Day (36) Wal-Mart adventure, Small Country CG, Louisa, VA

 

It poured all night long and was still raining hard when we woke in the morning. Since we were at a Wal-Mart and our prescriptions needed to be refilled I wandered in to get that done. Everything appeared to go smoothly for the transfer and I went back to the MH to make breakfast while waiting for the scripts.

I went to pick up our scripts and they only had Ron’s. I guess the Raynham Wal-Mart didn’t transfer my scripts – so much for going smoothly. I had enough to get me home so told them to cancel the order – otherwise we would have to wait another hour or more.

We left  the area around 10 am and Jewel was acting weird and shaking – again!!! I had to wrap her in a blanket to calm her down for the ride.

PLEASE – Don’t make me go!!!!

Ron had chosen the Small Country CG because it was in our Passport America book and at half-price appeared to be a good deal. I guess he didn’t research it that well because it was located in the boon-docks 27 miles from Monticello. As we sere driving down the winding back roads we were thinking – WHAT WERE WE THINKING. LOL

As it turned out, the entire CG was quite pretty, with lakes and nice hiking paths that Jewel loved. Not so much about the nasty dog that tired to bite her though!!!

 

We took Jewel for a very long walk around the CG (1 hr.) and enjoyed the cool weather, bright skies, pretty lake and quiet.

 

 

 

 

After our walk we planned for our day at Monticello and promised ourselves we would get up and out the door early in the morning.

Day (35) Leaving Stone Mountain, Rest Area on I-85, Vietnam Memorial–Wal-Mart Sleep Over

 

We packed up to leave for our 500 mile drive to Charlottesville, VA. It was still raining intermittently and a little cooler. By the time we finally left the CG it was 11 am.

Ron was in a driving mood so we didn’t stop for the night until around 6 PM. Our original plan was to grab a CG but instead opted to stay at a rest area in North Carolina. At first it seemed like a good idea. The rest areas in NC are really beautiful and set up nicely.

Driving into the rest area we noticed a sign for a Vietnam Memorial located within the rest area, so after dinner took a walk to check it out.

 

The path/road to the memorial was .7 miles from the parking lot.

 

 

The walk through the forest was really pretty and we had to cross a bridge over a stream to get to the memorial. All this in a rest area!

 

 

 

 

The Vietnam Memorial is set up in a similar fashion to the one in Washington, DC. It is quite outstanding but in such an odd spot between the North and South bound rest areas on I-85.

The names of the 1600 NC soldiers who lost their lives during that war are on individual plaques on the wall. The area surrounding the memorial is really beautiful and meticulously maintained.

We were glad we stopped at this particular rest area – at least for the moment. Around 10 pm we were surrounded with really noisy trucks and Ron was feeling boxed in. I think he had flashbacks from our rest area event in January. A truck pulled up beside us on the left  in a non-parking area making it even tighter. The the truck to our right decided he needed to readjust his truck –pulling forward and backing up – certainly looking like he was going to take out our right front end.

OK- that was it- we were leaving – but where to go. The nearest Flying –J was 60 miles away – oh wait – maybe a Wal -Mart?????

I found a Super Wal- Mart about 14 miles away in High Point so we headed there. It turned out to be a great move. The parking lot was huge, empty and quiet and they allowed RV parking. We had a nice quiet place under a light with security monitoring through the night.

Good move Ron!!!!

                               Our Quiet Wal-Mart Parking Spot

We figured out that we no longer will be staying in Truck Stops or Rest Areas for the night. Our best options now Flying J’s with RV spaces, Wal-Mart's when allowed but most of all campgrounds. I guess we’re really getting old and finicky .

Day (34) Stone Mountain, Rain, Amusement Park

 

Overcast skies and lots of rain for the majority of the day put a damper on our plans to climb Stone Mountain. If the trail was dirt or gravel we would have made the climb but since it is slick granite would have been a dumb call.

Our two days at the beach in Florida are causing problems for us now. Ron was bitten on the foot by Florida sand fleas and has been dealing with the itchiness and pain – yes I said pain – much like the no-see-ums we dealt with in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan. They  don’t look as bad as they did but still very painful.

