Grayton Beach State Parkis just east of the unincorporated community of Grayton Beach, FL and sits on approximately 2,200 acres with such amenities as beaches, bicycling, birding, boating, canoeing, fishing, hiking, kayaking, picnicking areas, swimming, wildlife viewing and full camping facilities. This State Park State Park has become one of our favorite campgrounds. Access to the State Park is via CR-30A either by taking CR 30A where it branches off from SR 98 just west of Santa Rosa Beach and follows the shoreline or via CR-283 south from SR 98.
To the west of the entrance to the State Park Grayton Beach is Blue Gulf Beach and Santa Rosa Beach and Grayton Beach; to the east of the entrance to the State Park is the towns of Seagrove Beach, Rosemary Beach, and the unincorporated communities of Blue Mountain Beach, Seaside, and Watercolor. CR-30A rejoins SR 30 near Inlet Beach. Grayton Beach State Park is adjacent to the unincorporated community of Grayton Beach. Proximity to shopping is via CR-30A either to Grayton Beach for specialty shops or east to Watercolor for specialty shops and a supermarket.
There are two areas in the campground at Grayton Beach State Park. We stayed in the original loop of the campground in July, 2009. The original loop has a rustic atmosphere and provides water and electricity only at the campsite. The streets are gravel/fine sand mix. There is a dump station for use by campground guest that includes a water wand for rinsing out the black tank. There is also a dumpster located across the street from the dump station for convenience. The original loop is heavily wooded and the sites are screened very well by the underbrush and trees. The bath house is conveniently located in the center of the loop making it equally convenient to all sites. There are a number of trails that lead from the street to the bath house through the underbrush.
The downside of the original loop is that there are no sewer connections. Knowing this we took our blue tank with us so that we could empty the gray water tank when it became full. As described in our original review of this campground, the soil is sandy making it difficult to transport a 25 gallon tank with narrow wheels from the rear of the trailer to the street. Once at the street, I can hook the tank to the hitch on my truck and slowly tow it to the dump station. However, we decided to utilize the bath house for showers each day and use disposable plates, flatware, and cups to reduce dish washing to conserve our gray water. This isn’t “green” camping, but that is the trade-off when conserving other resources. As it turned out through this careful waste water management system, we were able to delay reaching the full level of our 39 gallon gray tank until our last day of our stay so we didn’t have to use the blue tank.
Additional cons were, as mentioned above, unpaved streets and unpaved sites. We travel with astroturf style patio rugs on such trips and used two that we have to provide a relatively large carpeted area outside of our entry door and around the picnic table. At the time we stayed in the original loop, the picnic tables were wooden tables that were portable. Each site also has a fire ring with grill grate and the power/water pole is lighted making it easier to connect to when arriving late. While the sites are spacious, the street is not. This made it a challenge to back our 30 foot travel trailer into the site, which happened to be at an oblique angle to the curve of the loop. Tom utilized the empty site across the street for a pull into and back across the street scenario. Even with this method, it still took longer than expected to get the trailer situated.
View of rear half of site #39
The new loop is similar in its rustic beauty, but the street is paved and the large sites have large, L-shaped pea-gravel parking pads. The sites are spread out so that there is a great deal of privacy between most sites. The picnic tables in this section are wooden, but they are staked to the ground so they are not portable. The table is located in the “L” of the site giving plenty of room for backing into the site. There is also a fire ring with grill grate on each site as well and as with the original loop, the power/water pole is lighted. There are one or two pull through sites in the new loop, but they had already been reserved for Memorial Day Weekend when Tom made our reservations.
There is a dumpster as you leave the new loop. It is located across the street from the new bath house that sits in the center of the loop. The sites on the inside of the loop back up to the bath house. Several of the sites that back up to the bath house are paved with concrete with sidewalks connecting to the bath house for those who need an ADA campsite with access for wheel chairs and other mobility issues. The bath house is small with only one shower. There were several tents on sites in the new loop so this might be an issue for those campers.
Access point to our site, #39
The new loop was created in an area that had virtually no trees and very little in the way of brush plants. This will probably change over time as new vegetation is introduced and matures. With no trees and little brush between sites, there is no shade for the site, but air does circulate better than in the original loop. We opted not to bring our free standing awning for our short stay so the table was always in the sun and really too hot to use. We took all of our meals at the Airstream’s dinette.
The cons for this new loop really are few. As mentioned above, there is little vegetation and no shade on the sites so the trailer was exposed to full sun during the day. This caused us to trip the main breaker once while the air conditioner was cycling and the micro wave was on. The bath house is small and this may be an issue for those who prefer to use the bath house shower or for those camping in tents. And then there is the issue of backing into the sites. There is nothing to back into on the parking pads, but the angles of entry can make backing a longer trailer in on the blind side challenging after dark. While Tom is experienced in backing in on the blind side, he did feel challenged by the lack of vegetation to give a reference point for location on the parking pad. The parking pads are large, but they are elevated nearly a foot above the surrounding area. Backing off the edge of the parking pad could result in damage or needing a tow truck to get the wheels back up on the parking pad, or both.
