East Bound - Destination Asheville, NC

 

Last Week of September 2024

With our chores done at my mother's house in Borger, TX we are ready to make the 1,234 mile "hop" to our winter destination, Candler, NC, a suburb on the west side of Asheville.  One single road all the way, I-40.

First layover, Mustang RV Park, Oklahoma City.  We have stayed at this campground numerous times over the years.  Our first time they were still under construction and we pretty much talked them into letting us "test" a camping spot for them.  Prices were pretty decent our first few stays but in the post-Covid world that's not the case anymore.

Next night was Outdoor Living RV Park, Russelville, AR.  Bare bones and tightly packed.  Classic old-school private campground.  But the convenience to I-40 and the price were right.  537 miles down, 1,200 to go.

First Week of October 2024

The next leg was a long one, we drove roughly double our normal time.  Stopping in our normal range of four hours would have dropped us right in the middle of Memphis, TN.  We've stayed in the Memphis area before and there are no campgrounds that are either comfortable or easy to access.  Next best choice for us was another 3.5 hours down the road in Yuma, TN.  874 miles of 1,234.

Parkers Crossroads RV Park was really pleasant.  We 
were tempted to stay extra nights.  Wood deck, manicured lawn 
and splinterless picnic table.  Very tempting indeed.

View from our wood deck.  Lush lawn, gazebo and through the trees 
a small lake with a big fountain.

Next on the hit parade was Dumplin Valley Farm RV Park, Kodak, TN.  Another long day but we wanted our next stop, which was our destination, to be a short day.  It is going to be a real chore getting into the RV pad at our daughter and son-in-law's property so we wanted to get there with plenty of daylight to overcome any obstacles that may present themselves.

But first, Dumplin Valley.  Another very pleasant RV park.  Not as well developed as our previous campgrounds on this trip.  It really is a farm that also hosts bluegrass festivals.  They have plunked down utilities and grass on previously terraced farm fields and when not having a festival they rent to casual travelers. 1,166 miles of 1,234

Terraced (former) farm field (see the camper on the upper terrace).
Check out my bottom step.  My lot was so sloped (rear jacks fully extended while front 
jacks barely extended) that the bottom step couldn't unfold completely.

No concrete pad, no picnic table, no fire ring, no laundry, 
no bathhouses.  Just power, water and sewer.  Which suited us
just fine.

After back-to-back-to-back travel days, with some of them being much longer than we prefer to do, we are going to take a break and stay at Dumplin Valley a couple of nights.

We needed to do a grocery run too.  The nearest town that had a Walmart was Sevierville, TN, about 18 miles away, south of I-40.  We headed that way the next morning and found ourselves in a town that had a LOT of entertainment options.  We had not realized that Sevierville was a suburb of Pigeon Forge.  We put this place on our list of potential future visits.  For now we had to rest up and prepare for the final leg to our winter destination.