KENNETH BOWMAN AND SARAH MCCRACKEN
Snowbirds head to Clarkco to escape cold winters back home
To escape the cold , snowy winters of Massachusetts , Kenneth Bowman and his wife , Sarah McCracken , along with the family dog and cat , pack up and head South in their RV . They first visit a couple of state parks around the Mobile area , soaking up the sunshine , eating a lot of good seafood , relaxing on the sand and mingling with other campers and snowbirds .
After about a month , they head a few hours north to Clarkco State Park , where they reside until the first week of April , when spring is in full bloom .
“ Our normal routine is we leave home around the first week of January after we do holidays with the grandchildren ,” Bowman said . “ We go down to the Mobile area and we stay there a month . When it starts to warm up in this area , we come up to Clarkco .”
The couple lives near Cape Cod in Wareham , Massachusettes , where the average daily high temperature is in the 30s during the months of January and February and the low 40s in March . Some days , the temperature is much colder when a winter storm sweeps through the region dumping several inches of snow across the landscape .
“ Now that we are older , it is a little too cold for us in the winter ,” Bowman laughed . “ It was a little cold here this weekend , but it was seven degrees back home .”
When they depart Clarkco , they plan to swing by Clarksdale so McCracken , a Mississippi native , can visit brothers before they journey back to Massachusetts .
The couple travels in their 32-foot RV with their Jeep in tow . By having their Jeep , they can run errands and make small day trips throughout the region . They have visited the Laurel Mercantile Co ., a store made famous by Ben and Erin Napier from the TV show “ Hometown ,” as well as several antique shops in surrounding communities . They plan a trip to the restaurant and food market Maters & Taters , which they keep hearing about on the radio , located on Highway 80 in Lake .
Along for the journey is their dog , a catahoula and lab mix named Bosco because of its chocolate color , and their cat Chester , named for Matt Dillon ’ s sidekick deputy on the popular Western television drama “ Gunsmoke .”
For Bowman , camping is nothing new . He is retired after spending more than three decades in the military , including stints in each of the Navy , Army and Air Force .
“ I spent 35 years in the military . I have camped all over the world ,” he noted .
After their main camping trip this winter , the Bowmans will head out again in their RV this summer to visit their son in Maine . They usually take their canoe with them on that trip . Then in the fall , they will make several smaller excursions around the New England area to see the changing colors of the leaves and enjoy the
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Photo by Bill Graham pleasant autumn weather . “ We like getting out and traveling and meeting new people and going places where it is warmer and having fun ,” he said .
For the most part , they couple stayed home last year in Massachusetts . Their current trip to the South is their first adventure traveling since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 .
Bowman said it was good to be back on the road and to see a lot of their old friends again .
“ Clarkco is just a nice place ,” he explained . “ The people in the area are nice . The people at the park are nice . For us , it is just fun to come here .”
His wife ’ s connection to Meridian is what first led them to camp at Clarkco about six or seven years ago .
McCracken was born in Vicksburg but grew up mostly in Meridian , where her mother taught at Meridian High School .
“ She had been here as a child , and we decided to come back . She has a lot of friends in the area ,” Bowman said .
Many days are spent having lunch with McCracken ’ s high school friends to give them a chance to talk and catch up and walking the nature trails at Clarkco with his dog Bosco .
“ Between those two things , we pass the time here ,” he said . “ It is just very nice , very relaxing .”
Clarkco ’ s clean and nice facilities , well maintained walking trails and friendly staff are reasons they keep coming back .
“ One of the points that draws us back here is Tony Fleming , the manager here ,” Bowman said . “ He is just so friendly and helpful and nice . He is fun to be around .” T
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