Townsend Great Smokies KOA Holiday - Townsend, Tennessee (August 2021)

If we had to create a list of favorite places to camp, the Florida Gulf Coast and the Smoky Mountains would be high on it. Both places are associated with very happy family memories. Maybe that is one of the reasons heading to the Smokies made sense when we postponed our WBCCI Southwest Adventure Caravan. 

Once we decided to head to the mountains, the next question was where to camp? We limited our choices to Maggie Valley, Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Townsend. All of these places are on the Tennessee side of the mountains except Maggie Valley, which is in North Carolina. They are all special places to our family, but we ended up choosing Townsend. This is on what they call the quiet side of the Smokies. We felt fortunate to book a site on the river in the Townsend Great Smokies Campground on short notice. 

The sign at Townsend's KOA Campground

I was disappointed when we arrived at the park. There were several loops with sites along the river. I hoped our site was in the lower loop, which is closer to the water. We ended up in the other loop where the sites were on a hill. That meant we were farther from the river and the sounds of rushing water. We didn’t know it at the time, but our site assignment turned out to be fortunate for us. More about that in a minute. 

Rosie up a hill from the river

Becky enjoying the Little River behind Rosie

The Little River behind Rosie

In the category of firsts, we received a text from the campground telling us that a bear was in the park and everyone needed to be in a safe place. A few minutes later, a text was sent out saying the bear left the park. We didn’t know if we should be happy or sad that we missed seeing the bear. 

Bear warning text message

We discovered a hiking/biking trail across the street from the campground. We enjoyed taking Suzy, our dog, for walks along that trail. Since this campground was a family destination with lots of children and campfires, we enjoyed being able to walk without having to smell campfire smoke. The walkway has probably been there for years, but it was new to us.

On Townsend's hiking trail

Suzy enjoying the hiking trail

Townsend is close to Cades Cove in the National Park. Somehow we missed going there this time, but we enjoyed driving through the Smokies and visiting spots our family members loved. 

Sign at the entrance of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park

The Smokies

The mountains

Newfound Gap in the Smokies

Another view of Newfound Gap

We did drive through Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg one day. The busy traffic and crowded sidewalks screamed that we had made the best choice by camping on the quiet side of the Smokies. 

A diner in Pigeon Forge our children enjoyed when they were younger

Tubing was the noisiest activity around the campground. It was entertaining to watch large groups of people float down the river on inner tubes past Rosie, our Airstream trailer. 

Tubers on the river behind Rosie

Tubers on the Little River

While we were there, the remnants of Tropical Storm Fred passed through our area.  It rained and rained and rained. For nearly two days it rained ranging from downpours to steady rains. That would have been a miserable time if we were in a tent. Of course, it was nice and dry inside Rosie. 

Then we started watching the river. It grew from a lazy pace behind Rosie to a swiftly moving flood of water that would make an experienced white-water rafter fearful. We were surprised to see two men holding their beverage cans as they went zooming down the swollen river on inner tubes in the rain that afternoon. 

Two tubers during a tropical storm

Later that day, our amusement at watching the river rise turned into concern as we watched the campground start evacuating the lower loop sites along the river. Those trailers were being moved to open sites deeper inside the campground.  As “insurance,” we hitched Rosie up to the truck leaving only the power connected. If necessary, we wanted to be able to move quickly. 

Rosie hitched up in case we needed to evacuate during the tropical storm

Water rising on the river and flowing much faster

It was still raining as night approached. By the last light of the day, we saw that the river was flooding the low lying areas of the campground. We noticed that a campground staff person was driving his yellow golf cart every hour to a site near Rosie and checking the rising river. He wasn’t alone as multiple other concerned campers along with us were also frequently checking the river's rise. 

Checking the river from inside Rosie

The water rose beyond the swings and partly up the hill that night

Needless to say, we knew we were not going to sleep that night. The river was rising at an alarming rate and was at the base of the hill behind Rosie by 9 pm. 

I was able to talk to the park staffer as he made his 10 pm check. He stated he had never seen the river flood that high before and the water was still rising at an alarming rate. He also said that NOAA Weather Radio said the river would crest by 11 pm and that was good news. 

I waited until 11:15 to check the river’s level.  The water was still in flood stage, but had receded a significant amount. That meant we could finally go to sleep for the night. 

That was the second time we were in a flood situation while camping in Rosie. We had to flee the campground the first time. We were vigilant in watching the river this time and our site on the hill kept us away from the water. 

Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site was paved with gravel and we had to use leveling blocks to correct a side-to-side lean
• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service 
• Our site had a water connection
• Our site had a sewer connection
• There were several dumpsters around the park
• There was a bathhouse in the campground. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, we did not check on its condition
• The park provided workable WiFi service 
• AT&T provided maybe one bar of unreliable 5Ge voice and data service over our campsites 
• We were not able to watch any TV stations using Rosie’s TV antenna.  The park provided cable TV service, which wasn’t working when we first arrived. A quick text to the office brought two staffers to our site and they quickly found the problem
• This was a pet friendly park 

As scheduled, we left that campground the next morning heading for our next Rosie adventure. We hope that it will not be as exciting as watching a flooded river behind Rosie.

