The Maine and Eastern Seaboard Trip, Just the Facts, Maam!

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Tanglewood RV Campground
4061 Clemmons Road
Clemmons, NC 27012
We stayed at Tanglewood by a recommendation from a camp host on a Facebook RV site that Diane visits. And I must say, it was a great referral.  The RV park is maintained by the county and is part of a larger extensive public park. The RV park itself is not huge, just 44 sites laid out in 4 rows. All roads and sites in the park are paved and include a paved patio. We were in the first row, site #3 which is the best place to be.  In this row the back of your site backs up to a huge grass area, and about 200 yards away is the County parks off leash dog park, which was always busy. 

This also worked out well for us because to the many mature trees in the RV park, roof top satellite was not possible from almost all sites.  Due to the large grassy area behind the site I was able to set up the remote satellite dish and just shoot over the tops of the tall trees.  The middle rows of sites, say the 20's and 30's can be a real challenge to level on.  The sites slope off dramatically to the back, and since all  of their sites except #10 are back ins, motorhomes need to be careful when leveling as to not get both rear wheels off of the ground. 

The park is located in a great part of town with lots of shopping and various retail within minutes of the campground.  Since the large public park is connected to the campground, it also puts many activities in the park nearby, like golf, horseback riding, mountain bike trrails, and hiking.  There is a great paved bike/walking path around the park that is about 2 miles long that we ran on.  The maintenance on the park is regular and well done, so it is kept in good shape. 

The campground restrooms are older, but are clean and handicapped accessible. The Verizon air card worked here, but signal could be sketchy due to the distance from the nearest tower.  We paid $33 a night for our FHU 50 amp site. The sewer connection is a bit high (about 8? tall) and the water pressure can drop to the 20 psi range when the park is full,  but these issues are minor compared to the pluses of the area.

The campground's season runs from May 1 thru November 30 and then shuts down for the winter.  However, the last week of November the County constructs a ?Festival of Lights? in the adjoining park and should be quite spectacular.  We left while it was being set up so we didn't get to see it. 

One issue that bears mentioning is that there are NO motorcycles allowed in the RV park, or the county  park.  In fact one of the campground hosts had a stacker trailer with a Can Am in it, and he wasn't even allowed to use it while hosting.  Alcohol is also not permitted in the park, but discreet consumption outside on your patio is over looked. All in all this is a very nice park, and I would come back here anytime in the area. 

We did go to a County Fair while here in Clemmons.  In fact we went with one of the campground hosts and his wife.  They were great tour guides and showed us all over the area. 
 

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Campfire Lodgings
116 Appalachian Village Road
Asheville, NC 28804​

We used this location in Asheville to meet up and camp with family from Georgia and do some sightseeing. It is an ?intimate? little RV park, only 18 sites.  The first 6 are their ?premium? sites and are cement with patios. They also have wonderful view of the valley in back of the sites.  The rest of the sites although on a hill are heavily treed, making views impossible.  We paid $50 a night for our site which was a ?deluxe? site.  Dirt gravel sites with trees, and the site had a picnic table and a fire pit.

There is a seating area where you can sit and look at the view or a sunset that is available to all campers.  There is also  a grass area in back of that for general use. 

One of the difficulties of getting to this park is the ? mile steep winding dirt road that takes you up the mountain. The last turn going into the campground is a hairpin.  Go slowly if you have a larger rig. Either way, the dusty road will make a mess out of your tow. 

The restrooms are clean, but dated.  Each one is a separate room with a toilet and shower. One is handicapped accessible but there is a small bench by the door that could make entry with a wheel chair tricky.  We used their campground Wifi here as our Verizon air card struggled.  We did get satellite with the help of my phone app satellite finder.  I scoped the satellites between a gap in the trees. 

If you come here and stay in any of the sites down past the premium sites, when you leave your site there is a turn around at the end of the road you need to go through to head towards the exit.  Do not hook your car up if you are in a motor home as you will need to backup at least once to get turned around.

All in all I liked the campground, but the only way I would come back is if I could get a premium site with a view and a cement pad. 

There was a lot to do in the area though.  We toured the Biltmore mansion one day, visited the North Carolina Arboretum, and drove to the ?Wheels through Time? museum. The Arboretum is much more than just plants and flowers, there is about 5 miles of walking trails through native forest and fauna. We walked about 3 miles of it.  There were also some fantastic displays that were made entirely out of Lego's!  All nature theme of course.

And the Wheels through Time museum is a motor cycle museum but has different types of motorcycles from the very beginning of their invent to the present.  It was another pretty cool way to spend an afternoon.

Diane got plenty of pics of the attractions, but we forgot to get campsite photos.  Sorry, next time.

