An Epic USA Road Trip From Wisconsin To Alabama

Driving out of my driveway on February 27 held a whole new meaning for me. I was about to begin a 10-day USA road trip driving south from Wisconsin and car camping (for the first time) along the way. A solo trip that would take me through Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, and back again.

 It was early 2021 when I embarked on this my first solo road trip cross country. There were two reasons I was a little fearful. One, we were still in a pandemic. People still weren’t traveling much. The travel writing workshop I wanted to attend was still going on. So with safety precautions in place, I went.

USA Road Trip Planner

Number two was the fear of driving over a thousand miles by myself. I love a good road trip but had never ventured out of Wisconsin by myself. Safety was a concern and my solution was to go to campgrounds. I had planned my route and ideal driving time then picked campgrounds along the way where the facilities were open and the reviews were decent. Google Maps on my phone and laptop made planning a USA road trip easy. I wrote everything down, printed off my reservations, and kept all the information in a folder that became my road trip planner.  As far as safety was concerned, I was armed with pepper spray and a feeling of confidence. I had my trusty instincts to use in the event I felt uncomfortable in anyplace I stopped. 

Planned Camping Stops Along The Way

• KOA at Bowling Green, Kentucky
• Davis Bayou Campground, Ocean Springs. Mississippi
• Rickwood Caverns State Park Campground, Alabama
• Kentucky Horse Farm Campground, Lexington, Kentucky

A million things run through your mind. Where should I stop for gas, what will I eat along the way, will I break down (a huge fear for me), did I pack the right clothes, will I be comfortable in my car, and on and on and on. All valid concerns. But the good far outweighed the concerns. Confidence, freedom, connecting with “my people”, the ultimate destinations of Coastal Mississippi and of the Gulf Coast of Alabama. Yes, the promise of the warm kiss of the sun and swishing my painted toes in the creamy white sand was the biggest motivating factor. 

I was headed to the beach for four days of a Travel Writing Workshop lead by one of my favorite people and a truly smashing storyteller, Theresa Goodrich. I had to do this for myself and my writing craft hoping that just a bit of Theresa’s talent for the written word would rub off on me. 

And so loaded up with seven days of car camping food (no need for food the days of the workshop), a small suitcase of clothes, and a wide-eyed exuberance for the adventure about to take place, I said goodbye to Rick and Zoe, and off I went. The last thing I saw was Zoe sitting on the couch in front of the window looking at me with sad brown eyes. 

USA Road Trip Snacks and Food

• 5 can of soup
• Box of protein bars
• Crackers
• Beef sticks
• 2 bags of popped popcorn
• 5 apples
• Cut veggies (first part of the trip)
• Whole grain bread
• Peanut butter
• Ready to eat tuna packets
• Case of water

I was not going to be lonely on the drive. I had saved up about 500 (maybe a little exaggeration) podcasts to listen to and I had my favorite U2 tunes already put into a Spotify playlist, so there was plenty to keep me entertained on the long drive. 

The first leg of my USA road trip took me to a KOA in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Eight hours and 47 minutes drive time. I wanted to make sure I reached the campground by the office’s closing time. With each passing mile, I grew more comfortable and found my body relaxing. By the time I entered Indiana, I needed a stretch, so I found a spot and pulled in for gas and a little walk. I had also promised Rick I would check in and send a text to him every time I stopped. I knew he was nervous about me doing this, and I could understand his wanting me to let him know where and how I was. Plus I think it was a little fun for him to follow along with my route. That first stop in Indiana was one of four I would make on my way to Bowling Green. Each time, I stopped to fill up and run in to use the restroom. I had packed plenty of food and drink so there was no need for that. 

By 5 pm I was pulling into the KOA. It was cloudy and Rick had informed me that rain was about to begin (he was also my road trip weatherman, keeping an eye on the radar). I checked in and found the campground to be relatively empty except for probably about 10 large campers. I backed into my sight, plugged in the extension cord, and got as organized as I could before the rain came. All of a sudden my stomach was growling so I took out my propane stove, popped open a can of Campbell’s Chunky Soup (chicken pot pie), and in a few minutes had a nice hot supper.

Doesn’t it look cozy?

Once I finished eating, I decided to scout out the bathroom and showers. The campground was just purchased by new owners and they had closed the closest bathrooms for renovations, so I had to use the main one, which was a little hike. The bathrooms were clean and had a rustic feel along with the whole campground.  Like I said there was no one camping around me except for a few seasonal campers. With the chill in the air and the rain, I never saw anyone come out of those campers. It was to be the only time that I felt alone. 

It wasn’t long before the rain came and I went and brushed my teeth, crawled in my car, and relaxed to the sound of the rain hitting the roof. It ended up lulling me to sleep eventually. I slept like a baby that first night. Feeling cozy under the covers there was no need to plugin and use the small heater I packed. In the morning I was on the road by 8 am and stopped at the nearest gas station. I filled up and grabbed a big cappuccino. Leg number two of my road trip was about to begin. 

