Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey

We stayed at Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey in Toomsuba, Mississippi. (Campground Reviews listing.)

Just a one night stay to break up an otherwise too-long drive.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-11-18
Check out: 2023-11-19
1 night

Weather:

Partly cloudy
High temp 70°F, low 42°F
Negligible wind

Noise:

A little local road noise, no freeway noise
Occasional train noise
Negligible neighbor noise

Site:

#45, pull-through, gravel
Didn’t need to disconnect toad, and didn’t
Level; used air leveling, since only one night
Gravel driveway about 70 feet long by about 12 feet wide
Grass between sites about 12 feet wide
Picnic table on grass
No fire pit
Clean site

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
Didn’t use water or sewer, but conveniently located

Internet (in usage priority order):

Campground Wi-Fi: 22-27 Mbps down, 11-23 Mbps up, 65 ms ping
T-Mobile: 2-5 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 90 ms ping
AT&T: 16-20 Mbps down, 1 Mbps up, 50 ms ping
Verizon: 3-8 Mbps down, 0.5 Mbps up, 125 ms ping
Starlink: not used

Amenities:

Garbage dumpster
Seasonally closed pool and water slide

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Sketchy road, nice trees

This campground is conveniently located off I-20, just far enough away that you don’t get road from the Interstate. Still, there are downsides: 1) the narrow country road to get there is very narrow with lots of low-hanging trees, 2) the “recycling” yard you drive by does not give a great impression, and 3) the local residents go way too fast down this road, and there is a lot of local road noise. The park roads are also a bit narrow, with some tight turns. We had a pull-through site that was just long enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle. We didn’t have to disconnect, but we took up pretty much the entire length. If the 5th wheel next to us hadn’t left before we did, I wasn’t sure if we would’ve had enough room to turn onto the road. But the site was clean and the trees were pleasant, so this was a good spot for a one-night stay. We camped at Meridian East / Toomsuba KOA Journey in a Motorhome.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site:

Our site

Other nearby sites:

Other sites

The office:

Office

Inside, a piano:

Piano

This was a perfectly fine place to stay for a night, though the road to it was a bit narrow, so we’d probably look for somewhere more convenient if we come this way again in the future.

Travel from Red Bay, Alabama to Toomsuba, Mississippi

We drove our coach 180 miles, about 3 hours of driving, from Red Bay, Alabama to Toomsuba, Mississippi.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading southeast:

Route

An interactive map:

Leaving the Red Bay Acres RV park:

Leaving Red Bay Acres

“Welcome to Mississippi”:

Welcome to Mississippi

Highway 76:

Highway 76

Exit to I-22:

Exit to I-22

I-22:

I-22

Tombigbee River:

Tombigbee River

A momentary loss of visibility from farm dust:

Farm dust

The speed limit signs also have a minimum speed, unusually:

Minimum speed sign

Exit to Tupelo:

Exit to Tupelo

We stopped for lunch at Tin Lizzie Cafe in West Point, Mississippi:

Tin Lizzie Cafe

BLT (without the tomato) and “tater babies” wedges:

BLT and wedges

The highway had frequent turnaround lanes:

Turnaround

Paladin asleep next to the passenger chair:

Paladin

Highway 45:

Highway 45

Exit to I-20:

Exit to I-20

I-20:

I-20

TA fuel stop:

TA fuel stop

The pump price was $371.99 for 107 gallons of diesel (thirsty coach!), though we actually paid less, thanks to our Open Roads discount (see below):

$371.99 for 107 gallons of diesel

The slowest DEF pump; it took 10 minutes to pump five gallons:

DEF

$23.69 for 5.779 gallons of DEF:

$23.69 for 5.779 gallons of DEF

The Open Roads statement indicated that we saved $30.65 on the diesel (the DEF isn’t discounted):

Open Roads statement

A narrow road to our destination:

Narrow road

And a narrower road:

Narrower road

Our destination, a KOA Journey:

Our destination

Our site:

Our destination

Unfortunately no travel video today; my dashcam had filled up and failed to record.

