BOGUE CHITTO STATE PARK - FRANKLINTON, LA

It rained really hard last night here at Tickfaw State Park and scared the animals.  The noise on the roof was very loud.  Broke camp this morning, placed a Peace Rock, then rode around the park trying to find a way to the river. 

As far as I can tell, there is no way to get to the river except by foot.  I found the River View boardwalk which showed a sign saying it was a half mile to the river.  The River View entrance is already a half mile from the RV park so that's a mile to the river.  I don't think so.  Took a few photos and headed out of the park and on to Franklinton.

Notice the two regular sized cypress trees on the right and then compare to the Grandma on the left.  WOW!

Canoe launch.

Nice cabins.

NOW On To Our Next Campground

Arrived at Bogue Chitto State Park around 3:00 and checked in.  The attendants were very helpful and recommended a site with a deck on the water.  What luck!  Paid for 2 nights. 

Now that's what I like to see outside my door.

Can you see the Peace Rock?

Got hooked up and fixed lunch then went for a walk around our area.  The park ranger stopped to chat for a minute and told me that there was only one other person besides myself who is in this section of the RV park.  However, there is another section a ways away.  Tomorrow I will walk further and check out other sites.  The map shows an RV Beach nearby on the Bogue Chitto River.  I'd like to check that out.

My precious baby getting the last rays of the day.

Having roast beef au jus with rice and field peas for supper.  I have subscribed to Netflix and am enjoying episodes of Frasier every night.  No TV reception here tonight.

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TICKFAW STATE PARK - SPRINGFIELD, LA

Before we left our campground for Tickfaw State Park we took one last walk near the river.  Xi Shi met 2 other doggies - one male and one female - who were already there.   Friendly folks from Florida.

The little male dog was so enamoured with her that he did not want to leave.  So we all watched them interact and were laughing out loud most of the time.  That little male did everything he could to mount Xi Shi.  He sniffed and pranced and stood in front of her with his butt facing her as if to say, "Hey, look what I've got." 

I finally asked, "Is he fixed?" 

And the lady replied, "No." 

Well, no wonder he was acting the way he was.  Little Xi Shi just sat there, making sure her butt was on the ground, while he did his courting dance.  A couple of times she snapped at him and let him know that she wanted no part of any hanky panky.  I tried to get some photos but I was laughing so hard that I missed the really good shots.  We finally had to drag them away from each other and go on our seperate ways.

A couple of last shots of the river.  I really like it here.  I'll probably regret not staying a few more days.

NOW ON TO OUR NEXT PARK

Got to Tickfaw State Park around 2:00pm and was disappointed even before I entered the park.  The 7 miles of roadway leading up to the park is horrible.  Everything inside the coach was rattling and I had to slow down to a crawl.  That road alone will prevent me from returning to this park.

Then I got to the gate and the attendant had an attitude.  Not sure if she was having a bad day or what but was not pleasant or helpful at all.  I was informed right off that there are no campsites near water.  OK... what do you have?  She would not tell me until I told her how many nights I planned on staying.  I told her that depended on how nice my site was.  So we went round and round.  Finally I requested a few sites that I had made note of and only one was available so I took it for one night.

Got to my site and hooked up and took the dog for a walk and right next to my site is the path to the fishing pond.  Damn!  There are sites near water!

Took this photo of my coach while standing in the path to the fishing pond.

I walked around the grounds and found my favorite site which is next to where I am.  I like site #12 and I'm in #13.  Site 12 is right in front of the path to the fishing pond.

The bath house.

There is lots of space between sites.

It started to rain so tomorrow I'll walk to the river or maybe I'd better take my bike.  It could be rather far away by the looks of the map.

No TV reception at all here for my external antennae.  So I'll be watching a movie and having some popcorn.

It hasn't been a bad day.  At least I didn't hit any trees ;-)

  

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THE TCHEFUNCTE RIVER

It was really cold last night. Got into the 20s. I stayed nice and warm with my little electric fireplace in the bedroom. This morning I took the dog for her walk and we wound up near the river. Boy is it nice in that section of the park. I was very surprised and my impression of the park changed. I would definitely return here if I made sure I got certain spots. My favorite is # 77 facing the Tchefuncte River.  Next favorites are #76 and #61.

