Birmingham South Campground - Pelham, Alabama (June 2019)

Our first impression of the Birmingham South Campground was that it was formerly a KOA property. It had the look and feel of a KOA. 

We weren’t able to ask any employees about the campground's past because we arrived after the office closed and left before it opened the next day. 

We were traveling without reservations and tried to get a night in several state parks only to find out they were full. We used the AllStays app on our iPhone to locate Birmingham South and we were glad when they said they had space for us. Since we would arrive after the office closed, our reservation and receipt were on the late arrival board next to the office. 

We weren’t the only late arrival that evening. A motor home pulled in ahead of us and there were several other reservations posted on the late arrival board after we picked up our information. 

We were very tired as we pulled into our site. We quickly connected Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, to the utilities, walked the dog and got ready for bed. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a pull thru
• Our site was gravel and required a few leveling tools 
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• Our site had a cable TV connection 
• The park had WiFi service. We were not there long enough to use it
• AT&T placed four bars of 4G service over our site for voice and data 
• The park had clean restrooms and showers 

We were up early the next morning and on the road again. We wonder how the campground looks in the daylight. 

Misty Mountain Camp Resort Campground - Greenwood, Virginia (June 2019)

After dry camping at a campground operated by the National Park Service, we were looking forward to returning to a park with utilities and Misty Mountain Camp Resort Campground didn’t disappoint us. This was a campground that really was a resort.

There were several levels of campsites at Misty Mountain. We parked Rosie on the street level near the creek. (Rosie is our 25 foot Airstream trailer.) There was another level up the hill and this had more of a “in the woods” feel to it.

Rosie in the campground

It was easy to see that the playground area was recently updated and was one that the kids loved. It featured a large bouncy pad and children appeared to enjoy jumping on it.

The playgound

There were other features in this campground that were pleasant surprises for the people staying there. We always appreciate it when we find a campground that tries to be memorable.

The "Gem Mine" at Misty Mountain Campground

The entrance to the mine

The actual restrooms were significantly better than this

Thomas Jefferson was the area’s favorite son. We visited Monticello and the University of Virginia.

On the campus of the University of Virginia

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was a pull-thru
• Our site was paved with gravel 
• Our site was level 
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• Our site had a cable TV connection 
• We were unable to find any TV signals using Rosie’s antenna 
• The campground provided a mostly unusable WiFi signal 
• AT&T placed a one bar signal over our site. It was inadequate for both voice and data 
• The restrooms near Rosie were very very small. They may have been smaller that the ones on an airplane 
• The showers were a long walk from our site. They were clean and adequate 
• There was a decent laundry area in this park 

Visiting Monticello

Lunch at Michie Tavern

We passed the James River while on the way to Misty Mountain

Walking across the foot-bridge over the James River

Rosie on the Blue Ridge Parkway heading to Greenwood, Virginia

Rosie and friends at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway

Peaks of Otter National Campground - Peaks of Otter, Virginia (June 2019)

Our trip to the Peaks of Otter National Campground was delayed. The roads were slick from more than four inches of rain and there was a thick fog that we hoped would burn off so that we could enjoy the next leg of our journey.  

An Airstream trailer ahead of us as we traveled to Peaks of Otter National Campground

Rosie is still there!

It didn’t. Sure, there were a few pockets of light fog along the way, but the majority of our time was spent inching along in a “pea soup” fog. The Blue Ridge Parkway looked very different in that foggy atmosphere. Drivers had to be very cautious as they drove through the twists and turns of the Blue Ridge. It was a white-knuckle day from tightly gripping the steering wheel. 

The fog made it difficult to see the sights along the Blue Ridge Parkway

The Peaks of Otter Campground was operated by the National Park Service. Similar to most NPS campgrounds, your camping fees gets you a site without hookups for your RV. 

Someone could use the word “rough” to describe this campground. It appeared that maintenance was deferred for a long time at this park. It also appeared that individual sites were carved out of the hilly terrain without any thought of how level or, more appropriately, unlevel a trailer in that site might end up. Needless to say, we had to use more leveling tools than normal to correct a pronounced side-to-side lean.

