Here we are starting trip eight of twelve. This summer is on fast forward. The schedule of out one week then home the next is keeping us busy. After a week at home, we are always ready to hit the road. This schedule has been good for the garden and keeping the yard mowed.

For trip eight we head to North Carolina, again staying in a campground along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The campground is Julian Price Memorial Park near Boone and Blowing Rock North Carolina. This will be a first time visit to this area.

The Julian Price Memorial Park has a lot going for it. Nice access to trails, fun lake, and a comfortable campground. Once we get set up the RV routine falls into place. Again, we brought the kayaks, but they never got off the truck.

The best part of this trip, Mark and Kevin joining us from the Hudson Valley in New York. After the two years of Covid it was great to catch up with family again. Lots of road time for them. Our time together was rewarding hiking, sharing good food, and just catching up.

The Park has a nice hiking trail around the lake. A good time was had by all…

The Moses Cone Estate was an unexpected find. This is an early 20th century estate. This was the summer home for Moses and Bertha Cone and is now part Historic Park Service. The estate has miles of carriage trails for hiking, running, or just enjoying the long-range mountain views. When we were there the main house was undergoing major repairs. Our trail of choice was to the top of the mountain where there is a tower to climb to get a 360 view.

Took a quick side trip to check out the original Mast General Store. The Mast stores are found in Georgia, North and South Carolina.

Blowing Rock has a vibrant downtown. We found that it is a great destination with plans to return. Good shopping, good food and plenty of places of interest. Found an enjoyable micro-brewery to end our time here.

Group Hug!

Looking forward to coming back. There is still a lot to do plus it is just beautiful country.

God Bless,

Larry and Jan

The first week of July we head off to Georgia again. This is trip number six, mid-way for the summer planned adventures. Looking toward to this trip to take advantage of the large lake and biking trails. Red Top gets its name from the red soil caused by high iron-ore content.

This Park was a different experience. Being close to Atlanta, the larger crowds took a bit to get use to. Again, the ailing back got in the way plus there was a lot of rain to work around. The Park itself has some outstanding sites for both tents and RVs. The Park is undergoing a major update with lots of construction all around. On the positive side, with all the rain the park landscape was lush. There were a lot of deer around to keep us company.

The Park trails are old forest roads, level and easy to hike. We enjoyed the hiking taking in the landscape and the views of the lake.

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A local site of interest is the historic Etowah Indian Mounds which we wanted to check out. It is a State of Georgia Historic site. We found the museum and the grounds were both educational and interesting. There is an excellent video plus the walking tour is well documented and curated. Came away with a clearer understanding of life around 1000 A.D. Our visit ended with a nice walk on the riverside hiking trail.

Next, we headed to the Pickett’s Mill Battlefield. This military historic site is described as one of the best-preserved Civil War battlefields. The visit was interrupted by a major thunderstorm forcing us to head back to the safety of the RV. This site is on the list for next time as our time here came to an end.

The summer marches on. Back home and ready for the next trip!

God bless,

Larry and Jan