Tanglefoot Trail from Pontotoc, MS

Tanglefoot Trail is a Rails-to-Trails bike/walk trail in north MS.  At 43.6 miles, Tanglefoot Trail is the longest Rails-to-Trails bikeway in Mississippi.  

We found out about this bike trail when we were planning a camping trip to Trace State Park.  We biked along Tanglefoot Trail from the trailhead in

Pontotoc, MS.  The trailhead in Pontotoc is a nice rest stop if you started at some other point along the trail.  There are restrooms, water fountains and a place for bike repairs.

We parked at Reeder Farm Supply which is across from the trailhead.  This is a rural area and a farming community, so when the feed store is open, please ask

if you can use their parking.  They were very nice and thanked us for asking.





The first day we rode north 5 miles towards New Albany.  This route will take you through part of Pontotoc.  There are quite a few road crossings in town so please pay attention to traffic.

The next day we rode a little over 5 miles from the Pontotoc trailhead north to the Algoma trailhead.  In my opinion, this was a more scenic portion.

There was a nice little rest area between Pontotoc and Algoma with a picnic table and fix-it station.

Tanglefoot Trail is a tremendous asset to the communities through which it passes.  If I lived closer, I would be biking on this trail as much as possible.  We enjoyed it so much that we plan on biking a few miles at a time so we can see all of it.

Trace State Park (2016)

We were able to take a few days to do an extended camping trip so we decided to go back to Trace State Park between Tupelo and Pontotoc, MS.  We were here 4 years ago when we had our bumper-pull camper.  I wrote about our stay in the Deer Run Loop. The last mile of road before you get to the campground is VERY rough.  There are lots of potholes to dodge.  

This time, we stayed in space 26 in the Eagle Ridge Loop.  These campsites have water, electricity and sewer hookups.  

The bathhouse in Eagle Ridge loop has to be the cleanest and nicest one I have seen in a state campground.  In addition to the bathrooms and

showers, there is also a laundry ($1.00 each for wash and dry) and a meeting room.

They had to draw down the water to repair the levee plus we have been experiencing a drought in north MS so the water level is way down.  The boat ramps were closed because the water was so low.

This campground has what I call "good grills".  These are the kind of grills with a cut-out in the front slot so the top flips up.  It allows for easier charcoal pouring and cleaning out.  I wish all campgrounds had this type of grill instead of the kind where you can't flip the top up.

Trace State Park is known for its trails.  We walked the 1 mile loop known as the Jason M. Stewart Trail. 


They also have many miles of multi-use trails called Warrior Trails.  These trails are mainly used by motorcycle and ORV enthusiasts but are shared with hikers, trail bikers and horseback riders.

Since the last time were were here in 2012, Trace State Park has added a new campground loop.  This loop is named the Warrior Trail campground loop and is situated close to the trails.  These sites have concrete pads where the other loops are asphalt.  Most of the sites are unshaded but some are backed up to woods.  

There are stables close to this loop and the bathhouse has a hitching post.

Trace State Park is in close proximity to a fantastic Rails-To-Trails bike/walk trail called Tanglefoot Trail.

 We started out in Pontotoc and rode 5 miles to the north one day, then 5 miles to the south another day for a total of 20 round-trip miles.  I wrote about Tanglefoot Trail here.  This is a great bike trail and I highly recommend it.

Trace State Park has a lot to offer and we look forward to staying here again.

We camped here Nov. 10-14, 2016.  Both my Sprint phone & hubby's CSpire had good reception and data coverage.  We were able to pick up a number of over the air TV stations from the Tupelo, Columbus, West Point area.

Camper Door Modifications

We've made two modifications to the door to our fifth-wheel.  One was simply an install of a store bought item and the other would qualify as a "Macgyver".

In my opinion, one of the best mods we have made is to simply add a grab bar to the door.  I quickly got tired of pulling out the plastic, sliding middle piece that seems to come with all camper doors.  They are generally flimsy and I was always pulling it apart while trying to close the door.  The grab bar was purchased at Camping World and it has made a huge difference.

The other door modification came about because I am too short to open the door from the outside unless I am standing on the bottom step.  In addition, Rick didn't care for sliding the plastic door piece open every time you had to open the door from the inside.

Here is our VERY low-tech solution.

This is a piece of a wire hanger with a plastic tip on the end.  It goes through the side of the white plastic on the inside of the door and attaches to the door latch on the other side.  

I added a simple piece of twine to the outside latch so I could open the door from the outside while standing on the ground.  Before, I had to stand on the corner of the bottom step so I could reach the latch.

