Heading South: Escaping Winter, One Bike Trail at a Time (Part 2)

Welcome back to the continuing saga of our road trip from Colorado to Florida. Buckle your seatbelts, it's an interesting ride!

Stop #3: The “Nope, Too Sketchy” Harvest Host & the Pizza That Saved the Day

On our way out of Beltonville, we had planned a truck-stop Harvest Host overnight stop… which turned out to be a “uh...NO” situation. Think dim (if any) lighting, off vibes, and the kind of place where a tumbleweed would refuse to roll through.

So I punted. Hard.

Enter: Pecan Grove RV Park in Lake Village, Arkansas, our last-minute hero. They squeezed us in just before closing and gave us a quiet, safe spot for the night.

Dinner was at Fox’s Pizza Den, where the food was delicious and the staff was genuinely friendly - the kind of place where they call you “hon” without a hint of irony. The owner reminded me of comedian Henry Cho (IYKYK).

After dinner, we drove around to admire Halloween decorations and cruise neighborhoods. And let me tell you - Halloween décor ranks right up there with Christmas on the Overachiever Scale, but with WAY more creativity. (Frickin’ bats. I love Halloween.)

Stop #4: Sleepy Hollow RV Park - A Woodland Gem on the Outskirts of Laurel, Mississippi

Our next major stop was Laurel, Mississippi. We booked two nights at Sleepy Hollow RV Park - which, thankfully, was much less spooky than its name implies.

It was unexpectedly gorgeous:

• Tucked into a heavily wooded hillside

• Spacious, accessible sites

• A peaceful pond with ducks and fishing spots

• Freshly remodeled private bathhouses with everything in one room

• A wooded trail lined with Halloween decorations - think “spooky fun” not “call a priest”

They were mid-setup for Halloween visitors, so ghosts and ghouls were already popping up along the paths. The atmosphere was festive in a “Michael Myers, but make it cozy” kind of way.

Touring Laurel – The (Mostly Quiet) Hometown of Home Town

Laurel, Mississippi, is home to HGTV’s Home Town with Ben & Erin Napier and the primary reason for stopping over here. We were excited to see what Ben and Erin's town was like.

Downtown: A Ghost Town… Literally

Downtown Laurel was… quiet. Like “did everyone accidentally agree to take the same day off?” quiet.

Most stores were closed or closed down, and we were often the only people walking around. If tumbleweed had rolled past, we wouldn’t have been surprised.

We did find a few open gems, though:

Laurel Mercantile Co.

One of the anchor shops of the Home Town empire - charming, well-curated, and full of southern charm. Their sister shop, The Scent Library, was closed, which was a bummer. But our olfactory systems survived.

Frozen Drinks at Wilson’s Commissary

This place showed up on multiple “don’t miss” lists - and since it was one of the few shops actually open, we didn’t need much convincing. Frozen alcohol drinks? Twist our arms.

Scotsman General Store & Woodshop

The woodshop wasn’t running that day, but the store was filled with fun items and Ben Napier–branded goodness.

Side Story Worthy of a Spin-Off Episode

Darren’s niece, Kameron, is married to Jason - a renaissance man with two superpowers:

1.     finish carpentry, and

2.     IT wizardry.

But his hobby?

Creating jaw-dropping wood-and-resin pieces. He once made Darren a beautiful pen and pencil set we take everywhere.

A while back, Jason and Kam visited Laurel and stopped in at Scotsman’s. Ben wasn’t there, but Jason left him a handmade pen anyway, hoping it would somehow find its way to him.

Weeks later… they tuned into Home Town, and there was Ben using Jason’s pen on TV!! We love a wholesome full-circle moment.

The Bird Dog Café… or What Used to Be

We remembered this place from a Home Town episode and were excited to find it. Sadly, ownership changed, things didn’t pan out, and the business didn’t make it. We were bummed - TV magic doesn’t always stick around.

Cruising Neighborhoods

Yes, this is a hobby. No, we will not apologize. We love to see how locals live - and while much of Laurel was worn down and low-income, we did stumble across a few charming pockets with lovely, modest homes.

Rolling through Mobile, Alabama

The final stretch toward Florida came with a string of scenery that made the drive surprisingly enjoyable:

• Mobile’s skyline, complete with buildings that look like mini versions of the Empire State Building

• A docked battleship - the USS Alabama, looming like it has opinions

• The iconic Blakeley Island Bridge stretching over Mobile Bay

Ten out of ten for visual entertainment. Zero out of ten for the bugs that splattered themselves across our windshield in the process.

Back at Splash RV Resort – Milton, Florida

We rolled into Splash RV Resort - our home base from last January - and felt that cozy déjà vu kick in. We set up camp, hopped on our bikes for a quick spin around the resort, and just like before, couldn’t resist the obligatory Splash Photo Booth Stop.

Because if you don’t take a goofy photo… did you even arrive?

We are officially back in Florida, thawing out, settling in, and ready for the upcoming holidays - with plenty of stories, miles, and wine tastings under our belts.

Warm weather, here we come. (Please don’t fail us like last winter.)

Cheers!

– Chasing 78° 🚐🏙️🌴🍹🚲🏡📸 #RVLife #Chasing78Degrees #FullTimeRV #HomeTown #LaurelMS #SplashRVResort #SnowbirdMigration #OnTheRoadAgain #TravelBlog #Chasing78