# Some Photos From Our Topsail Hill Preserve Trip



## Pastor John (Oct 13, 2005)

Hi folks!

We took our first trip to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Destin, Florida during the holidays and I thought you might like to see a couple of photos:

http://homepage.mac.com/john.read/PhotoAlbum10.html.

As others have said, this is a great "RV Resort" rather than a campground per se. By that, I mean that it's not much of a wilderness experience. Many of the other rigs in our loop were large motorhomes, so we felt sort of like the Beverly Hillbillies with our Outback 21rs! But we had a great time visiting the beach, eating at great seafood restaurants, and *enjoying?* what has to be the world's largest outlet mall.

Not exactly "roughing it". And don't even THINK about having a campfire: no fire rings!


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## tdvffjohn (Mar 10, 2005)

Nice pics

Good to see you are 'Movin on up'

John


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## shake1969 (Sep 21, 2004)

Very nice! That's what we all go camping for. A nice spot, and relax, relax, relax!


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Looks like a nice area, John.

But no fire rings? What's the matter with these people!









Happy Trails,
Doug


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## W4DRR (May 17, 2005)

PDX_Doug said:


> Looks like a nice area, John.
> 
> But no fire rings? What's the matter with these people!Â
> 
> ...


Winter months, it might be nice to have a fire. But summer....on the Gulf coast....a campfire would be the last thing on your mind! Believe me!


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## California Jim (Dec 11, 2003)

Nice trip, and I'll bet that 17" LCD came in handy on the rainy days


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

Nice pictures, thanks for sharing.

Question, how do you like the awning with the one support removed? I've never seen anyone do that before, one on one off. Does that help in wind?

Bummer, can't link pictures from that site.

Bill.


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## Pastor John (Oct 13, 2005)

I usually take the arm nearest the door and set it on the ground so that getting in and out of the camper is easier. I haven't had any problem with the wind moving it around, because there is a fair amount of weight on it. But in a heavy wind, I would either reattach it to the side, or roll up the entire awning. The foot also has holes so that it could be staked to the ground, although I have never felt the need to do so.


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## Fire44 (Mar 6, 2005)

I pull the rear on off on our 27RSDS if we are going to be at one site for more that one night. The rear support is really close to the rear door and it makes it much easier to get in and out. I do stake them down with a large "J" hook that I drive in with a hammer. One word of advice, be very careful driving the stakes in, the foot is made out of a very light metal and will break very easily, I haven't ever broken one but my brother in law has. I use a piece of wood on top of the stake so I don't strike the foot with the hammer.

Gary


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## 2500Ram (Oct 30, 2005)

Thanks again everyone, You learn something new every day.

Bill.


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## kywoman (Feb 9, 2006)

Pastor John said:


> Hi folks!
> 
> We took our first trip to Topsail Hill Preserve State Park near Destin, Florida during the holidays and I thought you might like to see a couple of photos:
> 
> ...


Hello
I am planning a trip to Topsail April 11-20th and sugguestions. It looks like a GREAT state park. Any likes or dis-likes??


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## Pastor John (Oct 13, 2005)

Well, we definitely liked the Palm Circle section best, although the entire park is great. We made a list of what we thought were the best sites - these offered the most privacy: #138, #127, #132 and #125. Each site in the park has 30/50 amp electric service, water, cable TV and sewer. The gate is open 24/7, so late night restauranting is not a problem. Of the restaurants in the Santa Rosa/Grayton area, we really liked Pandora's and were disappointed in Goatfeathers.

The campground is about a half-mile from the beach, but there is a golf-cart type train that makes the trip on a continuous basis. I *think* that's the only access to the beach.

We were very impressed with the park, but prefer the more "outdoorsy" state parks where the emphasis is nature. The Palm Circle loop was mostly large motorhomes, but a little more aesthetic than other parts of the park, so we were glad to have a site there. It just requires a little shift of mindset: you're not camping, you're "RV-ing" at this park.

It's easy to see why this park gets such great ratings - it's top notch in every way!


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## Swanie (Oct 25, 2004)

Hey Pastor John,
I like your dachshund in the photo. Does he/she have the run of the camper? I have 2 mini dach's and we usuallly kennel them under the bunks. Aren't they just fun?


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Nice photos John









Don


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## drobe5150 (Jan 21, 2005)

great pictures









darrel


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## Thor (Apr 7, 2004)

Thanks for showing us your pics.









Thor


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## old_tidefan (Nov 23, 2005)

Can't wait to see this place in June!


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## Pastor John (Oct 13, 2005)

Swanie,

"Pinot", our 3yr old dachshund mix, gets full run of the camper while we are there. At night, we put him in a portable cage that sits in the kitchen. We always take him with us when we go out exploring or to eat; I don't trust him to be quiet if we were to leave him in the camper. DW would rather have him up in bed with us at night, but there isn't room for all three of us in a "short queen" bed.

He's well behaved, but you wouldn't want to walk through our campsite at any time while he is on duty - he'll throw a tantrum that in the confines of a 21 ft box is deafening!


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