A look at Statesville, NC

Our first stop out of Atlanta was Statesville, NC.  Dave had previously mapped out our route to Maine and randomly chose four KOA’s to stop at on the way up.  Strategically, he wanted them to be no more than 300 miles apart, as driving a huge RV in traffic can be extremely tiring.   And I am currently not approved by either one of us to take on that task…

statesville north carolina koa camping

Our plan is to stay a few days if we love it, or leave the next day if we don’t.  Arriving in early April to Statesville KOA was a treat with beautiful spring flowers to greet us.  We were quite happy with this location!

statesville north carolina koa camping

Statesville is located in Iredell County, in north western NC, east of Asheville.  It was named an All-American City in 2009. The city itself was founded by Scots-Irish Presbyterians and German Lutherans, who originally settled in Pennsylvania, and then moved down to Statesville to plant crops in the fertile soil where game and water were plentiful.  

statesville north carolina koa camping

One of the big draws of the area is Lake Norman.  It is a man made lake created between 1959 and 1964.  The dam was constructed by Duke Power and is reputed to be the largest manmade body of fresh water in NC.

Seems we always end up at dams, doesn’t it?  We love the big beautiful lakes.  Oh and there is the fact that you can say dam in just about every sentence.

A stress reliever, right?

statesville north carolina koa camping

If you love to fish, then Lake Norman is for you.  There are yellow perch, crappie, bluegill, and striped, largemouth and white bass.  Lake Norman State Park features 33 campsites with tent pads, picnic tables and grills. The park is open year round for campers.

statesville north carolina koa camping

While perusing the lake and saying dam a lot, we ran across Eddie’s Seafood and Raw Bar.  Since it seems to be named after my brother, naturally I was interested in stopping.  But I have to admit that the main draw was the fact that it sits right on Lake Norman.

statesville north carolina koa camping

There was plenty of seating inside and the atmosphere was awesome.  However, we chose like everyone else that day to eat out on the back porch.

statesville north carolina koa camping

Dave doing his manly-man pose.

statesville north carolina koa camping

We sat back and enjoyed the view.  There were folks already out on the lake water skiing, and a few children playing on the shore.  A very pretty spot.

statesville north carolina koa camping

And if you are wondering about the food, we can say that it was delicious.  We both ordered the Blackened Fish Sandwich.  Dave suggests that you add the slaw to the sandwich before eating it.

Excellent.

If you are in the Statesville area and looking for a nice place with great atmosphere for lunch or dinner, be sure to check out Eddie’s Seafood and Raw Bar.

statesville north carolina koa camping

That evening, I needed to do a post for Suzy’s Sitcom on Easy Tangy Barbequed Pork Chops.  Believe me, this is a simple recipe.  It is easy to make and delicious.

See, even Ralph thinks it looks good.  Something tells me that I shouldn’t turn my back on him…

statesville north carolina koa camping

I put my handy-dandy grill cook to work, and sat back to enjoy the atmosphere.

We are really enjoying this journey so far. Our next stop is Staunton, VA.   We will be staying in another KOA there.  With a beautiful weather forecast of sunny and in the 70’s, we should have a great time.

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A look inside our RV!

One of the questions we get asked the most is “What does it look like inside?” Well, I certainly could share some pristine photos of what it looked like before we moved in.  But what fun is that?  Here is an unedited, slightly messy tour of our inside!

We own a 2013 Itasca Meridian made by Winnebago.  It is 37 feet long and has three slides; one in the bedroom, one on the driver’s side living room, and a full slide on the passenger side.

statesville north carolina koa camping

For those guys out there that have the need to know, it has Cummins Diesel 6.7 ISB, 360 HP Engine on a Freightliner Custom Chassis.

For the girls: You are the dishwasher!  LOL!

So welcome aboard!  Be sure to wipe your feet. I’ve spent the last few days trying to get all that red Georgia mud out of my motorhome.  Now I’m in Virginia and I’m tracking black mud in.  I guess that is what I get for having a white interior!

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This is a look from the driver’s seat back.   I haven’t done a ton of decorating yet, as we haven’t been in it too long, but I have included some pops of color.  Not that I really have any wall space for pictures.  The cool thing about a motorhome is that nearly every square inch is storage.

