Wednesday In The Blue Ridge

Greetings from my home under the T@B-port on this rainy North Carolina morning!  I'm sitting here all cozy out of the weather, thinking about my SplashT@B Story for today.

One week ago, we woke up to a very foggy Blue Ridge morning.  Since my Momma Sharon left me hooked up to the car while at New River State Park, it was easy to get rolling again.  My buddy Pod got to take the lead today and that was fun just lazily following her down the road.

Cousin Rob likes to take pictures just like my Camper Mom does, so every time we stop, you can see the two of them with cameras in their hands looking every which way to find the perfect photo. 

They take pictures of big pine trees at overlooks.....

.....flowers in a field.....

.....lichens on tree trunks.....

.....long-range vistas.....

...and Me and Pod!

After another swell picnic lunch at Groundhog Mountain, we made our last stop at Mabry Mill.  I would guess that this is one of the most photographed places along the whole Parkway.  It doesn't matter what season you visit, it's a really fun stop.  There are buildings and exhibits that tell you about what it was like to live in the mountains and the kind of things that Appalachian folks did to survive.

It's also a great place for family photos, like this one that Momma Sharon took of our camping family!  I'm not sure how she took that picture though.  It's a mystery to me how she can snap a picture and be in it all at the same time!?!?

I had a pretty scary ride down off the Parkway on Highway 8 to our next campground.  The road was really, really steep and curvy.  Thank goodness we took it slow and easy.  But when a fighter jet zoomed past us, Momma Sharon thought I had blown a tire and Cousin Rob thought that Pod had run over something.  It's kinda funny now, but it scared both of them pretty badly.

Our destination for the evening was Fairy Stone State Park in Virginia.  Momma picked out a nice, level pull-thru site and Pod got to be right beside me once again.  We settled in for the evening and I can report that "life was good" in site 43!

I sure am having fun this week telling you SplashT@B Stories of my outing last week along the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Thanks so much for pulling up a chair to listen.  I'll be back here tomorrow if you want to stop by again!

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Rollin' Along The Parkway

Hey Campers!  SplashT@B here with another Story for you today......thanks for dropping back by.

Before I get started, I want to send out a special hello to my new friend Tootsie the T@B way over in Scotland.  How cool is that to have a friend so far away......kinda like having a pen pal!

One of the coolest things about riding along on the Blue Ridge Parkway is seeing all the incredible sights.  Unlike Momma Sharon who has to keep her eyes on the road, I get to look around as we roll along.  I gotta tell you, some of the most gorgeous scenery is here in my North Carolina mountains.  Check it out.....

This is Alta Vista Orchards.  In the fall, you can go to an apple festival here, sample different varieties of North Carolina apples, and listen to bluegrass music.  It's a lot of fun!

Pod and I stopped at the Linville Falls Visitor Center just up the road from the apple orchards so our folks could get out and stretch their legs.  A long, long time ago, the Linville River cut a huge gorge through the earth and now visitors can hike the trails to see the Upper, Middle, and Lower falls.  Momma Sharon and Uncle Rob love to take pictures of signs...I'm not sure why, but they do.  They snapped this photo on their walk to the Upper Falls.

Grandfather Mountain is a big tourist attraction in these parts and I just love this Southern view.  There's a mile-high swinging bridge and a zoo and a museum.  It's a great place to take kids for the day.  Take a look at those clouds and Carolina-blue sky.....pretty, huh?

After leaving the overlook, we traveled over the Linn Cove Viaduct.  This section of the Parkway was the last to be finished because it had to be built around Groundfather Mountain without disturbing any of the landscape.  I love it because it looks like I'm traveling on a highway that just floats in the air!

My stomach was kinda growling, so I knew it was time for Momma Sharon to find the perfect picnic spot.  We stopped at Julian Price Park for a lunch break in the shade.  Once again, I had to give a T@B Tour!  Why do so many people want to see inside me and ask questions about me?  I guess I'm so stinkin' cute.....that's why!!

We spent the next couple of hours just moseying along the Parkway until we reached our destination for Tuesday night.....the New River State Park.  My buddy Pod was in site 9 and I was right beside her in number 10.  It was pretty hot sitting out in the sun, but we cooled off quickly around suppertime.

Speaking of suppertime.....have I told you what a great camping chef that Uncle Rob is?  OMG, that man has a way with a Coleman...LOL!  In addition to grilled salmon, he made his famous blooming onions with fajita seasoning.  Let me tell you, our folks ate like kings and queens!

So that's it for Story-time today.  Thanks again for coming by and  I'll see ya tomorrow!

"Peace, Love & Camping"

My Blue Ridge Parkway Cruise

FINALLY!

Finally my Camper Mom has let me back on the computer to send you a post.  I can't believe it's been so long since I got to share a story or two with you.  Why in the world did she ever let me have my own story blog if I never get to write stories ?!?!  Geez!!

OK...I feel better now.

