6/23/26Originally, we reserved a campsite (D38 for Wednesday through Sunday), but since we weren’t doing anything, we decided to go up on Tuesday and camp at D40 for one night. We left around 9 am and arrived at 12:30. We unhooked the camper but didn’t set up the Clam since we would only be at that site for one night. We stopped at the Oconoluftee Visitor Center and stayed for the 3 pm talk about the Elk. Then we went to Dairy Queen for a late lunch and then relaxed at the campsite for the rest of the evening. For some reason, our battery didn’t get charged, and none of our lights worked in the camper. We were able to use flashlights, so everything was okay. After we went to bed, we heard something like a pop, but didn’t hear anything else, so we went to sleep.
6/24/26We had breakfast at Waffle House, and I had to drink coffee because they ran out of ice. After breakfast, we drove up to Clingman’s Dome and hiked on the Spruce Fir Nature Trail. Then we came back and moved to site D38. We had sandwiches for lunch and relaxed. Then we decided to hike the Oconoluftee River Trail from the visitor’s center to Cherokee. For dinner, we had more sandwiches and sat around the campfire. When the propane ran out, we swapped the propane canister with one from the camper (the camper has two). After we were almost asleep, we heard another pop, but nothing else, so we went to sleep. Don had leg cramps in the night
6/25/26After breakfast at Waffle House, we went to Food Lion and got some ice for the coolers. When we returned to the campground, we hiked the nature trail and part of the Smokemont Loop Trail. Then we drove up to the visitor’s center to sign up for the night hike (even though the notice in the paper didn’t say you had to sign up). The park ranger at the campground told us we had to sign up.) Before returning to the campground, we went to Arby’s for lunch. When we got back to the campground, we walked to the old amphitheater, which is no longer used. For dinner, we sat in the Clam and ate cantaloupe. Don noticed we had 2 small pieces of a tree limb on the roof of our camper. We think some kid probably tossed it there as a prank, and we didn’t fall for it. Don had more cantaloupe, which seemed to help the leg cramps.
6/26/26It is our 44th wedding anniversary! We had another wonderful breakfast at Waffle House. Then we drove to Bryson City and walked around town. At 10:30, we watched the steam engine leave for the Nantahala Gorge. Next, we drove through Deep Creek Campground and saw that there were only about 4 sites that we would feel comfortable parking our camper on. After the campground, we drove to the “Road to Nowhere” and saw the “Tunnel to Nowhere.” We talked to a couple of backpackers who were waiting for their ride. For lunch, we stopped at an Ingles Deli, and I had fried chicken, and Don had catfish. Next, we drove to Fontana Dam and enjoyed the views. We went back to our campground and had sandwiches and cantaloupe for dinner. Don was able to stand on the milk crate and use the broom to get the 2 pieces of wood off the camper roof.
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6/27/26After breakfast at Waffle House, we decided to pack up and head home. The weather forecast predicted rain in the evening and the next day. I hate packing up wet stuff, so we took our time and packed up everything. We left the campground around 10 am and arrived home about 1:30. We were able to unpack and get lunch before it started pouring down rain.
It was a wonderful trip. The weather was perfect, and we never had a drop of rain the whole time we were there. Don thinks the Subaru pulled the camper pretty well and may have done it better than the Tahoe.
Original Photos by Pat Hernsley
