The Paved Frontier

This summer we have a huge road trip planned. It’s going to span from the mid-Atlantic, down to the Gulf of Mexico, and back up again.  We’ll take our time visiting friends and family, visiting new places, and taking in all the unique landscape and cultures of America’s Southeast.

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Our first stop was in Montross, Virginia to visit with family.  It was a great weekend playing in the sun and boat rides.  This was also Stu’s first ride in the RV.  He stayed in it for two nights, but this would be his first time out on the road.

Creek behind our site, Grandfather Campground, Banner Elk, NC

Next we drove to Grandfather Campground in Banner Elk, North Carolina on Monday afternoon and had dinner with a friend at The Pedalin’ Pig- a delicious, local BBQ place.  The campground was great and I wish we could have explored some more of the area , but it was raining and we didn’t have a tow car.  If we come back, which we totally plan to do, we will bring a tow car and plan to spend about a week hiking and checking out the local shops and tourist type things (the High Gravity Adventures park, white water rafting, etc.).

View from the top of Grandfather Campground, Banner Elk, NC

The Grandfather Campground was great and I’d recommend it to anyone driving through- there were tent sites, RV spots, and cabins to rent.  The WiFi was excellent and we could connect inside our RV (we were all on our devices playing games, streaming video, and uploading photos all at the same time).  There were two bath houses and unfortunately I used the “bad bathhouse” twice…. I didn’t realize the other one would be so nice.  Stu said the bathhouses at the top of this hill were single rooms containing shower/sink/toilet and were kept very clean. The “Bad Bathhouse” could use some TLC, especially in the shower’s drain that didn’t drain….it was ewww.  Other than that, the scenery was great, there were two nice looking playgrounds (didn’t get to use them since it was raining), the staff was friendly and helpful, and the RV sites were all level with hookups. All for a total of $38 a night for us.

We planned to head down the Blue Ridge Parkway, but our GPS lead us on Blowing Rock Blvd. The ride was still amazing! Great views of the mountain ranges, and a pleasant drive all around.  We hit up Cherokee, NC, on the edge of the Smokey Mountains.  We visited the Museum of the Cherokee Indian, cooked dinner in a parking lot, and played in a park that had a shallow creek running through it.  That night we drove a few more hours and stayed in a Walmart parking lot just north of Atlanta, GA.

Sneak peek at a photo from M.Banes GDP

Finally, we headed down to Mobile, Alabama where we stayed with our friends Shaun and Moe, and their awesome kids.  Moe is a talented photographer and graphic designer who has her own photography business- Melissa Baines Graphic Design and Photography, so of course we had to get our family pictures done while we were visiting.  Check out her Facebook page and website to find out all the services and products she offers.

Our next stop is New Orleans to stay at the French Quarter RV Resort, so stay tuned!

Have you visited the Blue Ridge Mountains or Smokey Mountains?  What do you love about the mountains?  Any “must see” spots to hit when road tripping through these mountains?

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