Camping Trip

Click here to see pictures.

We headed to the Smokies on 7/31/22 for a 5-day camping trip. We camped in Smokemont campground at site D39. Next time we may want to try site D42.

When we got there on Sunday, it was hot and humid. After setting up camp, we walked around the campground and then relaxed at our campsite. About 30 minutes after we went to bed, it started to rain pretty hard. We had to close the windows because the rain was blowing in.

On Monday, it rained on and off for most of the day, We walked around the campground in between showers. We found a Mexican restaurant (Rancho Villa) in the Food Lion shopping center that had lunch specials for $6.99. We had to check email and I had to do my Duolingo lesson so we had to go into town each day for a cell signal.

Tuesday was much better and we went to Newfound Gap and Clingman’s Dome. We hiked on the Spruce-Fir Nature trail and found pink turtleheads.

Wednesday we tried to hike on the Oconoluftee Nature but the elk had other plans. We waited for one group to get to one side of the trail so we could go past at a safe distance. Then we came across another group who would not let us pass. This mama elk and baby came straight down the trail towards us instead of going into the woods. Eventually, after we had to keep retreating, we decided to give up and go back the way we came. We ended up going to Mingus Mill and doing the trail there. We were excited to see the Cranefly Orchids blooming.

On Thursday morning, we took our time and packed up for our ride home. We had hoped to visit some antique stores but the one we wanted to visit had moved.

Oconee State Park Camping Trip

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We decided on a spur of the moment decision to go camping. We have been trying to go camping for 2 months but circumstances (car and camper work) didn’t allow us to go sooner. When my in-laws texted that they were camping there and invited us to go visit them, we jumped on the chance to go there. It didn’t take long to pack up the camper and get things in order to head that way.

We left at 8:30 Tuesday morning and stopped in Walhalla for antique shopping and lunch. We had lunch at The Kountry Kupboard which was good. I didn’t realize until after we ate that they charged extra to use a credit card (even though there weren’t any signs that stated this). We got to the campground around 1 pm and got on site #52 easily. It didn’t take us long to get situated and then we walked around the campground before relaxing until dinner time. Nancy and Ray invited us over for tacos and we had a great time visiting with them.

On Wednesday, we walked around the campground and did a short hike to the waterwheel. We had to stay close for our UMNA Grants Committee zoom meeting. At 1:15 pm we used the free internet at the office to get on our zoom meeting which went well. By then it was time to relax until dinner again. We had cream cheese and jelly sandwiches and salads for lunch and dinner. We walked a lot around the campground during the day.

On Thursday we walked again after breakfast and then talked Nancy into going on a hike with us. She took us in her golf cart to the trailhead and we hiked the Chestnut trail. After lunch, we decided to do the lake hike which was beautiful. We could hear the thunder a lot but it didn’t rain on us. Then for dinner, we brought bratwurst, sauerkraut, buns, and chips to Nancy and Ray’s site for dinner. It is so much fun visiting them!

On Friday morning, after Don had coffee and oatmeal, we packed up and headed home. We got home just before there was a severe thunderstorm in our area.

Things I Learned:

• I need to bring Powerade zero as well as regular Powerade to drink.
• I need to freeze more block ice.
• I pack too many clothes.
• I always have a good time when we are together, it doesn’t matter where we are.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Great Smoky Mountains National Park

One of our favorite national parks is The Great Smoky Mountains National Park. We can be on the North Carolina side in about 3 hours and the Tennessee side in 4 hours. I thought I would share a little video of our trip last week. Students who have never been outdoors much might enjoy it. 

Camping in the Smokies

For more pictures, click here.

We spent last week camping in the Smokies. The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is our favorite national park and we spend a lot of time there.

We got to Smokemont Campground on a Monday afternoon. It was so easy to set up our campsite (Site D38). This is our favorite campsite. It is across from the group campsite which was closed. The bathrooms were right across the road and this building has outlets. Since I get up so early, I can plug in my iPad and charge it up if needed. I can get it all charged up before most people are even awake.

We like to go to the Oconoluftee River Trail which is about a 3.2-mile roundtrip hike that starts at the Visitor Center and goes to the town of Cherokee. Every day, we came across elk under the shade trees. On one day, there were several people who were extremely close to the elk to take photos and the male elk gave a bugle warning a couple of times, but the people didn’t move. We went an alternate way off the trail to avoid the elk and the people. For lunch each day, we ate at Subway. They did a great job of wearing masks and gloves as they fixed our sub sandwiches. On one day, we got in the river and played in the water. The water was just like bathwater! (Well, bath water in the dead of winter if you have no heat and no hot water.)

