R Shaefer Heard COE

July 13-17, 2018

This was our second time at R Shaefer Heard COE and it is a park filled with memories. Originally, we planned to camp with my parents in their RV over Memorial Day Weekend, however, there was a HURRICANE projected for that weekend. We rescheduled to July and we reserved even BETTER spots.

Last minute, my husband had to change his work schedule, so that meant I had to drive the camper up a day early. My mom was so helpful and drove with me the entire way. This was my first time driving on the highway and my mom (who drives HUGE horse trailers) coached me the entire way. I was so grateful for her wisdom and keeping me sane! My stepdad trailed behind us in their RV and we arrived after about 3 and a half hours. The drive is quite beautiful after you exit the highway!! We were site 78 and most sites at RSH COE are tricky because they have a steep incline down into the site.

My parents have a 50 amp RV so they stayed in the 80’s spots which had 50 amp access. Looking back, my mom said they would have been fine in the 30 amp because the weather was so mild they only needed one AC unit throughout their trip. Our site was Site 78 and was a 30 amp spot with water hookup. It was extremely spacious and shaded. The only challenge was it does had a mild decline into the site, but once you are into the site it doesn’t effect leveling. The site was paved, with gravel and had a fire ring, picnic table and trash hook. I would stay at this spot again! It was private with tree lines and a beautiful view of the lake!

We had a BEAUTIFUL water front spot! The year prior we did not have easy lake access and this year we could walk right into the water (with a few sticks and rocks in the way). We live in South GA, so swimming in lakes is usually frowned upon because of gators, however, this lake is so far north we had no fear. This lake is unique because it has a rich blue color when the sun hits it just right. It was SO awesome! The water was very clean and the lake had great accessibility. We were grateful that my parents towed the Jet Skis up because it gave us a whole new perspective of West Pointe Lake.

Jet skiing was SO fun on this lake! There are so many little rivers and areas to explore. There was minimal traffic on the lake, but I think that was because it wasn’t a holiday weekend. We used the jet skis to go back and forth from the campsites because it was faster than walking. We had the genius idea of taking Lucy on the jetskis. She was VERY nervous and anxious the first few seconds, but once she felt the wind in her ears she absolutely loved it. One trip back from the camper, I realized I forgot the keys in the door and I looked back over my shoulder and the next thing I know we are IN THE WATER.

Lucy started to swim to me and immediately starting to push me under, thankfully, Rick has hulk strength and pushed Lucy (one handed) back on the jet ski. I wish I had a camera to take a picture of the face Lucy had! It was like she was saying “Wow, Mom that was FUN. Let’s do that AGAIN!” However, I did not share the same enthusiasm. I we quickly realized how hard it would be to get two full grown adults onto a jet ski, while try to not tip it again with a big, clumsy Golden on board. After a few minutes, we finally got back on. We campsites on shore sure got a lot of entertainment for those few minutes!!

One of our favorite parts of camping with my parents is playing cards and dominoes. Our game of choice is Spite and Malice and it usually means the boys vs girls. We have played for years with them, and it never fails we always lose. This was the first time we played dominoes and we learned how to play Mexican Train. If you have never played, I HIGHLY recommend learning. It is SO much fun and you can pick up where you left off after each round.

We spent a majority of our days relaxing, hanging around the campground and swimming!