The beach is convenient to the both campground loops. Because there is one of the dune lakes between the beach and the camping loops, it is too far to comfortably walk to the beach access board walk, but is neither too far to ride a bi-cycle or too close to justify driving a tow vehicle or toad.
As I said when I started this review, this has become one of our favorite campgrounds. Too bad Atlanta is too far away for this to be a weekend destination for the working folks and families with school aged children as is the case in our family.
Key Lime Pie is a favorite southern dessert made from the small pale key limes found in the Florida Keys. The Key Lime has a thinner skin (making them more perishable) and is tarter and more aromatic than the typical Persian Limes found in most super market produce departments. There are many variations on the basic recipe and it seems every native South Florida family has a recipe for Key Lime Pie. The origin of the recipe is debatable but most likely originated in the early 20th century. One of the key ingredients is sweetened condensed milk. This was used as fresh milk was difficult to obtain in the Keys before refrigerated transport was widely available.
Tom’s introduction to Key Lime Pie was at his best friend’s rehearsal dinner circa 1984 in Miami. Several years later he made mention in a discussion with co-workers that he fell in love with the first piece of Key Lime Pie he ever ate and it instantly became one of his most favorite desserts. The next day, a friend and co-worker brought in a newspaper clipping from “A Taste of Tampa” containing the recipe. Where she got a copy of the newspaper with the recipe in Atlanta was a mystery, but one that was appreciated. This recipe was for the traditional Key West Key Lime Pie that used egg yolks in the custard and the remaining egg whites to create a meringue. It also was baked in a pastry crust. After many years of experimenting, Tom finally conceded to use a graham cracker crust in lieu of making the pie crust or buying a premade pie shell and edited the ingredients and topping to meet family tastes.
Tom made Key Lime Pie on multiple occasions when covered-dish meals were held at work. When he started dating Becki, she asked, as a woman does when getting to know her man, what foods he liked and he responded that Key Lime Pie was his favorite pie and she noted that it was one of her favorites, too. When he planned the first meal he would prepare for her, he made Key Lime Pie for dessert that night. The dinner also happened to include a salad, Lasagna (another of Tom’s favorites) and garlic toast made with baguette. In the last 20 plus years, Tom has made this dessert countless times having auctioned them in charity auctions, made them for pot luck dinners (once, he received a marriage proposal from a male-fellow camper based on his delight with this tart dessert), and honored requests by in-laws from across the country when they visit.
Key Lime Pie
1-9 inch graham cracker pie-crust (or pastry shell)
1-14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk
3-egg separated into yolks and whites
½-cup Key Lime Juice (do not substitute regular lime juice, it won’t taste anywhere near the same)
6-tablespoons of sugar
1/8th teaspoon of cream of tartar
- Combine condensed milk, egg yolks, and Key Lime juice in mixing bowl
- Beat egg whites and cream of tartar until soft peaks form
- Slowly add sugar to egg whites and continue to beat until stiff peaks form
- Pour custard mixture in pie crust and pile the egg whites on top
- Bake at 350* F for 16-20 minutes or until meringue has toasted points and edges
- Cool for 10 minutes and then refrigerate for up to four days
Note: Tom has experimented with this original recipe and has simplified it with no loss of flavor. Our oldest son does not like whipped cream or meringue, but loves Key Lime Pie so Tom now omits the meringue and serves whipped cream as a topping that is added when served. Omitting the egg yolks has resulted in a more congealed custard when chilled. His current recipe is as follows:
1-9 inch graham cracker crust
1-can sweetened condensed milk
½-cup Key Lime Juice
1-cup heavy whipping cream
Sugar
- Combine sweetened condensed milk and Key Lime Juice and pour into pie crust
- Bake at 350* for 10 minutes
- Whip cream until soft peaks form and add sugar and continue to mix just until sugar is distributed throughout the mix…don’t over whip the cream or you will have very sweet butter on your hands
Cool on rack for 10 minutes and then refrigerate for up to one week
The meringue will “sweat” between the custard and the meringue causeing separation between the two and tending to make the crust soggy. This is why the refrigeration life is shorter with the traditional meringue version.
Tags: Camping Recipes, Key Lime Pie, Rallies, Recipes, RV, Streamin
This is a recipe that I created because I don’t like pork chops. I do, however, like pork tenderloin and pork loin if roasted. The recipe is loosely based on one by Alex Guarnaschelli of the Foodnetwork.com.