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Faith is busy guarding her couch.  There is an envelope dog bed that I made them behind the driver’s seat, which Ralph tends to take over.

Faith and I share the little footstool that you see.  I’m too short to get in half my cabinets, and she is too old to get on the couch without help.  Both of us were getting tired of asking for assistance, so the stool came to be.

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This is the passenger side.  Both couches fold out into beds.  You will find that most everything in a motorhome has dual purposes.  The drivers seat and passenger seat actually will turn around and become recliners as part of the living room.  (When we aren’t driving, of course)!

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This is my little kitchen.  I have a gas stove, microwave/convection oven and a full size refrigerator.  Oh, and I have a husband who loves to cook outside on his charcoal grill.  It is the best of both worlds!

One thing I learned quickly was to pull my hair back when cooking.  I leaned over the stove to reach something in the microwave and singed my hair.  Dave wanted to know if I burnt dinner again.

Ha. Ha.

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The kitchen includes everything I need with the exception of a dishwasher.  Well, since I am apparently the dishwasher, I take that back…

interior rv traveling sitcom

Across from the kitchen is our eating area.  This photo shows the table with the leaf in.  Not huge, but adequate.  We were told the table would be large enough to seat four.  They neglected to mention that they would be four incredibly small people.

If I need to do any crafting, I can do it here or work outside on the picnic table on a nice day.  As you can see, I also use area as my office.

Behind the table are tons of cabinets.  I use them as a pantry and also as storage for my craft supplies.

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One thing that we insisted on when we were purchasing the RV was that we have a washer and dryer.  While they are small, they do a great job.  Dave is in charge of laundry, since I may or may not have colored an entire load of his white underwear and t-shirts pink.

Mistakes sometime come in the form of red undies.

Just saying.

Anyway, it worked out well for me.  I haven’t had to wash clothes since!

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This is our little bathroom.  There is a shower to the left.  I have to tell you that the toilet takes a little getting used to.  The trap in the toilet opens directly to the tank below.

The trick is to not have the vent fan going when you open the trap.   Believe me, you don’t want to have the fan on when you open the trap.

Take my word for it.

One of my biggest worries was that my bathroom would smell like a port-a-potty.  It actually does not.  I was pleasantly surprised.  Well, unless you accidentally do the vent/trap thing above…

interior rv traveling sitcom

The bedroom has a queen sized bed.  The mirrors to the left are actually a nice sized closet.  And tons of tons of storage space!

interior rv traveling sitcom

When we are on the road, this is what the inside looks like when the sliders are in.  Big difference!

To travel, I have to put everything away that might slide around.  And be extremely careful when I open the fridge once we are at a campground.  Things shift around and I may or may not have had to clean up a dozen eggs off that white tile.

Live and learn.

staunton virginia koa

Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed your tour!  Be careful going down the steps on your way out.   And try to avoid that black Virginia mud.  It gets everywhere!

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Saying goodbye to Atlanta!

It has been a rough couple weeks.  We finally managed to sell all of our belongings and even survived a free Facebook free-for-all.   As tough as it was paring ourselves down to only the RV and what is in it, the hardest part was leaving friends and family behind.

family dinner traveling sitcom

You know, saying goodbye is hard.  Even though we know that the world is much smaller these days with the internet and cell phones.  Everyone is just a touch of a keypad away.  But I will miss hugging my family.

Now that this dream of ours is a reality; seems that reality has a few drawbacks.

the hil logo

We got together at the Hil Restaurant in Serenbe in Palmetto, GA, for a family get together the day before we left town.  This unique restaurant offers a diverse menu, guided heavily by produce from Serenbe Organic Farm located just around the corner.  It is owned and operated by Chef Hilary White and her husband Jim White.

We highly recommend it if you are in the south Atlanta area and looking for a memorable meal.  Our girls group did a Sunday brunch there about a month ago and I have to tell you, the Chef’s Cinnamon Roll is amazing!

wedding dress photo

While we were there, my daughter showed off a photo of her wedding gown!  She will be getting married in early November.  We just love our future son-in-law and look forward to being back in Georgia in time for Dave to walk her down the aisle!

wedding dress photo

See, don’t they look great together?

