FEATURE
David and Patricia Nagel
Retired Mississippi artist and wife spend winters at Clarkco
Retired Mississippi artist David Nagel and his wife , Patricia , arrive at Clarkco in mid-January to spend the winter in their home-awayfrom home — a fully furnished 24-foot travel trailer with an attached portable carport .
“ I have already made my reservations for next year and when I go home , I will make my reservations for the following year ,” he said . “ We have a spot we like , and we literally move in for three solid months .”
Residents of Hinds County , it is not a long drive if the couple has to leave their camper and make a quick trip home to take care of business .
As a youth , Nagel loved the outdoors and was actively involved in the Boy Scouts . As he grew older , there seemed to be less time to enjoy the outdoors .
A mixed media artist known for his work with metal and wood , Nagel spent more than 20 years traveling to art shows and art fairs around the country .
“ We were on the road 60 to 80 days a year traveling anywhere from California to DC to Miami ,” he said .
When he began thinking of retirement , he suggested to his wife they try camping . “ I always called her my ‘ Holiday Inn Princess .’ I had been outdoors my entire life , but she had not ,” he laughed .
He convinced her to purchase a used , 19-foot travel trailer for them and their 60-pound dog , who has since passed away .
“ I thought if it doesn ’ t work then I haven ’ t lost that much ,” he said . “ She fell in love with it .”
The two have been camping ever since , trading their smaller travel trailer for a larger one .
For the first two years , they went on weekend and short trips to surrounding campgrounds including Clarkco and Archusa Water Park .
“ I wasn ’ t wanting to go long distances because there are so many beautiful places to me here in Mississippi ,” he said .
Four years ago , they decided to try their first months-long trip . A success , they have spent three months in the winter living in their travel trailer ever since .
They were camping at Clarkco in March 2020 when the COVID-19 pandemic
Photo by Bill Graham prompted a lockdown across the state , sending residents flocking to stores to stockpile food , cleaning supplies and masks .
“ We were here in 2020 when the pandemic was emerging , and I was keeping up with what was happening in the news . We had no masks or gloves , and I thought we just probably need to go home ,” he recalled . “ So , we left about two weeks early that year , and I did not regret my decision .”
The Nagels returned to Clarkco the following winter in 2021 and kept mostly to themselves .
“ We were better prepared when we came back that winter and we actually got our COVID shots while we were here at ClarkCo ,” he said . “ As soon as we were eligible for them , we drove to Meridian and got them from the National Guard .”
Nagel lauds Clarkco for its clean facilities , friendly staff and abundance of amenities .
The couple loves to hike , recently completing a six-and-a-half-mile trek . Each year on their return , they are pleased to see the park has maintained and added to its nature trails , giving the praise to Park Manager Tony Fleming .
“ Tony is the best thing that ever happened to this place ,” Nagel said . “ After he came in , we have watched him progress and keep doing improvement after improvement . I can ’ t say enough good things about him .”
In addition to hiking , Nagel also loves to play disc golf and is excited to see the expansion of the course to 18 baskets . This year , the couple made use of the park ’ s tennis courts to play pickle ball , a sport fast growing in popularity .
Nagel , who loves to cook , has become an expert with a grill , crockpot , skillet and , beginning this year , a Dutch oven at their campsite
“ I do a lot of catfishing at Clarkco ,” he said . “ The biggest catfish I have caught are 15-pound and 16-pound channel cats . They are fabulous fried and grilled .”
These days , the retired artist hones his creative talents through photography , a hobby that meshes well with camping . Sometimes taking thousands of photos a visit , he has loved capturing sunsets , weathered old signs and reflections off the water around the lake . “ The photography fulfills for me the creative aspect ,” he said . “ I don ’ t do the photography to sell ; I just do it for fun .”
With hiking , pickle ball , walking , fishing , disc golf , photography , socializing , and helping out around the park , the couple finds it easy to pass three months at Clarkco .
Said Nagel , “ We stay as active as we want to stay active .” T www . meridianstar . com
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