1 ea-3 to 4 pound pork loin
¼ cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup Dijon mustard
3 tablespoons honey mustard
1 tablespoon honey
4 tablespoons room temperature butter or margarine
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Juice of one lemon
Dash Louisiana hot sauce or other hot sauce of choice
3 dashes Worcestershire sauce
2 cloves garlic
Salt and Pepper to taste
- Pre-heat oven to 500* or place large Dutch oven over 10-12 glowing coals with an additional 12-14 coals on lid. There should be 22-24 coals with two more on top than underneath.
- Heat a large cast iron skillet over 12-14 glowing coals. Add three tablespoons olive oil to hot pan.
- Sear each side for three minutes when oil begins to shimmer.
- Whisk remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Additional hot sauce can be used if desired.
- Remove pork loin to a rack or trivet fat side down that will fit into the large, pre-heated Dutch oven or onto a rack that will fit into a roasting pan. You will want to use a rack instead of placing the meat directly into a roasting pan or into a Dutch oven because you want the air to circulate around the meat. If the meat were placed directly on the Dutch oven or roasting pan, it would over cook on the bottom. You will have already seared all sides of the meat and do not want to continue searing to the point of burning.
- Baste all sides of the pork loin not faced with fat. This will keep the pork loin from drying out but allowing the pork fat to melt and keep the remaining side moist.
- Reduce oven temperature to 350*. For Dutch oven remove 2-4 coals from beneath the Dutch oven and 2-4 from the lid.
- Place the rack and pork loin in the roasting pan and place into a regular oven or place the pork loin onto a rack or trivet and into the Dutch oven being careful not to touch the hot surfaces of the Dutch oven and being careful not to allow ashes to fall onto the meat or .
- Cook in a regular oven or in the Dutch oven for 30-45 minutes or until internal temperature of 150*-155* is reached. Remove meat to a platter and cover with aluminum foil to rest for a minimum of 10 minutes to allow meat juices to redistribute. Carry over cooking should bring the internal temperature up to 160*.
- Interior of meat should be slightly pink and all juices should be clear.
This recipe will serve four adults.
Tags: Camping Recipes, Dutch Oven Cooking, Pork, Pork Tenderloin, Recipes, RV
RV spare parts are a necessity learned the hard way. Airstream has a reputation for including the best components in their trailers. However, they are not indestructible nor are they maintenance free. One of the premium components that Airstream installs on all of their travel trailers is the patio awning manufactured by Zip-Dee, Inc.
Having spent months on www.airforums.com prior to purchasing our Airstream, Tom had become aware of one potential repair that would later become necessary for him to make: replacing a bent awning arm. After our second camping trip we were preparing to go on our first camping trip to Ft. Wilderness at Walt Disney World. While packing the Airstream with new goodies purchased in preparation for this trip, we had the patio awning fully extended on the sunny Saturday prior to departure. A sudden thunderstorm proved how dangerous that could be during the summer in the South. Florida is not the only area of the country that can have pop-up thunderstorms!
During the sudden downpour, Tom happened to look out the window at the Airstream and discovered to both of our horror that the rear awning arm had bent double. The inner arm that slides in and out of the awning sleeve for deployment had bent at a 90 degree angle and was touching the ground. First thing Monday morning Tom called Zip-Dee to order a new one. They will provide two day, and even next day, service…for a price, but since we wanted to use the awning over the July 4th holiday while at Disney World Tom opted for the next day delivery. Replacing the arm was fairly straight forward. Disconnect the lower end of the outer sleeve and lift into the travel position (do you know how much a twenty foot awning roller and awning weighs?). Carefully remove the bent arm. This is the tricky part because the rear arm is where the rewind spring is located. When Tom slid the arm from its socket on the end of the roller tube, the spring spun the end around and the socket hit the curved side of the Airstream with a loud whack. Then it was just a matter of inserting the new arm in the socket, wind the socket back around to its original position and attach the bottom of the awning arm sleeve to its pivot on the lower portion of the side of the trailer. Another crisis averted.
Bent awning arm
This first experience with bent awning arms was during the last week of June, 2006. A year later, in July 2007 we bent another one. Lesson learned, think again. We were once again at Ft. Wilderness for the July 4th holiday and forgot to lower the awning while we went to the Magic Kingdom for dinner. While we were gone a torrential downpour struck our campsite; well not just ours but every body’s. In the photo to the side you can see the result of leaving an awning deployed during a heavy downpour.
Ready for travel...NOT!
Tom then started calling mobile RV repair companies from a list provided by the Ft. Wilderness cast members. The price for mobile RV repairs in Orlando started at $149 just to come out and goes up with parts and labor from there. In the second photo to the right you can see what it looked like when it was closed. Still, it would not travel that way. The next day there just happened to be a knight in shining armor, I mean a mobile repair company at the site across the street and Tom saw that he was putting his folding ladder away. Tom asked if he could borrow the ladder for a minute and the repair technician came over to inspect the problem. He offered to stow the roller for travel and Tom asked how much he owed him when finished. The repair technician said whatever Tom thought it was worth. The first thing Tom did upon returning home was to order a folding ladder from Camping World like the one the technician had! He also ordered not one, but two replacement arms for the next time this happened. So much confidence in lessons learned. The terrific thing about the new folding ladder is that it fits along with the spare arm under the sofa.
