AN UNUSUAL STORE AND GOING DUTCH

Memorial Weekend (continued)

Despite the crowd at the state park, there is surprising little in the surrounding area.  Very rural and a bit depressed.

So I was very surprised to find the coolest little store in the middle of nowhere!   With natural remedies, organic spices, grass fed beef and homemade cheeses.... Baked goods, books on farming and homesteading.  I bought some grass-fed beef short ribs and a half dozen free range eggs.

For the rest of the weekend, I practiced my patience with children not related to me and my dutch oven cooking skills.  Having just participated in a class at the Blue Ridge Rally a few weeks ago, I was anxious to put my new found skills to the test!  So far I've made pork loin, chicken, ribs, dessert, and even a frittata.

I shoulda' known better

Memorial Weekend

My destination in Ohio is the Airstream Factory and an event known as Alumapalooza.  But before we get there on Tuesday I need a home for the holiday weekend.  So... in all my infinite wisdom, I booked a site at a nearby state park a few months ago.

Indian Lakes State Park is an 800-acre multi-use park on the banks of the 5,800-acre Indian Lake.  It offers a variety of water-related and other recreation.  There is boating, fishing, skiing, camping, playgrounds, trails and even a BMX area.   There are 500 camping sites plus cabins.  It is the first weekend after school is out for the summer.

Do you see where this is going yet???

Every single available campsite is booked.  They are all about 10 feet apart.  Each site has a large camper and a tent or two.  There are a minimum of 53.2 children per site.  Each child has a bicycle, or a skateboard.  Each parent has a golf cart.  I get 10 points for near-miss of a child on a bike trying to back into my camping spot for the weekend.  42 golf carts are waiting for me to get out of the road so they can get by.  I throw my keys to the macho man-child who saunters up to the truck window to see if he can help me out... "Be my guest".  I never do this but it has been a long day that started with me driving off with the rear stabilizers down.   I've been through Louisville, downtown Cincinnati and Dayton on the way here.   I get out and join the 42 golf cart drivers in staring at the truck.  I smile when it takes him three tries and he doesn't even get the extra points for almost nailing a bike rider.  I thank the man-child, he leaves, and I enjoy an adult beverage to recover from the trauma.  The weekend has begun!

The lake has a dog beach and Grace is in heavaen - no gators and new friends to make

Stay tuned for the rest of our weekend adventures!

The Friends and Family Plan

Old Stone Fort State Park

Following Fall Creek Falls, Grace and I headed out for Old Stone Fort State Archeological Park in Manchester, TN.  A short drive through some beautiful country.

This would be our home for the next two weeks while we caught up with kids and grandkids and friends. 

The Old Stone Fort is a prehistoric Native American structure.  Most likely built between 80 and 550 AD during the Middle Woodland period.  Native Americans used this area continuously for about 500 years, eventually leaving it abandoned.  The park's museum consists of displays of prehistoric Native American replicas as well as dioramas and photos. The exhibits provide information on the theories regarding the enclosure's builders, archaeological excavations at the site and the culture of its builders.  There are some great walking trails with small waterfalls and access to the Duck River.  According to the website, the main hiking trail follows the wall of Old Stone Fort which was used by the Native Americans as a ceremonial gathering place.  You can see the original entrance of the fort which was designed to face the exact spot on the horizon where the sun rises during the summer solstice.

Our campsite for the visit.  Sites are small, but private

Waterfalls along the Duck River

Grace is loving water with no alligators!

Maureen ("Momo" ) and I enjoyed several hikes

Just one, please...

Got to visit with my brother John, and see his soon to be completed new restaurant

Watched granddaughter Vera graduate from 5th grade up to middle school next year... how did that happen!??  She is such a beautiful young lady.

And had a lovely dinner with these lovely ladies.... it was great to catch up with good friends.  Miss you guys!

After two weeks it was time to leave for our next destination....

Farewell Tennessee.... until next time

15 Minutes of Fame

I was scrolling through Airforum posts on the Canopener rally this morning when I discovered the rally was also the subject of a blog from RV-A-GOGO (full-timers whose blog I follow).  Of course I had to skip over there and read the latest post... Breezin's little red table decoration was there in the middle of the blog, snapped during our open house on Saturday.

A friend and blogger I follow - Postcards from the Road, featured a post with some Airstream info this week, and there at the bottom of the post was a very nice stylized picture of Breezin' !

A T@bber friend does this incredible job with doodling/painting shoes and hobo bags depicting scenes of camping life...  Get ready Crystal, because you just officially crossed over into Airstream fame as well, hope you have your pens and paints ready :-)

Breezin' has enjoyed his 15 minutes of fame.... and his owner has had a pretty good time the last couple of weeks as well!

Opening Cans

The first trip of 2015 was an Airstream rally known as The Canopener and held at Topsail State Park in Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.  I tried to make this trip last year and had to cancel at the last minute so I was very excited to get Breezin' on the road this time.

My favorite view in the rear view mirror

Canopener is an Airforums rally, organized by volunteers who all did a spectacular job.  It was a sea of aluminum with 103 trailers attending!

Topsail is located in the Florida panhandle on the gulf coast, with a beautiful beach.  Wish it had been warm enough to enjoy it!

The park itself is very nice and well maintained.  Several miles of trails and bike paths, tram service to the beach (about 3/4 mile walk), a club house, bath houses, laundry, etc.  Most, if not all, sites had full hookups.  Unusual for a state park but it's also a bit pricey for a state park.

