Al and Missy's Excellent Adventure (BRP)

[Al and Missy]

We set off, after several delays, on a trip to take us from Melbourne Beach, FL to Fleetwood, NC via the Blue Ridge Parkway. We have driven a lot of the parkway, but only in short stints and never towing, so this was to be an adventure. We were held up by Hurricane Matthew cleanup and other tasks, but finally got under way on Friday, 10/28, with a planned stop at Kathryn Abbey Hanna Park in Jacksonville. I said a planned stop, because it didn't work out that way. Due to last minute details, we left so late that we arrived just at dusk. Out daughter and grandson were to meet us there for a outdoor grilled dinner.

I planned this stop based on the good reviews and the park's online map and reservation system. I selected a site large enough for a 35' trailer (ours is a Classic 30 about 31' long). On the map it appeared that I could pull past the site, straight out into the main loop and back straight in. Not so - the site was 40 or 50 feet from the main loop and there was insufficient width in the road to turn the TV to back in. Getting to that point was interesting with vehicles parked out into the road, narrow roads with trees right at the edge, etc.

We went back to the office and selected (again from the map) another site, a pull through rated for over 40' rigs. When we got to the site the site was slanted between the two roads opposite to the direction shown on the map, and might have been 45' long, as long as you used a curved tape measure. At this point we gave up and left. I might try it again, but only after a tour without the trailer to identify sites that could be accessed without bending something made out of aluminum.

Thank you Cracker Barrel! The Cracker Barrel at J. T. Butler boulevard and I-95 had plenty room and told us we could stay overnight. Luckily it was going down into the 60's that night and it was quite comfortable with just the fans running.



We all went in and had dinner. We had a great visit with our daughter and grandson and had breakfast the next morning before we left. The manager said it might get crowded early as it was Florida-Georgia game weekend, but that didn't happen before we left.



Al

[Lily&Me]

Have a great trip!


Maggie

[Al and Missy]

We had selected Twin Oaks RV park from the GS Trip Planner for our next stop. We drove I-10 from Jacksonville over to I-75 and on up to Macon. I-10 is usually such a pleasure to drive in this vicinity and this trip was no exception. Traffic was light and it was a great travel day.



There's an Airstream following us!



Here's the cockpit, complete with ham radio, Nav, and rear-view camera.



When we got to Twin Oaks, what a difference from the previous night! We arrived at lunchtime, but as I was walking up to the office (which had an out-to-lunch sign on the door) a manager drove up in a golf cart and said he would escort me to my site. We drove straight in and set up. I didn't take any pictures of the park, but they have some pull-thrus out in the open and some back in sites under the trees. As with most commercial parks, they are close together, but everyone was friendly. We were even invited to a park Halloween party that night! We decided we would definitely stay there again.

[Al and Missy]

We headed out from Elko about 10:30 on our way to the Great Outdoors RV Resort in Franklin, NC, a few miles from the southern end of the Blue Ridge Parkway. I thought that, given our delayed trip start, the elevation changes along the parkway might give us some good views of fall color and we were not disappointed. We also wanted to get the End-To-Ender award for traveling the full length of the parkway so now, along with some previous travels, we have the southern half in the bag.

Great Outdoors is situated on a tall hill near Franklin. We had a back-in site but our guide parked us in excellent fashion and we set up for a cool evening watching the sunset. The only problem was the guide thought our site was blocked and he stopped part way up the hill. I had to engage 4-Low to get started, but was able to turn on the pavement without hopping a front wheel. It was a great facility with great views. Our neighbors were from Tampa, Florida and we enjoyed talking to them.

[Al and Missy]

We headed out from Great Outdoors en-route to the southern end of the BRP. I am apparently map-reading challenged as we passed up the turnoff to the parkway in favor of what I thought was a route to the southern end instead of an intermediate point. WRONG! We lost about an hour touring Cherokee to get fuel, then on the Bryson City where I figured out we (I) must have done something wrong and then headed back to Cherokee.

I learned a lot about towing at slow speeds and the importance of keeping the engine on the torque peak to minimize heating on this leg, but we got great fuel mileage and enjoyed the ride.

We crossed the highest point on the parkway.



We stopped at too many overlooks.



A view from the rear view camera.



Another view.



And another.

[woodfox45]

Hope you enjoy the rest of your trip . I still haven't installed the sky lights that I got from you this past summer too many other projects .
Les

[dbj216]

I love the southeast. Someday, someday, someday we will travel to the Smokies and just sit and enjoy the beautiful woods and hills. Maybe from Georga to West Virginia.

Thanks for your travel thread. I'm going to jump in the back seat and ride along.

David

[StrmyWeather]

Thanks for posting your trip experiences. We left Smokemont on Friday, 10/28, after having spent 5 nights there and the previous week at a friend's farm in VA, and spent 2 nights at James Island park in Charleston to break up the drive home. The foliage had finally come out and was spectacular as we drove the BRP towards Asheville. I hope you're enjoying the same. As a side note, we started one phase of our lives in Melbourne Beach about 1981. Our first house was at Pine and 1st. Great, great community. Safe travels
Richard
Ps. I must share your mapping ability but it's a lot easier making a u-turn with the 19!!

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by dbj216

I love the southeast. Someday, someday, someday we will travel to the Smokies and just sit and enjoy the beautiful woods and hills. Maybe from Georga to West Virginia.

Thanks for your travel thread. I'm going to jump in the back seat and ride along.

David

I feel the same way about Colorado. A trip west is in the planning stages for sometime in the next couple of years.

Al

[Adiredneck]

Google Earth satellite photos are your friend, as are the "street view". When going to a new campground I always like to recon the actual site rather than rely on the "park map" on their website.

...and I still get foiled by the occasional tree that won't let me swing the truck wide enough to get the arse end lined up with the campsite!!

Tim