After a few days, we headed to Cades Cove Campground. We had a nice ride over Newfound Gap and stopped to see the views and take photos. We stopped in Townsend for gas and supplies (ice was $2 at the IGA) and lunch at Subway. We camped at site B37 which was a nice site. It was further away from the bathrooms and I had to use our external batteries to charge our electronics. After we set up camp, we went to the camp store and got soft serve ice cream (which we have gotten there for about 30 years when we visit!). I was surprised how much the price has increased (about $5 for a cake cone.) On the first afternoon, it poured down rain pretty heavily. I was so glad we had our Clam screen room and had the optional walls up to keep out the rain. I also had my Little Red Campfire going which made the room toasty warm while it rained. One man called it a “frog strangler” kind of rain.

Most of the trailheads were packed with cars and heavy crowds so we drove to Sevierville and went to the Tanger Outlet Stores. We both needed new tennis shoes and got some from the New Balance outlet store. Then we had a nice drive and lunch in Townsend. We found out our camper refrigerator wasn’t working so we had to put everything back into the cooler and buy ice from the camp store ($4.50). In the evening we walked around the campground and talked with other campers. When we went to bed, it was really hot, humid and miserable. We decided that we would leave in the morning and head for home.

The next morning, Don got up around 7:30 am and by 8:30 am we were packed up and heading home.

Things I Learned:

1. I really like Smokemont Campground D Loop (pull through sites).
2. Smokemont D38 is my favorite site.
3. I like playing in the river even if the water is cold.
4. It is good to have water shoes on in the river.
5. The Oconoluftee River Trail is a wonderful trail.
6. It is more crowded in the campground in the summer months.
7. People don’t wear masks even when asked that they should.
8. It is nice when people respect quiet hours in a campground.
9. There are a lot of mushrooms on the trails in August.
10. Thundershowers are expected in the afternoon during summer.

Original photo by Pat Hensley

Fiberglass RV Rally October 2017

For pictures, click HERE.

This was our first Fiberglass RV rally and we didn’t know what to expect. Even though we had heard about these rallies, we were never able to go before because of when they were held or where they were held. When we were looking on the Fiberglass RV Forums, we happened to find out that there was one within a 3-hour drive from us, at a time when we were actually available!

It is always hard to go to something new when you don’t know what to expect. We usually camp at state and national parks and this rally was held in a private campground which charged a little more than we usually pay for a campsite. Yet, we bit the bullet and reserved a spot and announced that we were coming.

We arrived at the Happy Holiday RV Village in Cherokee, NC on Thursday October 12 and the people were really nice. Once we registered, an escort took us to our site - #86 at the back of the campground along the creek. This was a great spot! We had a big enough spot to put up our Clamshell and we were not under the walnut tree. The bathhouse was right across from our site and the hot showers were wonderful!

We had a late lunch at Granny’s Kitchen in Cherokee which had a nice lunch buffet ($8.95 Tues. – Sat. $11.25 on Sundays). Then we relaxed by the creek until it was time to go to our meet up at 6pm at site #81. George and Rhonda were wonderful hosts and even had name tags prepared for everyone. They provided chicken corn soup for everyone. It was fun meeting people who owned a camper like ours but some were different brands.

On Friday we drove to Bryson City and then up to Clingman’s Dome. For lunch we stopped at Granny’s Kitchen again. At 6pm, we returned to George and Rhonda’s site for a hot dog cookout. It was so much fun roasting hot dogs over the fire! Again, we met new people and had some great conversations! We talked with Barbara and Carl Guttman about antique stores and the navy. 

On Saturday, we went to Franklin, NC to check out the antique stores. I was so excited to find a great yarn/fiber store called Silver Threads & Golden Needles.  Don walked around and found some antique stores. We walked to another street to an antique store called the Attic. Then we had lunch at Miss Lois’ Restaurant (cash only). After that, we went to Nestfeathers, another antique store. In the afternoon, Bruce and Cheryl came by to demonstrate this great wax for our camper called Duragloss. Rhonda was walking around taking photos of people in front of their campers. At 6pm, we met again for a potluck dinner and had a group picture taken.

On Sunday, we packed up and headed to Smokemont in the national park.