Natchez Trace Parkway

We drove along about 140 miles of the 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway in Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee. A weird park barely wider than the road, with thousands of years of history.

Though we drove both ways on that portion, so a total of about 280 miles, plus some detours, over two days.

We also drove past Elvis Presley’s birthplace and Tupelo National Battlefield, and visited Meriwether Lewis National Monument.

An interactive map (see the NPS site for the full route map):

Natchez Trace Parkway

Bridge

Tombigbee waterway

Waterway

Pharr Mounds:

Pharr Mounds

Natchez Trace Parkway

Visitor center:

Visitor center

Tupelo:

Tupelo

Tupelo National Battlefield:

Tupelo National Battlefield

Tupelo

Elvis Presley’s birthplace:

Elvis' birthplace

Back to the Parkway:

Natchez Trace Parkway

Cave Spring Trail:

Cave Spring

Alabama state line:

Alabama state line

Bear Creek picnic area:

Bear Creek picnic area

Buzzard Roost Spring:

Buzzard Roost Spring

Tennessee River:

Tennessee River

Bridge

Tennessee State Line:

Tennessee State Line

Meriwether Lewis National Monument, where Lewis of Lewis & Clark died and was buried:

Meriwether Lewis National Monument

Fall Hollow Trail:

Fall Hollow Trail

Laurel Hill Road:

Laurel Hill Road

Sunset:

Sunset

A nice scenic drive, with some interesting stops.

Video

Video: Red Bay Acres and Davidson RV timelapse

A timelapse of driving our coach between the Red Bay Acres RV park and Davidson RV for services.

Red Bay Acres RV Resort

We stayed at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in Red Bay, Alabama. (Campground Reviews listing.)

A nice full-hookup RV park in the hometown of Tiffin Motorhomes.

Dates:

Check in: 2023-11-07
Check out: 2023-11-18
11 nights

Weather:

Partly cloudy, some rain
High temps ranging between 63-80°F, lows around 41-62°F
A little wind, gusts to 24 MPH

Noise:

No road noise
No train noise
Hourly clock tower noise
A little neighbor and tech services noise

Site:

#31, back in, concrete
Needed to disconnect toad, parked in front of coach
Level; used air and hydraulic leveling at different times
Concrete driveway about 60 feet long by about 12 feet wide
Grass between sites wedge-shaped, from about 20 to 35 feet wide
Picnic table on 12 by 12 feet concrete patio; fire pit
Clean site
Lots of ladybug-like insects invading our coach; we kept finding them for months afterwards

Utilities:

50 amp power, conveniently located
60 PSI water, conveniently located
Good sewer connection, fairly conveniently located (2 10-foot pipes needed)

Internet (in usage priority order):

T-Mobile: 55 Mbps down, 18 Mbps up, 60 ms ping
AT&T: 117-122 Mbps down, 11-16 Mbps up, 45 ms ping
Verizon: 4-28 Mbps down, 9-12 Mbps up, 80 ms ping
Starlink: not used
Campground Wi-Fi: not used

Amenities:

Garbage pickup from site
Package delivery to site
Onsite restaurant
Pond
Hometown of Tiffin; local RV repairs

Our review on Campground Reviews:

Nice place to return to after service

This is the place to stay when in Red Bay for service. It is a beautifully maintained park, with all the sites facing the fishing pond. All the other parks in town were basic gravel lots. The one drawback is having to back in to the site when coming back from service each day, but that’s not a big deal. The concrete pad was nicely level and all the utilities were good. It’s also nice to have the Yacht Club on-site for a bite to eat at the end of the day. If you’re looking to get service done on-site, make sure to check the list of approved vendors. We camped at Red Bay Acres RV Resort in a Motorhome.

Tip for Other Campers: Lost Pines Coffee had decent coffee and baked goods for a midday pick-me-up. The Natchez Trace Parkway is fairly close and a very nice scenic drive.

