Drowning in Denver, NC

I am not sure if it was the weather forecast, or if it was just to early in the year for most of our members, but we only had three member couples camping at our Denver, NC April rally. The Holmes came in early, on Wednesday, fresh from their winter stay in Florida, with stop overs in Savanna and Charleston. They enjoyed a beautiful top down drive all day on Thursday, scouting out Lake Norman, and the surrounding communities. Coming back to the campground late in the afternoon, to find the Ross's and the Weller's had arrived during the day.

Thursday night we decided to throw together a mini potluck meal, dining alfresco. The Weller's had brought over a few pounds of fresh shrimp from the coast and we put that together with a big salad, a long crusty loaf of hot french bread, and a cold and creamy key lime pie - great meal and conversation, sitting under the awning at the picnic table, waiting for the rain to start.

Friday, and the rest of the weekend, we remained under an overcast sky with rain showers mainly late in the afternoon and over night. We all did day tours, or sat around the campground ducking the showers. We got together each night and went out to dinner. Found a great steakhouse nearby on Friday night and one of the last remaining Fish Camp restaurants on Saturday night. Both were very good.

Sunday morning the Ross's and Weller's pulled out early enroute to Charlotesville, VA for a few days before heading back home. The Holmes left late (no surprise) and went home for the first time in almost four months.

Lots of new friends were made in 2018

Our club continued to grow in 2018. We are now 26 member families strong. Our members join us from all over the state of North Carolina, and we even have a new member from a neighboring state, Tennessee.

In April we were in Mount Airy, NC.  We camped at the Mayberry Campground just outside of town. Our group spent the weekend touring the town and surrounding locations. Some went to the winery, others walked the downtown shopping and dining corridor. At night some of us went into town to hear the bluegrass music at the old theater. A lot of us just sat and got reacquainted during the day, since it had been a few months since our last rally.  We all went out to dinner one night, and our friends at Campers Inn of  Mocksville cooked us a steak dinner at the campground another night. Our last night together we enjoyed our tradition of a potluck meal at the campground.

During the merry month of May we had a very good representation at the Tiffin Allegro rally in Goshen, IN. There were over 300 Tiffin coaches and a large group of RV services and products vendors on site. The state fair campground is well maintained and the rally was very well organized. Tiffin company founder, Bob Tiffin, and his family, were on hand to meet and greet. The food was catered by one of the large local Amish restaurants, and it was very good. The seminars were well attended and the vendors sold out of most of their inventory. If you ever get a chance to attend a large Tiffin rally you will really enjoy it.

In June we found ourselves back at one of our favorite campgrounds, Tanglewood Park. It is a large county park with ball fields, golf courses, swimming pools, horseback riding rentals, walking paths, and a very nice campground. We took up a whole row which was great for our second white elephant sale. Lots of treasures were sold and bought between our members, and others who were in the campground. Dinners were out on the town together, a potluck, and another steak dinner cookout sponsored by Campers Inn of Mocksville.

August found us at a new campground for our group, Zooland Campground, outside Asheboro, NC. Most of us stayed close to home socializing, but some ventured to the Asheboro Zoo. Others did day trips into the nearby communities to sight see and shop. We all went out to dinner one night and had a potluck meal another night.

October found some of us travelling to Galax VA. We weathered out the rain and the wind from nearby hurricane Michael. Coolbreeze Campground registered a record rainfall our first day there, thirteen inches. Lucky for us we were all parked near the top of the hill. After the weather rolled through we had cooler but tolerable weather. We all gathered in neighbors coaches to socialize during the day, or traveled into Galax for shopping and touring. The Blue Ridge Parkway runs near the campground so some of us did day trips up and down the parkway. We all went to a nearby local seafood restaurant for dinner one night. Kirk from Campers Inn of Mocksville came up and cooked us a BBQ dinner another night. For our last night we brought back our soup/chili/stew potluck dinner. We invited most of the other campers in the campground into the club house to share our dinners and we all had a great time socializing, trading stories and playing games.

Saturday, December 1st, at noon, we met at the Moose Cafe in the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market complex, for our holiday party. Eight couples came bearing lots of gifts for our clubs Toys for Tots donation campaign. We had a great time catching up with new and old friends, and of course we all ate too much.

Please check our upcoming events page to see our plans for 2019. Have a happy and safe holiday season.

2017 - Enjoying the RV lifestyle

Here is the condensed story of our 2017 camping season.

In April the club went to Crosswinds Campground in Spencer, NC.  Four member couples and a guest attended this rally. We went to Blue Bay seafood restaurant for dinner on Friday night. During the days there were train events at the nearby Spencer train museum, there were outlet malls to visit, and country sightseeing drives to do. We had a potluck meal on Saturday night followed by a club meeting and a social hour.

