2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 18

Day 18, Wednesday, November 5, 2025, - George P Cossar State Park, Oakland, MS, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 1359.4 Miles for the Trip

A warm night, only going down to 52°F, and 60°F for my morning walk. I think it is time to clean up my sprouting beard. Got some nasty looks & "what do you need" from the workers hanging out in front of the office. I need a haircut, so I'll probably get one & a beard trim in Natchez.

I finished Ngaio Marsh's Light Thickens, # 32 in the Alleny series & # 34, the last one Money in the Morgue is on hold with a 2 week wait (evidently, #33, Still Unsolved is not available as a Kindle or library book, and is out of print) so I started a non Ngaio Marsh book for the first time in what feels like weeks - John Scalzi's 3 Days, 9 Months 27 Years. I usually don't read short stories, but I am a sucker for time travel books.

By noon it was up to 65°F so I sat outside and read. While the AT&T internet checks out as fairly fast at 72Mbps down, it is very erratic. I seem to remember the problem the last time I was in this part of Mississippi. Fast one second & stopped the next. Verizon has stayed connected as far as internet radio is concerned, but AT&T would drop the station regularly. I'll have to take that back - Verizon also dropped my internet radio station at least once this afternoon.

I received an email & phone call from the La Paz County park. My site for December & January has been changed from site E in the overflow area where I was in 2023-24 to site 10. I liked the overflow sites because they didn't charge for electricity and were larger than most of the standard sites. It appears that site 10 does have a view of the river which is nice, but is metered, so I'll be paying for electricity. I can't tell the size from the site map or looking at it in Google Earth, but they said it will fit my trailer. Evidently the overflow sites have been converted to "luxury sites", and even though my reservation says Site E, the site no longer exists and the on line version of my reservation now shows site 010. Why they let me reserve Site E (over the phone, not on line) is a mystery but it is what it is.

While I didn't use them, there are 3 showers in the bathroom, one open enough that it might be described as disabled. Although shower head is at the same height as the others, it is possible to fit a wheelchair in the stall. A standard volume shower head with 2 handle adjustable water. A small drying area in the non disabled showers that includes a bench and a couple of hooks. The shower head aims at the drying area - it is going to get wet since there is no shower curtain. No idea on the amount of hot water, but the building still holds the cold from last night - much colder than the 69F outside temperature at 2:30. Overall, a C- at best. 

I would give the same score to the park as a whole. "Ridden hard and put up wet" would describe the park. Very rough roads, poorly marked roads & sites that are not level, picnic tables a long way from the site. No outside lighting for the bathrooms - the park is completely dark at night. While there is a pair of outside lights next to the door, they are on a switch with a sign saying "turn off lights" and they do. I needed a flashlight to find the building. It is fine if your don't mind worn (and I usually don't) and are looking for a quiet, mostly empty campground, but it is my first time here, and not my favorite park of the trip, at least so far. 

Dinner was a Scott & Jon's Shrimp Alfredo bowl.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 17

Day 17, November 4, 2025, - George P Cossar State Park, Oakland, MS - 172.8 Miles, 1359.4 Miles for the Trip

I still have not been able to get on the California reservation system. Last evening they sent me an email "Hi JON, We look forward to welcoming you in 10 days! " Only problem is my reservation is for February 16 - 19, 2026. That is a long 10 days! Tried calling them but after listening to a 2 minute speech telling me I should be using their website three times, I finally got in the queue for the right place, then gave up after 20 minutes on hold. 

I left Natchez Trace State Park around 10:00, and arrived at the George P Cossar State Park around 1:30. A nice drive on TN 18 & MS 7, both 2 lane most of the time for most of the trip. The campground in interesting. They designate the 3 different campgrounds with their names, not the site numbers. On the campground map they go by campsite numbers. So, as you drive in you have to guess. I guessed wrong and got a tour of the oldest part of the park. 

I'm in site 12, a back in site on asphalt with water & electric, a fire ring, grill & picnic table. The electric hookup is in poor condition with the receptacles and breakers at least 1/2" behind the face plate. At least they are correctly wired. The site is $34.00 per night or, with reservation fee & taxes, $40.66 per night for 2 nights. The level was off by 1" side to side & I had to lower the tongue by 3 1/2" so I had to unhitch from the truck. Since it is 25 miles to the nearest large grocery store, or Walmart, I wish I could have left the truck hitched.

Site 12

After setting up I walked around two of the loops since i skipped my morning walk at Natchez Trace. I had finished Harry Crews' The Knockout Artist on the drive to the park, so I downloaded Kate Alice Marshall's What Lies in the Woods audio book for my walk.

Back at the trailer I fired up the cell modems & checked the internet availability. AT&T shows 72.32Mbps down & 2.98Mbps up, and Verizon shows 109.87Mbps down & 19.34Mbps up. Lost of tall trees all around the site so I didn't bother checking Starlink. I'm currently on AT&T.

I chatted with a couple of admirers of the Escape trailer and about camping in Quartzsite, then did some reading sitting outside. It was 70°F when I arrived, and I folded up the outside chair and headed inside at 4:30 as it got down to 65°F. 45°F is the predicted overnight temperature.

Dinner was a Healthy Choice Sweet & Sour Chicken meal.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 16

Day 16, November 3, 2025, Natchez Trace State Park, Pin Oaks Campground, Wildersville, TN, Day 3 - 0 Miles, 1186.6 Miles for the Trip

A bit cooler night, going down to 36°F. While it was suppose to hit 62°F today, 59°F was as high as it got.

A couple trailers left, a couple pulled in but the park still has many empty sites. I did some reading - finished Marsh's Photo Finish and started Alleyn # 32, Light Thickens. 