I never ran into any major traffic the whole trip until I hit Milwaukee coming home on March 9th. I cruised along at a nice speed (a little too nice on the way home as you’ll find out) and only encountered a handful of crazy drivers. 

My next stop on my USA road trip was Davis Bayou Campground in Ocean Springs, Mississippi. The trusty GPS gave me 8 hours and 1 minute to reach this destination. It was a little detour from my final destination of Orange Beach, Alabama, but I was very excited to have two nights here which gave me one full day of sightseeing. I decided to take this detour after Sara Broers, cofounder of the Midwest Travel Network suggested a visit to take a little peek into this coastal area of Mississippi. Of course, I was eager to take her advice! I will have much more about the Ocean Springs/Biloxi area of Mississippi to share. I arrived at Davis Bayou Campground late in the afternoon, checked in, and again backed the 4-Runner into my campsite. It was a different story here. The small campground was nearly full. I settled in and received a message from Theresa that she was also staying here. I walked over to her campsite to say hello. It was nice to see a familiar face and we chatted for a bit about our separate plans for the next day.

Walking back to the campsite, I found myself tired, hungry, and ready to wind down for the night. I had set up my easy-up screen tent for some shelter in case of rain. It made a nice divider between myself and the few biting bugs that decided to invade my solitude. My neighbor shouted out to me to make sure I was using bug repellant because those No See-Ums can be quite pesky little creatures. I had to Google No See-Ums to see what he was talking about. I fixed my nightly meal of soup and got myself ready for bed. Again the bathrooms were quite the walk, but I didn’t mind too much. Tonight I was going to take advantage of a nice warm shower. The shower rooms were clean and after the slight humidity in the air, it felt good to feel fresh. 

Again I had a pleasant night’s sleep and woke early to be ready for my meeting with Anna from Coastal Mississippi. I was so excited. I knew she had a full day planned for me and all I could hope for was the weather to hold out. Showers were in the forecast (predicted from weatherman Rick back in Wisconsin), but I was hoping I could at least get a chance to walk on Biloxi beach by the lighthouse before the rain hit. 

I met Anna and we became so wrapped up in our conversation that before we knew it more than an hour had passed and I had some serious sightseeing to do! I found one day certainly was not enough to enjoy the artsy feel of Ocean Springs. I knew I would come back for a more in-depth visit at some point. I’ll be sharing my one-day itinerary and my Walter Anderson Museum of Art visit with you soon! The bad weather didn’t hold off and it poured during lunch, but by the time I headed back to Davis Bayou Campground late in the afternoon, the rain had let up enough to dismantle my screen tent and pack it up so I’d be ready to be on the road for Gulf Shores, Alabama in the morning. I was still plenty satisfied from a big lunch that I just snacked and once I brushed my teeth and showered, I fell into bed.

By this third night of car camping, I was beginning to feel a bit organized. I arranged things differently, switching around the kitchen items that I kept in the back along my bed and my suitcase which was more accessible for getting dressed in the back with the bed. It made sense to keep the kitchen and food supplies in the front seat. I also learned that instead of keeping so much in the back by my sleeping area I had the driver’s seat I could store things when I was parked. The more I put things out of my way in the back and kept the space more open, the better I felt. I know, I can’t help it. I need an organized environment. Even with a better-organized system, I was still looking forward to spending the next four nights in a luxury 3 bedroom condo on the beach in Orange Beach, Alabama!

Essentials for Car Camping

I woke up on March 2nd ready to begin the next phase of the USA road trip. First I drove back into Ocean Springs and stopped off at a bakery that had been recommended to me for their macarons. I certainly could not leave without a box of my favorite treats from French Kiss Bakery!

Off I went for the nearly two-hour drive to Gulf Shores, Alabama, and four days with fellow travel writers learning to sharpen our writing skills and touring a part of the country I had never been to before. After a stop to Buc-ee’s, again recommended by Sara (“hungry or not you HAVE to stop for a brisket sandwich”), I made it to our meeting spot in Gulf Shores for lunch.

Oh and let me tell you about Buc-ee’s.  Sara was right, their brisket is A-freaking-mazing! I could have spent an hour there! Trust me, it’s a destination in itself. For those of you that have never heard of Buc-ee’s, it’s a chain of travel centers that is WAY more than your typical travel center. 

What came next was four full days of learning, sightseeing, a glass art class, and EATING! I will be telling you all the things about Orange Beach/Gulf Shores in many upcoming posts. There is so much to do on Alabama’s Gulf Coast! It was an epic and very exhausting four days.