Here are some other camper mods we have made.

What Do You Do When You Go Camping?

"What do you do when you go camping?"  

The other day, someone asked me this question.  It got me to thinking that it would make a good topic for this blog.

When we go camping, we like to:

ride bikes

go fishing

walk

sit around a campfire

play games

cook outside

and just chill.

When we go to Oak Grove campground at Sardis Lake, most of the time there is a guy in a spot near the front who has one of the most elaborate set-ups for campfire cooking.  It reminds me of a chuck wagon set-up.



The main thing we like to do when we go camping is leave the "real" world behind (yardwork, housework, work work) and just be.

Oak Grove at Sardis October 2016

Yeah!!!!  Our first weekend of low humidity, early fall-like weather hit north Mississippi this weekend (Sept. 30-Oct. 2, 2016).  Our camper has been sitting unused all summer and we were anxious to start camping again.  This weekend was an absolutely perfect weekend for it.




We decided to go to one of our favorite close-by spots, Oak Grove campground at Sardis Lake.  I have written about this COE campground the first time we camped here.  Previously I have had Fridays off which enabled us to camp on Thursday night-Sunday but I now have a full-time job so camping trips are a little shorter for me.  Fortunately, my husband was able to take Friday off so he set up camp, then texted me where to come after work.

This weekend, we stayed in spot #25.  This was a great spot on an outside loop with a large yard area with plenty of shade trees.  

With lots of mature trees come lots of squirrels, Sally Mae's nemesis.  She spent some time in campground "jail" (the pen) for running after the squirrels.

Right behind our spot was the driveway to the lower lake boat dock.  Just on the other side of the driveway is John Kyle State Park campground.  This is an unusual set up with a state park campground and a COE campground right next to each other separated by a boat dock.  




We never could figure out when "check-in" time was, but "check-out" time is 2:30pm.   

Each site has 20/30/50 amp and water.  There are no sewer hookups but there is a dump station at the entrance/exit.  There are 3 bathrooms with showers which are kept pretty clean.  The handicap shower has a showerhead with a hose that you can take off the wall.  




We really enjoy this campground and recommend it if you are thinking about camping near Sardis Lake.

Campfire Baked Potatoes

Some foods are permanently linked to camping like hot dogs and smores.  One of the things that we like to cook when we camp are campfire baked potatoes.

They are very easy to cook but they may take a while.  I usually cook these potatoes first, then cook whatever I want to pair with them (if anything) while the potatoes are kept warm in their foil wrappers.  Sometimes, the potato can be a meal all by itself.

Campfire baked potatoes can be cooked in an actual wood campfire or a charcoal grill.

I normally scrub the potatoes clean while we are still at home.  When I am ready to cook them, I wrap each

in a double layer of foil and place at the edge of the campfire or right in the hot coals.

Because the heat is so intense, these potatoes should be turned every 10-15 minutes.  I use heavy duty long-handled tongs to keep my hands away from the heat.  After about 40-45 minutes I will check for doneness by squeezing them slightly with a thick potholder.

These campfire baked potatoes are the best baked potato I have ever had!

Campers Come In All Shapes and Sizes

Rick and I prefer to stay in public campgrounds (state parks, COE campgrounds, US Forest Service campgrounds) rather than private ones.  We prefer the spaciousness and outdoor recreation activities at these type of campgrounds.

In public campgrounds, there is no telling what kind of campers you will see.  One of the things I like to do when we walk around the campground is find older and/or unusual campers.

It is not unusual to see older bumper-pull and fifth wheel campers, especially with window air conditioners.

Sometimes, we find older model motorhomes that were considered state of the art luxury in their day.

At Blue Bluff COE campground, this great boxy travel trailer was parked next to us.  It's hard to distinguish, but it was ALL chrome on the outside.

We spotted this retro camper at Wall Doxey State Park.  Love the wing  and hubcaps!

You have probably seen your share of tiny campers,

but this one probably ranks up there as one of the smallest I have seen.  Parked in front of this one was a new or close to new speed boat.

Every one in a while we come across these type of campers that have a top piece that pops up.

I don't know about other parts of the country, but here in the southeast U.S., it is not unusual to see a school

bus being used as a camper.  Here is one we saw at Paul B. Johnson State Park outside Hattiesburg, MS. 




Sometimes, it doesn't look like it has been modified at all.  We spotted this one at John Kyle State Park at Sardis, MS.

But my favorite, hands down was one we saw at Pickensville COE in Alabama.

This pretty much says it all!