Summer 2015 - Franklin, N. Carolina

Thursday, July 2nd – Friday, July 10th

Franklin, N. Carolina

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We finally made the transition from Georgia to N. Carolina. Again, we took the Hwy 441 route north towards Franklin. We passed through several small towns along the way, as we rose higher into the mountains of the Nantahala National Forest. The weather is so much cooler and less humid up here in the Great Smoky Mountains!

We stayed at a lovely RV park that we had found in 2008 on a trip to Franklin before we even had an RV. River Bend RV park is along Hwy 28 (Highlands Rd.) situated along the convergence of the Cullasaja River and Ellijay Creek. This small park has only 13 campsites and is one of the nicest that we have ever stayed in. All the sites backed up to the river. We really love this area of the mountains, with its cooler summer weather, mountains, valleys and rivers. We spent July 4^th celebrating with a feast at the campground and later watching the fireworks in Franklin.

During our 9 days here, we were able to kayak the Little Tennessee River, hike the Appalachian Trail in three different places (Winding Stair Gap-north of Hwy 64, Winding Stair Gap – south of Hwy 64, and Wayah Bald Mountain). We took the dogs and they ran around the trail like crazy and played in the creeks. We have trained them to stay on the trail and close to us.

One of our missions on this trip was to scout out some land where we can setup utilities and necessary amenities to make a home for our RV for extended time periods. We spent two days and looked at 8-10 different properties with our requirements of having gently sloping to flat land, off a paved road, 1.5 – 2 acres, preferably a creek and trees. We did find a couple in the Franklin area, one in particular we instantly loved. It was back in Cowee Valley, north of Franklin, about 5 miles from the highway, with awesome mountain views. This 1.6 acre lot had everything we wanted! It was very lovely with many large trees for shade and a beautiful creek running along one side. It was already fenced and had electricity installed. We really love this one, but want to look around some other areas of the N. Carolina mountains/towns.

Next stop is in the Sylva/Dillsboro area. There will be kayaking, hiking and property searching there also.

Tallulah Gorge State Park, N. Georgia

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 Saturday, June 27^th – July 1^st Tallulah Gorge State Park, N. Georgia

The drive into N. Georgia on Hwy 441 was very different from our previous days’ travels. Here we began to see mountains and valleys, with many small towns along the way. You know you’ve changed altitudes when you see mountain laurels and rhododendron along the forests. When we arrived at the park, we found a very nice pull thru site at the edge of the campground, perfect for us. It was raining somewhat during our setup, but later it cleared up and we drove around the park and local area to get the lay of the land. This park is surrounding the Tallulah River Gorge, which is dammed just upstream of the campground. This created a nice lake with a swimming beach. We did walk the trail along the north rim to get our first glimpse of the gorge. Wow, it’s amazing to see such a deep canyon (up to 1000 feet) in the mountains!

The next day, the forecast was 60% rain, so we decided to go out for breakfast in the nearby town of Clayton. Nice mountain town with all the necessary shopping and some touristy stuff. Lake Rabun was just west of town, so we drove back on the lake side road, viewing the many huge homes and small cottages on the lake. Now we know where so many Floridians go to escape the summer heat. There were Florida vehicle tags everywhere! We relaxed in the camper until the rain passed. After lunch, we took our kayaks to the lake and paddled around for a couple of hours. The fishing there was apparently good, but Kurt doesn’t have a Georgia fishing license, so we just enjoyed the paddle on a beautiful day.

The third day we went to the ranger station to obtain a permit to hike down to the gorge floor. The weather was perfect and we struck out on the trail. The trail begins at the north rim trail, down 392 steps to the suspension bridge crossing the gorge. After that there were 890 more steps to get to the bottom of the gorge where there was a boulder/rocky river crossing. The ranger did warn everyone about the “rock scrambling” on the trail along the river (2 miles on the south side). Most of it was huge boulders that we had to climb or crawl over. As we passed three waterfalls, the scenery was magnificent.  The last waterfall was at Sliding Rock. Here you could swim in the pool at the base of the waterfall, and/or slide on your behind down the rock to the pool below. We chose not to risk any injuries and just went for a swim to cool off. Next we had to cross the river here and begin the arduous trail climb back up to the south rim trail. This was the hardest part, very rocky as the elevation changed 1000 feet in 1 mile. Wow, it was tough, but we finally made it back to camp. It was a challenging hike with amazing scenery.