Time to Head Back To Wisconsin

On Friday, March 5th our little Alabama Gulf Coast party broke up and we each went our separate ways. New friendships were formed, 12.6 miles were logged by some of us on bikes, and many calories were consumed. The homeward bound leg of my road trip adventure was about to begin. 

My first car camping stop on the homeward bound portion of my USA road trip was Rickwood Caverns State Park  in Alabama. Originally I was looking to stay near Mammoth Cave National Park but decided to go to Rickwood instead. The campground is very small and the cave tour being right there was the deciding factor for me. I’m not going to lie, that drive was tough. I was really beat by an overwhelming and wonderful four days. Plus I had woken up to a sinus headache that just wouldn’t go away. I felt stuffy and had a tiny scratchy throat. I made it to the park just in time for the lodge closing and after a mix up with my campsite number that was sorted out, I backed into my space, settled in, made my supper of leftovers from one of the restaurants I had visited the day before, and called it a night. The temperature difference between Gulf Shores and Rickwood Caverns State Park was almost shocking to me. It was cold. Thank goodness rain was not predicted for the rest of my trip, because that would have made it miserable. It was the first time I plugged in my heater. Even though I was plenty warm with my flannel sheet and two comforters, that heater made getting dressed in the car bearable. 

The next day I felt a little worse, but I decided to brave it and do the cavern tour. I was certainly glad I did. I got some amazing pictures. I read, did some writing, drew out a mind map of blog posts I wanted to write, and heated up my soup for supper. The showers and bathrooms here were nice and the campground had quite a few occupants. There were a lot of kids running around, one of which insisted on riding his bike through my campsite until asked him not to. 

After two nights camping in the cold and not feeling the best, I considered cutting my stay at Kentucky Horse Park Campground short. I wanted to stay two nights so I could spend some time with my friend Catherine who lives in Lexington. I decided to leave that decision for the next day after I arrive in Kentucky. So the next morning, March 7th, I unplugged my extension cord at Rickwood Caverns State Park and continued my USA road trip to Lexington. 

I still had not run out of podcasts to listen to, and this drive went faster than the previous one. The  5 hour and 32-minute drive flew by. The sun felt good coming in the window as I drove along. It was odd arriving in Lexington. The two previous times I had come to visit Catherine, the scenery was lush and green. I had to remind myself it was early March and my last visits were in April. I did spot the telltale brown fencing of the horse farms and smiled as I drove past Keenland Race Track where I made a bet on a horse for the first time. I am very familiar with Lexington and I love this area. I wished I had a week to sample bourbon and visit the places I had been before. Arriving at Kentucky Horse Park Campground I settled in and sent a text to Catherine. After texting with her, I decided to stay the second night. The campground was very quiet, with about 15 other campers, I had laundry facilities and two days of sunshine ahead.

With the full afternoon sun in my face, I heated up and ate another can of soup as I opened up the book written by Walter Anderson’s wife that I purchased at the museum in Ocean Springs. By this time I had a full-on sinus thing going, but Catherine was still willing to come to the campground and see me. We spent the next afternoon catching up on the picnic table while I ate the Halls Cough Drops she brought for me. She helped me brainstorm new blog names for my rebranding.  I was so glad we could see each other. Like myself,  the effects of needing to keep our distance from other people during this difficult year have been difficult for her too. My stay at Kentucky Horse Park Campground meant that my epic USA road trip was coming to an end. I had my supper after Catherine and I said goodbye, crawled in my car bed all nice and cozy, and read until my eyes were heavy. Even though I was excited to get home and process everything that happened the last ten days, I was feeling melancholy.

March 9th was here and I was at the end after an almost 8-hour drive home. The last 10 days had gone so fast and have gifted me with some incredible memories.  Fifteen years ago I never would have dreamt that I would ever drive by myself from Wisconsin all the way to the Gulf Coast. I had done it! Knowing that I could do this trip just lit a fire under me. Nothing is impossible anymore. Nowhere is out of reach. If I can drive across the country by myself, what other feats can I accomplish? I will say it again If I can do it, any woman can. What’s stopping you from taking that road trip?

The end of my epic car camping USA road trip was near but it was not without a bump in the interstate. As I entered Indianapolis I was not paying attention to my speed and missed the transition down to 55 MPH. I was clocked at 77. I have never been pulled over before in my life. He didn’t go easy on me and after I arrived home I paid my $171 fine. Fair warning to next time watch that speed. Lesson learned, like so many memories gathered on this trip, that was just one more to file away.

I arrived back safe and sound around 3:30 on that Tuesday afternoon. I was tired, sick, and completely gratified. I had the time of my life. Adding another checkmark to a long list of experiences I want to have is an accomplishment that only gives me the courage to check off that next experience. My epic USA road trip was complete. 

How many checkmarks do you have on your list of experiences to accomplish?