Now, one would think that having had the same thing happen twice in a year’s time would have taught us a thing or two. Read on. What was it Einstein said about doing the same thing repeatedly? While attending an Airstream rally in the North Georgia Mountains in May, 2009, Tom was grilling dinner under his umbrella when he happened to look up at the awning and saw that it was “bath tubbing” with what must have been 100 gallons of rain collecting on the awning. There was so much water that Tom couldn’t lift it up to release the pressure on the stud that holds the inner arm in the extended position. He had to get a broom from inside the trailer and push up to dump the water. He lowered the rear arm so the rain could drain off. We are now planning to put a grommet hole so that this will not happen again.
On a subsequent trip, Tom discovered that the latch hook that serves as a back up to keep the awning from unfurling in route had broken off. Not only this, but this had happened early in the trip and the catch for the latch hook had worn away at the fabric that is just barely exposed under the edge of the metal awning cover. Thank heaven for Duck Tape! Not only for applying to the area where the material was already wearing thin, but also to pad the catch to keep it from damaging the awning material further.
On a trip to Ft, Wilderness in October of that same year, the knob on the end of the stud that locks the awning arm in position snapped off while the awning was deployed. The only way to retract it was to use a pair of pliers to unscrew it from the outer sleeve and lower the awning carefully. Did I mention how much the roller tube and awning fabric weighs? We used a free standing canopy for the next two trips, but Tom eventually ordered a replacement stud…make that two replacement studs.
In conclusion to these lessons, spare parts are not only a necessity, they are life lines to return home. And it helps to have a spare for the next time. It also saves on shipping cost for that next one.
Tags: Airstream, RV, Safety, Spare Parts
RV First Aid kits are available from a number of sources. The American National Red Cross website (http://www.redcrossstore.org/Shopper/Product.aspx?UniqueItemId=408offers) a First Aid kit designed by the National Recreation and Parks Association specifically that is great for RV’er’s.
When shopping for a pre-made First Aid kit, you should remember that buying in bulk can save a lot of money. A plastic food storage container will suffice for keeping all of your supplies together, in a convenient location, and dry. Larger zip-top freezer weight bags such as a one gallon size can also be used. The zip-top bag will take up less room and is a good idea for tent camping or hiking. The main thing to keep in mind with pre-made kits is to make sure they have what you want/need for your camping trips.
Trailer Life Magazine (www.trailerlife.com) recently had an article on RV First Aid. Below is a list of the minimum recommended supplies from the article:
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Adhesive bandages in assorted sizes
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Adhesive cloth tape
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Anesthetic spray
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Antacids
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Antibiotic ointment
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Antiseptic cleansing wipes
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Aspirin
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Butterfly wound closures
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Burn cream
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Conforming gauze roll bandages
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Diphenhydramine Hydrochloride (Benadryl) tablets and cream
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Finger Splints
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First-Aid instruction manual
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Flashlight
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Hydrocortisone ointment
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Ibuprofen/Acetaminophen tablets
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Instant cold compress packs
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Large absorbent compress dressings
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Lighter or matches
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Non-latex gloves
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Oral thermometer
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Plastic zip-top bags
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Pocket mask/breathing barrier for mouth-to-mouth resuscitation
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Prescribed epinephrine auto-injector, if applicable
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Safety pins
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Scissors
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Space (mylar) blanket
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Sterile gauze pads in various sizes
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Tweezers
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Whistle for each member of the group
Pre-made First Aid Kit available at most pharmacies and big box department stores
We purchased our kit from our local pharmacy. Our kit contains the following:
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Cleansing wipes
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Burn cooling gel
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Anti-itch lotion
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Adhesive bandages in various sizes
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Finger & knuckle adhesive bandages
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Extra large fabric adhesive bandages
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Gauze
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Butterfly closures
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Oval eye pad
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First aide tape
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First Aid guide
When traveling with pets, you should remember them when supplementing your First Aid kit. Our cocker spaniel, Sulley, has food allergies so we make sure we have an adequate supply of his prescription dog food packed in the pantry. There are also some supplies that are unique to our pets. Super glue can be used to temporarily close up a cut in a paw pad. On one camping trip Sulley received a cut on his right paw pad. We didn’t have super glue or anything else we could really use to close up the wound. In order to keep him from obsessing with the paw and pulling off the cloth taped gauze, we used one of Jonathan’s socks as a barrier to the bandage. We cleaned the cut, applied some gauze held in place with some of the adhesive tape and slipped the sock over his paw securing it in place with some cloth adhesive tape. It worked great to keep Sulley from constantly licking it and we were able to replace it with a clean one when it became soiled.