The next morning it was raining, so we were stuck in the camper for a few hours. When the rain ended, we took our bikes on a rail trail that went from the park along the river. It was nice to get outside for a while. Later, Kurt took the dogs for a hike down to Tallulah Lake, which they really enjoyed.

For our last day at the park, we decided to drive up through the town of Clayton and on up to Black Rock Mountain State Park. This place was recommended as another mountain park with great hikes to the mountain peak. On a clear day, from the overlook, you can see up to 80 miles; Tennessee, N. Carolina and S. Carolina. However, the promised sunny skies were nonexistent, so we only saw clouded mountains and the valley below. It was still a great hike and at least it didn’t rain.

As we drove around the area of these beautiful N. Georgia mountains, we thought about checking out the real estate in the area for the land we are looking for. This area around Clayton and Mountain City seems like a wonderful place to spend the summers. On our way back to camp, we stopped in Clayton at a real estate office to inquire about the type of land we are looking for. One of the purposes of this trip is to find a couple of acres where we can setup utilities and an area to park our RV, or two! We will definitely consider this area in N. Georgia.

Summer 2015 - Georgia Camping

Summer 2015 – Georgia

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Saturday, June 20^th – June 22^nd

Stephen Foster State Park, Georgia (Okeefenokee Swamp)
We left home on Saturday, June 20^th, to head north toward the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina. The first night was just a one night stop to get us closer to Georgia. We stayed at a wonderful RV park in Lake City, FL. It was really nice and reasonably priced. We were even able to get a pizza delivered to our site!

The next day we headed north to the Okeefenokee Wildlife Refuge, a.k.a. Swamp, at the Stephen B. Foster State Park in Georgia. We were one of the few RVs in the park, no wonder it was over 96 degrees in the shade and humid. We picked a nice site and setup, only to realize that the flying bugs (horse flies, mosquitos, etc.) were off the hook. Kurt did kayak up the swamp into the headwaters of the Suwannee River. He was concerned about the aggressiveness and the vast numbers of gators there. This scared me and I decided it wasn’t worth the paddle, especially in this heat.  We had planned to take a boat tour in the swamp, but one of the rangers told us the boat tours were not being run this time of year, due to the heat. Well, we found out late the next day that was a lie and I was really not happy that I missed this tour. We decided it was not worth staying there the 3 nights we had planned, so we got a refund for one night.

Tuesday, June 23^rd – Thursday, June 26^th

Hard Labor Creek State Park, Georgia
On Tuesday, the 23^rd, we headed north to our next destination, Hard Labor Creek State Park. This park is southwest of Athens Georgia. We called ahead and they said there were plenty of sites available for us to arrive a day early. After arriving, selecting our site and getting settled, we checked out the park to see the layout and decide what to do the next 3 days. Our main interest here was the mountain biking, which we enjoyed all 3 days. There are 16 miles of beginner to advanced trails. Due to the mountain terrain and wooded forest, it was a challenging and fun course. The next day we drove into the nearby small town of Rutledge. The area is a step back in time, with everyday great people and stores. Our lunch was at the Caboose café. It was delicious and while there we were told of a Friday night concert in the town square/park. The musicians were a local and also a Nashville recording artist. We took our chairs, coolers and dogs with us to enjoy the gorgeous evening of musical talent! We really enjoyed our time at the park and Rutledge.

 

SW Trip 2014 - Florida: Grayton Beach SP & O'Leno SP

Grayton Beach State Park - Florida

August 2 - 5

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Our next destination was along the beautiful north Florida Gulf shore, Grayton Beach State Park. We visited this park in March 2012 and really enjoyed the amenities and location. We decided to go back since it was nearby some long-time friends who just moved to the area.

