Winter Seclusion

Parked in front of the computer, not enjoying the Admiral, is my idea of winter isolation. Not only will I be out of the travel, my beautiful wife will be in Hattiesburg, Mississippi for the week. Just the Admiral "captain" and dogs this week. I have given thought to a 2 night escape to Land Between the Lakes, LBL, but have not convinced myself it would be enjoyable with only my dog, Bailey. Shssss' do not let on to her.

I have the desire to explore winter camping in the LBL. It could be a good opportunity to do this exploring while unaccompanied so Baily and I can get dirty and hike to some of the other camp grounds. The LBL offers four (4) campgrounds open in the winter months. Two campgrounds, Fenton and Wrangler offer some hook ups, while Birmingham Ferry and Cravens Bay are more primitive.

The Wrangler Camp offers full hook ups and facilities for horses. The campground is not located on water front which limits the appeal to my tastes. However, the central location and ease of access may result in this being our command headquarters for the exploring trip. Being somewhat isolated, Bailey and I will stock up the frig,pantry and liquor locker prior to the trip. The weather appears agreeable next week, much superior to the 6-8" of snow we experienced this weekend.

I have made a decision. Instead of venturing to LBL this week and batching it, I am exploring the camp grounds with my trusty friend Mickey Doo. Not Mickey Mouse but a good male bonding friend. We will check out 3-4 camp grounds and then Me and the best part of my life (Denise) will venture down during a 3 day weekend. That way I can be well scouted in the area prior to our winter camping. I am not sure Denise is ready for the roughing it without all the electrical stuff. After all, our favorite camp ground, Canal will open up no later than April 1st.

While isolated during the winter months, I find myself planning spring and summer trips. I do believe the trip to Lake of the Osarks may be the spring trip. I also plan a trip to Keenland Race Track this spring for we missed the event last season. I am determined to dry camp in the track lot this spring. It is my understanding we can stay in the bus lot if self contained. I think a day at the track, beer, wine and gambling is best suited for a crawl back to the coach for a BBQ. A day at Keenland and another 2 days at Kentucky Horse Park would be a great weekend.

Well my 2 days alone are starting to grate on my mind. Bailey is good company but not a good conversationalist. Her range of subject appears to be limited.

It is not 5 nights alone and Bailey is really looking Cute. Just kidding. We made the trip to LBL as planned and a good off day. Checking out the camp grounds was a good idea. We learned that Wrangler is good for horsey people, but limited if you have to use 2 human hoofs. Wrangler has not water frontage and horse trails are a bit say, phew. We ventured to Energy Lake to visit the camp ground but unfortunately is was closed and locked behind a big gate. However, the location appears good with water front sites and good access to the impounded lake. This could be a spring trip. We did revisit Birmingham Ferry and found this to be one of my preferred sites for dry camping. The sites are large and reasonable level. Secluded but great view of Kentucky Lake.


Our adventure was complete. Bailey got to dream about deer, geese and ducks and I could view potential camp grounds. The day was fun with just man and dog. Sometimes the simplest of days are the best.

Happy Trails.