We had a wonderful time and made some great new friends. In fact, we had such a great time that we went ahead and reserved our spot for next year. Rhonda created a Facebook page for all of us to keep in touch throughout the year.

Things I Learned:

·      Rallies are fun especially when you have a common interest.

·      It was fun to see the different things people did in their own campers.

·      I want to get more Command Strips for hooks for our camper.

·      I can’t wait to order some Duragloss to wax our camper.

·      I really enjoyed using our Clamshell.

·      My Little Red Campfire was worth the money because I enjoy a fire every morning. I don’t have to fight with starting a campfire and there is no smoke.

Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage 2017

Last week we went to the Smokies for the Spring Wildflower Pilgrimage.  I recorded some audio each day since I didn't have any cell service or internet so I hope you enjoy my recap of each day.

For pictures - Click Here! 

Sunday 4/9/17 - arrived at Elkmont Campground at 11am and got  Site A 13.



Monday 4/10/17 - Hiked with Dan, Sherrie, and Kim on the Grapeyard Ridge Trail (in the Greenbriar area)



Tuesday 4/11/17 - drove back home so I could teach my Furman class.


Wednesday 4/12/17 - drove back to our campsite. Hiked on the Ashhopper Branch Trail (across from the visitor center), the Nature trail, and Cataract Falls.


Thursday 4/13/17 - Hiked with Dan, Sherrie, and Kim on the Old Settler's Trail and saw lots of wildflowers.


Friday 4/14/17 - Hiked with Sherrie and Kim on the Chestnut Top Trail. Did a shuttle and left one car at the Townsend Wye and one car at Schoolhouse Gap.


Saturday 4/15/17 - returned home.

Shenandoah National Park Camping Trip

Click here to see the pictures of our trip.

Last week we drove up to Shenandoah from the Smokies and it took us about 7 hours to get to Loft Mountain Campground. On the way into the campground we saw a mother bear and 3 cubs. Then we drove a little further and saw another bear!

We originally reserved site F132 but when we tried to set the camper on the site, it was on too much of an incline so we went and asked if we could move. The hosts were wonderful and we had no problem moving to A4. While we sat at our campsite, we saw some bicyclists stop suddenly. When I asked what they saw, they asked us if we saw the bear that just passed by our campsite! When we were walking around the campground, we saw another bear. We had dinner at the Loft Mountain Wayside and it was very good. While we were there a young girl approached us and told us that the 5 of them were AT hikers and wondered if we could give them a lift back up to the campground. So, we rearranged our car and squeezed them all in the car! They were so much fun to talk to and were very appreciative of the ride.

On Friday we drove up to Big Meadows and tried to have lunch at the lodge. After waiting for 20 minutes without seeing a waitress or even getting a cup of coffee, we left and had breakfast at the Wayside.  It was cheaper and the service was great. Then we went to the visitor center and signed up for a tour of Rapidan on Saturday ($10 per person). While we were there we watched a video on the CCC. Then hiked for a while on the AT going north before going back to the Wayside for lunch.  At 2pm we joined Ranger Travis for a hike going south on the AT at Milam Gap. He did a great job with his short talks along the way. At 8:30pm we went to a bear talk at the amphitheater by Ranger Kelsey, who happened to be Ranger Travis’s sister.  Before the talk we saw a bear up in an apple tree eating dinner. The view from the amphitheater was fabulous and we watched a thunder and lightning storm in the distance.

On Saturday we went back to Big Meadows Wayside for breakfast. Then at 10am we boarded a van to ride down to Rapidan, which was President Hoover’s “Camp David.” The tour was led by Ranger Ginny Browne (a seasonal ranger who is also a history teacher at Page County High School) who did a phenomenal job! She made me see President Hoover in a different light since I only think about him during the stock market crash and depression. I never knew all the good things he did before he became president and even after he left office! The tour was 2 ½ hours but it flew by! On the ride down we saw a bear, deer, and hawks. I would highly recommend this tour to everyone. At lunch at the Wayside, we were joined by 4 bikers from VA and PA. They were really interesting and we had a nice time. After lunch we went back to camp.

The gnats were really awful every day which made us choose not to cook at the campsite. The bears were so plentiful that I didn’t sit outside in the morning waiting for the sun to come up. In fact, there were so many bears around that I didn’t walk to the bathroom alone. The whole time we were there, we saw 10 bears!! We decided to hook up the camper on Saturday night and leave on Sunday morning instead of Monday. We hoped the traffic for the 6 ½ hr. ride home would be better on Sunday.