 

I am dealing with blistering skin from the sunburn – something I have never had happen to me. My chest, upper arms and shoulders hurt like the devil. (No pictures please)

Once the rain finally ended – around 3 pm- took a ride to the amusement park. The park is geared toward children so we didn’t bother to pay an admission fee for the kiddie rides and shows. We walked around and bought a funnel-cake to share instead. It was as good as advertised and satisfied our need for something sweet. There were only a handful of people in the park compared to Saturday and Sunday when it was a mob scene.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We walked to the viewing field where  the laser light show was held and got a shot of it empty. The area is quite pretty with monuments flanking the mountain carving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the way out of the park we stopped at the blown glass store where they gave a demonstration on glass blowing. The young man doing the demonstration was quite good. We had seen glass blowers in the past but never as detailed as his demonstration.

It is difficult to see because of the reflection in the glass wall but he has the beginnings of a blown glass flower at the end of his metal rod. The reflection of a red shirt blocks some of the flower.

 

 

 

 

 

Back at the CG we planned our next stop. We will be driving to the Richmond, Virginia area. Ron  would like to stop at Monticello for a tour  and take in some of the other historic sites in the area.  It is over 500 miles so we will be stopping at the half-way point, so my job will be to find us a CG.

Once again Jewel was frightened by the fireworks at the laser light show. She is so nervous  about loud noises. She sat with me on the bench seat at the table while I was surfing the web. She will be happy when she doesn’t have to deal with the loud noises and especially happy when she gets home to her chair and the Flea Market for her walks. LOL

Day (33) Stone Mountain, Old Grist Mill, Hiking the Park

 

The weather has been great with temps in the 80’s with low humidity. We didn’t do too much – walked around the CG, then took a drive to the Old Grist Mill. The last time we were here we didn’t go to the Grist Mill (4 years ago) and I’ve heard about it ever since. LOL

We hiked along the adjacent trail and waded across the spring water to get to the other side. It was a beautiful day and great for hiking.

 

 

 

Later we went to check out the Carillon –

A carillon is a musical instrument composed of at least 23 carillon bells, arranged in chromatic sequence, so tuned as to produce concordant harmony when many bells are sounded together. It is played from a keyboard that allows expression through variation of touch. The keys are struck with the half-closed hand. In addition, the larger bells are connected to foot pedals.

The carillon is played from an enclosed building and the sound from the carillon is just beautiful.

The Carillon players’ dog was in the building and was not happy that his master had left for a few minutes. The dog was actually whimpering.

 

               The Carillon

The walk down to the Carillon was very relaxing and again the weather perfect.

 

We plan to hike up Stone Mountain on Monday. On our last trip we went up on the Tram and hiked down. It is a 845 foot climb –so should be challenging – but fun.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We covered the area pretty thoroughly on our last visit so we headed back to the CG. After dinner we sat outside , enjoyed the weather and a good cup of coffee.

LINK: can you see any difference?

Stone Mountain 2008

After taking Jewel for a 45 minute walk we settled in for the  night. At 9:30 pm the first of the fireworks went off at the Laser Light Show. Jewel came running out of the bedroom, shaking and  frightened. It was tough to calm her  but finally she relaxed – until the next big BOOM! We felt really bad because on Saturday night we left her alone with all of the windows open. The fireworks must have really scared her with no one in the MH to comfort her. Poor Jewel, the older she gets the more anxious she gets. She was so spooked that when we went to bed she wanted to sleep with us. Not so good for us but good for her.

Day (32) Leaving Georgia Welcome Center, Stone Mountain, Georgia, Laser Light Show

 

It remained cool through the night making for comfortable sleeping weather. There were other MH’s spending the night and of course trucks. Jewel doesn’t like the loud trucks so of course she jumped in the bed with us and slept at out feet.

Ron, was a truck driver for years and slept in many noisy truck stops and rest areas but now cannot tolerate the noise. So between Jewel taking up his foot space and the truck noise he didn’t get a very good sleep – again!!!

We  left the  Welcome Center around 9:30 am, stopped to get groceries and arrived at Stone Mountain around 1 PM. There were plenty of sites but Ron requested the site we had last time overlooking the pond. That site was taken but the one next to it wasn’t.

We got settled in and noted that the pond had been overgrown with surrounding trees so no longer visible from where we were now parked. Also that the stairs down to the pond now had a new site in front of it with a deck attached.

There are a variety of RV sites here ranging from basic to exclusive with prices at the low end of full hook-ups (ours) at $48.00 per night to well over $80.00 per night. We decided to just stay in the site and got settled in. Ron then took a very long, much needed nap while I did laundry and  cleaning.