A group of family, led by my sister, are also planning on coming to Maine to visit us in June.  They already have flights arranged and a rental house booked.  And apparently they also booked a lobster boat tour because you certainly can’t visit Maine without a lobster boat tour!

Just saying.

It will be fun showing them around our new temporary “home”!

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In the meantime, we leave Atlanta behind and begin heading north.  I can tell you one thing, we will not miss the traffic!  We had delayed a day leaving due to weather.  This time of year in the south is generally stormy.  Something about April rains bringing May flowers.  Right?

Yeah.  We are already tired of the rain.  And a bit tired of cleaning red Georgia mud out of my white RV.

dogs traveling rv camping

The dogs settled into traveling pretty quickly.  They love their new envelope dog bed that I made them, and sleep at my feet the entire trip.

Our trip to Statesville, NC took about six hours.  Unfortunately, that is about an hour longer than it should have.  An accident just north of Charlotte had us in stop and go traffic for the last 30 miles of our trip.

And we thought we had left traffic behind in Atlanta!

We were very glad to roll into the Statesville, NC KOA just before dark.

statesville north carolina koa camping

And here the journey begins!

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Never say “FREE” on Facebook…

It has been a tough few weeks.  Part of becoming full timers of course involves getting rid of about 99% of your possessions.  It can be a very draining and emotional task.  You don’t really realize how attached you are to some things until you have to get rid of them.

There are all the things we have accumulated over the past 23 years of marriage.  All the things that we bought and used and loved.  What to do with photos and personal items?  What about all my artwork?  Dave’s tools?  His truck?  So many things!

never say free on Facebook estate sale

Our first step was to hire an Estate Sale company.  In came Kimy from Peachtree Estate Sales.  Kimy was upbeat and energetic and said she could sell about 90% of our property in a three day sale.

moving into our rv

So we went through the house with a fine toothed comb, pulling out everything that we wanted to take and loaded it on the RV.  Then we removed personal things such as photos and other momentos, which my sister was nice enough to store.

How much stuff could a person own?

Well you may be surprised.

We spent an entire two days hauling junk from under the house into the garage.  The garage became so full that you could hardly get around in it.

We then handed Kimy the keys to the house and closed our eyes and let go.  Over a period of three days, she and her crew successfully emptied our house of furniture and decor.

never say free on Facebook estate sale

Well, mostly.  When we returned, there was about 10% left.  Just as she said.   She had also warned that the house would look like a tornado went through it.  She wasn’t kidding.

never say free on Facebook estate sale

What to do with the rest?

So I had a bright idea.  I would advertise on Facebook.  I found a local flea market group and advertised that I had FREE stuff.

never say free on Facebook estate sale

The ad went something like this:  Recently we had an estate sale.  We have some things left over.  Home decor, ladders, Christmas decor, clothing, and a few pieces of furniture.  All items are free.  Will be at the house on Thursday from noon until 4:00 PM only.  First come first served.

And then it began.

Facebook person #1:  How much are the ladders?
Me: FREE
Facebook person #2: How much is the desk?
Me: FREE
Facebook person #3: I’m coming to get the ladders right now.
Me: NO! Will be there from noon until 4:00 pm only.
Facebook person #4: Call me at xxx-xxxx- I need those ladders!
Facebook person #5:  I’ll PM you.  I have no job.  I need that stuff!
Facebook person #6: I have first dibs on the ladders!
Facebook person #7: No you don’t, she said first come first serve!
Facebook person #8:  So who is going to stop the fights?
Me: I would assume I’m dealing with adults.  Any fighting and I’ll close the doors!
Facebook person #9: I’m coming just to film the fights!
Facebook person #10: I’ll be there at 11:30AM for the ladders.
Facebook person #11: I’ll be there at 11:00 AM to sell the ladders to Facebook person #10.

Things got very ugly on Facebook.  We were a bit worried at this point…

The next day, we arrived at the house about 10:00 to deal with the cleaning people.  Folks started showing up for the Facebook giveaway at 10:30.  By 11:00  the street was lined with cars.  Occasionally someone would venture up the driveway and try to start “shopping” and I’d have to go down there and move them back.

The crowd was getting ugly…in more ways than one…

At some point a large older woman showed up.  For the benefit of this story, I’m going to call her Bertha.  Bertha weighed about 500 pounds, with large bosoms that hung nearly to her knees.  She made her way up the driveway where I stopped her.  We still had about a half hour.