I also had our entry steps fail on us here.  I started work on them to see what was needed. I wound up with a new step  motor to make  them right again. In the process of making the steps right, I took them apart and sanded off a bunch of rust, then repainted them.  Afterward they worked better and are quieter than they have ever been.  I also replaced a broken bolt on the roof top ladder.  Since I had  it off I also painted the antenna mast black to match the ladder.  It looks way better now.
 

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I found 2 more pics for Campfire Lodgings. One of the campsite, and one of the handicapped restroom.  What do you think, useful or not?
 

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A lot would depend on how wide the opening is between the shelf and the wall on the right. I would also depend on how wide the wheel chair is. ;)
Bill
 
The Great Outdoors RV Resort
321 Thumpers Trail
Franklin, NC 28734
This is one of the highest rated parks in North Carolina, and with good reason.  The owners keep the place immaculate and go out of their way to help you out. It's not a huge park with only 66 sites, but they have done well with what they have.  The whole park is terraced so each one of the 4 camping rows steps up a little further up the hill.  This makes for nice views and a roomy feel, but there is a down side.  Walking the park can be challenging if you have trouble with  hills, especially if walking the trash out at night as the dumpster is on the top level. 

The other issue is that the highway that brings you to the entrance to the park is at the bottom of a long 7 to 8% grade.  Since the park is close to the highway,  if you get a top row spot, the unmistakable aroma of heated brakes can be detected occasionally wafting through the rows.

The roads in the park are paved, but the sites and patio's are gravel. We put a rug out on the patio to soften things up a bit, but had to be careful not to overlap and kill the grass. We had a FHU 50 amp site for a weekly rate of $42.71 per day. We also were impressed to learn that they offer a 30% Law Enforcement discount on top of the weekly rate.  That is pretty rare, but was much  appreciated. 

They had a small gym with  some weights and 2 treadmills that we took advantage of, but the pool had already been  drained for the winter.  Thankfully they offered some terrific WiFi, because our Verizon air card struggled at best.  One of the hosts said that this was an AT&T home area, and gets great signal. The  restrooms were very nice and handicapped accessible.

There is another section even further up the hill of large RV lots that are for sale.  We drove  up the hill, and it looked like a hand full of them were already sold and developed. The views up on top were really spectacular.  I'm not sure what they were selling for though.

Freightliner Service Center
103 Campus Drive
Gaffney,  SC 29341
After Franklin we stopped  by the Freightliner Service Center.  We were do for our M3 Bi  Annual service.  It's an extensive service that is do every other year, and if I am any where close, I  will go to Gaffney.  We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, and  our service appointment was Tuesday morning.  You can also take your chances at a walk in appointment, but may be there for a few days waiting for your turn.  Their customer service is terrific, and we are always treated wonderfully.  There is a 16 space gravel campground in the back of the service center with 50 amp electrical.  There is also  water and a dump  station on site. If you show up for service, the campground is free, and the techs will come out to your coach, discuss it's' needs and take it to a bay. When they are done they bring  it back and put it back in your space.  They have a nice pet  friendly customer lounge with TV, tables and chairs, and restrooms.  And there is a 5% discount off  of any parts if you are a Freightliner Owner Chassis Club (FOCC) member.  A highly recommended place for service. 

Chattahoochee Bend State Park
425 Bob White Way
Newnan,  GA 30263​

After we got serviced we stopped for a few days in Georgia's newest state park.  It is a nice well kept state park, and has been open approx 5 years or so.  We were visiting family in the Newnan area, so  the park seemed like a good idea.  We didn't realize until we got there just how far out of town this park was!  It's was a 20 to 30 minute drive through country roads to get  into Newnan proper. Once there the stores and shopping are everywhere, but it is a drive.  If you come to stay at the park be sure shop and stock up, as there no just running down to the corner store if you forgot something. 

We had a Gravel back in site with a gravel patio off of a paved road.  There are a few pull through spots available.  There is lots of foliage around the sites, but not too close to feel cramped. Each site has a fire pit and a picnic table. There is also lots of mature trees, so pick your site carefully if you want satellite reception.  Upon entry you pay your fees, and then take your tag to the campground (about a mile away) and pick a site. Just put your tag on the site post and it's yours. The sites are 50 amp and water in loop one (large RV of any size), and 20 amp and water in loop 2 (small RV's and tents).

Interestingly, our site said that it would hold up to a 40' RV.  When we pulled in, the driveway pad had to be at least 100' long not including the tow car parking spot next to it!  Why it's listed at 40' is beyond me.  Even being fairly remote, our Verizon Air Card worked pretty well, and even better with the antenna mast extended.

