I woke up a bit later than I wanted to catch up on sleep, as it would be another long day of driving. Today was another great, sunny day. I got ready, broke camp, and I drove around to get a general idea of the park and found a short "trail," the Moccasin Wildlife Trail, which was just a short foot path, a wooden bridge, and then a footpath to the shore of Oak Mountain Lake on the southwestern side of it.

There is a little "beach" of sorts with sand.

It's a nice view of the trees in the morning. I walked back on the trail, noticing these trees that had pretty, red leaves on it. The second photo would make for a tricky jigsaw puzzle!

Along the trail closest to the lake, you'll see shallow areas of water.

I got in the Jeep to go back to the other side near a trailhead I saw last night on the way to the shower. It's the Light Trail, built by Boy Scouts Troop 514. Thank you, guys!

I pulled off the road to hike this trail for about 30 minutes before I had to leave. I wish I had more time, as large parks like this deserve a few days of hiking and camping to take it all in. I feel like I haven't really begun to explore this country!

Walking into the forest was great, as it was still cool even after 9 AM. There was that enclosed feeling in the forest, though the shade coverage wasn't quite as thick as The Forest in OH. I always love that feeling of "stepping into adventure."

I saw a bush with violet berries, a pretty sight, but probably poisonous to humans. I never eat anything I don't know anything about.

I also saw these dark red berries the size of grapes on the trail. Several had been stepped on. There was a pile of them crushed, and I could smell them like they were fermenting into alcohol from the sugars.

Here is a fallen tree with lichen and the soil still attached to its roots.

At one point, I saw short pine trees in a small area on the side of the trail that were up to five feet tall. I don't know if they came up on their own or were planted there.

The oldest trees here are really tall!

A couple of photos, including the first signs of fall (?) and a fern plant.

I went back down the winding road to the highway. It's really nice to drive them, as you slow down and notice things more, not to mention you have trees in front of you on the turns!

I came back across the water crossing road before hitting the highway.

I went to get gas and resupply for the last 2 days. For some reason, I get the feeling that Birmingham seems different in how it's laid out (spread out) and not as many people per square yard or something. I got onto I-459 to get over onto I-20 and headed southwest to MS. I drove through Tuscaloosa and pulled off to eat just before I got to Meridian.

I talked with an elderly couple to get suggestions on where to go in MS, since we were headed in the same general direction. Stopping in Bienville Nat'l Forest for the night along I-20 would add too much driving time tomorrow. I decided to go through Meridian and head south on I-59 and turn in Laurel to head west on Hwy 84 to go to Homochitto Nat'l Forest. It was starting to rain off and on.

Just before I hit the east boundary of the forest, I saw an RV park (and it was about 7 PM and getting dark), so I pulled off and drove down the winding dirt road that led to a building that the signs directed me to. There was nobody in it, but open. I was supposed to grab an envelope, go find my camping spot, and pay for it before dropping it in the payment box. I drove around, looking for a tent site a couple of times. They were all unmarked, only a handful of RVs parked in the back. I decided to try one place (I would explain to them in the morning), and started unloading when it started to sprinkle and mosquitoes were everywhere. What put the kibosh on this attempt was no bathroom facilities that I could find! I loaded back up and left the park. I did manage to catch this photo of the sun setting, very pretty, but I didn't want to take the time to set up the tripod on the road to do this one right. I was already running late for my destination!