Bertha said, “So is everything free or are there some things for sale too?”

With that she patted her left boob, which jingled loudly while swinging back and forth.  “I brought some money just in case”.

Ummm….no.  Everything will be free.  Sigh…this was going to be interesting.

I placed Dave in the garage and then I signaled for everyone to go in.

Yes.  That.

Folks running, folks grabbing, folks tugging at things.  The majority of my leftover furniture was upstairs.  Believe it or not, Bertha managed to get there first.  And Bertha yelled,

“I saw it first, it’s all mine!”

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She ran from room to room, yelling at people, panting heavily and sweating profusely and looking like she was going to pass out at any moment.  At one point, she was ordering strangers to load furniture for her.  Her husband showed up and began hauling things out for her as she guarded each piece like a pit bull.

One step too close, and Bertha was gonna take you out…

never say free on Facebook estate sale

My house cleared out of everything within 45 minutes.  Flat.  Nothing left but dust.

As the last car drove off with the rest of our stuff, we sat down together and made one promise to each other.

Never again.

Oh, and never, ever utter the word “Free” on Facebook.

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Branson, Missouri – fun and campy even without Barry Williams!

Branson, Missouri is many things.  Colorful, exciting, touristy and campy all at the same time.  It reminded me somewhat of Gatlinburg, TN.  Without Dolly Parton, of course.  Lots of things to see and do, all on a single strip of road.

branson missouri travel camping

Unusual buildings were everywhere.  I’m sure the idea is to get you to stop.  And this little technique worked well with me.  The hubby got plenty of eye rolling in every time I asked him to pull over so that I could take a photo.

I don’t like fried chicken much and I’d already eaten breakfast, but I have to tell you, this chicken at The Great American Steak and Chicken House was beckoning me in!  Dave firmly put me back in the car and moved me along.

branson missouri travel camping

Oh my!  Mount Rushmore!  Only not!

branson missouri travel camping

I did convince him to stop at the cool looking Jackie B. Goode’s Uptown Cafe for a hotdog.  Seems that most every restaurant offers live entertainment!

branson missouri travel camping

Downtown offered all the shopping that you could possibly ever want.  All with the tourist in mind.  Lots of Branson t-shirts, Branson jewelry, Branson cup holders, Branson magnets, and any other Branson item you might have to have.

I’m not a shopper, much to Dave’s relief.  But I do love to look around, do a bit of window shopping and a whole bunch of people watching.

Oh, and they had an ice cream shop that we may or may not have checked out.   Let’s just say that the Black Walnut ice cream could very possibly have been delicious.

So what did I miss?  Well how about the Barry Williams 70’s Music Celebration show?

Turns out he only performs at 2:00 PM every other day.  How could a top of the line performer end up with a 2:00 PM time slot, I’ll never know.  I’ll just have to be satisfied with this little clip of a video that someone took with their cell phone.

They take videos like my mom does and cut off his head most of the time.  But you get the gist.

A stellar performance, I’m sure.

You know, come to think of it, Dave didn’t seem too upset that we missed the show.  LOL!

branson missouri travel camping

So in an effort to make up for the fact that we missed Barry Williams, we went to the Hollywood Wax Museum and I introduced Dave to Taylor Swift.

I think he might have been invading her space a bit, though.

branson missouri travel camping

On the other hand, Hugh Hefner was quite cool with me hanging out with him.  He said that anytime I’m in the vicinity of the Playboy mansion, that I’m welcome to stop by!

Dave said he may or may not add that to his itinerary…

branson missouri travel camping

Donald Trump was a git grouchy and wanted to fire Dave right away.  I convinced him that Dave might be a decent employee.  We were still discussing his options…

branson missouri travel camping

…when Dave found a job with the Men in Black.

branson missouri travel campingSomewhere in the front lobby near the red carpet, I tripped over Angie’s dress and ended up sprawled dramatically all over the floor.  Brad stepped over me quite gallantly and posed for two more photos with barely a pause.

That is the difference between professionals and amateurs, folks!

Not into wax museums?

