Home Sweet Home

 Homeward Bound

We got an early start and it was a very nice drive.  We took I-85 to US441 to I75 and it was a great ride without much traffic.  We almost made it without incident but... We were 1/2 hour out from our 1/2 home stop when it started raining and the wind really picked up.  Then we heard it.  Slap Slap Slap of rubber.  Big Bob thought it must be a tire so we got off at the next exit and pulled into a large parking lot.  Turns out it was the weather stripping on the outside of the door - the wind must have got up under it. Big Bob cut it off and we were on our way again. 

Fair Harbor Campground
We hadn't stayed here before but we definitely will again. Easy in and easy out!  Bryan has stayed there several times and had only good things to say about and now we know why!

The transient sites are upfront, all pull thru, with the full hookups located where they plug in easily to the RV with room for the  toads. Not always the case.

There was a Cracker Barrel 1/4 mile away so I walked over and got us dinner (I had to cross an entrance and a exit to the interstate but it was a non issue).  It was great not having to cook.

The next morning we headed out about nine and were home by three.  I-75 to Gainesville, then 129 to US19/98.  An easy trip!  Of course, every step of this year;s trip had a small issue and this one did too.  Right outside of Williston, we were detoured onto a country road without yellow lines so we were nervous if it would get us in a jam, but it didn't and we only lost about 20 minutes.

Trip Recap

This  trip reminded me of when we first started RVing.  We would leave on Saturday around noon (when I got off work), get to the campground and do nothing until we headed home the next day.  This is kind what happened this year. We just relaxed!  That is something new for us now.  Maggie says something happens to you in the mountains and think she is right!  I know the last 6 months I had been high energy and stress getting my parent's house cleaned out and sold. So many memories to deal with but I feel so refreshed now!

The numbers are in:

Wisconsin/Michigan Trip that wasn't  - Money lost on campground - $374.50 with $190.00 credit for next year.

Mountain Trip - $2,817.8

Gas - Saturn                                                                                           108.12

Gas - RV (1668 miles)                                                                           686.02        Campgrounds                                                                                                                                                                                     

       GA Veterans State Park, Cordele, GA (1 nights $33.75)

       River Vista, Dillard, GA (5 nights $263.57)

       Dan Nichols County Park, Salisbury,NC  (5 nights $135.00)                                                                    Stone Mountain State Park, Roaring Gap NC (5 nights $135.00    

       Solitude Point, Cleveland SC (6 nights $291.00)

       Harbor View, Perry GA (1 night $39.00)

Sightseeing/Golf                                                                                    153.46

Harley (shirts and new pair of boots)                                                     412.35

Meals Out                                                                                               304.70

Grocery (stocking up beer & country ham cheaper in GA                    266.12

                                                           

Overall a great trip and God willing and the creek don't rise, we will do the WI/MI trip next year!

             

 

Cleveland SC area

 Cleveland South Carolina Area

We arrived after a pleasant drive - part interstate part US highway.  Of course, the GPS issue again but we did not have to go far to get turned around.

Solitude Point Cabins and RV Park
I read on the internet that this is one of the best kept secrets of a serene campground and I certainly believe it!   We had a great site - they all are here!

This is a small park - just eleven RV sites and six cabins (all with hot tubs).  It is nestled in the woods and each site is wooded.  They even have a Dish and a DirectTV Satellite at the sites so all we had to do was plug in.

 Two of the cabins

   

  
 There is a creek that runs through it from the Little Saluda River

 Each site has his own fire pit

 The office and store, which has a better selection of items than even the larger parks



With a great front porch

 The gathering place
 

  Bath house - small but immaculate

 

The laundry room

 For the kiddos

 And even the big kids
 

Across the road,  access to the Little Saluda River

 Canoes available to rent

Big Bob says and I agree, this is the best place we have camped (wexcept for Ft Wilderness - you can't beat Disney)! The campground just makes you want to chill out and relax and we did!

We did do a little exploring though; the campground is located within an hour's drive of lots of places.

We also had a visitor.  We were just 1 1/2 hr. away from Otto, so my Bestie Maggie came over for a visit!  Although it had only been 2 weeks since I saw her last, it was sooo nice!

Caesars Head State Park
This campground is about seven miles from the State Park. 

 
What views there!  From the scenic overlook you can see Campbell, Paris, Raven Cliff, Pinnacle, Table Rock, Stool and Glassy Mountains, Piedmont, the Dismal Forest, and the Table Rock Reservoir.

Views as we adventured about 

  

 

South Carolina
Harley Dealers - We made a trip to Anderson and Greenville - gotta get chips and shirts, and check out their stock. The impressive thing at Timms Harley in Anderson was that they give a special shirts to veterans.  We have only visited two Harley shops that do that.  What a nice thank you to our Veterans!

