Uhaul in the Smokies

Campsite 120 at KOA Townsend, TN

So there is a fiberglass rally in Townsend, TN (right outside the Cades Cove side of Great Smoky Mountains National Park) every year called the Eggscursion put on by the Egg Camping Club. (If you don't know, molded fiberglass campers are referred to as "eggs" sometimes. There are lots of rally's around the nation and it's a great place to meet other owners and see other types/brands of fiberglass campers. We went to our first rally last year in Townsend and had a blast and got lots of great ideas. We were the only Uhaul Camper there. We went ahead last year and booked our reservations for this year. Then my best friend picked that date to get married so we bumped our reservations a few weeks. We're looking forward to the rally next year but we had a blast camping this past weekend up there.

Cades Cove in GSMNP

The temperature was milder than I anticipated for this time of year. It actually sleeted up at Newfound Gap when we were going through on our way up. I heard they closed the road for a bit later that night due to ice. The park was beautiful and it wasn't too crowded yet which was nice. We did the Cades Cove loop again hoping to spot some bears, but it wasn't till after we'd left the cove that we spotted a mother and 3 babies off the side of the road. It was great for the kids to get to see them. We didn't find time to do any hiking this trip. I was hoping to get a short day hike in with the kids. But we did get to relax and I did get to kick back and read some at the campsite (which I rarely have time to do during my weekly grind). One think I love about being so close to the Smokies is that they have such beauty and nature combined with a rich history. I always learn something new every time I visit.

We stayed at the KOA in Townsend. This was our first time staying at a KOA. Honestly, they aren't really on my radar normally due to price and being crowded. I usually choose state parks when camping with the camper and the family. I like to support the state park programs in states we visit. When I'm soloing I go backcountry or tent camp at National Forest campgrounds that don't have hook-ups. We did have a wonderful time at the KOA though and it's right outside the park. We ended up in site 120 (water/electric site) which had a nice patio, table and chairs (as compared to a normal picnic table), and a fire pit. The staff was very friendly and very helpful. We didn't use the free cable TV and the free wifi was a bit spotty (don't try streaming videos on it). The kids enjoyed the playground, basketball court, and riding their bikes around the campground. The fenced dog park was a nice feature too for our dogs to run around off leash. While I probably won't seek out a KOA everywhere we go, we're planning to go back to this one again next year. I can definitely see their benefits if we do another long (10-day) trip in the future.

We've been up to the Smokies a lot before we bought the camper. We did try something new this time and it was a blast. The Smoky Mountain Alpine Coaster is a sled on a track basically. You get pulled to the top of a mountain and ride down with gravity. You do have a brake lever to slow down if you get going too fast for your comfort, but they say the max speed is 27 mph. It's a mile track down the mountain with loops and turns. While ticket prices aren't exactly cheap for adults and older kids. Young kids (3-6) are only $5 to ride with adult. Our little ones (4 and 5) loved it and can't wait to do it next time we go back.

It was a nice, refreshing trip. I can't wait for our next adventure.

Our First Year with the Camper

So I thought I'd take a break from the maintenance and upgrade posts to talk about our adventures. So we got to take our camper out within 2 months after we bought her for the first time. I fixed the floor and got a new spare and spare mount before we headed out. Also, we opted to purchase a few things like water filter wheel chocks, etc. That we didn't have since we'd never owned a camper before.

For our first trip out, we decided to go somewhere close. You know just in case something happened and we needed to go back home. We ended up going to Hard Labor Creek State Park here in Georgia. It's about 30-45 mins away so not bad at all. Where we live, we are actually are about 20-45 mins from 4 different state parks. Well we got there, got set up and had a blast. The park was doing special events that weekend and we got to do a hayride tour with a park ranger and learn about the history of the park. The weather was perfect. We ended up in site #41 (technically a tent site but with hookups). It was way at the end of the last loop but I liked how quiet it was out there. It backs up to the creek and you're on a wedge of land between the beaver pond and the creek.We had some lovely neighbors with an old Airstream next to us and ended up touring each others campers (though touring their's took a bit more time than touring ours). The other nice thing about being way in the back is there's a small loop and the kids had fun riding their bikes around it.

Unfortunately, that trip was getting later into the fall so we didn't have another chance to go camping till the spring. Our next trip ended up being to fiberglass egg camper rally in Townsend, Tennessee (called the Eggsscursion). We again had great weather and enjoyed touring all the other fiberglass campers and meeting new friends. We took away a lot of great ideas and learned some neat tricks for camping with an camper.

I had tons of gear for tent camping from over the years. But I wasn't ready for camping with electricity. One of the tips we picked up was how useful an electric kettle can be. When traveling with kids this is a real winner, you can quickly boil water for hot cocoa, oatmeal or tea.

We packed up the camper yet again and headed to Myrtle Beach, SC about a month later. My mom's family is from there and it's like a second home to me. I feel like a practically grew up there. I've seen it change so much over the years. It had been a while since we'd been over there and seen the family. So I was excited at the opportunity to catch up with everyone and eat some good seafood. I'm not big on crowds and since I know the area well, I opted to stay south where it's not so busy. I got us reservations to camp at Huntington Beach State Park, one of my favorite places on the coast over there. It's the location of the winter home of the sculptor Anna Hyatt Huntington (many locals refer to it as the castle). Huntington and her husband founded Brookgreen Gardens which is across the hwy from the park. A definite must see place if you're in the area. We ended up in site #45 and it was a close walk to the bathhouse which had been redone recently and was one of the nicer ones I've ever been in. This time we had a bit of a freak cold spell during the night and I found out the propane heater was a bit finicky to work with. (We have since packed a small ceramic heater that keeps the place really warm without glow or too much noise.)

Our next adventure happened about a month later. My wife was doing the Callaway Gardens triathlon over Father's Day weekend. So we decided to take the camper down there and stayed at F.D.Roosevelt State Park. Again we had gorgeous weather and a great time. We ended up in loop 6, site #611. It was close to the bathhouse but required backing uphill at an angle to get into and a bit of work to level the trailer. It was my wife's first triathlon and she did great! We also met some great campground neighbors who were there for the triathlon also. While we were there, the rangers had a great program for the kids about reptiles. I love that the state parks in Georgia offer so many great programs and events. We will definitely go back to FDR in the future. Next time I hope to do some hiking.

After that work kept me pretty locked up for the rest of the summer so we ended out our first year with the camper with some good use and great success. Along the way we discovered what worked and didn't work. We continue to make adjustments to what we pack as I learn how to camp with electricity and how to pack for 4 in a tiny camper. More adventures await...