WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA

WE LEFT CLEMMONS  AROUND 10:00, IT WAS A THREE HOUR DRIVE TO WAYNESVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA. WE  HADN'T DRIVEN FAR AND WE STARTED SEEING THE SMOKY MOUNTAINS OF NORTH CAROLINA. BEAUTIFUL!!

IT LOOKED LIKE RAIN AHEAD!

BY THE TIME WE REACHED PRIDE RV PARK, IT WAS POURING DOWN RAIN.

PRIDE IS A PASSPORT AMERICA PARK  AND EVEN THOUGH IT SAYS IN OUR PASSPORT BOOK THEY DON'T HONOR PASSPORT PRICES  ON HOLIDAYS, THE LADY SAID SHE WOULD HONOR IT FOR US. I LIKED THESE FOLKS ALREADY!! WE PUT ON OUR RAINCOATS AND GOT SET UP.

IT CLEARED UP IN A LITTLE WHILE. PRIDE HAS THIS SMALL LAKE......WHICH WAS RIGHT ACROSS FROM US.

BY THE FOURTH OF JULY THIS WAS FULL OF TENTERS!
THIS CREEK RAN RIGHT ALONG THE RV PARK.

WE WERE IN A GORGEOUS AREA AND WE LOVED OUR RV SITE.

THE PARK WAS ALMOST FULL BY FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND AND MOST WERE DECKED OUT FOR THE HOLIDAY.

WE ENJOYED THE HOT TUB, THE POOL WAS TOO COLD FOR US!

WE WERE ONLY HERE FOR 5 DAYS, IT WAS COOL AND RAINY MOST OF THE TIME, WHICH WE WERE GRATEFUL FOR, WE TURNED OFF THE AIR CONDITIONER FOR THE FIRST TIME IN A VERY LONG TIME!   WAYNESVILLE IS A NICE LITTLE TOWN, WE FOUND A PLACE TO BUY FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. WAYNESVILLE IS IN THE MAGGIE VALLEY AND THERE IS A TOWN NEAR WAYNESVILLE  WITH THAT NAME. WE JUST  HAD  TO GO TO MAGGIE VALLEY.

WE STOPPED AT A COUPLE OF TOURIST PLACES.......

THEY GET SNOW UP THIS HIGH.

ONE DAY IN THE HOT TUB, WE MET A COUPLE THAT LIVE IN NORTH CAROLINA AND WE TOLD THEM WE WERE HEADED TO DOLLYWOOD. THEY RECOMMENDED AN RV PARK. I CALLED AND MADE RESERVATIONS, WE WERE HEADED TO SIEVERVILLE, TENNESSEE, DOLLY'S HOME TOWN.  WE  LEFT PRIDE RV PARK TUESDAY, JULY 7. I WON FREE TICKETS TO DOLLYWOOD IN THE WINTER OF 2013 AT AN RV SHOW IN TEXAS. WE WOULD FINALLY GET TO USE THEM!!

TANGLEWOOD COUNTY PARK, CLEMMONS, NORTH CAROLINA

IT WAS ONLY 115 MILES TO CLEMMONS, NORTH CAROLINA, WE GOT THERE EARLY IN THE DAY AND GOT SET UP. CLEMMONS IS A SUBURB OF WINSTON-SALEM.  

 

MORE OF RALEIGH

ON THE WEEKENDS, THE RALEIGH STATE FAIR HOSTS A FLEA MARKET....WE COULDN'T WAIT TO CHECK THAT OUT. IT WAS RIGHT NEXT DOOR!

WE COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW LARGE THIS WAS........TONS OF VENDORS....INSIDE AND OUTSIDE!

WE GOT THERE EARLY....IT WASN'T TOO HOT YET  AND THERE WEREN'T TOO MANY PEOPLE.

ALL WE BOUGHT WAS FRUITS AND VEGETABLES FROM THE FARMER'S MARKET. WE TOOK THOSE BACK TO THE RV AND HEADED TO THE CRABTREE MALL FOR LUNCH AND TO LOOK AT LAPTOPS. WE ATE AT TOMATO PIE, A PIZZA PLACE.....DELICIOUS PIZZA.

