Summer 2015 - Bryson City, N. Carolina

Saturday, July 18^th – Friday, July 31^st

Bryson City, N. Carolina

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Bryson City is a place we have visited a few times. We’ve always loved this area, the Smoky Mountains and the small town atmosphere.  It’s been since 2004 that we were in Bryson City. Wow, have we noticed the changes! Apparently, last year TripAdvisor listed Bryson City as one of the top 10 mountain vacation spots. The downtown area has grown, more businesses and also more people visiting. I’m sure it’s good for the local economy, but it’s hard to find a parking place in town now. We’re glad our campground is east of town about 5 miles. We are staying at Country Girls RV Park, it’s not fancy (far from it), but the rates are cheap and our campsite backs up to the Tuckaseegee River. The campsite has a deck overlooking the river, and there are rapids right behind us. It is a great view!

My sister Cindy, drove over from central N.C. and visited for a couple of days. We enjoyed seeing her again, especially in the Smokey Mountains. She and Tommy had met us here back in 2004 and we enjoyed our time at the cabin and hiking.

We decided after about 5 days that we would stay here at this campground for two weeks, instead of going to Murphy, which we had planned. We just did a day trip to Murphy to look at some land. After looking at several pieces of property from Franklin to Sylva to Bryson to Murphy, we have made a decision to not purchase property up here yet. We still have at least three more lengthy trips to complete before we settle down in the mountains for the summers. So goes our motto, “Already Gone”.

Our friends, Sharon and Jim Wagner, came up to the mountains to visit us for the day. They live near the N. Carolina/S. Carolina border, so it was an easy drive. We had intended to go tubing on Deep Creek, but the weather was rainy. We spent the day just hanging out at camp, walking around in Bryson City, and then cooking a nice dinner in the evening. It was great seeing them again, it had been since 2012 that we visited them in S. Carolina.

During our stay here, we’ve been very active. Mountain biking at Tsali Trails, hiking the Appalachian Trail, hiking in Great Smoky Mountain National Park, kayaking in the Tuckaseegee River, tubing at Deep Creek and rafting in the Nantahala River Gorge. It’s been a lot of fun and the dogs have enjoyed their hikes and playing in the rivers and creeks. They also enjoy this campground, as the owners don’t really mind dogs running off leash.

Tomorrow we head south to Georgia!

Summer 2015 – Sylva, N. Carolina

Saturday, July 11th – Friday, July 17th

Sylva, N. Carolina

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This next location is near the towns of Sylva and Dillsboro. This area topography is steeper mountains, with the towns down in river valleys.  The Tuckaseegee RV Resort where we stayed is backed up along the Tuckaseegee River, providing a beautiful view out our rear window. The camp hosts at this park were very friendly and helpful. The Tuckaseegee River flows through Sylva, Dillsboro and Cullowhee in this area. These small mountain towns are nestled in the valleys and border the Smoky Mountains and the Blue Ridge Parkway.

While in this area we were able to kayak the Tuckaseegee River. This river has class I and II+ rapids in this paddling section between Dillsboro and Whittier. Kurt paddled one section with my sit-in kayak to test it out and see if I would be able to run these rapids. We both did the paddle a couple of days later, but I chose to rent an inflatable single kayak, which was better designed to handle the rapids. I also chose to wear a helmet, even though it was not required. It was actually quite fun and exciting. That day the water level was higher due to a storm passing through the evening before.

We also drove up the Blue Ridge Parkway for a few miles and stopped at Waterrock Knob. We took Kody and Luca hiking on this very steep trail up to an amazing overlook. The view from the Parkway is so beautiful, showing the magnificent mountains in the distance. We also did a hike near Sylva on Pinnacle Peak, another very steep hike uphill, with a creek and cascading waterfalls running along most of the trail. I thing we even wore out the dogs on this one.

There were also some amazing mountain bike trails that we found near the Western Carolina University campus. The trails were also very steep going up to the top of the mountain, which made for a fun, downhill ride to the bottom. We really enjoyed these trails, even as tough as they were.

The Sylva area is very nice with steep mountains. We did some looking around at some land, but did not find anything that wasn’t on a steep road up to the lot.

On to our next stop in Bryson City, N. Carolina. One of our all-time favorite little towns in the mountains.

 

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!