there’s not much to do around your area.
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I appreciate your enthusiasm for my next post! It is nice to have a slower pace and just enjoy relaxing. Stay safe, too,and enjoy your day!
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Stay safe. We look back at where we where in Alabama and are so glad we moved. So hunker down and enjoy your time together. As we have learned throughout this year being flexible is the key to travel in this new age we are living in. So looking forward to your next post.
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Thank you. We are hunkered down and safe. It seems every time I turn around, you are getting ready to move soon. 🙂 How did you do before you were full time? Stay safe, too, and enjoy your day!
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We’ve come to look at moving like, well like just another part of life. Which means once we are in Florida at Sumter Oaks staying in one spot for six months is going to be very, very, very, very difficult for me. I really don’t know if I can do it. I’m already looking for alternate sights, if even for four or five nights. I just don’t do “stay put” real well.
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I’m thinkin’ maybe us bloggers ought to start a pool for how many days before you leave Sumter Oaks (even for just 4 or 5 nights). Any takers? Enjoy your day!
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Hoping you are all well. The trip is sounding good, really envy you right now! It is impossible to move here at the moment. Love your photos, especially the sunrise. Stay safe, okay? And have tons of fun!
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Thank you very much! The trip is not exactly what we had planned, but we always try to make the best of it. Please stay safe and have fun, too!
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That makes it more interesting, doesn’t it? I wish you more pleasant surprises!
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Sending prayers! Enjoy your trip & stay safe!
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Thank you very much! Prayers are always good. Enjoy your day!
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I’m enjoying this trip right along with you. My parents were born and raised in Mississippi, so it is my “home” state. I need to visit the campground at Pope on one of my visits as it looks lovely.
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This campground is very, very nice. One of our neighbors here said she also liked Persimmon Hill which is across the lake. This is my first time to visit Mississippi, so I don’t know much about it. We’ve really enjoyed our time here. Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day!
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After all the build up, I’m not sure what to expect. Guess I’ll find out when I catch up on my reading.
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Well, I hope you can sleep at night with all the suspense! Thanks for reading, and enjoy your day!
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