PIX from our first family trip!

[fotochop]

..after enduring a subtle (and unspoken) vibe around the house that seemed to be saying/thinking: "..soooo...are we ever going to actually USE this trailer in the backyard or will you just keep WORKING ON IT for the next few decades..?" we hitched up the sway bars and hit the road! Destination: greater Hattiesburg (MS) and Okatoma Creek for some fantastic canoeing.. Ole Pucci (pronounced "poochie"..he's Italian.. and 15 yrs. old) wasn't about to be left behind!



After looking over the Outpost's "trailer park" (not a tree around) we improvised and headed over to Paul B. Johnson State Park about 10 miles south of Hattiesburg, where we were greeted with some really peaceful vibes and beautiful scenery..



Around dusk I just couldn't resist snapping a few of Sapphire glowing in the soft Mississippi light, even if she was the only beauty queen sitting in the midst of a bunch of white Squaresville boxes..



So here's the REAL reason I bought an Airstream: for my kid. I grew up in the country and she's a city slicker but I really want her to get a good taste of what relaxed country livin' is all about..even if she only can get it a weekend at a time. And if she wants to bring her portable DVD player and watch our fave flicks like Teacher's Pet, count me in!



This trip had a lot of "firsts" for us and one was First Awning Opening. Wasn't nearly as tricky as I had feared. Here we're out at Flint Creek State Park which has a wonderful water park that slides you right into the lake..



Once we got out on the Okatoma my kid broke out the $10 disposable underwater camera and started shooting...here's the old man gittin' busy with the paddle and canoe steering:



Okatoma Creek is some of the best paddling around here (only 2 hours from our home in New Orleans) and the $30 canoe and shuttle is worth every penny. We had our good friends The Bennett's join us on the creek where my twin brother (different mothers) Carl showed us some Cajun Surfing on the Okatoma Rapids:



Even Pucci seemed more relaxed on the ride home.. hey, don't be a player-hater I heard him say:



Sure you can have fun camping without an Airstream...but you just can't have MORE fun that you'll have with one!

[CanoeStream]

Fun storytelling Rick -- looks like a good time was had by all!

[63Silver]

fotochop,
It looks like you and your family had a great time. We just returned from our first trip and it was great. Now we have to wait for the next one.

63silver

[TBRich]

Thanks for sharing your trip with us...sounds wonderful...and sounds like you are a good dad, too. (Pucci told me.)

[DEITZ645]

Originally Posted by fotochop

..after enduring a subtle (and unspoken) vibe around the house that seemed to be saying/thinking: "..soooo...are we ever going to actually USE this trailer in the backyard or will you just keep WORKING ON IT for the next few decades..?" we hitched up the sway bars and hit the road! Destination: greater Hattiesburg (MS) and Okatoma Creek for some fantastic canoeing.. Ole Pucci (pronounced "poochie"..he's Italian.. and 15 yrs. old) wasn't about to be left behind!

Fotochop,
Great story and I'm glad the first outing went so well. It is always a bonus when you have good weather and a good trip on the first outing.

Originally Posted by 63Silver

fotochop,
It looks like you and your family had a great time. We just returned from our first trip and it was great. Now we have to wait for the next one.

63silver

63silver,
I know what you mean. This workin' for a living is killing us. I am 42 and my wife is 49 (she robbed the craddle) and we are trying to come up with schemes that will aloow us to full time. I figure if we sold all of our worldly posessions we could do it...until we start talking about the dreaded HEALTH INSURANCE. So for now we have to be content with long weekends and the odd week long trips here and there.

So buck up little camper, the "next one" is right around the corner.

[tin sista]

What a nice story and photos too!! We bought our Airstream to go camping with our kid too. Have fun making more great travel memories!

[doorgunner]

Nice, very nice indeed!
Airstreaming with the young ones, a $30 canoe and cajun surfin to boot!! yee haa

I won't touch the "brother from anotha mother" thing tho!!!

[utee94]

Rick, it's good to hear from you, and I'm glad that you finally got to take that rig camping! Looks like it was a great trip.

-Marcus

[HiHoAgRV]

Way to go dude! Glad to see you are on the road and enjoyn' things.

