Usually after staying at a state park that doesn’t have sewer connections, we like to head towards a campground with full hookups so we can get caught up on laundry and other water intense activities. Such was the case after Stephen Foster.

On Saturday morning, we left Stephen Foster State Park, heading for our next destination, Ho-Hum RV Park in Carrabelle, FL. This would be a pretty long drive, about 2-1/2 hours, compared to the short hops we’ve been making lately.

So after a quick goodbye to Pete and Laura, off we went, leaving around 11:00 a.m. The drive was pretty uneventful. Here’s the video from our Dashcam as we left Rainbow Springs State Park.

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As usual, as soon as we started moving, the kitties scurried under the couch which is where they normally stay for the entire trip. Perhaps it was because this section of  I-10 was smooth & devoid of heavy traffic that Gizmo decided to come out from hiding to see what was going on. He did quite well, even jumping up in my lap for a reassuring, “aren’t you proud of me” pat for a few minutes. He was fine except for the rumble and bumps as we crossed over bridges. Once we started driving on the secondary roads, back he went to his comfortable hiding place.

Carrabelle is part of what is deemed the “Forgotten Coast” of Florida, a relatively quiet, undeveloped section of coastline stretching from Mexico Beach on the Gulf of Mexico to St. Marks on Apalachee Bay in Florida. Last year we  stayed in Carrabelle and really liked the peacefulness of the area so that’s why we decided to return this year.

Although we liked Carrabelle Beach RV Resort where we stayed last year, we had trouble shoehorning the coach into our assigned site and getting it level on the steeply sloped pad. So this year we decided to try Ho-hum RV Park which had very favorable reviews. Kind of funny because last year as we drove by Ho-Hum we both made the comment “ugh, who would want to stay there”. From the road, it appears a little run down and is a typical beach type of resort with RV’s and 5th wheels crammed close together in a parking lot type environment.

We arrived at Ho-Hum RV Park around 2:30 p.m. – here’s a short video from our Dashcam of our arrival (note the video says our site was #47 but it was actually #45). At the office, there was a little bit of a mix up with our reservation. When I called to reserve a site I had requested a beachfront site and was told they only had one left. My assumption was that that was what we would get but they don’t send a confirming email. At check-in, Dee, the woman at the desk assigned us to #15 (a non-beachfront site). After I explained that I had reserved beachfront, she very nicely moved us to #45. Perfect! The rate was a little higher but that was okay, well worth it. Rates are $39 for beachfront or $35.10 with a Good Sam discount, interior 50 amp sites are $33 or $29.70 with Good Sam, and interior 30 amp sites are $29 or $26.10.See our detailed review of this park.

Once we unhitched the toad and pulled into our site, we were thrilled. The coach was just a few feet from the breakwater and the beach so the view from our front window was totally awesome! Couldn’t get much closer than we were. With the windows open we could hear the waves crashing on the beach. Spectacular sunrises, pretty sunsets and we even saw a couple of dolphins frolicking a short distance from the shore. Wow! No need to even close the front shade at night.

Rob was busy getting the hook-ups completed when a couple stopped by to chat shortly followed by another couple. Lots of friendly people. After about 45 minutes of chatting everyone left, Rob finished and we went to check out the fish pier and take a walk along the beach.

At most campgrounds, there are always a lot of dogs but here cats ruled. In fact, several people including the ones next door to us walk their cats on a leash. Wish our guys would join that program! Several other people we met had cats as well.

One of the people we talked to right after we arrived mentioned a couple of restaurants, one of them being a great place to get pizza, Mama Jo’s Pizzeria. After our walk we decided to order a take out pizza so we drove into Carrabelle to pick that up. Mama Jo’s is a small Mom & Pop type place where you can either do take-out or eat-in either sitting inside or on the deck overlooking the harbor. She does all the cooking, making everything (the dough and the sauce) from scratch. When I called, she answered the phone telling me to hold on for a minute because her hands were all sticky and covered with flour. Based on a couple of reviews we read, we ordered a 16″ (they have 8″, 10″, 12″, 16″ and 18″ sizes) Super Deluxe (Sausage, Pepperoni, Ham, Bell Pepper, Red Onions, Black Olives, Mushrooms, and Banana Peppers) for $19.50. Besides pizza, they also have bread sticks and calzones.