Vince and Lily Falzone are friends from our central Florida days. Kurt and Vince worked together at Lockheed at the Kennedy Space Center. They had moved to California years ago and at this point in their lives, decided to come back to Florida. During their time in Cali, they had two children, Abby and Craig. Such beautiful and bright kids, who also have great parents! They had visited us in our Palm Beach Gardens home a few years ago, after the kids were born. It was so wonderful to see them again and how the kids have grown so fast. They came to our campground and we spent the day at the beach. The kids loved it (so did we) and it was so refreshing to play in the water as the weather was hot and steamy. One night they had us over for dinner at their new home in Niceville, Florida. It was very lovely and they were still getting settled after doing some renovations on the house. Other guests were Karen, the wife of a former co-worker of Vince and Kurt. Her husband, Carl Swisher, passed away earlier in the year from kidney cancer. She was in town visiting her sister Darcy and they wanted to meet up with Vince and Lily. We all had a nice evening sharing old stories of their days at Lockheed. Also, the dinner was very nice and we were stuffed by the end of the evening. We are so fortunate to keep friendships with those who have moved away, we will continue keep in touch and get together. We are very happy they are back in Florida, as this will give us the chance to visit see them often.

During our four days at this park we rode our bikes, went to the beach and simply relaxed. It was rainy a couple of days, which hampered our outdoor activities. We still love this area of Florida and the gorgeous beaches.

Our plans were to head down to O’Leno State Park in High Springs, where we would stay for four days. After that we were going to Rainbow Springs State Park for five days; however, after looking at the forecast of almost daily rain (50 – 80%), we cancelled those reservations. We would just head home after O’Leno SP.

O’Leno State Park – High Springs, Florida

August 6 – 8

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Upon arrival at O’Leno, we setup and relaxed for the evening. The weather forecast was calling for rain most every day, mainly in the afternoon. We were going to make the best of it and try to enjoy the park. The Santa Fe River runs through this park, but has an interesting feature. At one point, the river “sinks” underground in a series of caves, then rises a few miles south at the River Rise Preserve. We kayaked this river (below the rise) a couple of years ago and really enjoyed the springs that feed the river. Due to the weather, we didn’t schedule a shuttled paddle. Kurt paddled a 4 mile portion of the river since I was able to shuttle him. He took Kody with him and they both enjoyed the two hour paddle.

After the third day of afternoon rains, we decided to leave a day early and head home. It was disappointing due to the bad weather, we really wanted to kayak and hike there and also at Rainbow Springs. We were ready to get back home and get settled and back to our routine. However, this fall we are doing some reno’s and upgrades to our house to get it ready for the real estate market. We are hoping to sell it quickly and then get back on the road for awhile.

After that, we are not so sure what our future holds. Other than continuing our RV travels, we plan to look around for a down-size home/property, preferably a fixer. We would like to fix up a house and then sell it a couple of years later, or stay there if we love it. Also in our future plans, we would like to purchase a small lot in the Franklin North Carolina area. This lot will be setup for our RV (possibly two RVs) for future trips to the Smoky Mountains, one of our favorite places! God willing and with good health, we will be able to pursue and follow through with our plans.

SW Trip 2014 - Alabama, Oak Mountain State Park

Oak Mountain State Park - Birmingham Alabama

July 28 – August 1

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Oak Mountain State Park is one of our favorites in the south. There are so many activities to do there, from mountain biking, kayaking, hiking, golf, horse-back riding and swimming at the lake beach. We were surprised to find that the campground had improved the sites by completely asphalting the campsites and interior roads. This made the campground much easier to drive around and the campsites cleaner and more level. Our site was one of the nicest in the park, even though it was nearby the shower house. We setup and felt at home right away. Our reservation was for 6 nights, which also made it more comfortable to relax and enjoy more time at the park.

During our time here, we really enjoyed the first class mountain biking trails. Now that I have a real mountain bike, I was able to ride more difficult and fun trails. We spent four days riding the trails and had a wonderful time. We also went on a hike up the Eagle Overlook Trail; this was a very steep up and down trail, traversing a couple of mountain sides and creek crossings. The weather was perfect and actually quite cool for this time of year. Another day we decided to relax a little and took a kayak and picnic down to the small lake. The boys went with us and enjoyed some time to run around and have some fun.

It was so nice to stay in one place for several nights, we really felt relaxed and not rushed to go anywhere. The boys were able to run off leash a little, as they were being real good and stayed within our campsite. We had a campfire a couple of nights and enjoyed sitting out and relaxing.

Now onward back to Florida!