Our campsite at Topsail

I did a little sightseeing the first day before the rally began and drove over to Seaside for lunch.  Seaside is known for the Airstream food trailers that line the main street.  Grace and I walked around and picked up some lunch, visited the bookstore and took a walk along the ocean before returning to Santa Rosa.

The rally got started on Thursday with a chili dinner.  Friday included an open margarita bar and a corn hole tournament at noon.  Friends Beth and Pete both played, with Pete taking second place out of almost 40 players.  Friday night we went to town for seafood at Stinkey's Fish Camp - good stuff.

Saturday's events included an open house at noon.  It was nice to be able to see all of the various floorplans and the modifications people had made.  The afternoon concluded with a pot luck, tons of food - a few giveaways and some entertainment provided by one of the local dealers.

It was great meeting everyone.  Can't wait for next year!

Sundog Books - Seaside, FL

Food trailers

dinner at Stinkey's with Pete and Beth

Saturday evening pot luck - quite a crowd

Meeting the Sisters in Elkmont

A secondary reason for my visit to Elkmont Campground this month was an opportunity for a Sisters On The Fly event.

I originally joined this organization two years ago.  The vintage trailers and camaraderie appealed to me and I was looking for others who liked to camp.  After all, what is not to like about camping trailers, horses and fly fishing (although I've yet to attempt the latter)?

I've scheduled two or three trips over those two years but for one reason or another had cancelled every one of them.  I was determined to get in at least one trip this year before my membership expired yet again.

Wanting to see the fireflies in the Smokies, this seemed like the time to do it!  I signed up, convinced a camping friend to go with me to try it out, and away we went.

This is a HUGE event for SOTF with over 80 "sisters" attending from all across the country.  In that regard, it was hard to meet everyone.  There were several people there that I have met through T@B camping and rallies (the greatest bunch of people ever) and I tended to gravitate toward them.

There were several events that I didn't partake in - a fly fishing excursion and a trolley trip to Cades Cove.  Potlucks for breakfast and dinner and a ranger walk through what used to be the town of Elkmont were ones I did participate in.

I enjoyed meeting a few new people, and the "prom" (which was the one event I thought I'd pass on) turned out to be great fun watching everyone.  They truly do "have more fun than anyone"!

Would I go again -- maybe.  It was very scheduled and a little regimented for me, though I don't know how you would do it any differently with that many people and the organizers did a great job.  I think I'd like to try a smaller event where you have a better chance of getting to know people.   I did enjoy the women I met and seeing all the different trailers.  There were at least three vintage Airstreams that I didn't manage to get a picture of.  Here are just a few of the vintage campers that were there...

A trip to the (RV) Doctor

I took Breezin' in for some minor warranty work this week - nothing serious, but I also wanted a couple of changes before the next trip.  My closest dealer is about 100 miles away - all on pretty county or state routes, a nice drive.

Someone (uh, me) made the appointment for 8AM!  The day started out early around 5am driving to the storage area and hooking up in the dark.

Two repairs required parts they didn't have -- I'll have to go back in a few weeks.  I've got a little bit of corrosion started on the grab handle by the door (the downside of living close to the beach) and the sensor on the gray water tank does not work (don't ask me how I know this!!)

I had them do a few minor mods - a new Oxygenics shower head and a clothesline in the wet bath.  And the more important one - an extra battery!  My next trip includes 4 days of dry camping in the Smokies so I'm happy about having the extra battery power.  I just have to save for some portable solar panels.!

I'm also looking for some of these LED bulbs, so if you know of a source less than the price of a new car, please let me know!

Had a great breakfast at The Flying Biscuit in Gainesville with a friend while I waited for all this to be done.  I highly recommend the Veggie Scramble!

Travel Day

Sunday, May 4

Because I have some work obligations I'm making this a one day drive.  My least favorite type of travel - interstates and straight through.  10 hours to do about 580 miles.  The truck did great on the narrow mountain roads and steep grades and I loved the engine braking in tow/haul mode.  My overall mileage on the way back was 14.3 MPG, better than I expected.  It's been a great couple of weeks!

On the road again...

Rest stop with Judy and her T@B

Now to clean up the Airstream (you can tell she's been traveling with bugs and camped under trees) and the truck and get ready to go again...

Where to begin... Blue Ridge Rally 2014

I gave up trying to post from the mountains... after struggling with an internet signal for work some of each day, I didn't have the energy for posting photos :-)  Besides, I was having a great time!  I'll try to catch you up,,,

Wednesday...

was the official start of the Blue Ridge Rally and our last rainy day.
I attended my first rally last year with my T@B, but this was the 7th year for this T@B rally that has evolved to include R-PODs,  MyPods, Teardrops, T@Gs and several Airstreams (including Breezin').   Incredibly beautiful country, and one of the best organized rallies ever.  Judy and I started the day with lunch in Jefferson for some North Carolina Barbecue at When Pigs Fly.

Meet and Greet

Wednesday ended with a meet and greet with everyone in their favorite Life is Good t-shirt and the nightly campfire

Thursday...

morning we started off with SUNSHINE and breakfast at Rodie's Parkway Restaurant.  Eggs, bacon, waffle or biscuits and gravy, and coffee for $5.  Next door is a fabulous craft store where I spent way too much money.  Next stop Blue Ridge Parkway for some sight seeing...more to follow!

Breakfast with friends