Campground map:

Map

An interactive map:

Our site was one of the Luxury sites on the corners, with more space and a fire pit (which of course we didn’t use):

Our site

Staying here was a bit different than most campgrounds, as we drove our coach to RV service companies in town on several days; waking up early and driving about 7 minutes to get some services done, then driving back to our site to spend the night. So we used air leveling and didn’t put on the Magne Shades on those days.

But we did have several days without any services in the middle of our stay, so we put on the Magne Shade and used hydraulic leveling then:

Our site

We boarded Paladin at a local vet during the first few days of our stay, since the techs needed frequent access to the inside of our coach during that period. So we were able to leave our entry door and screen door open; very unusual for us (though we didn’t leave it open long, to avoid bugs invading):

Open door

Later in our stay, there was an influx of Asian Lady Beetles, invasive ladybug-like beetles. We spent a few days catching dozens of them (and releasing them outside):

Asian Lady Beetles

A nice sunset:

Sunset

Other sites; since Red Bay is the home of the Tiffin factory, most of the people staying here were also Tiffin owners, also here for servicing:

Other sites

The RV park features a nice pond in the center:

Pond

Bridge

Pond

It also has an onsite cafe and lounge, called the “Red Bay Yacht Club” (because motorhomes are like land yachts):

Red Bay Yacht Club

We ate there several times, with pizzas the first night:

Pizza

Loaded fries and wings another night:

Loaded fries and wings

Breakfast:

Breakfast

Sandwiches for lunch:

Sandwiches

A view of the pond from the cafe:

Pond

Pickleball court:

Pickleball court

The office and general store:

Office and general store

We enjoyed our stay, and have already booked another stay for when we visit again in early 2024.

Video

Video: Memphis, Tennessee to Red Bay, Alabama motorhome travel timelapse

A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 139 miles from Memphis, Tennessee to Red Bay, Alabama.

Travel from Memphis, Tennessee to Red Bay, Alabama

We drove our coach 139 miles, about 2 hours of driving, from Memphis, Tennessee to Red Bay, Alabama.

Here’s a map showing our route, heading southeast:

Route

An interactive map:

“Welcome to Mississippi” sign (just passing through):

Welcome to Mississippi

Building transportation:

Building transportation

Our coach at a truck stop for lunch:

Our coach at truck stop

Menu:

Breakfast for lunch:

Breakfast for lunch

River:

River

“Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama” sign:

Welcome to Sweet Home Alabama

Exit to Red Bay:

Exit to Red Bay

Hotel Red Bay:

Hotel Red Bay

Our destination, Red Bay Acres RV Resort:

Red Bay Acres RV Resort

General Store:

General Store

Store

Heading to our site:

Heading to our site

Our site (#31):

Our site (31)

Replacing cover on light under sink

Under the kitchen sink is a cupboard with a big slide-out drawer, where we keep garbage and recycling bins, plus dish cleaning supplies and more.

At the top of this cupboard is an LED, and a switch that turns on the light when the cupboard is opened.

However, in our coach the cover of the light was missing. I’m not sure if it’s always been missing, or it was knocked off without our noticing early in our ownership. I only discovered the loss when something knocked the bulb out into the garbage. Fortunately, I noticed that and fished it out before taking out the garbage:

Light

Anyway, to avoid that happening again, I wanted to order a replacement cover for the light. I found the light in the online Tiffin parts store, part number 5032143, “LIGHT WARDROBE BROWN LED”. Of course, they don’t sell just the cover, but the whole unit was pretty cheap:

Light

I didn’t need to replace the light, so I just pried off the cover, and kept the remainder as a spare part:

Light

The old light with the new cover:

Light

Much better!

Steering wheel cover

To protect the steering wheel in our coach, we added a cover that fairly well matches the wheel:

Steering wheel with cover

Graceland

We visited Graceland, the home of Elvis Presley, in Memphis, Tennessee.

An interactive map:

Gate to the visitor center:

Graceland gates

Welcome to Graceland:

Welcome to Graceland

We had a reservation for a self-guided tour of the Graceland mansion. We each had a somewhat trashed iPad and headphones with an audio and video guide for the tour:

iPad tour guide