SW Trip 2014 - Heading Home!

Oklahoma – Tenkiller Ferry Lake & Beavers Bend State Park

July 15 -26

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After leaving Albuquerque, we were officially heading home. Without any serious plans, we headed east on I-40 after deciding to get across the Texas panhandle, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi as quickly as possible. We did one-night stops in Amarillo Texas and then Oklahoma City. Our destination was Tenkiller Ferry Lake in eastern Oklahoma. Kurt had visited this lake as a young man and remembered it to be an extremely clear water lake. We stayed in an Army Corps campground in a lakefront site, which was very nice. In the four nights we stayed there we got our kayaks on the lake for a paddle and drove around the beautiful mountains to check out the area. We also were looking for the possibility of a kayak shuttle on the Illinois River. The river looked great for a paddle, but it was too much driving and working with limited outfitters that really didn’t want to shuttle us or our boats, but wanted to rent kayaks to us, so we abandoned that idea. There were not any decent hiking trails nearby, so we pretty much hung out at camp and relaxed.

Our next stop would be in Beavers Bend State Park in southeastern Oklahoma. This was highly recommended as a great park. When we arrived, the park was so huge around Broken Bow Lake that it was difficult to find where the campgrounds were, due to inadequate signage. We finally found the park office and was told where to go and find a campsite. We were able to find a nice site on the river side campground loop; however, it was a pull through and our front porch was right on the street. We even had kids riding their bikes through our campsite, which we quickly advised them to stop. We had signed up for four nights as there were nice hiking and mountain biking trails within the park. One trail we were able to hike started right at the campground and turned out to be a fun, challenging hike up and back down the mountain. The mountain biking trails were in a completely different section of the park, which required us to drive about 20 miles to the trailhead. The trails were decent, but not really meant to be mountain biking trails. There was a lot of driving within this park to see the different features. Kurt did get his kayak on the Mountain Fork River for a short paddle; the paddling section of the river was very limited. On the third night there, a major storm blew through. Thanks to our weather radio, we were able to prepare for the winds and rain. We hunkered down for about three hours as the winds and driving rain pounded our trailer and the lighting snapped all around. Of course, the power went out and we had no idea when it would be back on. We decided then, if there was no power the next morning, we would go ahead and leave for a better place. At least it cooled down that night, so it was not too bad, except for the moron RV neighbor that ran his loud generator most of the night. They finally turned it off when Kurt reminded them of the no generator rule at 10 pm. The next morning we waited for the power to come back on. After speaking with another camper, we found out no one was able to get out of the park as a live power line was down across the entry road…  ugggggh… Neither the campground hosts or rangers were forthcoming with any information as to the status of electricity or roads. It was very frustrating. Around 11 am the power finally came back on, so we reluctantly decided to stay the night since it was already paid for. The next morning we did pack it up and get out of Dodge!

The next day we did another one night stop in Greenville, Mississippi. We were making our way to Oak Mountain State Park in Birmingham Alabama, where we did have reservations. We had one extra night, so we stopped at another Alabama State Park, Lake Lurleen near Tuscaloosa.  This turned out to be a very nice lakeside park with great hiking and mountain biking trails. Too bad we only had the one afternoon to explore. We hope to come back to this park some day and spend more time, it was beautiful.

The next morning we headed to Birmingham and were excited to go back to Oak Mountain, where we did stay last year.

SW Trip 2014 - Abiquiu Lake & Albuquerque

Abiquiu Lake & Albuquerque

July 8 – 14

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We left Durango and headed south into New Mexico. My older sister Terrie, her daughters, husbands and their children live in the Albuquerque area. The plan was to meet up with all of them in Albuquerque. Our first stop was north of Santa Fe at Abiquiu Lake for three days of camping. Terrie actually lives about 15 miles south of this lake, where she also loves to camp. The first day there we hiked and biked around the park and lake. It’s quite beautiful, surrounded by mountains and high desert. The campground is an Army Corps of Engineer project. This campground was very spacious and well planned, with great views of the lake. Just 3 miles north of the lake is a compound called Ghost Ranch. This beautiful property is a desert retreat owned by the Presbyterian Church of the USA. It is used as a retreat, education, meetings, conventions, etc. The Ranch is located back in a box canyon surrounded by amazing mesas and colorful rock formations. This area is also one of the special places loved by the famous artist, Georgia O’Keeffe. One of her homes was on this property and she painted many of the landscapes around the canyon. We decided to go there for a visit, as there are great hiking trails on the property. They welcome visitors and the staff members are very friendly. They provided information on the hiking trails and other amenities on the Ranch. We decided to hike to Chimney Rock. This trail winds up the side of a mesa and ends at a large rock formation resembling a chimney. The views from the top are amazing and the trail was not too difficult. We enjoyed the hike and the exercise. Back at camp, we relaxed and enjoyed the evening and a campfire.