When we arrived, there was a beautiful sunset so we just had to gawk at that for a while before we went in to pick up the pizza. When we went inside, the husband (at least I think he was) said “I was beginning to fret about you”. Huh? Were we being chastised for being late in picking up the pizza? Too funny! Guess he thought our pizza would be ruined. As we went to pick up the box, he said, wait, let me show it to you and opened the box for a viewing. Sure did look good. What a delicious pizza, maybe one of the better ones that I’ve had! Not sure if it was the toppings, the homemade sauce or the crust but definitely would order from here again.

The next day we patronized another place recommended to us;  Two Al’s At The Beach Cafe, located at 1 Beach Drive in Carrabelle, a few miles from Ho-Hum. Even though it’s not located directly on the beach, it looks like it should be with it’s brightly colored exterior. Very eclectic place not only outside but inside as well.

We heard that the owner owns an “antique” store. Lots of art work on the walls, display cases filled with various memorabilia and a display of unopened old coke bottles, dating from the ’70’s and ’80’s. Some of these bottles had labels from the Olympics showing the event, the country and the top country’s time for that event. A model boat was in a glass display on the wall. May not sound like anything unique but the entire thing was made out of cloves.

At the recommendation of the waitress we both had an “Exploded Biscuit”. The Exploded Meat Lover’s biscuit had egg, sausage, ham, bacon, smoked sausage & cheddar cheese served on a bed of home fries with peppers and onions and sausage gravy on the side. Oh, my, so much food! But really tasty. Although it was quite good, I’m not crazy about sausage gravy so glad that that was on the side. Lots of leftovers – we only ate about half of it. Tasted good the next day before our departure.

After breakfast we continued driving along Hwy. 98 so we could check out a few of the other campgrounds in the area. Across the highway from Carrabelle Beach RV Resort, we stopped at the WWII D-Day Training Site and took a walk along the beach. Last year we were fascinated by the remaining stumps of cedar trees in the water, making the beach look like some type of moonscape. Hate to try to swim here at high tide. Ouch! It was the same this year.

The onshore breeze was fairly stiff and it was fun watching the sea foam dance and jiggle in the wind, with little fluff balls eventually breaking off and rolling across the sand toward shore. It was almost like the fluff balls where trying to run away from the sea. Why was there sea foam at this beach when none existed at any other beaches we wondered. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say about it. Guess it isn’t all that amusing!

Eventually we came upon Coastline RV Resort at 957 Hwy. 98 in Eastpoint. Looked nice, more amenities than Ho Hum but similar to Carrabelle Beach RV Resort (although much smaller), it was across the highway from the beach. Thirty sites with full hookups, brick paved patios, grills, picnic tables, wifi, cable, a bath house, laundry and fitness center are some of the offerings. Rates are higher than Ho-Hum however. But a definite possibility for a future stay.

Just a short distance down the road, there was another Coastline Campground with what looked like the same sign. Turns out that the one we had just passed was the resort, this was the newly built sister campground. Same name but more rustic and cheaper (Sites starting at just $34.95 per night). Full hook-up, 70+ cable TV, 10×25 cement patio, picnic table w/ umbrella and fire rings. Well, that’s a little confusing! I think we would pick the campground as the sites seemed more spacious even though they were gravel/grass vs. pavers.

We finally turned around and headed back to Ho-Hum. That night we watched the Super Bowl. With such two well matched teams, it could have been anyone’s game but somehow the Pats miraculously pulled off the win. OMG, what a nail biter!

The next day we had to leave, our stay here was way to short but it was after all just a stopping off place before our next destination. We wanted to hike to the Dwarf Cedar Trees in Tate’s Hell State Forest but ran out of time. Next visit!

Although Ho-Hum lives up to its name and lacks glitz and privacy, it does have well functioning full hookups and you just can’t beat the beachfront sites!

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