I grew up during the 1970’s era of the sitcom. In one episode of “All in the Family” Archie explained to his son-in-law that he had grown up during the depression. One winter his family didn’t have the money to buy Archie a new pair of shoes when one developed a hole in the bottom. His father found an old boot that would fit Archie and made him wear it with his shoe on the other foot. The kids at school teased him and called him “Shoe-bootie”. Seeing Sulley on our walks with one sock reminded me of this episode and I thought of poor Sulley as “Three-paw-sockie”. :LOL:
As you can see, there is a wide variety of supplies that can come with a pre-made First Aid kit. You should make sure that in addition to these items you include any medications needed by members of your group and adjust the contents to reflect any types of camping that varies from your norm. Also, it is imperative that you check the contents on a regular basis to replace any items as they expire or as contents are depleted.
We hope that these lists will give you an idea of what to look for when purchasing your First Aid kit or when building one from scratch to meet your needs.
Tags: First Aid Kit, RV, Safety, Sully
Some people use their RV to evacuate during natural disasters, but an RV can be a life saver in a pinch. Recently our water heater developed a leak and we were unable to get a plumber out to replace it for several days. The water coming from the water heater seeped under the wall that separated the garage from the master bedroom so stopping the leak was a necessity and meant shutting off the natural gas supply and water to the heater. Of course this meant that we had no hot water for bathing or washing dishes.
Water heater works
Never fear, RV to the rescue! We connected the drinking water hose to the hose bib on the side of the house where we park the Airstream and used the propane gas water heater to heat water for bathing and washing dishes. The dishes part was inconvenient since we had to carry them out to wash them and back in after they were dried, but bathing wasn’t too bad. In addition, we used the propane furnace to keep the inside nice and toasty on the chilly mornings we hadat the time.
Jonathan, our ten year old son refused to shower in the Airstream and took a cold shower every night. He said it was because he didn’t like the shower in the Airstream, but I think he just liked the macho image of a being able to tolerate a cold shower every night. Jordan, our 13 year old son donned his bathrobe and running shoes and headed out every night with towel in hand. I guess he thought 6 gallons of hot water was better than no hot water at all. I’m with him and I headed out every morning.
One advantage of having an RV backup plan is that we treat our Airstream as if it were a stationary second home. We keep a complete kitchen set up in the trailer at all times and we keep a duplicate set of our regular toiletries in the medicine cabinet. Becki keeps her deodorant and hair mousse ready for a moments use. Tom keeps his deodorant, shaving supplies, and hair gel right alongside Becki’s necessities. We also keep a hair dryer in the trailer’s bathroom for camping trips. There is always a set of soaps, shampoos, and facial scrubs in the shower so that these items, along with the aforementioned hygiene items, don’t have to be repacked for every trip. This has tremendously cut down on these items being left at home.
We have never claimed, nor have we ever been accused of, traveling light. On those mornings before Becki and the boys were off to school, everything was set and ready for use.
Tags: Airstream, Disaster backup plan, RV, Streamin
Each year since we bought the Airstream we have gone to Ft. Wilderness Campground for the July 4th Holiday. This year we decided to do something a little different. We went to the beach for a week in July.
Each day we drove from our campsite out to the beach access. It is a little too far to walk, but is not too far to ride a bicycle. However, we don’t travel lite and laying out on the beach is no exception. The boys were too eager to get to the beach and didn’t want to take time for proper application of sun screen. For the most part they were protected, but there were a couple of places on each that didn’t get covered and they turned a little pink and weren’t very comfortable after the first day on the beach. I guess they’ll never learn to listen to Mom and Dad about such things. Becki and I applied generous amounts of sunscreen and I stayed in the shade of a small beach umbrella. I am too old to worry about getting the perfect tan. Being July it was hot as blazes! We have a wireless weather station that gives the outside temperature and it exceeded 100F everyday we were there. The beach temperature was considerably lower, but the campsite reached 101F in the shade on two days. I thought that it might have registered so high because the temperature sensor was under the Airstream’s charcoal gray awning so I moved it one afternoon to the pic-nic table under the green free standing awning. It then registered 106F! As one might imagine, we stayed in the Airstream except when on the beach. I was really glad that I had brought the satellite dish. It saved us from afternoons too hot to be outside and prevented complete boredom.
Sulley, the Happy Camper
Despite the heat, one member of the family had a great time being outside. Sulley loves to go camping. I think he views camping trips as opportunities to meet new people and new dogs. On this trip he didn’t get many chances to make new friends, but he was content just the same to be outside under the awning watching the world go by. However, he did ask out to go for walks often in the hopes of finding a new aquaintence. Either way, he was a happy camper.