We paid $26 a night for the site, which I thought was more than fair.  The  restrooms are in good shape and handicapped accessible. One thing to be aware of though, there is a Law Enforcement qualifying range in the area. We did hear some early morning gunfire on a few occasions, which always freaks Heidi out (the dog).  A few times there were a few shots from some really big gun, which a host said may have been deer hunters in the distance. 

There is a kids playground in the RV park, and lots of hiking trails, some of which are still being built. The nights are quiet and dark, great for star gazing.  It's a great park if you want to get away and enjoy nature, but rest assured you will never just accidentally wander into  it.
 

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Just located a pic of the Gaffney Freightliner RV parking area. It's not paradise, but it's free, flat, and has 50 amp  power. 
 

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Benchmark RV Park
6420 Dale Drive
Meridian, MS 39342
We don't usually make a lot one night stop overs, but sometimes they are necessary. This was one of them. This is a Passport America park, and as such we paid $20 cash for the site, no checks or credit cards when using Passport America. That worked out fine for what we needed. The site was a paved pull through with dirt roads, and a skinny grass strip between sites. We were able to leave the Jeep hooked up for early departure in the morning.

The office doesn't open until 4:30, and just long enough to collect fees and close up.  We had 50 amp service, but didn't bother hook up sewer. The park was pretty quiet at night, but there was some train noise.  I didn't get to see any restroom facilities, but our Verizon air card worked OK.  Not a place for a long term, but  OK for an overnight-er.

Shreveport/Bossier KOA
6510 West 70th Street
Shreveport, LA 71129​

This was another overnight-er to get some mileage done. We had first planed to stop at ?Diamond Jacks Casino? Shreveport.  We pulled in and got a too small site, but quickly discovered that a giant sink hole had opened in their RV driveway, and they dug out the hole and put a cone on it. It just so happened that that was the only way out of the RV park for us!  They had suggested we drive out through an opening about wide enough for a car, with a light pole at the left edge. Uh, no. While deciding what our options were, I plugged into the pedestal only to find that our surge protector wouldn't hook up do to a missing ground wire.  We hastily unhooked the Jeep and backed out of the site until we were able to drive over a grass meridian into another parking lot and escape. 

We went down the road to the KOA that we had stayed at before a few years ago.  It has changed hands since then, and has slipped a bit. The sites were gravel and dirt, and the grass is weedy and long. The site did have a small cement patio with some patio furniture. Even though Diane asked the desk  guy for an open site that we could get satellite reception from, we still wound up in the trees.  As it turned out, the clerk was filling in for the wife, and didn't have a clue how to register anyone in. He came by later and asked if we wanted to move to one of the other open sites. I was already set up and hooked up, so, no. 

The restroom was clean and the Wifi was present, but we used our Verizon air card. We paid $41 for our one night stop, but at least we could get out of the site in the morning. The area was quiet at night, and they had a good sized dog yard for Heidi to wander in.

The Vineyards Campground
1501 Dooley Street
Grapevine, TX 76051
We made it to our destination for the RV rally we were attending.  It was a Tiffin rally sponsored by Vogt RV.  It was small as rally's go, about 40 rigs, mostly invited to attend by Vogt RV.  There were 8 new Tiffin RV's to tour, and the owner of Tiffin Motorhomes, Bob Tiffin was there shaking hands and socializing. A really nice man.  The RV dealer also fed everyone at the rally 3 meals a day, had some seminars, and even brought a service team from the dealership that went around to attendee RV's and made minor repairs or adjustments for free.  One night they had a ?Casino Night? and a company showed up and  set up various Vegas style gaming tables including Black Jack, Poker, slot machines, and even a Crap table.  I spent my time at the Crap table, and won tickets that you later used as raffle tickets.  I even won  a new $100 patio rug in the raffle!

We really loved the campground as well.  Large paved sites, most with views of Grapevine lake, FHU with cable, and many shaded by mature Olive trees that were on the perimeter of the site, but not overhanging the RV itself. The restrooms were clean and modern, and easily handicapped accessible.

There was strong Wifi throughout the campground, but our air card worked well here.  There is no pool here, but there is a swim beach on the lake, and is also available for small boats and fishing. They were in the process of building a large playground area down by the lake, and it should be ready next season.
There was no gym facilities here, but we did run the park roads as the place is fairly spread out on the peninsula that it sits on.

There is no fenced dog yard here for your pet, but they did have an area they designated as ?puppy point?.  It was a little finger of land with water on both sides.  It is an off leash area that you can  let your dog run free, as long as they are under voice control.  The only down side of this area was the ground cover looked to weedy, but it was green.  Unfortunately in the summer dry months it may turn into a large ?sticker? field.   

We liked this park a lot, and would definitely come back here again.
 

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