Aishling the Airstream Update No. 012

 Chewacla State Park

Auburn, Alabama

 

From Wikipedia: Chewacla State Park is a public recreation area in Auburn, Alabama, occupying 696 acres  to the south of Interstate 85. The state park's central feature, 26-acre Lake Chewacla, provides opportunities for fishing, swimming, and non-motorized boating. In the late nineteenth century, Wright's Mill occupied a site in the park where swimmers could find a place to splash about in the mill's surrounding pool. In the 1930s, workers with the Civilian Conservation Corps developed roads, foot trails, and park buildings. Their efforts can be seen in the park's stone cabins and arched masonry bridge. They also constructed the dam that created Chewacla Lake. The state took possession, opening the grounds as Chewacla State Park, in 1939. In addition to water activities, the park features a system of trails for hiking and for mountain biking. The park has facilities for RV and tent camping in addition to its renovated CCC–era cabins, and they have recently added 'glamping tents'. 

 

We attended the Chewacla Classic Camper event 

that's co-hosted by some sweet friends of ours

and it was lots of fun!

It has a loose schedule so there's plenty of time to visit, shop, and do whatever you want. Auburn has changed SO MUCH since our boys were there...but their apartment is still there right across from the engineering building!

Here's some random things from our weekend - 

I enjoyed coffee one morning with a friend I used to work with 

and it was so good to catch up! We're both happily retired now!

We took the time to [really] ride our electric bikes

with friends and they're FUN.

[There is a paved trail just outside the park that is pretty cool!]

 

And we had to take a detour down what looked like a seldom used road... love the clock tower that reminds me of Auburn's campus...

And no, we did NOT go on the mountain bike trails...

That would've been a little rough for me...

We played BINGO with the group!

And won some cute prizes!

I stopped at Acre to get a slice of my favorite pie - 

peanut butter with a pb cookie, banana meringue, and chocolate fudge. YUM.

 

Craig helped with the pancake breakfast - 

Also YUM.

 

Still trying to get a little set-up together

for a good welcome to our campsite -

 

We enjoyed meals, crafts, and 

games at the pavilion -

 

I'm still loving the windows in our #AishlingtheAirstream !

Especially when we're in a woodsy campground!

We loved visiting around the campfire with friends old and new!

The weather was perfect for being by a warm fire! 

 

And we had a meal out one evening with

the group that was very nice too!

 

All-in-all, it was a great weekend...

A perfect weekend for camping in a beautiful woodsy campground!

I think we'll plan to do it again next year!

Aishling the Airstream Update No. 071

 Chewacla State Park

Auburn, Alabama

with sweet friends in Vintage Campers [all kinds!] 

We love the woodsy feel of this Alabama State Park - 

And yet it's MINUTES away from anything you need... 

And the paved bike trail is always fun.

Both young and old! 

We gathered a group together and road out to the highway and back... I think we said it was a total of 7 miles, maybe... 

 Chewacla is always a fun gathering each year! 

There's lots of time to sit around a campfire and visit with our camping buddies!

Craig found a cotton candy machine while thrifting and shared a bit with us one night [testing it out...] It's pretty cool.

[And I'm glad I had some sugar in my tupperware in the camper !] 

And omgoodness - we played the dominoes and rummikub as much as possible! 

It makes me THINK - and that's not a bad thing - lol -

We also enjoyed a few quiet morning at our site 

with our gas fire pit that is so much easier to carry along... 

And of course I LOVE our new Aldi [solar!!] lanterns that hit the stores this week - everyone ended up getting one - SO FUN!!

And - oops - our camper's okay - but we couldn't resist taking a photo of #AishlingtheAirstream 's reflection in a truck in front of us.

WOW.

That doesn't look good.

Chewacla State Park:

We obviously enjoy this campground bc we're there at least once a year - you can go here [and here*] to read more about it -

* HOW DO you spell it?!? - HA 

Aishling the AIrstream: Update No. 037

 

 We did a quick overnight in Oxford, AL 

on the way home from Chewacla 

to see a group we'd found on the internets...

- Leonid & Friends -

They were fun to see - but who knew they were Russian?!

And while the band was great[!] 

some of the other got lost [just a bit] in translation.