We enjoyed our stay so much that we have decided to go back to Grayton Beach State Park for the Memorial Day Weekend ‘10. We plan on staying in the new section that was being completed while we were there. This section doesn’t have much shade, but all the sites include sewer. We’ll have to take the satellite dish because there will be no cable, but I have got enough experience in setting it up now that I can lock onto the satellite in less than 10 minutes.
Stone Mountain Park Campground Memorial Day Weekend 2009
I always honor in my heart and mind those that have served our country in time of war and peace. This year I took my family to Stone Mountain Park in Metro-Atlanta for the Memorial Day Weekend so that our children could watch the special observance that Stone Mountain Park and the State of Georgia produced this year for this weekend. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall Stone Mountain puts on a corny, but nostalgic laser show that pays homage to both the country and to the heroes of the Civil War. No matter what your position on the Civil War, that is what the carving on the side of the mountain is about and it is part of the central theme of the laser show.
Unfortunately, we have had more than a month of rain on an almost daily basis and this weekend was no different. With Stone Mountain Park’s campground being so popular, you have to plan months in advance to get a spot for a holiday weekend like Memorial Day Weekend. In fact, I called in early March and got the absolute last camp site for this weekend! Not even the Weather Channel can predict the weather that far in advance.
We left Friday afternoon for the 45 minute drive from our house to Stone Mountain and had camp set up shortly after night fall. Saturday morning was the last of Jonathan’s soccer games so he and I returned to Fayetteville for him to play his last game of the season. It rained on us about half way to the game and again just before the game started. But, the game was played under gray, but dry skies. Jonathan and his team played very well against a team of larger boys and, not that they keep score at his level, his team made more goals.
After returning to the camp site, we ate lunch and I set up the satellite dish, the free standing awning, and grill. By nightfall it had begun to rain so we stayed in and watched TV and movies during the heavy rains that came that night. Sully loves to camp and meet new people and new dogs. I don’t know if he could tell there were other dogs nearby or not, but he kept asking out and kept taking his time finding “a spot”. So I became very familiar with the wet side of the campground. We had planned to drive around our the campground in our golf cart to get the lay of the land so to speak to find out where we might to like to stay next time. Unfortunately, the rain pretty much made it a waste to have brought the golf cart with us. But then again, with a special of $159 to rent a Stone Mountain Campground golf cart for the weekend, we did save a good bit of money that would have been wasted had we reserved one of theirs.
The Boys in Front of Stone Mountain
We were fortunate that the rains held off most of the afternoon on Sunday. We had purchased “Adventure Passes” for each member of the family which entitled us to most of the pay per activities at the village. Before we toured the village, we toured the original attractions at Stone Mountain. We road the aerial tram (included in the Adventure Pass) to the top of Stone Mountain and I took tons of photos. From the top of Stone Mountain, you can get a panoramic view of North Georgia literally as far as the eye can see. On a clearer day than we had, you can easily see the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport that is more than 10 miles away and see individual aircraft land, even during the day. You can also see Kennesaw Mountain that is at least as far away, if not further. You also have a spectacular view of all of the attractions at Stone Mountain from the plantation house and other buildings that were relocated to the Park as part of the outdoor museum, the golf course, the lake with its paddle wheeler, and if you look closely you can even pick out the camp ground among the tall Georgia pines. After eating lunch at the bistro next to the indoor museum, we viewed the 15 minute video history of Stone Mountain and proceeded out to the village to the Sky Hike. This is another of the attraction/activities that are included in the Adventure Pass. I wasn’t interested in doing this attraction, but was interested in the zip-line. After we stood in line for 45 minutes and put on the harnesses I found out that the zip-line was a children’s zip-line approximately 8 feet off the ground. I was disappointed, but Becki and the boys spent an hour and a half going through the Sky Hike. I was quite impressed that Jordan, who is afraid of heights, was willing to complete the second level and wanted to continue to the third level, but day light was burning and he decided to save it for another time. I think the key is that you are strapped into a harness that is physically linked to the structure of the Sky Hike so he was able to face his fears. We also went to the 4-D theater to watch the abridged version of “Journey to the Center of the Earth“. Again, this was part of the Adventure Pass. We also took the boys to “The Barn” to play in the four story vertical play room, also included in the Adventure Pass. We headed over to the miniature golf course to play a round of golf, but just as we got our clubs and golf balls the bottom fell out of the clouds and we had to give it up and pass on the round of mini-golf. Again, this was included in the Adventure Pass, so we weren’t out any specific money, but we were out of the opportunity to play something that was included in our single day Pass. Admission to the park entitles you to walk around the village and eat in the restaurant and tour the museums, but if you want to enjoy the attractions you can either pay for them individually, or you can purchase a one or multi-day/annual pass. The attractions are operated by Silver Dollar City through a lease they have with the State of Georgia. If the name Silver Dollar City sounds familiar, it could be because they are the partners with Dolly Parten in Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, TN.