WE FOUND A LAPTOP WE LIKED AT BEST BUY, A DELL, BUT WE WANTED TO SEE IF WE COULD ORDER  IT DIRECTLY FROM DELL. ON MONDAY, WE WENT TO  SEE THE MOVIE "SPY", IT WAS REALLY GOOD. IT WAS HOT HERE NOW, IT SEEMED LIKE THE HEAT WAS FOLLOWING US. I DIDN'T GET TO TASTE ANY SOUTH CAROLINA BARBECUE, AND WANTED TO MAKE SURE I TASTED NORTH CAROLINA BARBECUE, SO ON TUESDAY, WE WENT TO THE OLD TIME BARBECUE FOR LUNCH.

IT LOOKED BUSY.....IT MUST BE GOOD!

IT WAS A SMALL QUAINT LITTLE CAFE. AND THEY SERVED DELICIOUS BARBECUE.

MY TWO SIDES  WERE COLLARD GREENS AND COOKED CABBAGE...YUM!!!

AFTER THAT WE WENT TO CHECK OUT THE  OLD GRIST MILL.

BEAUTIFUL GROUNDS!

THE NEXT DAY WAS OUR LAST DAY  IN RALEIGH, WE GOT UP EARLY AND WENT OVER TO THE LAUNDROMAT AND WASHED FIVE LOADS OF CLOTHES. AFTER LUNCH WE DROVE OVER TO THE STATE FARMERS MARKET. IT WAS A HUGE MARKET, OPERATING  SEVEN DAYS A WEEK YEAR ROUND.

THIS IS WHAT WE BOUGHT......WATERMELON, CANTALOUPE, TOMATOES, CUKES, PEACHES, SWEET POTATOES,  FLOWERS AND PEACH CIDER.

WHEN WE GOT HOME THERE WAS A NOTE ON OUR DOOR FROM CHERYL, SAYING THEY WERE FULL TIME RVERS ALSO AND WOULD LIKE TO VISIT WITH US. I WENT OVER TO HER FIFTH WHEEL AND VISITED A BIT. I GAVE HER ONE OF OUR CARDS AND WE PROMISED TO STAY IN TOUCH. THE NEXT MORNING WE LEFT FOR  CLEMMONS, NORTH CAROLINA  TO STAY AT A VERY NICE COUNTY PARK. WE HAVE NEVER STAYED AT A COUNTY PARK. AGAIN, THIS WOULD BE FURTHER UP INTO THE MOUNTAINS....AND WE WERE STILL LOOKING FOR COOLER WEATHER!

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA

WE LEFT FOR RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA ON JUNE 18. WE HAD PLANNED ON GOING FURTHER UP THE COAST OF NORTH CAROLINA, BUT IT WAS JUST  TOO HOT. WE HAD RESERVATIONS AT THE  OUTER BANKS ON  HATTARAS ISLAND BUT CANCELLED THEM BECAUSE OF THE HEAT  AND THERE HAD BEEN SHARK ATTACKS. WE WERE LOOKING FOR SOME COOLER WEATHER.

RALEIGH WAS A SIX HOUR DRIVE FROM CHARLESTON.  WE STOPPED AT THE WELCOME CENTER AND ATE  OUR LUNCH.

THE LANDSCAPING WAS BEAUTIFUL AT THIS WELCOME CENTER.

THESE BEAUTIFUL YELLOW LILLIES WERE EVERYWHERE!

THEY ARE GROWING IN THE MEDIAN  BETWEEN THE INTERSTATE.

WE GOT TO RALEIGH ABOUT  THREE O'CLOCK.....RALEIGH IS A BEAUTIFUL CITY!

WHEN I SEARCHED FOR RV PARKS ONLINE, THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE FAIRGROUNDS CAMPGROUND CAME UP. WE HAVE NEVER STAYED AT A FAIRGROUNDS, WE THOUGHT WE WOULD GIVE IT A TRY. THEY DON'T TAKE RESERVATIONS, BUT I DID CALL AHEAD TO MAKE SURE THEY HAD A SPOT FOR US. THEY DID!!

THE CAMPGROUND IS IN THE HORSE COMPLEX.

WE DIDN'T HAVE ANY TROUBLE FINDING IT.

WE HAD A NICE LARGE SITE.

WITH A FEW TREES.........

IT WAS COOLER HERE WITH LESS HUMIDITY, WE COULD TELL THAT AS SOON AS WE GOT OUT OF THE TRUCK TO SET UP. THE REFRIGERATOR TEMPERATURE WAS RUNNING IN THE 40'S. A STORM CAME THROUGH DURING THE NIGHT, AND  WHEN WE GOT UP IN THE MORNING, WE ONLY HAD PARTIAL ELECTRICITY. THEY GOT EVERYTHING FIX AROUND 10:00.