The river after Tropical Storm Fred went through

Eagle's Nest Campground - Glen Jean, West Virginia

Our Region Three Caravan needed a place to dry out after our weather-forced evacuation from the flooded New River Campground and our night in a Lowes store parking lot. Our caravan leader found the Eagle's Nest Campground, which was located about 10 miles south of the Lowe's store where we parked for the previous night.

Eagle's Nest Campground

The description of the park said it was on a hill out of the flood zones and it was dry. That was music to our ears.

Several members of our group walked across the Lowes parking lot to the Bob Evans Restaurant for breakfast before heading to the campground.

The short trip to the campground was uneventful. The road was intact, we didn't see any raging or rising water and there was only a light rain shower.

Things didn't look as good when we arrived at the campground. The remaining sites all had some form of standing water at the back of the site. Rosie's door (Rosie is our 25 foot Airstream trailer) is at the rear of the trailer and that meant we would always be stepping out into a puddle. We tried several potential sites and none worked. That was when the park's manager stepped up and asked another camper to move her car from a site we didn't know was open. This put us into a campsite that would work with our rear door.

Rosie between two other campers

The campground is across the street from a West Virginia National Guard Armory. The Guard was activated by the Governor to deal with the flooding disaster in the state. It was interesting to watch the soldiers report in and leave to help with the flood relief.

The manager said that our caravan was the largest group he had ever seen in his campground. We easily filled two-thirds of the campground's spaces. Everyone was opening the awnings and the backs of their trucks to start the drying out process.

Our WBCCI Region Three Caravan group in the campground

We found a number of our group later in town at the laundromat. Too many of our clothes were wet and dirty from our hasty exit from the New River Campground a day earlier and the laundromat was a welcome sight.

There isn't much to say about the park. We needed a place to rest and decompress from our escape and this park gave us that opportunity.

Here are some specifics about this park:

• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service
• Our site had both water and sewer connections
• Our site was paved with gravel and we had to use an extraordinary amount of leveling tools to bring Rosie into a tolerable left-to-right lean. We are under the impression that a patch of level land in West Virginia is rare.
• We were able to watch ABC, CBS, Fox and ION TV signals from Rosie's antenna
• AT&T placed a strong 4G signal for both voice and data over the park
• The park had both showers and restrooms, but you had to walk a long way to find them. The manager said the bathhouse was in the tent area about 500 feet up a dirt road from the RV campground. They were in working order and clean.
• Speaking of the "tent" area, we did see several deer in that area of the park

We stayed in this park for two days while waiting for our turn to enter the WBCCI International Rally in Lewisburg. During this time, the park's manager was frequently seen working in the park and making sure our group was well taken care of. His extra effort was greatly appreciated by our caravan.

The restrooms and showers were in the tent area of the park

We spotted some deer in this park

More of the tent area of the park

Lowe's Home Improvement - Fayetteville, West Virginia

We were very wet and emotionally spent by the time we pulled into the Lowes parking lot in Fayetteville, West Virginia. We had to flee the rising flood waters near Gauley Bridge as we pulled Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer, through the mountains during a downpour and hail storm while avoiding washouts and debris on the road.

Members of our WBCCI Region Three
Caravan to the International Rally
in gathering in the Lowes Store parking lot
in Fayetteville, WV

We needed a high and dry location and the Lowes store had a parking lot big enough to fit the 15 Airstream trailers making up our Region Three Caravan to the WBCCI International Rally.

The store manager understood that we were weather refugees with nowhere else to go and welcomed us to camp there for the night. We were joined by another camper who was also trying to find higher ground to get out of the flooding.

Dry camping is very different from camping with power and water hookups. Rosie's batteries were charged and we had enough fresh water in our tanks to get by for the night.

Our group gathering in the Lowes parking lot

We replaced the halogen lights in Rosie several years ago with LED lights. That greatly reduced the power draw on our batteries and allowed us to freely use Rosie's overhead lights. The old halogen lights were well known for their ability to both generate heat and to use up your trailer's batteries.
You also worry about charging your cell phones while dry camping. We have a 12-volt charger and were able to use Rosie's batteries to keep our cell phones charged.

WBCCI Region Three President Matt Hackney making sure
everyone is safe

Rosie among the other Airstream trailers

More Airstream trailers from our caravan

Becky and Suzy (our Yorkie) in the Lowes parking lot

It must have been a sight to see 15 Airstream trailers huddled together in the Lowes parking lot. We were all very grateful to be there and to have evacuated the New River Campground within minutes of the dam spillways being opened and flooding the park.

Rosie is very quiet when boon docking. We missed the normal noises we are used to hearing while camping. We did learn that we need to make sure we have a full fresh water tank because you never know if you will end up in Lowe's parking lot for the night.

New River Campground - Gauley Bridge, West Virginia

The second stop on our Region Three Caravan to the WBCCI International Rally in Lewisburg, West Virginia, was the New River Campground near Gauley Bridge, West Virginia. This is a nice little "mom and pop" campground along the New River.

