Month: May 2024

Lake Powhatan Recreation Area & Campground, Pisgah National Forest, Asheville, NC

It took us over 7 hours to drive to Lake Powhatan Recreation Area & Campground in the Pisgah National Forest in Asheville, NC.  At Lake Powhatan, we had booked a pull-thru site with no power or water hook-ups. We had our small generator with us for the coffee maker and microwave, so we didn’t miss having power. It was a Wednesday in the middle of May and still a little chilly in the evenings, at over 2000 ft. elevation. The areas without power were sparsely populated. We were only staying one night and were too tired to drive into town, so we did not have to unhitch.

The main reason we kept one night there on our itinerary, was to check the place out. We decided a couple of years ago, that we very much prefer traveling through that area instead of I-75 through Atlanta and the rest of Georgia. The camping is better and we love the mountains. Also, driving through Atlanta traffic is not fun.  In the morning, with only a short drive ahead of us, we walked the entire campground and day use area, roughly 4 1/2 miles. We checked out the lake and every campsite and recorded the most desireable spots for next time.

We will definitely return again, even if we can’t see the town.  We’re disappointed that we will never see the River Arts District, now destroyed by the major flood. “Next time” is never guarateed for anything.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Gatlinburg, TN 

Great Smoky Mountains National Park  is only 2 hours from Asheville. We really couldn’t pass through the area without stopping there for some hiking and sight-seeing.  Since we planned ahead this year, we had a reservation in the park’s Elkmont Campground. Dave’s parents, Gary and Shirley, camped and hiked all across the country, but spent more time in the Smokies then any other destination. Most trips, including many with their three boys, they camped at Elkmont Campground. For Dave, it was like taking me and the RV back to his childhood.

The first day, we walked the entire campground and  hiked to Elkmont Ghost town and Daisy Town, a neighbohood in the Elkmont historic District where the park is restoring the old cottages. My feet were pretty sore as we approached nearly 10 miles total, for the day. As we hiked, Dave recounted many family  adventures in the park, including about how his parents often spent all day driving there and would immediately head out for a 6 or 7 mile hike, even well into their late 60’s (maybe later). I know they didn’t train for these things (typical for his family – no training needed). Of course, I had to keep going, even with sore feet.

The second day we did a more challenging hike, maybe 7 or 8 miles. I was too tired to eat lunch, so opted for the best cold Miller Lite I have ever had.  We headed into Gatlinburg, walked all over town, had a great dinner and found some live music. Then we returned to the campground and walked around. We always enjoy checking out people’s rigs, setups and campfires.  Dave shared more stories about camping there with his family. We also identified which riverside sites we would try for next time. It was another 10-mile day. Yes, I slept very well.

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site, Union, KY

Big Bone Lick State Historic Site is not far from I-75. We booked a spacious pull-thru site with water and electric for our 92nd and final night of the trip. The name of the park comes from the Mammoth and Mastadon fossils found there. The animals are believed to have been drawn to this location by a salt lick deposited around the sulfur springs.

After we set up camp, we took a short hike to see the bison. Dave convinced me I didn’t need boots for a short, flat hike. It turned out to be the most slippery muddy hike I have ever done. By some miracle from heaven I did not wipe out or ruin my shoes at all, though I came very close many times. We saw the bison. Unfortunately, we missed the “yoga with the bison” class by one day (seriously…???).  I felt bad for them. After seeing them in the wild in South Dakota, I can’t imagined they enjoyed being fenced in, in humid Kentucky.

With the hot humid weather, the mud, my sore feet after 20 miles the previous 2 days in the smokies, I was a bit irritable until we finally just chilled out in our campsite. Overall, it was still a good final day camping.

The next day, on May 19 after 92 nights – 1 hotel and 91 nights camping,  14 campgrounds, 23 campsites, in 5 states, and 5700 miles, we arrived at home.

 

Lake Powhatan Recreation Area & Campground, Pisgah National Forest, Asheville, NC

 

Our original plan was to spend 3 weeks at Flagler Beach, then head to Hunting Island, SC, then Edisto Beach, SC then Asheville. We really wanted to maximize our time in our favorite places since we don’t plan to go to Florida next year. The weather forecast was less tham ideal to the north, while we were having great weather in Florida. With the new reservation policy for Florida (residents get a 30-day lead on booking), we still are not sure if we will be able to camp there again. We decided we could go to the other 3 places anytime (unless a natural disaster prevented that…).