Look Momi... some water!!!

Come on Momi, follow me.

I returned to the office and paid for another night and requested to change sites. I was given several choices but the one I wanted was not available. I took the one next to it which does give me a view of the river. As soon as I hooked up I could hear boats nearby. It was a Mardi Gras River Parade. I grabbed the dog and the camera and ran to the river but didn’t get very many good shots.

On the way there I met my neighbors who are from Nova Scotia. Had a nice chat and told them I had been there in the 1980s and would love to return someday. They have two beautiful little Shelties and Xi Shi wanted to follow them everywhere.

Xi Shi and I took a walk down one of the nature trails via the boardwalk and I kept my eyes out for any gators but didn’t see any.

Taken from the river.  I'm in the center of the shot.

I was hoping she wouldn't jump in.  She loves to go swimming.

Walked over to the boat launch and then back to the campsite. Had a late lunch and downloaded the photos. This area reminds me of where I was raised. Lots of swampy area and cypress trees and palmettoes. I would love to do some fishing but didn’t purchase a license. I’ll do that before my next trip. Not sure if I want to stay another few days or not. I’ll make that decision tomorrow.

Having shrimp for supper.  Brought from home frozen.

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Woodhall Spa & Lincoln.

As you may have seen here Jonathan and I took a trip to Woodhall Spa and Lincoln for my birthday. We fancied getting away for a couple of days and when I saw Gemma's post "kinema in the woods" I thought this would be a great place for us to visit.

I found an adorable B&B in Woodhall Spa and got us booked in for one night and the rest, we decided, we would plan as we went along.

It didn't take very long to drive there at all so after a hectic morning of getting up at 6.30am to drive to Leeds to drop Lily and Lola off with my parents then getting home, getting ready and having brekkie I was ready to relax and play the part of passenger for a while. With my iPhone map, a packet of Percy Pigs and camera in hand off we went!

When we arrived in Woodhall Spa we dropped our things off at the B&B and after a chat with the lovely couple who run it and marvelling at how adorable our room was, we headed out, wrapped up warm, to explore.

Top: Some local attractions / Jonathan doing a spot of "tree hugging"

Bottom: The road leading to the B&B / The only nice photo of me which Jonathan ruined :) Also, that is snow and not dandruff.. honest!

We found the Kinema in the Woods and both agreed it was the most wonderful place ever. If this was my local cinema I would be here every week!

We nosied at the Kinema a few times during our stay and saw it pre-snow, post-snow, in the light and in the dark and it looked great every time. We also went to watch a film (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) and it was the most surreal experience, like we had stepped back in time. The best part was the interval where we were treated to some piano playing and a few jokes from the piano player.

The Kinema in the Woods - outside and inside.

It was dark by the time we left the Kinema but we had a wander around anyway, earmarking all of the places we wanted to go back to the following morning. By this point we were hungry (despite numerous cinema snacks and hot chocolate!) so we headed for some grub and then a relatively early night as we were pooped!

The following morning, after a huge full English breakfast with tea and toast at the B&B, we loaded up the car and had one last walk around the town visiting an amazing deli which you can see in the video I made. We loaded up on sweet treats for later on in the day.

Walking round the town

Before we drove to Lincoln we stopped at the Petwood Hotel which was stunning. You can read a little about its history here. We really fell in love with this place and thought it would be a wonderful place to tie the knot. Ooh er! ;)

The Petwood Hotel.

It didn't take long to drive to Lincoln so we had plenty of time to wander around the centre and visit the array of little shops on offer. It was ab-sol-utely freezing so we were glad to find warmth inside whenever we could. My favourite shop was the vintage clothes shop which had so many amazing things inside. We bought a few bits and bobs from other places, including some artwork by a local artist and some vintage-style postcards from a huge bookshop full of old and new books. We're going to put the postcards into frames to hang in our home.

Wandering around Lincoln / The most beautiful blue house!

We went inside the Cathedral and marvelled at the outside and how beautiful it was. Then after being outside for so long we were longing for a cup of tea to warm our cockles so we visited a little tea shop. This gave us chance to warm up and rest our tired feet before making our way back to the car and back home.

Have you been to Woodhall Spa and/or Lincoln? Do you live in either place? Let me know your recommendations of where to go incase we ever go back!

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