Blue Ridge Lodge and RV Campground - Blue Ridge, Georgia (May 2019)

Our "Gang of Four" GPS systems (the Garmin, the built-in truck system, Google and Apple Maps) all agreed on the best way to reach the rendezvous location for the 2019 WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International) Taste of the Blue Ridge Caravan. While our navigation systems came up what had to be the definitive route, we decided to chart our own path to the caravan with Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer.

We couldn’t help but notice that detouring to Blue Ridge, Georgia to visit Becky’s brother would only add an hour to our trip. If we could find a campground near his house, then we could visit him for a full day. The benefits of seeing Becky’s brother far outweighed any time lost. 

There was a problem in finding a campground near Blue Ridge. AllStays and Campendium agreed there wasn’t a park near there. Only RV Parky found a campground close to Becky's brother's home, but the reviews were not stellar. 

Location was more important than other campers' opinions, so we reserved two nights in the Blue Ridge Lodge and RV Park. 

The sign at Blue Ridge Lodge and RV Park

Our site had a spectacular view of the mountains that only got better while watching sunsets. People in the campground would set up their folding chairs near Rosie to enjoy the sunsets.

The view from Rosie

Sunset

Our site wasn’t the only one with great views. Several others shared the mountain overlook. 

There were some RV unfriendly turns getting in and exiting the park. We had to be extremely careful to avoid a stone retaining wall while leaving the campground with Rosie. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was gravel and surprisingly level for being in a mountainous area
• Our site was a reasonable size. There were some very cramped sites at the far end of the campground
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp service 
• We experienced problems with our electrical feed. Our voltage dropped below 106 volts, causing our surge protector to disconnect our power because the feed was unsafe for Rosie’s electronics. 
• Our electrical problems were shared by other campers in this park 
• Our site had a water connection with good pressure 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• We were unable to pick up over-the-air TV signals using Rosie’s antenna 
• Our site had a cable TV connection that brought in more than 100 stations 
• The park did not have restrooms nor showers. You have to use your RV's facilities when you camp in this park 
• AT&T placed two bars of 4G service for both voice and data over our site 
• The park provided slow but nearly adequate WiFi over our site. It allowed us to check email and patiently search for things on the Internet
• This was a dog friendly campground 

The view from our site

A picnic pavilion in the park

Original Watercolor of view by Becky

Anchors Aweigh RV Resort - Foley, Alabama (April 2019)

While making our reservations, I said to the person at Anchors Aweigh RV Resort that I hoped the Alabama Airstream Club's WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International) rally wouldn't be as eventful as it was the previous year. That drew an immediate response of "I hope so, too."

This visit marks the second time we have camped in this park in Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer. Both of our visits were connected to the Alabama Club's Spring rally. The final day of the rally last year is what sticks out in our minds. We left early because of some storms heading to the area. When we arrived at our next campground, we saw on the news that a tornado had struck Anchors Aweigh RV Resort and several trailers were blown over.

By the time the storm hit, all of the Airstream trailers had traveled on except one. Our Airstream friends said they felt the wind, but their trailer was never in danger of tipping over. While many factors may have been involved in keeping that trailer upright, I like to think the aerodynamic design of Airstream trailers was a contributing factor.

Checking in at Anchors Aweigh

In case you are curious, tornados didn't make the agenda this year. That adventure was replaced with the enjoyment of being with the members of the Alabama WBCCI Club attending the rally and a little rain one evening.

A double rainbow

Storm clouds over Rosie

Once again, about a dozen Airstream trailers gathered at the campground for this rally. We always enjoy seeing our friends and fellow members of the Alabama Airstream Club.

We ended up skipping several rally events, but we had a great reason to do so. Our son, daughter-in-law and our two year-old grandson came over for the day. We had an amazing time playing with our grandson along the bay's coast and taking him to the zoo.

A tiger in the zoo

Spending some time with our grandson

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site had a level concrete pad
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had a water connection with good pressure
• Our site had a sewer connection
• The park provided a cable TV connection with a good lineup of channels. Since we are having problems with our TV antenna, we elected to connect to the TV cable service
• There were five or six individual restrooms with showers around the Clubhouse. They were well maintained and clean. We found all of these occupied several times during our stay in this park
• The park provided WiFi service with adequate speeds
• AT&T provided strong 4G voice and data service over our campsite
• The park had a non-heated swimming pool. The water was too chilly for swimming
• There was a hot tub in the park
• The park has a good clubhouse, which was the meeting room for our rally
• This is a pet friendly park

Eating dinner with our friends in the Alabama Airstream Club

Dinner time!