We do the Bogue Chitto canoe trip every other year, never been on the Okatoma. They pick you up in the campground, shuttle you up stream and you float to the campground.

[fotochop]

Originally Posted by HiHoAgRV

Way to go dude! Glad to see you are on the road and enjoyn' things.

We do the Bogue Chitto canoe trip every other year, never been on the Okatoma. They pick you up in the campground, shuttle you up stream and you float to the campground.

I'd like to canoe every navigable (unpolluted) river around here. I'm surprised no one is renting on the Tangipahoa River. I haven't been on it but it seems like it would be ideal for canoeing. biz opportunity?? if I had some $ laying around..hmmm... that Bogue Chitto float is nice, also the Magee's Creek that feeds it..

[IndyAnne]

Hey, Rick,

I've had some great trips on the Okatoma! The "falls" are the closest thing to whitewater in south MS. (Watch out for that undercut rock, and keep flotation on, especially the kids.)

Black Creek is nice, too. A wild and scenic river.

Red Creek near Wiggins/Perkinston. They have a "beach" there.

Paul B Johnson is an interesting place. The lakes were built by German POWs held at Camp Shelby back in WWII. Lots of stories there ...

And speaking of WWII, if you ever get a chance to see Cat Island, the military used it as a dog training site. They tried to train dogs to "smell" foreign invaders. Trouble is, the prisoners (Japanese) they used ate the same food as everyone else and smelled like everyone else. The last time I was fishing out there, you could still see the embankments on the little canals, and pads where the camp tents were set up. The military also used Cat as a stopping place on the Trail of Tears for the Seminole nation. That's all some bleak story-telling, but needs to be remembered, in case more hairbrained schemes are hatched involving national security on the barrier islands.

Haven't seen Cat Island since Katrina. There used to be some good marshes for redfish and speckled trout, flounder, and shrimping. Now, those stories are real good ones. We caught some monster reds -- and some sharks -- in the cut through Ship Island. Get your license and keep it handy -- they do check. And if you happen to wander over into Louisiana waters, don't get caught without a LA license, either. They'll take all your stuff and your boat. We were sitting out waiting for the change of tide on a bank just across the line. The wildlife agents checked each and every person out there.

Now that all the tourism is down due to Katrina, and all the energy going to rebuilding the "gaming establishments" on the Coast, the smaller waters might be just the perfect way to enjoy the outdoors.

I'd be interested to see what the big storm might have done to some of the creeks.

I used to live in Hattiesburg. Very nice little city.

Anne

[HankandLois]

Great pics... Thanks for sharing!

I had to chuckle when I read your quote about your AS being the beauty queen. I'm right there with ya! (high five!)

You're doing the right thing... making memories for your child... positive ones!
(Lois)

[fotochop]

2Air noticed we actually have 2Dogs and sweetheart Judi didn't get her props so here's a couple of her to round out this thread...she's 50 times sweeter than the Old Italian (and a much better driver) and should never be left out ;-)

[Lothlorian]

Foto chop I will be taking mine out for our first Airstream vacation. It will be my first time ever pulling an RV on vacation. We are leaving in a couple of days.

It looks like you are having a great time.
SIU Bound

Brian

[fotochop]

Originally Posted by SIU Bound

Foto chop I will be taking mine out for our first Airstream vacation. It will be my first time ever pulling an RV on vacation. We are leaving in a couple of days.

It looks like you are having a great time.
SIU Bound

Brian

yes, the ultimate way to 'vacate' unless you're going international... but hey, Wally did it that way too...

I'm a big fan of The Slow Tow, especially with current gas prices. It also feels a whole lot SAFER, even on our local flatlands. Just smile at the wackos who zoom by as you dig your journey...then smile at them again when you pull up next to them at the red light...

[Overlander & Sea]

Rick,

Looks like you guyes had a great first trip, thanks for sharing. We go to Paul B Johnson State Park often to visit family, very nice, I like the full hookups. There's some great canoeing in the area.

Originally Posted by IndyAnne

Haven't seen Cat Island since Katrina. There used to be some good marshes for redfish and speckled trout, flounder, and shrimping. Now, those stories are real good ones. We caught some monster reds -- and some sharks -- in the cut through Ship Island.

It's been a very good year for speckled trout fishing here on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.