How about some beautiful scenery?

branson missouri travel camping

Table Rock Lake spans more than 43 thousand acres and 800 miles of shoreline.  This beautiful lake was created in August of 1958, when the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built Table Rock Dam across the White River. This area is perfect for campers, pleasure boaters, fishermen and those that love water sports.

We ran across several beautiful campgrounds along the lake.  They offered full hook ups in many of them and wonderful lake views!

Fishing in this area of the country is very popular.  The lakes are full of bass, crappie, white bass, catfish and bluegill.  Beneath the dam, the Missouri Department of Conservation operates a fish hatchery, which is used to stock trout in Lake Taneycomo.

scenic drive branson, missouri

Since we were out looking for views, we took the 22 mile scenic loop.

branson missouri travel camping

The loop takes you by the Table Rock Dam and offers lots of beautiful scenic overlooks.

We were very impressed with the city of Branson.  Lots of friendly folks, lots of things to see and do, and if you are a shopper, well you are in heaven!

Now if we can just get Barry Williams to do an encore, all will be well with the world…

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The KOA Work Kamper Boot Camp in Branson, MO

Part of our plan when we became full timers in our RV was to spend at least the first couple seasons working at campgrounds.  We felt that this would give us a better transition from full time jobs to full retirement.  And at the same time give us a little security money-wise until we feel that we can do it on our own. work kamper loaKOA was our first choice.  We put our resumes out last August on the KOA site and were hired within just a few days.  We will be working in Bar Harbor, Maine this summer.  I will be working front desk, and Dave will be working in maintenance.

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KOA offered a Work Kamper “Boot Camp” in Branson, MO that would give us a taste of what to expect when we arrive in Maine in just a few weeks.

branson missouri travel camping

The Work Kamper program is simple enough.  You work for the campground as a couple, putting in between 25 and 40 hours a week depending on the season.  In exchange, you could be offered a campsite free of charge, utilities and other perks, along with an hourly salary.  (The benefits vary from campground to campground as most are individually owned).

We were excited to meet  KOA’s Chairman and CEO, Jim Rogers.  The show, Undercover Boss featured him a few years ago.

Boot camp was a lot of fun.  We met nearly 100 other couples who are doing the same thing we are.  Most did not have jobs lined up yet, and took advantage of the virtual job interviews offered at the end of the class.

branson missouri travel camping

The folks at the Branson KOA were wonderful and made us feel like part of the team.

branson missouri travel camping

And while we were in Missouri, we got a good taste of midwest weather.  We ate dinner the first night looking out the window as hail the size of marbles came down on our VW bug and motorhome. (No damage- unless you want to count the indigestion…) The second night, we had major thunderstorms all night.

faith dog camping

All night.  The dogs literally had their legs crossed by morning.

Really.  We made the decision pretty quickly that we didn’t want to spend too much time in tornado alley during spring and summer.

The third day was beautiful, sunny and cold.  Since classes were over, we decided to check out Branson.

barry williams greg brady

Stay tuned for part two where I don’t get to meet Barry Williams (AKA Greg from the Brady Bunch), but I do end up seeing some pretty famous folks that nearly made up for it!

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North Little Rock KOA, Arkansas- Campground Review

four starsOverall Rating: Nearly Perfect

 

We stayed for two days at the North Little Rock KOA in Arkansas – Mar 2015, on our way up to Branson for KOA Boot Camp.  Since we are new KOA Work Kampers, we try to hit as many KOA parks as we can.  You never know when might be working at one!

little rock arkansas

We drove up in pouring down rain, but lucked out and got some beautiful spring weather while here!

four starsSetting:  Beautiful wooded setting.  Lots of large hardwoods.  We were parked in a premium site which offered a concrete slab, along with a nice little patio and table and chairs.  It included a gas fire pit on a pedestal.  Nice!

little rock arkansas koa campsite review

Because of the time of year, they were in the process of lots of upgrades.  This is an older campground, but seems in good repair.

little rock arkansas koa campsite review

The pads are very even and spaces seem far enough apart all throughout the park to provide a little elbow room.  It was nice to be in a park that didn’t put folks so close that you could look out your window into someone else’s.

