R Shaefer Park, West Point Lake, GA Campground Review

R. Shaefer Park, which is located on West Point Lake at the Georgia and Alabama state line, was our third stop on my first "retirement" RV trip. This park, like the other two campgrounds on this trip, is run by the Army Corp of Engineers. The managers, Barbara and Ray, were full-time RV work campers. They helped us to get a lakefront site for one night on a weekend when sites usually require a two-night stay. (You can't book on the reservation.gov site for less than two nights on a weekend. So call ahead and check to see if the park has sites available for walk-ins). The site was level and easy to access from the road. While we loved the lakeside view, the site itself was right on the roadway and located close to our neighbors. If we hadn't already stayed at two other amazing state parks with a lot of site privacy, we might not have been as picky.

One of the benefits of towing a Honda CR-V is that once you set up the motor home you are free to do a little exploring. (I asked Susie to drive because after driving the RV all day, it feels weird to drive a car). Our first mission was to find free internet access. While we loved the feeling of being one with nature, we still needed to stay socially connected with all our family and friends. (I am trying to reduce the use of my smartphone for internet access as I don't have an unlimited plan yet). So, we headed north on Interstate 85 to La Grange, GA to a coffee shop to catch up on our Young Living Essential Oils "Boot Camp" video watching and homework posting. Susie and I also took advantage of the strong wifi signal to post to our blogs and business websites. After two hours, we headed back to the park.

As we were nearing the entrance to the campground, we noticed the sun was setting. Since Susie is a total "sunset addict", and she was afraid we'd miss it if we went to our site, we headed down the road to the West Lake day-use area instead. What a great decision! This photo of the sunset is just one of many we took while we were there. (You can see Susie by the picnic table smartphone camera in hand) Being early in September, we pretty much had the place to ourselves. Susie met a young couple and took their photo. After they left it was just Susie and I looking at the sunset. It was so quiet, I think we actually heard the sun splash into the lake as it slid over the horizon.

To see more of our sunset photos and other travel highlights, stop by my Camino Turtle Instagram.

After the sunset, we went back to our campsite and built a nice cozy campfire. (Yes, I used a firestarter that was part of a retirement gift package - thanks KG). Sitting by the campfire and staring at the burning pine cones was such a surreal experience. I had to keep reminding myself that I wasn't on vacation. This is now my new way of life. As a Young Living Essential Oil distributor, I will be working from "home" and that will be wherever my motor home takes me. My dream of camping and traveling is becoming a reality. It is going to take me a while to get used to this as I keep catching myself thinking that it will end soon and I will have to "go back to work".  Susie and I sat by the fire for a long time. The smell of the burning logs is one that brings back a lot of memories for us and we spent some time sharing stories from our past. These stories included our earliest scout tent camping trips, the family pop-up camper that wouldn't pop-up and the squirrels who ate the candy on our canoe trip in Algonquin Park in Canada. Isn't it funny that often it's the things that failed or didn't work out that are the funniest memories to share?

So, this was the last stop on my trip to Alabama. Now I am at an RV park for a month so I can visit family who live on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay. Over the next month I will use this blog to share more about what I am learning as an RV owner and some of my sightseeing adventures.  So, ya'll come back now, ya hear?