In June we went to Crosscountry Campground in Denver, NC. Nine member couples and three guest couples meet to enjoy the Lake Norman lifestyle for a few days.  Campers Inn brought a couple of new coaches for us to tour. We split up during the days and enjoyed the local towns and communities. We went to the Sagebrush Steakhouse restaurant on Friday night, and had a potluck meal on Saturday night, in the shelter, next to the campgrounds pool. We had a short meeting after dinner followed by an alfresco game night event.

In August we went to Tanglewood Campground in Clemmons, NC. Seven member couples and five guest couples meet up in the level side of this county campground. During the day we toured nearby Winston-Salem, where the new Publix supermarket was the highlight of the tour. Some went over to nearby Campers Inn to shop at their store - they also brought new coaches to the campground for us to tour.  Friday night we all went to a nearby restaurant to eat. Saturday several of us participated in our clubs first white elephant sale.  Saturday night Kirk Wells from Campers Inn treated us to a steak dinner with all the trimmings. We had a short club meeting afterwards, followed by a couple of trivia game matches.

In October we went to Raleigh Oaks RV Resort in Four Oaks, NC. Seven member couples got together to enjoy four days of shopping at the outlet mall, touring, and solving the worlds problems around the campfire. On Friday we all went into nearby Smithfield to Fred Chasons grandsons country buffet restaurant for dinner, which was very good. On Saturday we went full German for an Oktoberfest pot luck feast. We even had costumes courtesy of our hosts. We had a meeting and a couple rounds of snack related trivia after dinner.

December 2nd was the date for our annual holiday luncheon. Most of our members were able to attend, along with several guests. Lots of food and fun was shared by all. Once again our members and friends donated lots of toys to our clubs primary charity, Toys for Tots. Thanks Campers Inn of Mocksville for once again sponsoring this event for us. And welcome to the new members who joined the club that day, and since.

Hurricane - No Problem

The areas surrounding Raleigh Oaks RV had problems with road access and flooding - but the RV park, and it's main access route,  saw little damage.

The majority of our group, fourteen members, and seven guests, arrived on Thursday, 10/13/2016. Members and guests received two welcome bags upon arrival, one from the Johnston County visitors bureau in nearby Smithfield, NC, and the other one was put together by the rally hosts. Don and Kathy  Holmes, assisted by Jim and Minnie Hale, hosted this rally. They setup the resorts rally room in a Fall theme, and hosted everyone to a welcome meal made up of light snacks and desserts. There were several small gift giveaways that followed dinner.

Friday found most of us relaxing around the campground. Some went into town to shop at the outlet mall, while others just toured around the surrounding areas. Several of the guys went into town for a hotdog lunch followed by a mini tour of the Smithfield Ham Shop. That night we went out to a local restaurant, Holt Lake BBQ and Seafood.  We had a private room, great service, and lots of good food. Upon returning to the campground several of us sat outside and enjoyed the cooler weather.

On Saturday most of us stayed close to home at the campground. There was potluck food to prepare for dinner, and lots of catching up with old and new friends to do.  We found our way back to the resorts rally room, again setup with Fall decorations by our hosts. Last minute cooking/warming and food setup were in full swing. The meal was themed as a Fall comfort food menu; consisting of soups, chilis, and a stew. There were also several salads, breads, and of course, desserts. Everyone ate too much, and there were still lots of leftovers. After dinner we had a short business meeting, followed by a game of Taboo, and several more gift giveaways. Our major sponsor, Campers Inn of Mocksville, donated a free RV detailing certificate, and a large outdoor mat, which were the major prizes during the giveaway.

Also, as part of our rally we collected a donation for our charity, Toys for Tots, and we decided to make a donation to the local food bank to assist Hurricane Matthew victims.

Minnie lookup at the camera!

Javan & Milton & David snacking

Ron going back for thirds?

Vickie, is that all your eating?

Dinner out at Holt Lake

The rest of us out at Holt Lake

Fort Chiswell RV Park - Max Meadows, VA 8/11-14/2016

Surrounded by cows on one side and sheep on the other, eight couples met for a long weekend of fun in the sun. It was a little hot but that is what A/C is for; right? If it got to much the pool was only steps away.

Some of us got in a day or two early. One couple came in a week early. We gathered on Thursday night for a dinner out on the town. A short drive to nearby Wytheville found us at the 1776 Log House restaurant.  The food was good, the comradeship was great. After dinner we headed back to the campground and sat up late catching up with old friends, and getting to know new ones. Some even went for a late night dip in the heated pool.

On Friday some of us spent the day lounging around the campground, while others explored the nearby shopping and sight seeing opportunities. That night we gathered at the campground shelter and enjoyed a delicious meal provided to us by our hosts, Alan and Cathy Norris, and David and Rebecca Vaughn. After dinner we had a short club business meeting followed by some games and more socializing, where we identified and solved most of the worlds current problems.