Amenities

four starsBathrooms were in great shape and very clean.

five starsWIFI- The park offers it for free and while it might be different during peak times, I never had an issue getting on line.

four starsLaundry- They have a nice laundry room available 24 hours a day.  The laundry room was just off of a game room that included a pool table and small ice cream parlor.  Plenty to keep you entertained while your clothes are drying!

five starsActivities- this park includes a swimming pool, fitness center (for adults only), and sauna/hot tub. They also offer bike rentals.

little rock arkansas koa campsite review

To the back of the park are some nice rental cabins along with wooded areas to picnic.

five starsStaff was friendly and available to help out if needed.  I went ahead and purchased my KOA Value Kard while I was here which gave me an automatic 10% discount plus 500 points towards discounts on future stays.

four starsDog Friendly– This campground had not one, but two dog parks.  Nice!  One park was meant for the small dogs and the other was a much larger area.  Both fenced in with trash cans and bags offered for doggie deposits.

The positives?  Great park!  We were basically just a two night-stand, but I could see staying here for a longer period of time.  There was plenty to do nearby in downtown Little Rock.

In the area and looking for something to do?  We recommend the Arkansas River Trail.  The trail runs through Little Rock and North Little Rock, connecting 38 parks, six museums and 5,000+ acres of federal, state and local parkland. The loop is an impressive 88 miles, runs largely along both sides of the Arkansas River and is nicely paved.

A great place for hikers, cyclists, skaters, joggers; and beautiful views of the Arkansas River!

For more information on North Little Rock KOA, be sure to check out their website!

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The Big Dam Bridge in Little Rock Arkansas

We left from Bremen, GA on Sunday.  Timing was not the best as it literally poured down rain on us the whole way to Little Rock, AR.  A stressful nine hour drive for Dave, that is for sure.

And it took constant diligence to keep mud from being tracked into the RV every time we stopped for a doggy bathroom break.  I’m learning quickly how to juggle two dogs and an umbrella.  It was a long day.

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It was incredibly nice to wake up the next morning to a beautiful spring day in Little Rock!

little rock arkansas

I had to get some photos of the flowering cherry trees.  Love these, but they only last a week so you have to enjoy them as quickly as you can!

little rock arkansas

We toured a bit of North Little Rock and ate at a small sandwich and pizza place .  I took a nice photo of Dave.

little rock arkansas

He reciprocated with a terrible shot of me.

Well naturally.

little rock arkansas

We discovered the nearby Arkansas River Trail and decided to do a bit of walking.  Well, to be honest, this sign totally caught our eye.  Did you know that they have a Big Dam Bridge in Arkansas?

We love dams.  It gives us an excuse to put the word dam in everything we say.  I imagine the Big Dam Bridge crosses the Big Dam River.  And maybe there is a dam store there that sells dam hotdogs with big dam bags of chips.   Dammit.

Arkansas river trail map

The Arkansas River Trail runs through Little Rock and North Little Rock, connecting 38 parks, six museums and 5,000+ acres of federal, state and local parkland. The loop is an impressive 88 miles, runs largely along both sides of the Arkansas River and is nicely paved.

It was quite popular too!  Tons of hikers, cyclists, skaters, joggers were out and about there.  Impressively busy for a Monday afternoon!

little rock arkansas

Ever the adventurists, we put on our hiking shoes and trekked the 88 miles, checked out the Big Dam Bridge, and had a dam good time.

Well…maybe not the whole 88 miles.  I think we put in a mile and half, but who is counting, right?

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…and we are off!

We have moved into our RV full time!  But I have to tell you that it has been an incredibly stressful week.  We have been working non-stop trying to load the RV and get rid of anything personal in the house.

moving into our rv

I didn’t realize what pack rats we are until I started going through drawers.  I lost count of how many bags of trash we threw away, how many bags we had to have shredded, how much stuff was donated to the Kidney foundation, how much crap we gave away.  And we still have a house full of stuff!  Ugggghhh!!

Loading the RV turned out to be a non-issue.  We had a whole lot more room than we had thought.  Which was quite helpful as Dave originally told me that I had to keep the craft supplies down to 8 boxes – and I ended up filling up 12.

driving rv

People keep asking us if we are excited and I think we are just too tired at the moment for everything to fully register.  You take two out of shape individuals and have them do physical labor for a week and you end up with two exhausted, irritable, and over stressed crazy people who at some point would lose their heads if they weren’t attached.

jellystone campground bremen Georgia5

By the end of the week, we had parked on site at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Campground in Bremen, GA.  (The closest RV park to our house).  Our RV was a huge mess.  We were crawling over boxes to get anywhere because at some point, we just started throwing stuff onto the RV.

