2022 Spring Trip South: To Charlotte, North Carolina

2022 Prologue:

Wow, hard to believe, but our last serious RV road trip was in the Fall of 2019.  That's over two years ago!!!!  The COVID pandemic sure has been a life altering event for many people for many reasons.  Judy and I are part of the fortunate few that have escaped the ravages of COVID.  Many others have not been so lucky.  However, we have been super cautious over the last two years and are vaccinated and boosted.  But, now it is time to get out and travel again with the camper, which we feel can be as safe a way to travel as any.   April is “mud season” here in Northern New York, so now is a good time to take a southern adventure. Over the next 5 weeks we will spend time in, among other stops, Myrtle Beach SC, Savannah GA, St. Augustine FL, Carrabelle Beach, FL and Gulf Shores AL. Our last stop will be at son Matt and family in West Virginia on our way home. Stay tuned and we’ll post updates. As always, we really appreciate having friends and family follow along with us. So let me end by sharing a verse from the great country artist Willie Nelson's classic On the Road Again.

“And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Goin' places that I've never been

Seein' things that I may never see again

And I can't wait to get on the road again”

 Saturday 4/2:  337 miles, parked at Jonestown/Hershey KOA, Jonestown, PA.

Home to Jonestown KOA

Site 48

Jonestown/Hershey KOA map

The drive was almost entirely Interstate 81 and the traffic was generally light.  Diesel fuel prices were a bit of a shock at $5.50 per gallon.    We arrived about 3:30 to a sunny and 53 degree afternoon.  The campground was about half full, with most of the travelers on their way north from Florida.  We, on the other hand, are traveling the other direction, from north to south.  By 8:00 in the evening, there were only 4 or 5 sites open.  Sunday we head further south to Staunton, Virginia.

Sunday 4/3:  243 miles, parked at Walnut Hills Campground, Staunton, VA.

Jonestown KOA to Walnut Hills

Site 626, with a hilltop view.

Walnut Hills Campground Map

Early this Sunday morning, I mean like 6:15, some of the hard core road trippers were already pulling out of Jonestown.  As we have grown more mature and wiser, code words for getting older, we like to keep our days to a max of 200 to 250 miles if possible.  That's usually 4 to 5 hours of driving.   By the time we were packed up and on the road by 10:00, the Jonestown KOA was nearly empty.  This park is well kept, has nice sites, and is only half a mile off Interstate 81, which is a major route for the migrating snow bird RVers.  In fact, we have stayed here many times.  Often in the spring or late fall, it is the only one open that is a days drive to our home.

 The drive Sunday to Staunton was another day on Interstate 81 for the entire time.  Lots of traffic, even though it is Sunday.  We arrived about 2:00 to sunny and 53 degree weather.  We are going to hang out here for 2 nights, and then Tuesday we head to Charlotte, NC.

Walnut Hills is a new campground stop for us, and it is lovely.  There are basically 2 sections, a lower section closer to the pond and an upper section located on a hill.  We are in a pull thru on the hill with a great view.  There are some gorgeous patio sites I would use for an extended stay next time.  There are no leaves on the trees yet, but I imagine it must be stunning in the summer and fall.  The chief of maintenance stopped to chat and he said the campground is planning on all kinds of upgrades and expansion.

One of the beautiful patio sites, 623

View of lake and lower level campsites

Monday was a slow and relaxing catch up day for us.  We did some reading, dog walking, more reading, and chatting with a couple of neighbors.  From them we got some great ideas of potential future stops to check out in Jekyll Island and St. Augustine.  The next door neighbors had a huge 42 foot fifth wheel RV.  Come to find out, they are full timers.  They sold their house 2 or 3 years ago and only live in the RV now.  We discussed the pros and cons of fifth wheels vs motorhomes.  They have owned both, and prefer the present camper because of more living space than a motorhome.

Wednesday 4/5: 281 miles, parked at Carowinds Camp Wilderness, Charlotte NC.

Walnut Hills to Carowinds

Carowinds Camp Wilderness Site 166

We are on site 166

We were packed and leaving Walnut Hills by 9:15.  Heavy rain was forecast for our stop in Charlotte starting between 2:00 and 3:00.  So with a five hour drive in front of us, it was going to be close.  The route was Interstate 81 and then Interstate 77.  Traffic was heavy, especially around Statesville and Charlotte,  but moving well.  We arrived at the nearly full campground at 2:00.

Nearly full campground

Since we had preregistered and paid in advance, checkin was a breeze.  We were parked and just finished the last setup chore at 2:30 when there was a huge thunder clap and it started to pour.  And did the rain ever come down.  In fact, about 2:45 the emergency weather sirens in Charlotte started sounding, warning everyone to take cover for heavy weather.  Fortunately there was no wind.  By about 7:00 the storm cell past by and the rain stopped. The TV weather stations in the area reported many cases of flooding.

Late afternoon weather radar of the area.

There was a wide variety of RV's here, with many of them large and expensive, including a Newmar Ventana, which I later looked up online and the list price is $400,000, plus or minus!!  To demonstrate the variety of RV's, a classic retro style travel trailer parked next to us and across the street a high end diesel.  Different strokes for different folks.

Tomorrow, Wednesday April 6th, we make our way to the KOA at Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a four night stay.

Stay tuned.