Saturday was another day of relaxing and/or exploring. Some drove up into the mountains and stumbled onto some gorgeous views and a little live music coming from the porch (see below picture). That night we had a potluck meal that everyone enjoyed way too much. After dinner we played a few games of bingo with our hosts, David Vaughn, calling, and his wife, Rebecca Vaughn, handing out the beautiful prize baskets she made. Thanks to them both for a great evening.

Sunday morning found us all trickling out of the park one by one, all packed up for our journeys home, or onward to life's next great adventure.

Smile for the camera Ed.	I didn't get the joke!	What you looking at?
Is that all for me?	I gotta share this!	Showing pic's of the babies.
Can we start already?	Whose ready for seconds?	Please don't take my picture!
Ooh I ate way too much!	Rain on Big Walker mountain.	Big Walker Country Store.

Tanglewood Park - Great weather - Great time

We had our largest turnout yet at Tanglewood Park over the weekend of June 9th - June 12th. Eleven member couples, including one new couple, and three guest couples attended this rally. A few arrived early, but most came in on Thursday afternoon, just in time for a night out on the town.

Thursday night we all caravan-ed over to La Carreta Mexican restaurant in nearby Advance, NC. There was some mix up with our reservation so we had to split a few couples off from the main group as they were very crowded with two other large groups. Seems like the locals also like to go on this night for the food and drink specials, so the restaurant was full. Most everyone seemed pleased with the food and the service despite the crowd.

After dinner we meet back up at the campground for desserts and socializing. Our hosts, Jack and Dona Branson, ensured that this evening was just the start of a fun filled weekend. After a couple hours we all retreated to our rigs. The night air was cool enough for open windows and fans. The park is very quite and everyone got a good nights sleep.

Friday was a shopping day for eight of the ladies. They piled into two cars and went into nearby Winston-Salem for a scouting trip of the newly opened Publix grocery store. While in town they also went to a nearby craft store, and the ever popular Mast General store. They all reported having a great time. The guys mostly hung around the campground solving the problems of the world.

Friday night, Kirk Wells, from Campers Inn, and his long time friend, Randy, hosted another dinner for us. Steaks and chicken were cooked on the grill they brought, along with sides and deserts that they spread out on a long table. We are very lucky that Kirk, and Campers Inn, have again sponsored another delicious meal for us. After dinner we enjoyed a game and socializing. We called it an early night.

Saturday found most of us socializing around the Hales rig, which was centrally located, when we were not in our own RV's, or out shopping, prepping for tonight's potluck dinner.

Saturday night found us all back in the campgrounds shelter, getting ready for a potluck feast. We had two tables full of assorted main dishes, salads, and sides, and another full table full of yummy desserts. No one complained about the lack, or variety, of food. After dinner we cleaned up and took leftovers back to our rigs. We returned to the shelter for a short business meeting and more games and socializing.

Sunday most of us were leaving. We found each other along the drive and at various campsites, to say goodbye. Another great weekend rally over - we all are looking forward to the next one.

Sorry I forgot to take any pictures at this rally - I will hopefully do better next time.

A blustery weekend in Roanoke Rapids

Even though it got colder and windier as the weekend progressed we all decided we had a great time.

Seven couples got together at the Carolina Crossroads RV Resort beginning Thursday 4/7/16. The campground was fantastic. We all had level paved full hookup sites with concrete pads. We had an outdoor gazebo to use, as well as a large, well equipped, rally room. The staff catered to our every need. There was even a heated jacuzzi for those daring few who chose to use it.

Thursday night we all got together and enjoyed a light meal provided by our hosts, the Hales's, and our club friends, the Pendergrass's. We sat around socializing for a couple hours after that.

Friday, the girls went out to lunch, and to a nearby antique and discount mall. The guys sat around the gazebo and traded war stories. We all went out for an early dinner at a nearby southern cooking buffet restaurant. Martha Calkins, our club President, stole the evening by her reaction to trying chitterlings for the first time. Don't think she quite knew what they were. If you don't know either, here is a link that gives the details: Chitterlings

Saturday got cold and windy, so most of us hibernated in the rally room, or our coaches. There was a very large screen TV for sports, and nice large tables for games and crafts. We snacked and socialized the day away. Our dinner was a potluck with the club providing the entree. Fried chicken, several veggies and salads, and of course, at least a half dozen great desserts were laid out on long tables and the kitchen counter. No diets were maintained. After dinner, we played marble bowling (see the pics). It was the guys versus the girls. The girls took the first round by a landslide. Not to be beaten, the boys demanded we play two out of three matches. The boys won the second round easily, but had to claw their way through the third and final round, winning by a very small margin.

Sunday morning found us all milling around each others RVs saying final goodbyes and making plans for future rallyies and events.