Travelers Rest - very cute area.  We went through it going to and from Greenville.  They had a Publix and Big Bob was sure they would have green peanuts, and they did!  He stopped at every Boiled Peanut stand looking for them "done right" but they all used raw not green peanuts here and in NC they were selling boiled peanuts made with frozen ones.  Once we got back from the store, he boiled them up and has been enjoying them the last few days.

North Carolina

Hendersonville - cute place, maybe a little too touristy cute but I would have liked to have more time there.  These bears, all a little different, are all over downtown. The animal statues have been painted by local artists and will be on Main Street all summer and then they are auctioned off in October with half of the auction proceeds going toward nonprofits and organizations associated with each bear. The remaining half goes to Downtown Hendersonville to keep the event going next year.

 


Brevard - Another cute place I would like to spend more time at.  It definitely is a College of the Arts town.

Saluda - Small but cute.  We ate at Green River BBQ and they had fresh collards cooked right (with ham hocks).

 Love the signs for the bathroom doors

As much as I don't want to, we are heading home tomorrow.  I can't find space anywhere for us in cool weather and we decided if we were going to sweat, we might as well do it at home.  I'm hoping to get Big Bob fixed up fast and return in the fall!

Stone Mountain NC area

Stone Mountain State Park Campground

We had a easy ride to the Stone Mountain State Park Campground - almost without incident. But as usual the GPS sent us the wrong way at the end.  We saw the sign too late directing us to the Park.  And of course, we were on a two lane road weaving through the mountains. Finally we saw a church that we could turn around in.  We had decided to drop the car and I would follow. Before he could get even get out, seven cars had shown up in the parking lot for an afternoon church service.  They were great - all parking on the outside of the lot so we could get turned around.

We have never stayed in a North Carolina State Park and if this is an example of the others, it won't be our last.  Although I made the reservations less than 2 weeks in advance, we had a great site!

Most sites are on the creek and it is so wonderful sitting out and listening to the sound while we enjoyed the beautiful weather (as low as 67 and I believe the high was 82).

The creek at our site.

The campground is just beautiful.  It is nestled in a  valley, surrounded by the mountain ridge and a creek running through it. 
 

 

 

 
A very clean bathhouse and since here were no sewer hook ups, I took showers there.  Something I hadn't encountered before - the faucets are on a timer and shut off  after just a few minutes.

Seen in the campground

This woman camping in this little guy is about my age and travels alone, towing the little camper with her van. We saw her again with her back pack hiking in the park.  An amazing woman!

 One of the smallest travel trailers I've seen.  Two people and two large dogs called this home.

And this blew in for one day, literally.  There were seven boys, aged 8 - 14, and one man. They were across from us and when they pulled in the boys poured out of the rented camper.  The ranger had to come twice and talk to them, as the boys, being boys, were all over, throwing balls everywhere and being loud.

Stone Mountain Park

Amazingly, there is not admittance charge to enjoy this park. It is just stunning. 

 It has lots of hiking trails and two waterfalls.
 

Services are  still held during the season as this little church in the middle of the Park.

  We saw deer several times, and they did not scare off. 

Mt Airy

Of course we had to make a  trip to the Andy Griffith Museum and check out all the places from Mayberry (Big Bob is still watching the show, thanks to ME TV).

Barney's sidecar

 The Courthouse

 

Sheriff Andy's shirt

Hanging with Andy and Opie

 The suit from Matlock (it's on ME TV too).
 

We had planned to have a pork chop sandwich at Snappy but it is closed on Monday.  

Our visit there was cut short when my phone fell in water and we had to find a grocery store and a bag of rice.  It did the trick and my phone is working again.  If you know me, you know this is not the first time or the last, I'm sure.

Blue Ridge Parkway 

Every time we have been on it, it seems more beautiful than the last time (we had never been on this section) and it was!  We got on it just outside of Elkin and there was very little traffic making it very enjoyable!

    

Driving into the clouds

Next thing we knew we were in Virginia. We traveled the road for about an hour and then got off at Fancy Gap  where we spotted this cute little place.  We had a very good lunch there and then explored some more.

 North Carolina dog and pintos - yumyum

The Law (I love dogs but not when I'm enjoying time out)

Blowing Rock

We left at 10:30 AM for a ninety minute drive and arrived about 3:00 at Blowing Rock.  To be fair, we did stop at the Harley Dealer in Wilksboro (Cross Roads) but that was only a 30 minute stop. It was the strangest one we have seen - it was in a shopping center. Not sure what went wrong with the drive there but it was a lovely. 
 

By the time we got to Blowing Rock, it was raining so I only have the picture of the entrance building to "The Rock". 

 
But there was a Harley outlet store (sister store of the one in Wilksboro) in Blowing Rock so we stopped in and then ate across the street at Town Tavern, a very old house that had been converted to a old style tavern with TV's.

I don't normally order ribs when we are out, but it was the special so I thought I would go for it- and they were delicious.  I'm glad I did!

We  are heading out tomorrow, trying to stay in cool weather as long as we can.

Our next Destination:  Cleveland SC