Big Road Trip...

 We retuned home yesterday after s road trip pulling our Rpod camper to the Great Smokey Mountains. Along the way we visited our nephew Chase while spending a night at Lake Bistineau State Park near Shreveport, one night at Burchfield Branch Park on Holt Lake Alabama, a night near Stone Mountain/Alanta, Ga. with cousin Marylou and husband Mike, and three nights at Greenbriar Campground in the Great Smoky Mountains. The return trip as another night with Mary Lou, Mike, Leah and Nathan in Stone Mountain and a night at Lake Oktibee in Mississippi. All camps were great, the family visits were fun and the only thing that went wrong were a package of pork chops we hauled around in the camper fridge that we had saved for the last night turned bad.     

Totals for the trip were 39 hours driving time, 1910 miles and 13.9 miles per gallon. The zip drive that furnishes music for our trips played 719 songs.

Our Nephew Chase at Lake Bistineau. 

Lock and Dam on Holt Lake, the Black Warrior River in Alabama. 

Cousin Mary Lou, her daughter Leah, Cathy, Leah's son Nathan and Mike. You may want to check the campgrounds but if stopping by here they will feed you well and keep you entertained.  

A hike near Gatlinburg in the Great Smokies with Cathy's sister Margaret, daughters Addison and Grayson and husband Kevin. There are many accommodations to choose from in the area that are probably great but we had a fine stay in the Greenbriar campground. 

There are camper spots, tent sites, cabins and RVs for rental. There's movie night for the kids and we left the day of a bluegrass concert. The river is cold and clear just steps from the camp with good swimming and floating and though I got skunked some folks mostly about 14 years old were catching trout.    

Hiking to Clingman's Dome what started out as a walking stick became a bear stick after spotting scat on trail. We required several rest breaks to make the 6643 elevation but made it back down in one go.  

The Appalachian Trail crosses here.   

Later in the afternoon an attempt to hike to Grotto Falls was aborted by me and Cathy while the Koch family continued on. I left my game on the practice field back at Clingman's Dome. We later saw one bear from the car. 

Much good scenery. You could stop almost anywhere for a dip in a creek and we did not have to run the trailer air conditioner at night. 

I think I have some old Smokey Mountain photos of my mom and family in the late 40s and maybe some from when I was a child. Might try to get those posted for a compare/contrast. 

Great vacations. Just remember to eat the pork early in the trip.