While the laser shows were rained out for us (they still were shown, but Becki and I didn’t want to sit in the rain for three hours for a 30 minute show) all three nights of the Memorial Weekend, those parts of the weekend that we weren’t rained out were nice enough. We plan to return to Stone Mountain some time over the summer to ride the Duck Boats and pack a picnic supper to enjoy while waiting for the laser show to begin. But next time, we’ll plan our visit with the weather forecast as a tool in that planning process.
Jonathan on the Sky Hike
Jordan on the Sky Hike
Each year a group of our friends we’ve made through the airforums.com have two rallies in the North Georgia Mountains. The one in the fall is called “Falluminum” and the one in the spring is called “Springstream“. For the past several years they have both been held at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds at Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, GA. This lake is on the Georgia/Tennessee border not far from the intersection of Tennessee, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. This makes it a convenient central location for folks from all of these states plus North Alabama.
This year got off to a rainy start. Becki was able to leave a little early on Friday and take the boys out of school early so we were able to leave about 2:00 and we arrived about 4:30. It was a good thing because it started raining just as we finished setting up camp and rained until about 7:30. I was grilling via umbrella when our rally organizer and his wife pulled in and started setting up. I happened to look up and notice that our awning was sagging deeply under the weight of pooling water. This has caused our rear awning arm to bend beyond repair twice in the past and I didn’t want it to happen again so I got a broom and push up on the bulging water pool in order to get as much water off as I could before lowering the rear arm. I had tried once to lower it, but there was so much water (I estimated at least 100 LBS of water) on the awning that the holding pin was jammed by the weight. Once enough water was off the awning, I was able to pull the pin from its retaining hole and the arm slid into its outer sleeve and the remaining water cascaded over the edge of the awning’s roller tube. Then it was no problem to dump the remaining rain water that had collected over the edge of of the roller tube.
Tom and Becki to the rescue!
Typically, we leave after I get home from work at 6:00 or so and hook up the truck to the Airstream when we go for weekend camping trips including rallies so we are quiet accustomed to setting up in the dark. One of our dearest rally friends will come with a lantern and light the camp site for me to back into the camp site while I am backing in when she attends the same rallies we do. This time she had to work on Friday until 4:00 in Chattanooga and said she wouldn’t get there until 7:30. I told her that Becki and I would be there with lantern in hand when she got there. Not that it would be necessary at 7:30 this time of year. And sure enough, we were sitting at the dinette eating dinner when I saw through the curtains that she was passing by. As soon as Becki and I finished eating I made a couple of shakers of watermelon margaritas and we headed over to her camp site with our umbrella. I poured Becki’s and mine into wine goblets and grabbed a margarita glass full of ice for Dachia. Now Becki and I don’t drink often and when we do it is for special occasions and either wine with dinner or if I make the cocktails, I generally make them weaker than most because it’s not the tipsy feeling we are after. Dachia said that when we showed up with the surprise we had all the stress of driving over a winding mountain road through the rain and meeting a semi on that winding mountain road just melted away. Plus, by the time we shared greetings and caught up on a few things, it was dark enough that the lantern came in handy!
We normally make our camping trips family affairs, but when it comes to rallies, the kids bring games and videos to entertain themselves and the off campsite activities center around parents’ fellowship. This weekend was no exception. We got up early on Saturday morning and I mixed up some pancake batter and headed to the group shelter where the breakfast was being prepared with waffle maker in one hand and batter bowl in the other. I made my Mickey Mouse waffles and shared them with others as everyone brought their own breakfast dishes to share. After the cleanup from the potluck breakfast, we headed out on a tour of homes where everyone gets to tour everyone else’s trailer…that is if they have their open house sign out. The vintage units are always the most popular and this trip had several including several that were not Airstreams. There were a couple that I wanted Becki to see that I had seen at previous rallies including one early 1950’s Spartan Manor and then we headed back to ours to be on hand to give the guided tour of our Airstream. At 6:00 we all met at the group shelter again for a potluck dinner. It was quiet a feast and it was followed by a raffle and performance by our “Not a Band” band performing some old and new favorites. These two rallies are the only two times each year that these guys get together to play and don’t get to rehearse before hand but you would never know it. Our rally organizer was a member of the ’70’s band Atlanta and several others in our group were quite accomplished musicians so their entertainment is always great fun. After dinner we headed back to our camp and nested down to watch a movie with our two boys. They chose a movie that neither had seen: “The Matrix“. One of the other ralliers dropped by to borrow my copy of “The Long, Long Trailer” starring Lucille Ball and Dezi Arnaz to show to the rest of the group on his laptop.
We took our time packing up and saying good bye to all the other ralliers as they were leaving. We are only 2-1/2 hours away so we could leave at 1:00 and still be home in plenty of time to get the Airstream properly berthed before dark. It was lightly raining when we left, just enough to use the wipers on intermittent. We took the same route home that we had taken to get to Hiawassee on I-575 through Ellijay.