 

We stayed at the Good Sam Park, right off the interstate, 

but also just a few miles from the venue downtown...

From their website: "Good Sam RV Park adjacent to Camping World.

Nice long pull-thru spaces for overnighters, playground and pavilion. Beautiful shady sites & also pull-thru sites with no trees. Only minutes from Camping World with a easy walk trail directly from the campground."

It's basically just a parking lot - but has a good bath house and is close to anything you need. Great for a quick overnight - and we may be back....

 

Since there's not much more to share about this stop, 

I thought I'd share some inside photos of Aishling, our Airstream - 

Photos were taken when she was ready for Open House -

  

This our living area - 

Yes I added lots of pillows for COLOR, but also for back support. 

We're not getting any younger....

The yellow hassock fan double as a foot rest -

 And we LOVE having a table / dining area!

[The art covers our TV - ]

The oven to the right is both microwave and convection - and now that I'm used to it 

- I use it all the time! 

I really do LOVE  the little kitchen area - it changes all the time, but always has the coffee pot and an electric skillet out bc I don't love cooking with gas inside the trailer... The bulletin board covers a wonky little built-in spice shelf.

There's storage overhead and these containers keep our 

drink needs labeled and divided nicely.

The pantry is just past the fridge - and we've rotated through some storage ideas... Right now, we think these slide-out drawers from Aldi are working nicely. The white basket holds breads, cereals, and snacks...

The shower is in the 'hall' to the right - 

And may I just say how much I'm enjoying having a real shower again?

And those micro-fiber quick dry towels are THE BOMB.

The bathroom is on the left and we have plenty of room in there as well -  The decorations are a nod to The Rocket City with prints, an astronaut toothbrush holder, mid century soap dish, planet cup, etc.

I know many people hate the mirrors in here [it's A LOT] but I kinda think it helps to brighten it up a bit...

And then our bedroom - I think it seems a bit tighter without the twin beds - but, omgoodness, we love our queen bed.

 There's storage above and on each side the side where you can hang clothes... right now I kinda like this hanging shelf and luggage cubes to keep things sorted -

And we each have a cubbies near our pillows for us to use for our phones, books, etc.

We often laugh about how our wants / desires/ 'tastes' change...because a few years ago we walked through an airstream that was shiny bright inside and thought, 

'WE WILL NEVER WANT THAT' - and yet.... Here we are. LOVING IT.

We love how Christopher C. Deam upgraded the airstream from a woodsy cabin look to a sleek modern look inside that matches the outside.

Here's a link where you can learn more about how he got involved with airstream...

2026 - Week 16 - Thursday Three

 

1. We had a wonderful time with camping buddies while we were at Chewacla for the weekend. Got my first mosquito bite of the season. Hmmm.
2. After buying a knitting needle or two while gone, I found the missing one on our driveway when I got home. Yay.
3. I've enjoyed a couple of lunches with friends this week -- so good to catch up together!  And I MADE the best strawberry cake ever! Thank YOU, @SouthernBite - it's delicious

#HardwickAdventures

 
PS - this bike path was little bumpier than we remembered...

Aishling the AIrstream: Update No. 036

 Chewacla State Park

Auburn, Alabama

[You can go to this post from last year to learn about the park - ] 

The weather was PERFECT during the day - 

a little rainy at night... 

and a storm caused us to be without electricity for 6 hours one night -- 

Otherwise it was GREAT!

  

Let me just start by asking - 

HOW HAVE WE NEVER HEARD OF THIS PLACE?

 They know what they do well - 

Hot Dogs and Ice Cream

and stick to that with a line out front

 from the time they open until they close -  

It was GOOD.

[Someone said it was on the Top 100 Places in Alabama to Eat...] 

We always enjoy being in Auburn with this group of camping friends! 

We shop, we eat, we enjoy the great outdoors...

 

and we also help a buddy out -

[The guys, that is - lol - helped put some skins back on...] 

 

The gals enjoyed a fun crafty project -

a cute carrot made from a clothes hanger and mesh! 

And of course we enjoyed a campfire or two...

This really is the best weekend to relax and catch up 

with friends we don't see often enough!

#HardwickAdventures