LINK:

Stone Mountain Park LINK

 

 

No more pond view from the MH. We had to walk around the new sites to get to the pond and check out the ducks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

When setting up the MH at a camp site  Ron does all the outside hook-ups and I take care of the air bags, jacks and slides. One of my pet peeves is making sure that when the leveling jacks are extended that the wheels of the MH are on the ground or on blocks so that the wheels AlWAYS have contact with a solid surface. Some people do not feel that way I guess because have seen many  MH’s with their front or back wheels fully off the ground. This MH in the new space blocking the path to the pond paid big bucks to have a deck but has paid no heed to the fact that his wheels are OFF the ground. UGH!!!

Every night in the summer season the CG offers a laser light show on the face of Stone Mountain at 9:30 pm. We decided we would attend and were completely surprised at the number of people attending the show.

There had been an R&B concert prior to the laser show – adding even more people. We were able to finally  find  a parking space about one mile from the viewing field. We grabbed our chairs, backpack and headed out with the throngs of people.

LINK:

We arrived one hour before the start of the show and there were thousands of people already seated. We actually were quite far back from the mountain and had a great view because we were high up on the walk-way. Interestingly, there were no visible security people around either to direct people or traffic. There had to be at least 10,000 people at this venue and everyone was orderly and respectful of their neighbors. There was no alcohol allowed and it appeared that everyone was respectful of that rule too.

We were totally amazed at the number of people. A local woman told us that this crowd was very unusual and it was reflective of the left over crowd from the R&B concert.

Lots and Lots of People!!!

People in every Direction and still coming in!

Once the lights were dimmed there was just a light shining on the carving on the mountain. Everything was so quite that you would think everyone had left.

And then the show began. It was the most incredible laser light show we have ever seen. Spectacular laser display, fireworks and graphics. Difficult to capture in photos.

 

 

 

There were several different themes throughout the presentation with great musical back-up. From Rock & Roll, to Blues to current  music. It took in the aspects of the Civil War,  Military Forces of today, accomplishments of the  great men and women in our country but most of all was presented in such a patriotic way that one could only feel great about living in the United States. The crowd was so enthusiastic and cheering the American Flag as it was projected on the mountain.  It was a spectacular presentation that left you feeling proud to be an American.

 

Once the show was over everyone packed up and headed to their respective parking lots. None of the lots are named and no signage anywhere so we went with the crowd and made our way back to our lot. It was a beautiful night with a full moon and clear skies, making the walk with the huge crowds somewhat enjoyable.

 

VIDEO:

 

Surprisingly, there were still no authority figures to guide people along but everything went smoothly. Once out of the parking lot we did see one police officer directing traffic and one other one at the point where we had to turn to get onto the CG road. He graciously stopped traffic and let us through. We left the show at 10:10 pm, walked to the parking lot, drove to the CG and were home by 10:45 pm. Not bad, despite all the people and traffic. No bottlenecks to deal with and no traffic tie-ups. Amazing!!!!!

Day (31) Leaving Fort Pickens, Driving Day

 

The night had been brutal because of the horrific thunder and lightening storm. Jewel was scared to death and kept trying to get out of the MH. At one point – around 3 am Ron let her out and she quickly returned after being pelted with rain, wind, and lightening. She had never been afraid of thunder and lightening before but I guess the severity of the storms really got to her. The storm and rain did nothing to alleviate the heat and humidity and once Jewel settled down on the bedspread and blanket we kicked off we finally got a couple of hours sleep.

When we got up in the morning , very tired I might add, we debated staying another day but since there was no break in the heat and humidity decided to head out.

Our next stop, Stone Mountain, GA a 400 mile drive. Ron doesn’t usually drive that far except if there is no place to stop so our goal - the Georgia Welcome Center.

As we drove further North there was a definite change in the air and we could feel the welcomed cool down. We had been riding with the windows down because of the non-working dash air and it was a relief to feel comfortable again.

We got to  the Georgia Welcome Center by 6 pm and decided to spend the night. We were another 100 miles from Stone Mountain so this was a good place to stop.

After dinner we finally got a chance to do a good wash job on the windshield and front of the MH to remove the bugs. While we were busy cleaning,a truck pulled up beside us and the man driving  saw our MA plates and told us he was from Freetown. Such a small world we live in.

 

 

 

Jewel enjoying her walk on the Welcome Center Grounds.