Last week, I traveled up to Spruce Pine, NC to meet my Cousin Pod for a week of camping and traveling together on the Blue Ridge Parkway.  Y'all maybe recall that my Mom loves that road and to be perfectly honest with you, so do I.  It's a lazy winding route that runs from Cherokee, NC all the way up to the Shenandoah Skyline Drive in Virginia.  The scenery is beautiful, the pace is leisurely, and I never get tired of going there.

Momma Sharon had a little hiccup on the way to the campground.  She drove right past the entrance thinking it was a driveway and when she got to the end of the road and it changed to gravel, she said a bad word.  But I told her to calm down that I would help her turn around.  Luckily there was a little grassy road to the left and equally small driveway to the right and we wiggled back and forth until we got turned around.

I got to spend the night at a campground I had never been to before...the Spruce Pine Campground.  It wasn't the kind of campground where I could hang out with a whole bunch of my friends at a rally, but I still liked it.  It was shady, I got to pull right into my campsite, and it was quiet.

After I got settled in for the afternoon, I looked around a bit and saw a couple of really neat things...a huge orange fungus growing beside a tree and a grandmother Avion parked just down the road a bit.

About 3:30 I heard someone coming down the road and it was my buddy Pod along with Rob, Trisha, and their camping pup named Jackson.  It sure was good to see her again!  The last time we got to hang out together was at the Blue Ridge Rally when we were parked side by side.

Her Daddy Rob got her all situated, put out a tent, and we all settled down for a great Monday afternoon and evening. 

It doesn't take much to make Momma Sharon happy and the view from my window and the sunset that evening were icing on her camping cake!

Thanks for not giving up on me and dropping by to let me tell you a story about my latest camping trip. If you stop by again tomorrow, I promise I'll have more photos and stories to tell you!

"Peace, Love & Camping"

My Mayberry Collage...

I'm sitting here nice and dry under my T@B-port out of this Monday morning rain.....life is good!  I'm thankful that Momma Sharon didn't have to pack me up and pull me home in this mess.  We had a beautiful drive home yesterday from my first trip of the season.

Here's a cool camping collage for you to look at.  My Mom sure does love to mess with photos of me and get creative.....it's one of the reasons I love her and I'm so glad she found me way back in 2007.  Have a great week campers.....talk to you soon!

P.S...the sun just came out.....it's going to be a great Monday after all!!

"Peace, Love & Camping"

First Camping Trip Of 2012

Hey campers and friends!  SplashT@B here, fresh from my first camping trip of 2012.  My Camper-Mom hitched me up to the Pilot this past Friday and we took off for Mayberry.  Yep, that Mayberry that you remember with Andy, Opie, Aunt Bea and Barney!

Well.....actually we went to a town about an hour and a half from where I live, called Mt. Airy.  This happens to be the home place of Andy Griffith and the whole town has gone Mayberry crazy.  They even named the campground where we stayed after Mayberry. 

I picked out a very nice site (#18) on Barney Fife Blvd and saved the spot right next to me for my friend, R & T's Pod.  That cute little R-pod lives with Momma Sharon's cousins, Rob and Trisha, and we've camped with them a bunch.

It's a good thing that the weather was pleasant because this place doesn't have trees...it's kinda new.  I got to wear a set of my new awnings and they kept my insides nice and cool for Aunt Becky and the pups.  That's right...Murphy the Camper Dog and Baby Gracie came along with me this time.  Murphy gets on my nerves sometimes because she barks a lot.  Gracie woofs every once in a while, so she's not as loud.

It was nice having Rob and Trisha next door and Momma Sharon and Aunt Becky chatted with them and ate with them and even watched a basketball game on TV with them.  On Saturday they all went downtown to check out the shops and stuff.  That gave me and the Pod time to hang out.

Momma Sharon bought me something really special on Saturday and Rob installed it in me...a brand new battery!  My old one was kinda rusty and nasty and really didn't work for me any more.  Now I'm good to go!

I love having my picture taken and here's a couple more of me from the campground...

Momma Sharon and I will spend the rest of the month getting ready for our big do-da...the Blue Ridge Rally...where I'll get to meet and greet 43 of my brothers and sisters coming in from all over the east coast for 5 days of camping fun!

Thanks for stopping by to let me tell you the story of my first camping trip this year.  If you drop back by tomorrow, I'll show you the collage that my Mom made for me.  See ya then!

"Peace, Love & Camping"

My 2008 Trips

Hey there campers!  Thanks for dropping back by to hear another one of my stories.....I really appreciate that.  My Momma Sharon is busy planning the 5th Annual Blue Ridge Rally, where I'll be joining 35 of my T@B and T@DA brothers and sisters for a great weekend in the High Country of North Carolina.

I welcomed a lot of those same campers and their owners back in 2008 at our very first Blue Ridge Rally. We have sure grown up a bunch since then.  And the stories I could tell!  But today, I want to tell you about the camping trips I went on with Camper Mom Sharon in my 2nd year.

My first outing was in April to a place about an hour away in Salisbury called Dan Nicholas Park & Campground.  I got to hang out with my cousins Robert and Trisha for the weekend.  Dan Nicholas is pretty cool 'cause it has a big lake, hiking trails, a zoo and train, a golf course, a carousel, and an animal habitat with a petting barn.  It was a fun way to kick off the season!