I finished the fried chicken, eating the last thigh for lunch, then called my son in Oswego. The sewer line installation made it past our house & they only broke the gas line once. Of course that was while Kyle was on his way to work, the swamp end of the road was still blocked, and they wouldn't let him through until National Grid fixed the pipe. He called it in & his boss had a good laugh. Two hours later he got through.

Back here at Natchez Trace I decided to unhook the sewer & water in anticipation of tomorrow's move. I also hooked the truck up, but left the levelers under the passenger side - 2" is a bit much to be off.

Around 2:30 I decided it wasn't going to get much warmer and headed to the showers. Three stalls, each with a medium flow shower head & adjustable water temperature. The dressing area is small, has no bench but a high shelf with 3 double hooks, and another door stop/double hook on the door. The floor is level between the dressing area & the shower. Well sloped, but even aiming the shower head as far away from the opening at least a third of the dressing area floor gets wet. Plenty of hot water which is good, because it is the only heat in the area. The last time I was here a gas fired radiant heater ran the length of the three showers. It has a 30 minute timer to fire it up. It is still there, but the gas is turned off and it is unplugged. The room still has some of the overnight chill - it was colder than the outside. Overall, I'd give it a B but without heat and a wet dressing room floor and no bench, the best I can do is a C. There is a shared bench that runs the length of the shower area outside the showers that is open to the entire bathroom if you are comfortable with that.

Back at the trailer I warmed up and started today's journal page.

I've been drinking zero sports drinks because the potassium helps prevent leg cramps, which I often get when lying down. While the Powerade versions have "50% more Electrolytes", I have decided I don't like the taste of them so will be sticking with the Gatorade versions. They do seem to work; I've had fewer cramps since starting one or two bottles per day. I prefer the zero versions because I don't like sugared drinks (other than southern sweet tea).

Dinner was Tabatchnick Vegetarian Chili.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 15

Day 15, November 2, 2025, Natchez Trace State Park, Pin Oaks Campground, Wildersville, TN, Day 2 - 0 Miles, 1186.6 Miles for the Trip

A light to medium rain off & on all night, but stopping by 6:00AM. At least I think it was 6:00AM. Changed to central standard time overnight. I was still getting used to the time zone change, then the switch from daylight to standard hits. It will be another week before I settle down, at which time I'll be switching to mountain time.

Down to 44°F last night and still only 49°F at 11:00AM. I managed to get a mile walk in this morning doing some of the loops in the campground - there are three of them so I can do something different each morning until I leave. While there was plenty of sun during my walk at 9:00, by 11:00 the sky is completely cloudy. Rain was predicted, but now my weather app shows full sun. It is probably up there somewhere, but you can't see it from the campground. Only going to 53°F today, but tomorrow is suppose to hit 62°F and, of course, on the day I leave, 68°F. 

I finished Ngaio Marsh's A Grave Mistake and started #31, Photo Finish. While walking (and driving) I'm listening to Harry Crews' The Knockout Artist.

Since I have twice the amount of chicken as I usually order, I decided to have it for lunch as well as tonight's dinner. Made a sandwich out of one of the thighs. The reason for twice as much is I ordered my usual which is 2 legs & 2 thighs at $1.99 each, and the woman behind the counter pointed out that it would be less expensive if I purchased their "Dark Deal", 4 legs & 4 thighs for $6.99.

While the park was nearly full when I arrived yesterday, there was the usual Sunday thinning as weekenders packed up and left. There are still a few trailers left, but lots of empty sites.

By noon the weather made a liar out of me. Now partially cloudy with some sun, but still only 51°F; still too cold to be comfortable sitting out unless the sun is peeking around the clouds.

I spent the afternoon inside reading. I have 2 new neighbors, both large 5th wheels. The nearest one needs a bit more practice. I'd do a video, but that would be cruel. Eventually he got it into the site without running over the fire pit, the picnic table, or his wife.

Dinner was chicken.

Until Tomorrow - 

2025-26 Trip to the Southwest, Day 14

Day 14, November 1, 2025, Natchez Trace State Park, Pin Oaks Campground, Wildersville, TN - 175.3 Miles, 1186.6 Miles for the Trip

Back at Edgar Evins we added a trailer on the other side of me just before dark, so our row total was 4 trailers. No trick or treaters so I will have to eat a lot of Snickers.

An uneventful drive mostly on I 40 except for the many lane changes & stops & goes at Nashville. The last 12 miles were on 2 lane state roads, including a rough & wavy TN 114. I arrived around 2:15. At first I thought someone was in my site then discovered that when I added the location & date to my calendar it copied the site number from my last time here. I had to look up the reservation to discover I'm in site 23, not 45.

Site 23 is a back in full hookup site on gravel with a picnic table, lantern hook (that is what I'm calling it although I've seen it used for everything from trash to fish), fire pit & grill. Three nights at $35.80 per night with Senior discount, reservation fee & misc taxes. I had to raise the passenger side of the trailer 2", the tongue was level. I still unhooked since I'll need to make a run to the store. As you can see from the Starlink Mini photo, I'm not too far from the bath house.

Site 23

The Starlink Mini

I tested Verizon & AT&T. Nothing from either although AT&T did download some mail. Neither would run an internet speed test or download a web page. I set up the Starlink Mini and after alignment showed 37.67Mbps down & 25.87Mbps up. 

After setting up I headed to the Lexington, TN Giant, an IGA. Somewhat expensive, and a bit limited in choices, but a good deal of fried chicken so unless it does in my stomach, that will be dinner for at least the next two nights.

Until Tomorrow -