We continued south on I-55 until we turned east on highway 82 near Winona, Mississippi. East on 82, we stopped at a KOA in Starksville. It was a very pleasant surprise. Very nice campground on a small lake with a water park. Level lots with concrete pads. Like all KOAs, it was a bit expensive. We enjoyed the evening and would definitely return if in the area again. A view from our front door:
On Thursday morning we got on highway 45 just east of Starkville. The road was 4 lanes through Mississippi and we made good time. However, once in Alabama, the road went to only two lanes and the road became narrow and twisty. Traffic built up and it was a slow go all the way to just northwest of Mobile. There we picked up I-10, survived the George Wallace Memorial Tunnel, and took 181 south once we made it over Mobile Bay. Then it was a short uneventful drive to our destination, Escapees Rainbow Park, near Summerdale. We hope to remain here for the winter unless we find a reason to move on.
The weather here has been up and down with a very cold start like most of the country. We are told that the average winter here has only a few nights below freezing. In the last couple of weeks, we've had those few days already. One night we survived 21 degrees. On nights with a hard freeze we unhook our water hose and use only drinking water we have set aside or use water in our tank for non-drinking purposes. We don't drink water from our storage tank as we have not sanitized it. Daytime highs have ranged from the upper 40s to the mid 70s.
We came here without reservations expecting no problems. However, we were lucky as we got one of the few sites where we could extend our roots for several months without having to hopscotch about several sites. Who knew? Now if only the weather would cooperate a little.
