The southern leg of our New England trip…

Living in Southern Louisiana, all roads lead onward and upward and it’s always the same roads. Our trips seem to begin once we reach the borders and venture into other states. We’ve traversed the roads so often, we recognize the potholes, and so it began with this trip.

There’s always the joy of the first site of mountains and the excitement never fades. This trip ended up being a KOA hop as we were traveling during the off-season and the state and national parks in the northeast had not yet opened up for camping.

KOAs have evolved through the years and you don’t have to own a camper to enjoy the outdoors. You can rent cabins on the premises.

We spent the second night on the road in Baileyton, Tennessee at the KOA (the first night was south of Birmingham at the Hoover Metroplex). It was a peaceful stop down more than a few winding roads. The weather cooperated and we cooked outside. I don’t know if it’s the south or just campgrounds, but the smell of bacon frying seems to reel people in. It’s one of the things we enjoy about camping. People are so friendly and evening strollers love to stop and chat for a bit. Everyone has a story to share about where they’ve been or where they are going. You can’t find that at a hotel.

We pull out our chairs along with newly arriving neighbors and spend the evenings chatting fireside. Campgrounds are like huge outdoor lodges.

We spotted mountains on our second day of travel and I was anxious to be surrounded by the majestic mounds.