Where2Next

First day of our first camping trip

Throughout the winter and spring of 2022 we spent time planning our itinerary. We had heard and read that reservations in state and especially national parks were hard to come by.  Where we could get reservations is what determined our route.  We wanted to go to Yellowstone but could only find first come, first serve camping spots.  Since this was our first trip, first rv, first camping we weren’t ready for something like that.  I could picture us driving around for hours looking for some place to camp, leading to exhaustion, irritability, nit picking, and rising temperatures.

I downloaded a number of Apps, joined various travel programs, subscribed to RV newsletters, Facebook Groups, etc. I had no problem booking state park campsites throughout the southern areas and leading north but once I started trying to book Wyoming, Montana, and popular national parks, I couldn’t find any availability.  I booked various campsites in Mississippi, Arkansas, Missouri, Nebraska, but when I reached South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana I started having problems.  We were stuck in Clinton, Montana (just outside Missoula) with nowhere to camp going forward.  I couldn’t find anything around Glacier National Park, Grand Tetons, etc.  Nowhere, nothing, zilch……. this changed our whole itinerary.  Nope, didn’t go Alaska or Yellowstone that year.

Mandeville, Louisiana to Leroy Percy State Park, Mississippi

Wednesday July 6, 2022 – 100 degrees

We said goodbye to our sailboat and Chester, the resident watcher of the marina and headed out at 10 am with a full tank of diesel at $4.99 per gallon for our GMC Canyon. Our first day of driving from the northshore of Lake Ponchatrain, LA was pretty uneventful and not very scenic as we drove up US 55.  We did pass signs on the way for the Lynyrd Skynyrd Memorial in Magnolia Mississippi but didn’t stop (another time).  At 3 pm we arrived at our first campsite near Hollandale, Mississippi.  Driving through the little spot they call Hollandale was somewhat worrisome in that it seemed to be a one intersection town with nothing open and nothing going for it except a suspect place called “The Sugar Shack”.  The community description on the web says it’s a “community mired in poverty.”  

A little further down the road we arrived at the Leroy Percy State Park.  It’s a quiet little state park with cabins, tents, and 16 developed RV spots.   It is characterized by artesian springs waters, cypress trees, and old oak trees laced with Spanish moss.   There was a playground for children, several disk golf stations, and a small lake (looked more like a river) that warned of gators and how many fish were safe to consume.  We saw lots of squirrels, birds, and a scared raccoon that ran across our path.  There were two bathhouses with bathrooms and showers, a little run down but useable with plenty of hot water.  There was even a little room with a washer/dryer.  Watch out for the wasps that like to congregate by the doors and the picnic tables.   

Leroy Percy State Park was formed in 1934 which makes it the first and oldest state park in Mississippi.  The Park was named after Leroy Percy who was an attorney, planter, and politician in nearby Greenville, Mississippi. In 1910, he was elected by the state legislature to the US Senate and served until 1913.

The cost with my senior discount was $17 for the night for electric and water. We were the only campers with a trailer.  Across the way was one other tent camper and they either left that night or early the next morning, leaving us as the lone campers in this park.  We made Pasta Puttanesca inside, due to the excessive heat outside and the fire ban, rolled out our chess set, and shared some wine.  Looking forward to our continued journey north.