We booked 2 nights at Blue Spring State Park in Orange City, FL. It is usually very difficult to get a reservation there, especially on a weekend, because swimming and paddling in the spring is very popular. We were happy that the water access was closed, for maintenance. Though we missed that experience, we got to enjoy the park and campground without all of the crowds.

We loved our campsite and saw some interesting wildlife including a piliated woodpecker (finally!!!), a muscovy duck, a committee of vultures, and long nose gar in the spring, A whipoorwill woke me in the middle of the night, which was irritating but very cool.  We checked out the Thursby House Museum, located in the park. Friday afternoon in nearby Deland, FL., we enjoyed a cold one at a great microbrewery, the weekly Artisan Alley Framers Market, tasty tacos from a food truck and music at Cafe Da Vinci. Deland is another great town that we had never heard of.

We spent 9 more days in Flagler Beach and 2 more at Fernandina Beach. We spent a total of 30 nights at Flagler, 68 nights total since our first visit in 2021.

So long Florida, for awhile.

Blue Spring State Park
Orange City FL

 

 

 

Our original plans were to spend about three weeks in northern Florida, at Gamble Rogers State Park (our favorite) in Flagler Beach and Fort Clinch State Park (tied as our 2nd favorite) in Fernandina Beach. We were able to extend our stay in the area. This post covers our first 3 campsites there – 10 days at Gamble, 4 days at Fort Clinch, then 11 more days at Gamble.

At Gamble Rogers State Park there are two campgrounds. The campground on the river side of the park has very large, well-spaced, flat campsites with gravel pads, surrounded by grass. We prefer the oceanside campground, where you can hear the surf 24/7. Half of the sites there are on the ocean, most with ocean views. We are willing to deal with the dirt/sand campsites and huge puddles after rain as  trade-offs.

As I have mentioned in past posts, the idea of our very first Florida camping trip started with a youtube drone video of Gamble Rogers. That video and plans for the first trip helped us to survive the early months of the pandemic. The trip itself got us through the later months of the pandemic, when much of Michigan was under restrictions.

We really love Flagler Beach. It is a small, laid-back oceanside surf town. The bars, restaurants, galleries and shops are casual and not really expensive. With only a handful of small motels and inns, there are mainly locals, day-trippers,  and VRBO renters. That may change, as a new 100-room Margaritaville Hotel is going up in the center of town. Also, a huge increase in insurance costs and taxes, caused by recent hurricanes, is forcing many homeowners to sell.

Our shared mindset is to thoroughly enjoy every cool place we visit, while it is still cool. We appreciate that we have experienced many great places before they were forever changed (even ruined) by the internet, wealthy people taking over, fires, etc. Just a few examples are Aspen (now we call it “Beverly Hills East”), Lahaina (destroyed by fire), Key West (much more crowded with a parking lot in Mallory Square), Telluride (still cool but completely owned by the wealthy), Breckenridge (over-built), and Gatlinburg (has become a crowded tourist trap).

Fort Clinch State Park also has two campgrounds.  One is located on the St. Amelia River. Our rig does not fit in any sites there. Also, we heard it is a more noisy, party-oriented area with lots of bugs. We love the Atlantic beach campground, which is a short walk to the ocean. We toured the fort, the last two years, so skipped it this year.

We also really like the town of Fernandina Beach. It is a very cool historic town with several smaller hotels, but no huge resorts. The town reminds us of Holland, MI or a much smaller version of the Traverse City of 15 or 20 years ago.  The town has many places with live music and some great microbreweries. One of our favorite places is The Salty Pelican Bar and Grill, which has a roof top area with views of the Amelia River. A highlight of our stay there was meeting up with a couple we met in the keys. Stick and CJ are living full time and working remotely on an old trawler. They just happened to be in Fernandina Beach when we were. We found them in the marina, got a tour of their beautiful boat and had a fun time swapping stories.

My next post will cover our last 13 days in northern Florida.