On the way home from the Springstream Rally just north of Ellijay I had to make one of those panic stops we all talk about when we discuss adequate tow vehicles. The fourth car in front of me lost control for some reason and hit the guard rail on the left side of the interstate. Both lanes of traffic STOPPED! to watch the car spin around and go down the embankment backward. There was no where for me to go since both lanes had stopped and there was a guard rail on the left side of the interstate so I hit the brakes and hit them hard. I had just had my Equal-i-zer hitch fine tuned for my current truck two weeks ago. Something I had neglected to do for more than a year since trading for my ‘08 in December of 2007. At the same time I had the axle bearings greased and, luckily, had the trailer brakes adjusted. I felt the front of the truck swerve just a little as the ASB’s took affect. It really was more of a right-left-right dip when the brakes grabbed the pavement. I heard the trailer brakes squeal as they locked and then the squealing stop and start twice as the brakes were pulsed by the integrated brake controller on my ‘08 F-250. The rig stayed straight in the center of the lane and I came to a stop with plenty of room to spare between me and the car in front of me. 65 MPH -0 MPH in what seemed like 2 seconds. No hint of sway nor even a suggestion of possible jack knife. I was glad I practice the 3 second rule for safe distance between me and the vehicle in front of me. Still, I have never been more grateful for my Ford’s integrated brake controller, anti-lock brakes, and God as my co-pilot!!!
It was one of those scenarios where one of the thoughts that shot through my mind was if I ease off the brakes, they wouldn’t lock and I’d come to a more controlled stop. But the next thought that went through my mind was that doing so might increase my stopping distance. I actually analyzed the situation in a split second and just decided to keep the pressure constant on the pedal and let the computerized ABS do its thing. I was really impressed with the brakes and glad I had so much tow vehicle in front of my 7,400 LBS 30′ Safari. I felt my confidence grow as I came to a stop, but then my real fear became…was the vehicle behind me going to be able to stop before it rear ended my beloved “Changes in Latitudes”.
From the looks of things, I doubted that there was any serious injuries for the occupants of the car and two of the cars in front of me pulled off into the left hand emergency lane at the end of the guard rail to help so I continued on my way since pulling nearly 50′ of truck and camper would have been too awkward given the narrow shoulder.
We made it home safe and secure. After stopping for lunch and driving the 153 miles or so home it was about 4:30 when we got home. It was sunny and warm with plenty of time to unpack before dark. All in all, it was a great rally and we look forward to the Falluminum in October.
Normally, this is a blog about travel and camping in particular. However, this blog installment will cover a recent visit to by our family to the Atlanta Civic Center. Our visit was on the occasion to view the King Tutankhamun exhibit from Egypt.
We started our tour by viewing a 3-D movie about the ancient kings of Egypt and their rules of Egypt. While a 30 minute over view of 3,000 years of absolute rule, there were a few items omitted from the history such as the fact that some of this 3,000 year history was ruled by Nubian kings that I thought were important and should have been included. The film did cover the last 300 years of Egypt’s golden age when she was ruled by the Ptoleme’s with Cleopatra ruling Egypt as Egypt’s last Pharaoh.
This touring exhibit has just come to the USA from Germany and included several key pieces from the tomb of King Tut. However, we were disappointed that the majority of the exhibit consisted of pieces from reigns other than Tut’s. In fact, the isographic piece, the burial mask that appears on the ticket stubs and is the most famous artifact from the Tutankhamun tomb was not even in the exhibit! One from an earlier Pharaoh was.
Boys in front of Poster of Tut's Coffinette (minature coffin that contained some of his internal organs)
It was, however, fascinating to see statues that dated back to earlier than 2,500 B.C. and I will say this, when I saw the first statue of a seated Pharaoh I gasped to myself. My breath was momentarily taken away by the site of the alabaster Pharaoh seated separated from the viewers only by a stainless steel cable at knee level warmed by the spotlights shinning down on his smoothly carved face. I guess I have waited my entire professional life since Architectural History at Auburn University to see Egyptian antiquity and staring at the beautifully carved hyroglyphs on the sides and back of the statue struck me with no less than awe. I was also fascinated as I viewed the wall listing each Pharaohnic dynasty and each ruler in each dynasty as I learned that Hollywood actually got it right…the first King of Egypt really was the Scorpion King! All-in-all, the exhibit was very nicely presented and taking my time, much to the dismay of my other family members, I spent two solid hours perusing the objects on display.
Photography was strictly forbidden in the exhibit areas so I was unable to get any photographs of the items on display. I would have loved to get a photo of the boys next to a representative piece to “prove they were there”, but that wasn’t allowed, so I had to be satisfied with photos of the boys next to some of the exterior posters and artwork. The tickets from admission will have to go into their scrap books as proof that they attended a once in a lifetime event in Atlanta.
Tags: Museums
