After leaving Hawkins Pointe on July 23, we headed toward Louisiana to spend some much-needed time with my family. Before reaching our destination, we made a couple of stops along the way.

Our first stop was Jennings Ferry Campground in Eutaw, Alabama. As a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers campground, Jennings Ferry was the perfect overnight stop. The grounds were immaculate, and it was obvious the volunteer hosts take great pride in keeping the park clean and beautifully maintained.

We chose a pull-through site (#40) that was long enough for not only Big Bertha but also our truck, with room to spare. We arrived on a rainy afternoon after driving through rain for most of the day. Driving in the rain meant breaking one of our personal RV rules, as we prefer not to travel in wet weather whenever possible. But one thing we’ve learned is that flexibility is one of the most important rules of RV life.

The campground was incredibly quiet and peaceful, providing a much-needed break from all the noise we had left behind in Chattanooga.

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The following day we headed to Mississippi for a Harvest Hosts stay that I had been looking forward to for over a month. Every review I had read and every photo I had seen made it look like an amazing place. It certainly lived up to those expectations—except for one thing that no one seemed to mention, it is not big-rig friendly.

Getting Big Bertha through the entrance gate and parked turned out to be one of the most stressful arrivals we’ve experienced so far.

To make it through the gate, we actually had to remove the arm from the keypad and drive into the grass. When you combine a 46-foot fifth wheel with a long-bed dually truck, you need a lot of room to maneuver, and this entrance simply wasn’t designed for a rig our size. In hindsight, a sharper approach might have helped, but I have no desire to test that theory again.

Unfortunately, the challenges didn’t end there.

Once inside, the parking area next to the building and patio didn’t provide enough space to turn our rig around. What followed was a long series of pulling forward, backing up, turning, pulling forward again, and repeating the process over and over. It was beyond stressful. Eventually, I allowed one of the hosts, after they volunteered to help, to back our rig into the parking spot because Greg had reached his limit, and honestly, so had I.

It wasn’t until two days later that we discovered we had damaged the corner of the RV and dented the truck’s tailgate. We’re assuming it happened while we were squeezing through the entrance gate and dragging the front landing gear through the rocks.

Needless to say, I hope we never find ourselves in that situation again and the main reason I book pull-through sites.

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Once we were finally parked and settled in, it really was a lovely place to spend the next two days while exploring Laurel, Mississippi—the hometown of HGTV’s Home Town stars Erin and Ben Napier. Since we visited on a Saturday, we didn’t expect to see either of them, but that didn’t stop us from enjoying everything the town had to offer.

One of our first stops was Scotsman General Store, where Ben’s brother, Scott, films portions of the show. They have strict rules about no photography or video while filming is taking place, which we completely respected. The store was filled with handcrafted items, and I couldn’t leave without buying a jar of muscadine jelly. It had been years since I’d had any, and since it doesn’t require much storage space, it was an easy addition to our RV pantry.

We also visited the Laurel Mercantile, where several of Erin’s paintings and other artwork were on display. To be honest, it wasn’t quite what I had expected, but it was still worth the visit.

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One of the highlights of our time in Laurel was a golf cart tour with Laurel Home Tours. Our guide was a lifelong local who shared stories about the town’s history while pointing out many of the homes featured on Home Town. Hearing the stories behind the homes and the people who live there gave us a much deeper appreciation for the community.

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Of course, we couldn’t leave without stopping at the famous Pearl’s Diner, owned by Miss Pearl, who has also appeared on the show. Her former home has since been turned into an Airbnb, along with several other homes featured throughout the series.

The food was delicious, but the macaroni and cheese deserves a special mention. It was honestly some of the best I’ve ever eaten.

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On Sunday, we continued south on I-59 toward Breaux Bridge, just outside Lafayette, Louisiana. The roads bounced us around for much of the drive, but finally getting to see my daughter and grandchildren made everything we had gone through over the previous few days completely worth it.

The only thing that wasn’t worth it was the heat.

Louisiana in July is no joke. Temperatures hovered in the upper 90s every day, and with the heat index well into the 100s, it was almost unbearable. This Tennessee girl is definitely not accustomed to that kind of heat, and it took a toll on both Greg and me.

Our first evening was spent at the campground, where the kids enjoyed the aqua park while we relaxed after several long travel days. We called it an early night because we were completely exhausted.

The rest of our visit was exactly what we had hoped for—fishing, swimming, time at the aqua park, and celebrating my youngest grandson’s 12th birthday.

The time I get to spend with my kids and grandkids is never enough, but I cherish every minute we have together and make the most of it.

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Now it’s time to point Big Bertha back toward Georgia, where we are hoping she will finally get the repairs she’s been waiting for since our windows and body were damaged back in June.

Sometimes the road isn’t smooth, and not every stop goes according to plan. But even the stressful days become part of the story, and in the end, the time spent with family makes every mile worthwhile.

Until next time...

Keep adding memories to your wall.

— Greg & Anna
SeasonedRVers 🚐🐾