Fort Desoto County Park

My plan to rent a small cargo trailer went awry at the UHaul store when I realized there was no way to wire the trailer’s brake lights to my car. The salesperson had never heard of lightbulbs with attached wires to put in taillights. I called a NAPA Autostore, and the salesperson there told me to get them at a UHaul store. He was amazed as I was that they were no longer available. I’d used them on several Suburbans back in the day. Progress? The hitch installer would be back in the morning, but we want to be on the road as early as possible, plus didn’t want to spend $150 for this one time.

With no trailer, packing was tight. Major problem was 3 bikes. Mine got folded and laid inside; Clara’s and Grant’s went on the rack. Everything else got stuffed in the car, except for the cabana and swim noodle which I bungied to the bikes. Why, oh why, did I buy a car without roof racks?

Thursday the cold front came right after dinner, so we ran to the pavilion with the chocolate cake Stephanie had made and ate dessert and played cards while it poured. One tenth of an inch of rain was predicted. Our frying pan left on the table was full, so at least 1” came down. Both tents passed the waterproof test with just a few drips easily wiped up. Clara decided she could sleep by herself in my small tent I took on my bike tour. Amazingly, all its zippers still worked, and we figured how its poles fit together. She has made her own little nest with my sleeping bag and her fluffy blankets.

Last time I packed too many clothes. This time I packed too few, so with the temps in the 50s, I had to put on almost everything I brought, including my nightie, to keep warm. Definitely a layered look. Clara brought even less, so borrowed my extra long sleeved shirt, and wrapped herself in a blanket to play Quiddler before going to bed. At least I’d made her bring socks, which she wears with her sandals. Her sneakers were brought out to play soccer with neighboring children, but put firmly away afterward.

We rode our bikes over to East Beach. While Grant sat, Clara and I walked the beach. She found a couple of welk egg cases and lots of shells. I picked up trash to calm my beach combing need. A father and son had 6 rods set in the sand. Right before we got there, they had caught a small bonnet shark, which they released. I would have liked to see it. There were Nanday parakeets screeching in a tree with an osprey and its nest. Just as noisy as the red-masked ones we had in Fort Lauderdale. The osprey did not seemed impressed.

North Beach, which we drove to, had the lagoon and beach area roped off as a resting site for migratory birds, including black skimmers and curlews. Lots of royal and a few least terns. The water was way too cold and rough for swimming. Once again, Clara and I walked the beach while Grant sat. We found lots of pen shells washed up. I threw back this one and the sea urchin perched on it, probably to no avail, but I tried. 

We camped at Fort Desoto several times with a group Shady Banks neighbors when the boys were young. One day, Grant and I forded the lagoon opening to a spit of beach on the other side, mostly just visited by boats. Under a huge sign saying “This is not a nude beach” lounged a big, fat, naked man. Not a pretty sight. 

We decided to come back in the summer, but likely will hotel it because of heat and bugs. And after seeing how fierce the wind blew through the waterside campsites, I also decided to stick with the interior sites in future reservations. But we definitely will camp here again. Great birding (Clara and I watched a downy woodpecker peck a hole and pull a grub. She called it bird spaghetti.), nice campsites, and easy biking. 

Plus on the way home, we met Peg and Bob at Parksdale for a lunch of strawberry shortcake.