The next day, we decided to go back to Ghost Ranch for a different hike. The trail is called Kitchen Mesa and is a more difficult hike up the side of the mesa. The first mile or so is up sloping hillsides and then the trail continues up the mesa cliff. This was more difficult as there were narrow single track trails and a lot of rock scrambling. One section was a narrow slot canyon with large boulders to climb up and over. This was the hardest part. Once we got to the top of the mesa, the views were amazing and the climb was worth it. The mesa top is covered with white gypsum soil. The trail split into several areas around the mesa top. The views included looking down at the ranch, Lake Abiquiu and also Pederal Mountain south of the lake. It’s no wonder why O’Keeffe loved this area and got great inspiration from the natural beauty! Later that evening, Terrie drove up to the lake for a visit and dinner. Kurt made his wonderful chili and we had a great time together. We talked about our plans for a family get together the coming weekend at our campground near Albuquerque.

The next morning we headed south with the RV and setup camp in a town called Bernalillo at a great city campground called Coronado Campground. This place is unique in that each campsite has a small casita for the picnic table and with a roof and partial walls to provide shade. It was perfect for our family gathering! We drove around the area and went shopping to prepare for our cookout the next day. All the family was contacted and told of our plans. They would all be there the next evening.

The next day, Friday, we prepared for our cookout and were excited to see all the nieces, their husbands and kids. I had not even met some of the younger ones, so this was a special event for me to see them all at one time. My sister Terrie arrived first and we began sharing stories and contacted the nieces to see when they would arrive. Two of the nieces, Stephanie (husband Jimmy, daughter Abby, son JJ) and Erin (fiancé Rich) all live in Albuquerque. The third niece, Melissa (husband Gene, daughters Elena, Mary and Jennifer) were actually leaving Amarillo that day heading back to ABQ. Melissa had just finished her residency in OB/GYN and just passed her board exams. They had lived there for four years during her final doctoral studies. They were so excited to get back to ABQ and be home. She will be starting her new job in September working with a group practice. It was such a joy to see them all, especially the great nieces and nephew. The kids all had a great time, eating and playing and getting to meet their distant Aunt and Uncle. We truly enjoyed our time together. We hope to go back next June for Erin and Rich’s wedding. It will be a wonderful family celebration!

On Saturday, Erin and Rich invited everyone to their home for a cookout. We all met there in the evening and had a great time and great food. It’s too bad our families live so far away from each other. It would be so nice to have regular visits with them and watch the children grow up. Hopefully, we will be able to visit them more often on our trips out west, which we plan to continue as often as possible.

We decided to stay another day to go mountain biking. There is a biking trail north of the city called White Mesa Trails. We were told it was very good with trails for novice to technical riders. We drove about 25 miles north and found the remote gravel road to get to the trailhead. After arriving and studying the trail map, we decided to start out on an easy double track, which would take us to the top of the mesa and some more difficult trails. As we rode around the base of the mesa, the trails continued to get more difficult to follow, as they were not clearly marked. Kurt headed up to a difficult trail and I decided to take the easy one back to the trailhead. The day was getting hotter and I was running out of water, and still had a couple of miles to get back. Kurt had also turned around and eventually met up with me, which was a life saver as he had more water and I was getting very over heated. We slowly made our way back to the truck. I was on the verge of a heat stroke and was happy to get in some shade and cool down. I must say that this trail was not fun and could be very dangerous to those who do not know the trails. We both were ready to get back to camp and relax.

After some dinner, we started preparing to leave the next day for our official turnaround point to head back home. Our plan was to make our way toward Oklahoma and stay at one of the beautiful lakes.