Rosie in the campground

The front to rear level issue was another problem. Our site included a space for Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, and space for our truck on the side of Rosie. The RV space had an incline that was probably more than 15 degrees. We knew that we couldn’t raise the front end enough to make Rosie level, so we ended up putting the trailer in the truck parking space, which didn’t have as steep of an incline. 

The National D-Day Memorial was close to this campground. It was very sobering to hear our guide's description of that momentous day.

The National D-Day Memorial

General Eisenhower

The D-Day Landing

The D-Day Memorial in Bedford, Virginia

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was paved with asphalt and was very unlevel
• Our site did not have any electrical, water or sewer connections 
• There wasn’t a WiFi signal over our site 
• AT&T did not place any level of service over our site 
• There were several restrooms with running water in this campground. The one closest to Rosie was a long hike and it didn’t have lights to help at night

There was a huge deer population around this campground. We had to be very careful when driving in the area. 

Mother and child crossing the road

We knew that hooking up and leaving the campground was going to be a problem and it was. We had to wait until the trailer across from us left before we could start our process. Once that trailer left, we had to block the road to hitch Rosie to our truck. No other campers could leave until we actually pulled out from our site.

Rosie's hitch also added pressure to the hitch-up process. Our ProPride hitch uses a stinger instead of a ball and is less forgiving when the angles of the truck and trailer are off. Fortunately, one of the members of our WBCCI Taste of the Blue Ridge Caravan saw our problem and offered to help. That was just what we needed.

Whew!

At a restaurant in Bedford, VA

The lodge at the Peaks of Otter

Cool Breeze Campground - Galax, Virginia (June 2019)

It was easy to see that Cool Breeze Campground was friendly to Airstream trailers. There was a WBCCI (Wally Byam Caravan Club International, the Airstream owners association) sticker on the office door. Also, the Virginia WBCCI Unit was having its rally in the campground while we were camping there. Add the 21Airstream trailers on the Taste of the Blue Ridge Caravan and it is easy to see that Rosie wasn’t lonely there! (Rosie is our 25 foot Airstream trailer.)

Rosie in the Cool Breeze Campground

Airstream trailers in the Cool Breeze Campground

Our site backed up to a golf course. That was nostalgic because my family lived during my teenage years with a golf course in our backyard. Our family dog at that time loved running on the fairway and and snatching golf balls to add to her collection. 

I wanted to walk on the greens behind Rosie. Only the rain kept me from doing that. 

Rain? There was a weather station in the campground connected to the Weather Underground. I was able to find it using my iPhone. More than 4.5 inches fell during our two day stay. 

The backside of the campground was bordered by a cattle ranch. We enjoyed watching the cows graze during our walks between the rain storms. 

Galax is known for its bluegrass musical festivals. The rain didn’t stop the music makers or the crowd from enjoying the event.

The Blue Ridge Music Center on the Parkway

A little afternoon blue grass music

Mount Airy, North Carolina was close to Galax and an interesting side trip. That was the home of actor Andy Griffith and Mayberry was modeled after Mount Airy.

Going for a ride and a guided tour in Mayberry's squad car

Suzy serving as Mayberry's Justice of the Peace

The whole gang captured and in Mayberry's jail

Goober says "Hey"

It looks like the Darlins are in town

Time for a hair cut at Floyd's Barbershop

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was gravel and level 
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection 
• Our site had a sewer connection 
• We were unable to pick up any TV stations using Rosie’s antenna 
• The campground provided a connection for cable TV. We were told it didn’t work
• AT&T did not place a usable signal over our site
• The park's WiFi service was very slow and frustrating 

The campground didn’t have many trees and it is probably very hot during the summer. 

Our departure from Cool Breeze was delayed because of fog. We hoped it would burn off before we had to leave. It didn’t and that made our journey to the next campground very difficult.

The fog as we prepared to leave Cool Breeze Campground

Sign at overlook on the way to Galax about Tom Dula, better known as Tom Dooley