We woke up  the first morning and the only personal care items we could find were a tube of toothpaste and my tooth brush.

Nice.

We both hoped that deodorant lasts more than one day, and I made a mental note to buy myself a new toothbrush next week.

The dogs lucked out though.  I couldn’t find the dog food, and they ended up having ham for dinner.

They were thrilled.

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Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park, Bremen, GA

three starsOverall Rating: Needs Work

 

Jellystone Park is located just off of I-20, about 45 minutes west of Atlanta in the town of Bremen, GA.  We chose this location because it was the closest campground to our house in Villa Rica.

jellystone campground bremen Georgia

We stayed here for about a week, but were busy dealing with an Estate Sale and a ton of packing at the house.  The majority of our days were spent running around and we didn’t get to enjoy Jellystone as much as we would liked to have.

Fortunately, we had one day of relative leisure to stop and look around.

two starsSetting: We would love to be able to give better scores here, because the staff was wonderful.  However, truth be known, it left much to be desired.  No pretty views, lots of gravel and red mud, uneven lots, and red ant hills.  Many of the folks staying there (about 60%) were living there full time.  Which means many campers in poor repair and lots of clutter.

jellystone campground bremen Georgia

The park consists of a central building which houses a game room, office, laundry room and restrooms.  The camping lots are placed in a large circle around the central building.

Notes:  All pads are gravel. Many are very uneven.  They have chosen to add additional gravel in some areas to try and level the sites, but in some cases it resulted in a pile of gravel on one end of the pad, creating a huge drop when you would want to exit your camper.

Red Ants!  True it is a Georgia problem, but they can be controlled if kept at bay.  We had to constantly be aware so that the dogs wouldn’t get into a hill of ants.  For those that are not familiar, red ants are rather vicious and have a painful bite.

Roads leading to the campsites have many grates and drainage ditches, causing issues while trying to maneuver a large rig with a car in tow.

Trains!  Although it is no fault of the campground, it is important to note that they are near a very active railroad track.  I grew up listening to train whistles and sleep heavy, so it didn’t bother me, but the husband wakes easily.  Trains go through about once an hour all night.

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Amenities

four starsBathrooms were clean, but access was limited.  You need a key code to get in.  Apparently they have issues with folks smoking in them as there were warning signs all over.

five starsWIFI- The park offers it for free and while it might be different during peak times, I never had an issue getting on line.

four starsLaundry- They have a nice laundry room available 24 hours a day.  Again, access is only with an individual key code.

five starsActivities- Where this campground may suffer regarding scenery, it definitely has lots of plusses where activities are concerned.  They have a splashpark, large kiddie pool, and huge swimming pool.  They offer a gameroom, gem mining, horseshoes, mini-golf, pedal carts and three playgrounds.

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Animals!  Including huge turtles, alligators, chickens, miniature horses, and lizards.  They even offer a reptile show on the weekends to entertain the kids, along with wagon rides and train rides.

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Oh, and there are two talking parrots on either side of the entrance to the main building that are happy to greet you.

five starsStaff is very friendly and helpful when needed.  We were delayed twice getting there, and they were very helpful with our reservations.  They seem great with kids. In true Yogi Bear form, every one of them had name badges with “Ranger” in front of their name.  Cute.

one starDog Friendly– I have to say for such a kid friendly and animal oriented park, I was surprised at how little they had for dogs.  No dog park.  No doggie waste cans.  No doggie waste bags available.  Literally very little area to walk your dogs unless you wanted to walk along the road.  Not cool, really.  Especially when I’m having to dodge red ants along the way.

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The positives?  If you have children, they will love this place!  Lots for them to do!  In fact, I’ve never seen a park with so much to offer for the kids.

However, if you are looking for a view, have dogs and no children ; you may want to look elsewhere.

In the area and don’t feel like cooking?  We recommend The Chat and Chew for a wonderful breakfast, and Evans Barbeque for a fabulous lunch or dinner!  Both restaurants are located in the nearby town of Villa Rica.

For more information on Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Bremen, be sure to check out their website!

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