One afternoon during a trip across the country in our fifth wheel, we were racing the sun to an RV park before sunset. We were driving through Georgia and convenient RV parks near the highway were sparse. Hard Labor Creek State Park was near our path and reachable before dark.

That evening we had very unpleasant lessons in maneuvering tight spaces in a park built years ago for much smaller RV's. Let me start by saying that Hard Labor Creek State Park near Rutledge, Georgia, is a very nice park with many activities nearby. The lots were all shaded with mature trees in a wooded setting. Our experience was soured only because we were in a 36' fifth wheel and the staff did not warn us about the tight conditions in the park, even though we specifically asked while making reservations.

We called the park from the road and reserved the last open slot for the evening. We asked and they reassured us that the slots are large enough to accommodate the 36' trailer and truck. By the time we reached the park, the January sun was close to setting and left us with just enough sunlight to set up camp.

The park seemed inviting with large trees next to all paths and over the campsites. As we drove further into the park, the road narrowed to the point that only about a foot remained on each side of the wheels. Evidence of vehicles going off the pavement were recorded by many deep gashes in the asphalt. Parts of the pavement were broken off along the edges almost everywhere.

Taking great care to stay on the pavement, we towed the RV over very narrow roads deeper into the park. Our slot appeared unoccupied, but a slip of paper attached to the board indicated that it was reserved by someone else. We called the office to let them know that our slot was already taken. They apologized and graciously offered us their truly last slot