2019 SouthWest: Hwy 84 all the way to the coast

Our journey on the 84 took us all the way from Texas to Georgia. We were able to chunk up the distance and stay at state parks all the way...North Toledo Bend LA, Lake Lincoln MS, Frank Jackson AL, and Reed Bingham GA.

Hwy 84 is an east-west U.S. Highway, started in 1926 as a Georgia to Alabama route, but by 1941, it has been extended to reach Colorado. We saw many signs along the way that also named the route as the El Camino Corridor.

We tremendously enjoyed travelling this route. Without the traffic, the trucks, and the high speeds of the Interstates, this long drive became a joy to experience. We saw some great landscapes, lots of little towns, a bunch of nice parks, and chatted with loads of people. We feel that we really got to see life along this route, and perhaps, how people might well be living it.

Quite frankly, this route has strengthened our resolve to avoid Interstate travel as much as possible whenever we can.

From Texas into Louisiana, the landscape took on a distinct change. Gone was the big sky country and cacti, we were now driving through forests, and we let out a sad sigh to see the southwest landscape disappear.

Hwy 84 through west Louisiana is known as the ‘Timberline’ and as the name suggests, logging is a big activity in the region. Clear cutting and numerous logging trucks was the typical scenery.

crossing the Mississippi

We arrived at North Toledo Bend State Park, and while checking in, Dale asked about what wildlife is in the park. The young man quickly caught on and replied that their lake has alligators but in his time there he has not seen one come out of the water.  Having Barley with us, this was a relief to hear, but to be safe we kept him inside and he did not get outside in his screened enclosure at this park.

The park is on the upper edge of bayou country and so it was very moist, humid, and heavy, everything you touched was damp, nothing like we have experienced before.  Other campers told us that in the summer it gets much more humid, and gave us the tip to keep air flow going at all times to try to dry things out.

Continuing through into Mississippi, our next campground was Lake Lincoln State Park.  Again a lovely park and drivng into the park we see this sign,

Yikes!!!

So they also have aligators in their lake, and as luck would have it, our site was only a couple of feet from the edge of the lake.  A thunder and lightening storm rolled through later in the evening, so we hunkered down and watched the show.  We enjoyed listening to the sounds of the birds and the wildlife, it was endless chatter, which got even more active during the storm. The bayou sounds and the storm brought back memories of watching that classic black and white film ‘Cape Fear’. Robert Mitchum was one scary dude in that film.

great sites

On into Alabama, and Frank Jackson State Park was our next stop, yet another little gem of a park. The older guy in the park office said To us, “We love the Canadians here, they are so well behaved, and the first question they ask us is “What about the alligators???”...he beat us to it. How hilarious.

thanks for the warning...

Having crossed into Georgia, our plan became to travel to the end of Hwy 84, reaching the coast at Savannah GA. We spent a couple of days there, checking out Savannah, and walking the beach, before turning north to make our way home. This last section of the 84 Hwy is called the ‘WireGrass Parkway’.

We stopped for gas in the town of Donaldsonville, it appears to have suffered a fair amount of damage to many of their buildings most likely from a hurricane or tornado.

Driving through the city of Thomasville GA was a pleasant surprise, a nice renovated downtown with cute retail and coffee shops.   Worth stopping and checking out...

We arrived at Reed Bingham State Park, in Georgia, an exceptionally beautiful park!  It is on a large lake with a dam at one end, and the facilities are immaculate. It is beautifully landscaped and you can tell it is a well run park.

absolutely...

We especially liked the spanish moss laden trees, and took lots of pictures of them.  A Ranger explained that when on the trees the moss is alive but warned once it falls to the ground, to not touch it. Little ‘chaggers’ (pronounced chiggers) are tiny red bugs that move in and take over the moss.  He said that some women boil the moss to kill the bugs and dry it out for decor projects, but better yet he said “get it at Michael’s”...yup, would have to agree!