Gauley Bridge, WV

We were able to get a prime site right on the river. Our view included a family of ducks who enjoyed swimming in the area behind Rosie, our 25 foot Airstream trailer. We also enjoyed watching some members of our caravan group kayak on the river.

Rosie's site along the New River in West Virginia

Some of our WBCCI Region Three Caravan group at New River
Campground as we head to the International Rally in Lewisburg, WV

There were several excursions planned while we were on this leg of the caravan. The first was a tour of the Blenco Glass Company in Milton, West Virginia. I quickly saw why everyone was excited about this tour.

Blenco states their products are handcrafted. They are! We watched craftsmen gather the hot glass then work it in the furnace. The glob of hot glass was given over to the glassblower, who created his beautiful glassware. That was then given to a finisher who cleaned up any imperfections and moved the product to a cooling conveyer. We were fascinated watching this process.

Blenco Glass Display

Glass creations start when a "glob" of glass is gathered in the furnace

Glass blower at work

Gathering glass from the furnace

Using a glass mold

Glass removed from the mold

Transferring the glass to the finisher

Finisher moving another product to the cooling belt

People watching glass creations being made

Day two was a free day allowing the caravan members to explore the area on their own. We elected to go to a grist mill that the West Virginia State Park system claims is one of the most photographed attractions in the state. While we are not sure how accurate that statement is, we thought the grist mill, the stream and the waterfalls were wonderful and we took many photos of each.

Grist Mill at Babcock State Park in West Virginia

The grist mill

Back at the campground before our third day started

Day three started with everyone gathering at a state park about 12 miles away through the mountains for tram and jet boat rides. Our group made it to the park in time, but nether the tram nor the jet boats were running because of the rains and lightening in the area. The revised plan was to travel into town for lunch then reconvene for the tour later that afternoon.

We received a text message saying the boat ride was cancelled, but we missed the more important message saying to return immediately to the campground. So, we went to the grocery to restock on a few items.

The mountain road back to the campground was the first sign that things were getting much worse. Fast flowing streams of water and debris were falling on the road from the wall of rocks lining the road. We also noticed that the gentle mountain streams we saw yesterday were now raging torrents of angry water. We also saw water starting to flow over some bridges on our road.

First signs of the flood

Water pouring over the mountain road

We took pictures of a lazy waterfall less than a quarter mile away from the campground earlier in the week. Things were much different today as it was a huge avalanche of fast-flowing water flying over the rocks. Very scary and very dangerous!

Waterfall near our campground the day before the flood

24 hours later!

That paled in comparison to our first glimpse of the campground. A chain was across the entrance because it was washed out from the rising waters. The river was rapidly rising and everyone was hooking up as quickly as possible to escape the flood. It appeared that someone gave the "abandon ship" order and the forced evacuation of the campground was in full swing.

The campground as it starts to flood

The park attendant told us how to find the back exit to the park. That was something we had not noticed until then and it was nothing more than a poorly maintained dirt path, but it was good enough. We were able to reach Rosie and completed the fastest hook-up in our history. As the rains continued to pour, we were mindful of the rising river and the increasing flow of water coming from the mountains.

Flood waters around Rosie

The fire pit behind Rosie is now part of the river

Once we hooked up Rosie and threw our power and water cords in the back of the truck, we were ready to leave. We were grateful our truck pulled Rosie out of our camping site as the river had risen to reach Rosie's tires. The condition of the rear exit was rapidly deteriorating from the rain and the other RV units evacuating the park, but we made it to the road and were out of the park.

The hastily created plan was that the caravan would move to Babcock State Park, which was about 18 miles away. We were one of the last six Airstream trailers to leave the park and that turned out to be a fortunate thing. More about that later.

We were traveling with one other Airstream trailer through a heavy downpour and hail. Becky noticed that Google Maps was showing the little mountain road ahead of us as red and at a complete standstill. We found an abandoned storefront and pulled over. A few minutes later, three more Airstream trailers pulled in behind us. One in our group was able to communicate with the Airstreamers ahead and confirmed that the road was underwater and they were having to back their trailers up about half a mile along mountain roads to reach a place they could turn around.

Pulled over during the hail storm

We were able to plot a new course to a Lowes store where the manager allowed our group of refugees to camp in the parking lot that night. We were high and dry, but that is the subject for another posting.
Here are some specifics about this campground:

• Our site had 20, 30 and 50 amp electrical service.
• Our site also had water and sewer connections.
• Our site was backed up to the New River.
• The campground had very nice showers and restrooms.
• AT&T placed a strong 4G signal over the campground for both voice and data.
• Some people in our group said they could receive one TV station. We couldn't see anything.
• The campground offered a military and veterans discount, which was appreciated.

Sadly, this review is how the park was before the flood. The state opened the floodgates on the upstream dam about 30 minutes after we left and the park quickly filled with six to 10 feet of water. Chances are that it may take some time to bring the park back to life.

Original watercolor painting by Becky of the New River
behind Rosie

Original watercolor painting by Becky of the grist mill