I've already mentioned that we purchased a house in Peachtree City, GA, which is southwest of metro Atlanta, during the early spring. Closing was March 31, so we moved ourselves from Kings Bay Sub Base in St. Mary's, GA up to Columbus, GA on March 26 to be closer to our new house.

We intend to store the Cameo at Fort Benning until or unless we find a reasonably priced RV storage facility closer to Peachtree City. So far the only ones we've found in that area are three times the cost or more.

We could store it a few miles closer at Dobbins AFB in Marietta but that base doesn't have campground sites large enough for the Cameo if we'd want to stay there a day or two before and after RV trips, and we simply don't like the drive in metro Atlanta traffic to get there. It's less stressful to drive down I-85 through mostly rural areas to Columbus.

Pulling out of Eagle Hammock RV Park on Kings Bay Sub Base
after our longest-ever snowbird retreat in one place  (3-26-17)

Since we don't plan any RV trips anytime soon, it's not terribly inconvenient to store the camper 90 minutes from home. We knew before buying the house that we wouldn't be able to store it on our property like we did at our place in Virginia.

PHOTOS FROM THE CAMPGROUND AND REC. AREA

We spent five nights at Uchee Creek Campground in the Fort Benning Recreation Area. I'll describe the campground and rec. area in this entry. This is the first time we camped here and we really like it. As close as it is to home, we will probably use it only to "stage" before and after future RV trips.

Fort Benning is located in the southern part of Columbus on the Georgia side of the Chattahoochee River. The 535-acre rec. area campground is a 10-mile drive to the other side of the river in Alabama -- and a different time zone. That was as confusing as when we stayed near the AZ-CA border near Yuma two different winters; we went back and forth between two time zones there, too.

Crossing Lake Eufala on the way to Fort Benning, GA  (3-26-17)

Uchee Creek Campground and recreation area is open to active duty and retired military personnel, National Guard, reservists, 100% DAV, and DoD civilians who work at Fort Benning.

A few weeks ago we reserved a back-in site near the campground office but after driving through the sparsely-occupied RV park on Sunday afternoon we were able to change to another site in a newer, more remote section with very long pull-through sites that have full hookups, including 50-amp electricity.

Here's a map of the campground and marina from one of the information boards on site:

I marked the office/store and marina #1 to the right, and our newer section in the upper left as #3. The Chattachoochee River (#2) is at the top, Uchee Lake at the bottom.

Some of the sites in the new RV section were already occupied with seasonal visitors. The site we picked was next to a WiFi pole, but that didn't guarantee a strong signal every day. At least no one was parked near us so we had plenty of space and privacy.

Dogwood tree in bloom

The campground was less than half occupied while we were there from Sunday afternoon through Friday morning. I imagine at this time of year, in the spring before it's too hot, the weekends are probably busier.

This is a very nice campground. It's spread out quite a bit, with medium to large sites, smooth paved roads, and lots of trees and grass. It sits high above the Chattahoochee River on one side:

View of "The Hooch"

The cost for sites in our new section was $24-27/night, depending on rank and length of site.

We had plenty of room for the Cameo, truck, and minivan. Our site was double-width and long enough for two large Class As or 5th-wheels:

 

The weekly rate is better: pay for six nights and get the seventh free. Monthly rates average about $560 = $16-20/night.

Sites in the older sections of the campground -- still nice, but not as large -- are less.

 
Example of a back-in site in the older section

According to the Military.com website, up to 250 campers can fit in the large grassy Activity and Rally Center area (dry camping only). There are over 60 cabins and chalets above the river and Uchee Lake, 16 tent sites with wooden platforms, and a lodge that can house about 150 visitors.

Here are a couple of the cabins, which vary in size and design:

 

The recreation area is quite large, 535 acres, with lots of forested area. It was the former site of a Yuchi (spelled various ways) Indian settlement from 1715-1838. The areas where cabins and other structures were excavated before they were built so as to avoid items of archeological significance.

A series of interpretive panels are arranged in a wooded area near the cabins to explain the history of the site:

In addition to the campground and cabins, other facilities and activities include a marina, office/store, activity center, gas station, laundry rooms, boating, boat rentals, fishing, hunting, swimming pool, hiking/running, pavilions, picnic areas, pet areas, playgrounds, archery range, softball field, volleyball and basketball courts.

View from river level of store/office (on left), boat launch, and rental boats

Amenities on base include the commissary, PX, gas stations, restaurants, theaters, library, museum, golf course, RV and boat storage, and much more. As noted, the main base is about 10 miles from the campground.

This is a really nice place to stay, especially for people who like to fish and boat. The main downside we observed in our five-day stay was the noise from large cargo planes that fly right over the campground. Another problem in the new section where we stayed is no speed bumps; some people drove 'way too fast past our site.

The first evening Cody and I found some short dirt trails over to and above the river. Each day I took him for walks on those trails, on the roadways through the campground and other parts of the rec. area, and down to the lake. There are alligators in the lakes, streams, and wetlands so the dogs couldn't go swimming here.

 

Above and below:  short boardwalk and bridge to an island in the river

Each morning and afternoon when it was cooler Jim rode his bike with Casey running alongside on the Walky Dog attachment:

It was sunny and in the 80s F. already at the end of March.

Other priorities besides hiking and cycling while we were camped here were visiting the National Infantry Museum in town, cleaning the camper thoroughly for storage, renting a small 5x8-foot U-Haul trailer to take everything we wanted out of the camper to our new house, being sure everything was on schedule for the closing -- and just relaxing.

We knew the next few weeks would be very busy!

Next entry:  visiting the National Infantry Museum and Soldier Center in Columbus

Happy trails,

Sue
"Runtrails & Company" - Sue Norwood, Jim O'Neil, Cody, Casey, and Holly-pup

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© 2017 Sue Norwood and Jim O'Neil