WHAT A FIND! Our first stop in Alabama is Gunter Hill Campground located near Montgomery. What a find! We have a huge concrete pad, a full hookup with 50 amp electric service and a beautiful forest-like setting where we are surrounded by lakes and rivers. All sites have large well maintained picnic tables, a fire pit, and an outdoor grill. Many of the spaces are more than 50 yards apart and they are staggered for optimal view and privacy. All the roads are paved and it’s as easy as catching fish at a fish farm to navigate around in a big-rig motorhome. And listen to this. With my national pass we’re paying only $13 per night., and this includes electric. Although we’re only staying a little longer than a week, one can take advantage of all this and stay here for a full month before being required to depart. This is the best deal we’ve found in the all the time we’ve been traveling, which at this point is more than four years! Sometimes we’ve stayed in really high-end RV parks and willingly paid as much as $110 per night. But at that rate it’s too expensive for an every day routine. So we feel really smug about the spot where we are right now.
A delightful spot near our site at Gunter Hill RV Park.
GUNTER HILL CAMPGROUND. This is an Army Corps of Engineers park and offers us a peaceful scene of trees and nature on the backwaters of the Alabama River. I’m not a fisherman, but we’re told that the fishing is excellent and proves a challenge for the master angler as well as the occasional cane pole fisherman. Boating, hunting and hiking are also popular here. Again, I’m not a hunter (at least for animals) but the Ranger tells me that the area offers prime hunting for whitetail deer, wild turkeys and hogs. The campground is situated on Catoma Creek in a forest of hickory and pine trees. The climate is mild and comfortable…a refreshing change from the stifling heat and humidity we endured in Pensacola. And there’s even a group shelter for use in case of inclement weather. I’d never have given a thought to such a thing before we began our stay in the South, but believe me…a Southern California boy all my life, hurricanes and tornadoes are real and though we’ve not been hit by one they are a regular seasonal threat. It’s frightening to watch the weather channel on TV and be advised that there is a tornado warning (not a watch) for the area where you’re staying!
We have lots of privacy in this site.
Another view at Gunter Hill RV Park.
There’s no other RV within more than 100 yards of us. Private RV parks can’t compete with government owned ones. The land would be prohibitively expensive.
For those of you who are RVers, take a look at this site. It’s typical in this park and the length of the driveway/concrete pad must be 150 feet. You could park two big rigs and still have room to set up a bad-mitten court. I’ve never seen anything like it before now!
NEARBY PLACES OF INTEREST. The park is located near both Montgomery and Selma, both sites of significant American Civil Rights history and the Civil War. We’re also not too far from another Wind Creek Casino, located in the tiny town of Wetumpka. This one is a Class A resort and dining venue, as was the Wind Creek Casino in Atmore near Pensacola where I won about $28,000 last year! I’ve of course “returned” all of that money to the house, but it was a heck of a lot of fun winning it in the first place and boy, did I get treated to some first-class treatment at that place! Those Indians will do anything to retrieve their patrons’ winnings.
State Capitol Building in Montgomery, Alabama.
The First Baptist Church in Selma, Alabama. It was completed in 1904.
Wind Creek Casino at Wetumpka.
LOTS MORE STORIES AND PICTURES SOON. We’ve decided to stay here for another four nights so we’ll have time to see everything the area has to offer and also so we can complete some of the projects we’d planned to finish in Pensacola. It was just too hot there for us to do them. And, as I’ve stated before in this blog, we’re not exactly on just an extended vacation. Banking, laundry, errands and shopping still need to be done. I’ll revisit this area with you in a few days and I look forward to having you continue joining us on our adventure!
I’ll continue my story next time.
A thought I had about your trip west. According to your map on your blog you haven’t been through many mid western states. If you venture up to Tenn. then it would be an easy place to connect with St Louis and the original way west. I’ve heard the ‘Oregon Trail’ is well designated for easy travel all the way to Oregon. I thought it was right on your way so why not follow it.
Hey Randy…
This is exactly why I welcome comments and suggestions. Florence is my navigator and she’s going to look into the “Oregon Trail” route. It makes sense to both of us. (God, if I’d been in charge of navigation we’d never have made it out of San Diego county!) And, this is amusing: When I was in the National Guard, as an alternative to going to the jungles of Vietnam, guess what the Army trained me to do: I was a Scout. Ridiculous. It’d be a major accomplishment for me to ascertain east from west using a compass! Sad but true. I guess we each have our strengths and weaknesses. Good hearing from you!
Greg: Randy has a great idea. I’ve traveled most of the Oregon Trail, and the other major trails. It would make for a memorable trip. A really interesting spot is Three Islands Crossing State Park, Glenns Ferry, Idaho. The park has camping, interpretative center and exhibits. It is the location of about the only place to cross the Snake River. The Oregon, California and Mormon Trails converged there. Once they crossed the river they went their separate ways. I’ve stayed there a couple of times. The Wyoming section is great.
Hey, Jon:
Glad to hear from you! I was excited to hear that you’re thinking about upgrading to a larger RV and going “full-time” for a while. We’ve certainly enjoyed our time exploring America even though we’re now on what will probably be our last leg of the journey. Four years is a long time. As to your suggestion to follow the Oregon Trail back to the West Coast…we’re going to look at the route and follow it as closely as driving a big rig motorhome will allow. I guess we’ll go from Tennessee to Independence, Missouri to begin the trip. Once we get there I’ll be in touch to get more of your pointers.
I don’t think you will have any problems. Just mostly two lane roads. In Wyoming, around Alcova is Independence Rock and the Mormon Handcart Historical Site, both worth a visit. All in all a great trip.
Jon, as well you know, Florence is the navigator on our trip. If I had to plan our route there’s no telling where we’d end up! She’ll be in touch to chat with you about the specifics. Thanks in advance.