R Shaefer Heard #99 Camp Season Kickoff

Park: West Point, Ga

I just want to take a minute, and say thank you for taking the time to read this. These blogs really started out as a way for me to remember which site we liked, and which ones sucked. And instead of keeping this info to ourselves, I decided to blog them. I have noticed an increased amount of site specific reviews, so..I guess thats a good thing. When trying to find a site for us, the general Campground descriptions and pictures really don’t do a site any justice. So THANK YOU 😊 for reading our take on the sites.

Soooo excited to get back camping. We have missed it over the winter months and haven’t been in the camper since Christmas. 😕

With ALL the things we having going at this moment, this weekend was planned to be a slow, do nothing, think nothing trip. Unfortunately, it did not turn our that way.

Campground: on West Point Lake. A 25,900 acre man made lake reaching Georgia and Alabama state lines. According to their site, fishing is one of the primary activities, but they have hiking trails and day use areas. A neighbor mentioned that there is a fishing issue there, where you can only fish certain areas. Not sure what thats all about, or how much I believe him, but it’s worth looking into. The current Google review is 4.6 stars.

Couldn’t find anything unusual about the Fishing regulations at West Point Lake. We did find out there is unlimited Spotted Bass Fishing because of some genetic something or another. Also, up close to the Chattahoochee, there is a different rule, and there’s alot of confusion about the Georgia and Alabama incense thing. You can read about it here.

Amenties: Boat ramp with plenty of parking. 25 day use areas, hiking. They also have an Amphitheater and playground. We didn’t use any of these, but they are there.

Privacy: Not really much where we were. All the sites on the water were clearly visible. It was also a little awkward pulling in and setting up. It really felt like everyone was watching and waiting for us to screw up, just for entertainment. That’s not really the fault of the campground, just seems our camping peers were really into us. (Or maybe I was feeling self conscious about our dirty camper).

There are several loops in this campground, some which are very private. I did not see one site I did not like. And I cannot wait to stay In some the more shaded private sites.

Site 74, which was completely different from ours. A bit high up for kayaks etc, but a little something for everyone’s taste I suppose.

Our brand new truck and camper neighbors

Dump Station: Convenient, and you can pull in going either direction, with 2 sites. We only had to wait a few minutes in line. They had a wash out line, but the hose did not have the attachment. So we had to switch it out to flush our tanks.

Site Specific #99: Awesome. Not really private as I mentioned, but we were steps away from the water. It was clean and had the BEST fire pit and grill I’ve seen lately. The fire pits are deep with adjustable grills. I noticed some of the other sites with lower ones so maybe it’s a combo, or they are buried deeper. Being right on the water, it’s a must to block the wind. I wish St. Andrew’s in Panama City had these.

Level-ness: Perfect. Concrete pads and driveway. Did not require any levelers at all. Smooth and clean. Easy peasey.

Condition: Fire pit was cleaned out. No debris or trash left. Picnic table was in good shape. Only thing I noticed was the 30amp plug was iffy. It seemed as though a previous camper had some melting issues. Site is advertised as 50amp, so we used the adaptor and stayed away from the 30amp. The stand alone grill was cocked a little sideways, but with the grill on the fire pit, we didn’t use it or need it.

Maneuvering: The roads were wide and maintained, but our site was in the “point” of a loop and could be challenging for a beginner. We backed straight in. But you have to back in about the length of 4 campsites. There was not enough space to get close and turn around. We also missed our turn on the first pass. The loop wasn’t labeled well, or we just didnt see it. The site was so far in. We couldn’t read the site number from the road.

Bonus: RIGHT ON THE WATER. Very awesome trees, and so quiet. You could hear the fish jumping in the water all weekend. In general all the folks camping our weekend, seemed to stay within the lines. It was so quiet, it made you want to be quiet.

Cons: Awkward getting into our specific site, and fairly close to neighbors without any trees or brush. We later discovered, that by being in our site, we soured someone else’s trip because the brand new campers on each side of us, we’re together. Sooo..sorry. Honestly, I would have totally swapped, but it didn’t seem to be much of an issue. Not any lingering dirty looks etc.

It is a very LARGE campground, so if you want small and quaint, this isn’t it. As large as it is, it was so peaceful to us. And quiet. We used the radio for awhile on Saturday, but not much really.

All in all, I really liked the campground and we had a good trip. Anything that soured it for us, was on us, and even those issues could not sour the trip.

We had the camper stored for 4 months (since Christmas) and apparently when we finished at Christmas, we didn’t wipe anything down outside, not even the hoses. And of course, the camper was FILTHY. From the pine tree in storage place, and pollen and us not having somewhere to easily clean and maintain it, we looked like the traveling hillbillies. One of our fenders was cracked in 2. Somehow we lost a traveling light cover. The damn window on the main door even slid down into the door. And of course, our awning that snapped for the 2nd time last 4th of July, was still zip tied to the side of the camper. We legit haven’t had time or thought to fix it. Once you start adding up the little injuries, its kind of bad. I was actually pretty embarrassed and it didn’t help being trapped between 2 brand new, sparkly campers, with shiny bright white water hoses and perfect everything. 🙄 our do nothing weekend, turned into a, “fix a few things” weekend, and a trip to Lanett AL Walmart. During our freeze, the shower hose cracked and had to be replaced. The window on the door slipped a few inches because the plastic clips snapped. We had to pull it out, flip it (to use the support clips in top as bottoms) and silicone it. For the cost of these suckers vs sq ft, you would think they would last a little longer.

I’m going to look in to paying someone to detail this bad boy next week. I really think it’s beyond what we could easily clean. Even if it’s a mobile guy or something. Blagh! How do full timers keep there rigs clean? And maintained? Out in the middle of nowhere, dry camping? I really wish I had bought the “no water” car wash stuff.

To add insult to injury, I’m pretty sure I’m working on passing a kidney stone, and on Friday I got the call that Grandmother could potentially have a dvt in her leg and was in the way to the ER.

Thankfully, by Sunday, I think my stone passed, and my Grandmother’s ultrasound didn’t produce any life threatening results.

When it rains, it pours. We got home, took 5 minutes to unload, and went to work on the garden 🥴