On the heels of that trip was the very first Blue Ridge Rally in May.  There were so many of us T@Bs, that we almost filled up the whole Mountain Stream Campground!  I'm kinda tickled to tell you that it's just gotten bigger and better each year in my humble SplashT@B opinion...LOL.

In late June, Momma Sharon hooked me up for a trip up to Maggie Valley for a long weekend of camping with Aunt Becky, Murphy the Camper dog, and cousins Robert & Trisha.  We had a great time exploring Cherokee, riding on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and cooking outdoors.  I liked Creekwood Farm RV Park so much, I told my Camper Mom it ought to be the site of the next BRR!

On August 12th, I met up with my buddy SunshineT@B and her Camper-Mom Linda at Unicoi State Park near Helen, GA.  We got to share a very neat buddy site so we were parked side by side.  Momma   Sharon and Linda explored a whole bunch of cool places in NE Georgia...craft stores, the little towns of Helen and Dahlonega, general stores, and potteries.  

A month later in mid-September, Mom and Murphy the Camper Dog took me to another new campground called the New River Trail RV Park in Fries, VA.  It was a nice little park with a just a few sites, but I was parked beside a sweet little creek.  During the day, Momma Sharon and Murphy went for walks on the historic New River Trail.

We left there on Friday and drove over to Hillsville for the Fall Splash Rally at Lake Ridge RV Resort. It was so good to hang out with my rally buddies once again.  Momma Sharon was so happy because she got to explore the neat little town of Floyd and drive on her favorite road, the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Under the loblolly pines in the Uwharrie National Forest, I camped at Arrowhead Campground with all my humans...Momma Sharon, Aunt Becky, and Robert & Trisha...in early October.  On Saturday they explored Town Creek Indian Mound and had a BBQ lunch at the Troy Fire Department while I just chilled out at camp.

Right before Thanksgiving, I got to travel all the way to the coast of South Carolina to Huntington Beach State Park.  All my best friends were there to celebrate the last trip of 2008, eat seafood, take a little card-making class, and enjoy the beach.  I even saw an alligator!!  What a great way to end the year!

I'm a pretty lucky SplashT@B, wouldn't you say?  New campgrounds, new adventures, old friends...it just doesn't make for a better story!

P.S.....If you click on the photo you can enlarge it and see all the pictures better!

My First Camping Season...

Hey everyone!  It's not quite camping season here...actually it's snowing...our first snow of the winter!  I thought I'd tell you the story about my first camping season while we're waiting on Spring to arrive.  

The very first time my Momma Sharon and I camped together was at the Tom Johnson Camping Center when she picked me up way back in March of 2007.  We spent the night together in the campground so she could make sure all my equipment worked.  It was just like a sleepover when she snuggled down under the covers for the night! 

My first official camping trip was all the way to Williamsburg, VA and the Jamestown 1607 Rally at American Heritage Campground.  Since I've already told you that story, I'll just move on to the next one.

During the summer of 2007, I got to meet my cousin from South Carolina....."SunshineT@B".  SunshineT@B belongs to Mom's friend Linda, from Walterboro.  And you know what's so cool?  Her number is one away from mine.....I'm number 2487 and she is 2486.  That means I followed her down the assembly line in Indiana!   Our first trip together was in Georgia, at Tallulah Gorge State Park.

Just a month later, Becky and Momma Sharon met Linda up in the NC mountains at a neat little park tucked back in Balsam Mountain...Moonshine Creek Campground.  They spent five days exploring, antiquing, shopping, and having fun.  I got a little damp because it rained every single afternoon!

Let me tell you something...I was one lucky camper in the fall of 2007!  Why?  Because I got to go to four campgrounds in three different states.  Our first little fall get-away was to a pretty little park (my all-time favorite) just north of Marion called Mountain Stream RV Park.  Murphy the Camper Dog and Becky joined in the fun!

In mid-October, all of us hit the road again for a trip to Raccoon Holler Campground in Glendale Springs.  We drove up a pretty curvy, steep mountain road, but Momma Sharon did just fine.  She's really getting the hang of pulling me around.

I love camping in the fall when the leaves are changing and the weather is cool.  It's great fun!!  We traveled up to Townsend, TN for the Fall Wahoo Rally at the KOA there.  I got to meet lots more T@Bs and Momma Sharon made lots of new friends too.

We wrapped up the 2007 camping season with a trip down to Fort McAllister State Park.  This park is located south of Savannah, near Tybee Island so my Camper Mom and Aunt Becky had lots to see and do.  SunshineT@B and Linda joined us again and it was the perfect trip to close out my very first camping season.

I'm so glad you stopped by again for another one of my Stories.  This one was pretty long with lots and lots of photos to look, so I'm really happy you dropped by!  I hope you've had a great weekend and if it's snowing where you live...ENJOY!!

SplashT@B #2487
"Peace, Love & Camping"