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Clayton, NC

We left Crooked River SP on Saturday and drove about 300 miles to Dillon, SC and pulled in at Bass Lake CG which participates in Passport America.  FHU 50Amp for under $18 ain’t bad.  The sites are quite reasonably sized and there’s a pond on site to soak in a bit of nature.  It’s only drawback is the noise from I95 but it offers a convenient on/off from the Interstate.

 

After seeing the weather report for Sunday, we decided to stay put one more night since they take the PPA discount for up to 3 nights.  No need to drive in the cold rain if you don’t have to.  We just took advantage of the FHU and washed a couple loads of clothes and vegged out in front of the TV.  We arrived here in the driveway around 1:00 today and Tawanda sure does take a lot more room than Wanda did!  Our neighbors Mark and Kelly came over to check out our new home and we got the same reaction from them as from most other folks…”Wow!”  As I like to say, it’s our home, not a camper.

So I’ve driven Tawanda now for about 700 miles and have gotten quite used to how she handles on the Interstate.  I’ve driven her a few miles in smaller towns while in Florida too.  It’s a much smoother ride than a gas MH so it can be driven further without fatigue.  Gin props her feet up in the co-pilot recliner and relaxes as we drift on down the road.  I did have to make the first stop for fuel while in SC at a FlyingJ.  I went to the “Big Boy” fuel islands and the diesel pumps faster there.  300 bucks flowed in pretty fast.  It will be interesting when it’s time for me to put DEF in since that tank is on the passenger side.  I may have to use a hose from the neighboring island.  As always, I’ll learn as I go.

Thanks for dropping by, and enjoy each day of your life’s journey by finding beauty in the ordinary.

Long ride to Cascade Lake (Brevard, NC)

Cascade Lake Recreation Area site #P4
Pisgah Forest NC

We left the house just a few minutes before 9:00am and it was a steady rain falling.  Gin had to stop at her pharmacy to get refills so she drove the Suki while I drove the MH to a nearby vacant lot.  After we hooked up there, we got on I40 west bound for the mountains of NC.  We went about a mile and it was gridlock for 20 minutes.  The rain resulted in some accidents, because shortly after clearing that clog, there was another one.  Another 20 minutes.  The rain cleared a little and the traffic did too.  We made a couple of stops on the way here to get gas and lunch at a rest stop.  We finally made it a little after 4:00pm.  It's about 300 miles of driving but much of it is in congested traffic patterns.  I was a little worn out and Gin didn't feel the best in the world.  When I registered at the CG office, I seriously felt like I was still moving.

Cascade Lake is a Passport America CG.  They give you half price during the week so that makes it affordable for full hookup.  It's really nice for us this time because we were the lucky winners last year during the July 4th Grand Prize Drawing.  We won a free week here this year so I took a few days off from work to add to my usual week off.  We plan to be here 9 nights and only pay for two.  With the PA discount, that's only 50 bucks.  Can't beat that!  We have a waterfront space on the lake and plan to take the kayaks out tomorrow.  We also plan to do some hiking, geocaching, and look for waterfalls near Brevard in the coming days.  After setting up camp this afternoon, we relaxed and just looked out over the water.  I took Smudge for a stroll and saw some mountain laurel in bloom.  It was quite cloudy, but still a nice sunset over the water.  This is definitely a Sylville kind of place.

Cascade Lake Recreation Area; Brevard NC

July 3-9, 2009
Cascade Lake CG Site #B7
Pisgah Forest, NC
$135 for 6 nights

615 miles round trip, 8.2 mpg, $2.58 per gallon gas
Passport America discount during the week :)
Like Sites B8,B9,C7,C32,D19,P4, and P9.5 (sat tv should work on these too)

Friday-Travel day. We came to this CG last October to celebrate our 25 years together and knew we had to return. The traffic wasn't too bad. We stopped at the RV Super Store in Mocksville NC and test drove a Newmar Dutchstar MH. Very impressive (drool). As we arrived in the CG, we noticed our brakes smelled hot. We're in the mountains near Brevard. Transylvania County is known as the "Land of the Waterfalls". It's comfortably cool (79) here but crowded. Most of the people will leave on Sunday or Monday but the families are certainly enjoying themselves.
Saturday-Happy Independence Day!! We were tired so we just relaxed at the CG all day. It's very nice weather so we sat outside a lot. In the afternoon, we walked down to the kayak/canoe launch stopping to watch the kids 3-legged races. It was a lot of family fun time at the swim lake. After supper, we decided to take our bag chairs down to watch the kids sing karaoke and more family fun. We enjoyed watching but we certainly didn't sing. They held several prize drawings at the end of the evening and we won the Grand Prize!! It's a free 7 night vacation here next year. We are checking my schedule for June. When I call to make the reservation, I just need to remember to mention it. We like site B8 beside us. On the other side of us is a volunteer host who is a retired deputy from the area. His son is a trooper with NCSHP and has his family here this week also. We always meet fellow LEOs when we camp. They must crave positive interaction with people as much as I do.
Sunday-Boy did this place clear out in a hurry. It rained some in the early morning so it was humid all day. We went in to Brevard to get a few things and relaxed at the CG the rest of the day. We tried ladderball. It's not as easy as it looks.
Monday- We launched the kayaks in Cascade Lake and paddled upstream to Hooker Falls. While Gin fished a cove, I looked into the trees and saw a big owl silently float from one tree to another! The banks are steep and thick with green. There is mountain laurel, rhododendron with blooms all along the way, hemlock, mature white pine, scrub pine, and dozens of other kinds of plants. There are spent blossoms floating on the clear, cool, still water. We got out of our kayaks at Hooker Falls and floated in the cold water. Gin caught a bass on the paddle back. She released it of course. It started raining pretty hard so we paddled to some overhanging hemlock to stay dry. It was a wonderful day in Sylville. This is a pic of Hooker Falls in the fall of 2008.



Tuesday-We rode around the area and picked up a nice geocache at Connestee Falls. Highway 64 west of Brevard is way curvy. The MH is not going there! The Blue Ridge Parkway is nice. It's cooler (65) at 4500 feet elevation. We were planning to hike to Moore's Cove Falls and do some geocacheing but it was too crowded. Looking Glass Falls which is right beside the road, was too crowded also. We found a nice little turnout not far from Davidson River CG. You could easily walk to the river. Gin bought a winning scratch off ticket ($100) on the way home. Our luck continues. Here's us at Looking Glass Falls in the fall of 2008.



Wednesday-We enjoyed our last day here by kayaking the lake. We took the GPS and I crawled up the steep bank to look for "Get Hooked". My legs were too weak. The irony of it is that on Monday when it rained while we were paddling, this is the exact spot that we took shelter under the overhanging hemlock branches. We got back about 4:30 to pack up the outside stuff and finished just as it started raining. We got the most out of the day.
Thursday-Travel day. It drizzled during the first half of the drive. It's funny how the tension of traffic returns when we get closer to Durham. We love the Brevard area and this CG because there is so much to do. It is a Passport America CG that honors the discount several days during the week instead of just one day. The camp volunteers are nice and friendly. It is operated by the Cradle of Forestry in America. We will return next year.