May 13: The campgrounds so far

We have been on the road 13 days and traveled 1,289 miles.  Not making huge distances, but enjoying the journey.  The cool thing is having the time to do this.  So far each stop has given us a special treat we weren't expecting.  As always we are finding the State campgrounds to be totally awesome, spacious and in unique locations.  We're averaging $75 per fill up of gas...about half of what we paid two years ago!  Average cost of campsites up until Nashville has averaged $20 a night so that's been great.  Yeah for State Parks!
Rainbow Springs State Park, FLwas unique with the swimming hole, water falls and preservation of a space that was once commercial.  The State really has done an awesome job of saving thousands of acres and keeping them in pristine condition and something that will be around for our grandkids to enjoy.  Each location so far has shown us a different side of Florida that we didn't know existed.  Florida is much more than the sandy beaches we've always enjoyed on Sanibel.
The Caverns State Park, FL was a great campsite, but the mosquitoes were a drag.  However, the caverns really were beautiful and our guide, Kevin, was knowledgeable and interesting.  We learned a lot about how the caverns were developed once they were discovered, and again, another amazing project done by the Civilian Conservation Corp during the depression.  So far we've learned that the CCC was instrumental in developing many of the State Campgrounds while giving young men in that era a job and a skill.
Oak Mountain State Park, AL just outside of Birmingham, was another great location for us.  We didn't really go in to the park, however we did circumnavigate it when we got lost and had to loop around the entire park before finding the entrance.   We found ourselves on a two lane road that we couldn't seem to find a place to turn around so just kept going forward and around.  We saw more of the Birmingham rural area than we intended, but we can say it sure is pretty.  The park ranger took pity on us when she heard about the disastrous time we'd had getting there and kindly put us up in the area reserved for people bringing horses for events in the area.  Just a mile inside the park, instead of driving in another 6 miles to the actual campground.  The sites were drive through so
we didn't have to unhook the car and able to just leave quickly the next morning.
T.O. Fuller State Park in Memphis.  This has been another super nice camping area.  It's about a 15 minute drive in to the City, but the campground is small and the facility are excellent.  Laundry is the cheapest we have seen so far at only $1 to wash and $1 to dry!  Such a deal.  Oh, and did I mention Graceland is really close...Elvis can pop in anytime he wants.
Grand Ole RV is just outside of Nashville.  Not quite what we were expecting and further north of the City than we realized, but the folks here are SO friendly....you just can't complain.  Rates are $32.50 and we're staying 5 nights.  They have tour buses that will pick us up right here so that's convenient.