2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 14

 Day 14, Saturday, October 31 - Day 13 - Lake Norman State Park, Statesville, NC, Day 6, 0 Miles for the Day, 868.3 Miles for the Trip

Happy Halloween! 53°F this morning and about the same for my morning walk. It is definitely going to be cooler than yesterday; only 56°F at 11:00AM. I'm glad I took a shower yesterday evening. Even with yesterday's warm 77°F day it was still cool in the bathroom. The block walls hold the cold from the night, and running ceiling fans don't help. Rather than fight for drops of water coming out of the shower head in the small stalls, I used the disabled shower. Much larger with two benches, one well away from the shower. Two shower heads, one hand held. Both provided a fair amount of spray and plenty of hot water. By the way, the bathrooms are well kept up & clean. I'd rate the disabled shower a B+, the only thing missing is some heat in the room.

During my walk I noticed that while there are still many empty sites, almost all of them are reserved. I'm not sure why the many folks that had reservations starting yesterday haven't showed up, but there are more tenters than there were yesterday.

After breakfast I sat in the trailer and read. 

During the afternoon I took a short hike to Lake Norman, and took a couple of photos:

After that it was back to the trailer & some reading. I sat outside for a bit, then as it cooled down below 65°F (66°F was the high for the day) I moved inside.

Dinner was a chicken Bubba Burger.

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 13

Day 13, Friday, October 30 - Day 13 - Lake Norman State Park, Statesville, NC, Day 5, 0 Miles for the Day, 868.3 Miles for the Trip

52°F this morning when I got up & 60°F when I went for my walk. While there are many empty dry sites in the campground, most of the full hookup sites as well as most of the cabins are booked for at least the weekend.

I didn't do much other than sit outside & read. It reached 77°F with clear skies. I have some shade in parts of the campsite, so I spent the afternoon moving with it. I finished The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen and started another in the Department Q series, Locked In. I also finished McTiernan's The Murder Rule audio book and started The Specialists by Lawrence Block.

That was about it for the day.

Dinner was a Saffron Road Chicken Tikka Masala bowl.

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 12

Day 12, Thursday, October 29 - Day 12 - Lake Norman State Park, Statesville, NC, Day 4, 0 Miles for the Day, 868.3 Miles for the Trip

56°F this morning both when I got up & when I went for my walk. Before leaving for my walk I changed the sheets on the bed. While it is easier than it was with my previous trailer, an Escape 17, it is still a project. After that it was off for a loop around the campground. It was nice enough that I sat outside after my walk and listened to more of The Murder Rule by Dervla McTiernan, my current audio book.

After breakfast I did some internet reading, then packed up the old sheets and the rest of the laundry and headed to the Morresville Coin Laundry. It is listed as the closest to the park; 15 miles & 1/2 hour driving time. There is a Walmart 7 minutes from the laundry. The Morresville Coin Laundry is very clean, has an attendant, and bathrooms. $6.00 to wash in a 4 load front washer & a quarter per 6 minutes to dry. Comfortable chairs & plenty of folding tables and rolling baskets to get from the washers to the dryer and the folding tables. 

After that I headed to Walmart for a few things, then back to the campground in heavy traffic. After putting everything away I sat outside and read until 4:30, did my evening exercises, then made dinner.

Dinner was a Chef Ramsay Chicken Marsala Pasta bowl.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 11

 Day 11, Wednesday, October 28 - Day 11 - Lake Norman State Park, Statesville, NC, Day 3, 0 Miles for the Day, 868.3 Miles for the Trip

51°F this morning both when I got up & when I went for my walk and a high of 72°F. 

After breakfast I did some on line reading, then sat outside reading on the Kindle. I finished Dan Padavona's The Bone Forest, and while there are at least 13 more in the series, I really need a change. I started The Scarred Woman by Jussi Adler-Olsen.

Around 2:00 I decided to make a trip to a grocery store. I checked my GPS and it showed a Publix 5.8 miles away. In this area "as the crow flies" distances mean little. The actual mileage to get there on a road is 18 miles & 30 minutes. There is a Food Lion that looks further away, but road wise it is only 11 miles & 22 minutes away. So, it was off to Food Lion in Troutman. I found everything I was looking for and a bit more. In fact, for the first time I came back to the trailer with more than would fit in the freezer. It was too tempting to find Tillamook Ice Cream. I had an early dinner of a P. F. Chang's Orange Chicken which made just enough room for the ice cream. 

After my early dinner I sat outside and read. While it never got cold enough to want to move inside, at 67°F around 6:00 I headed in.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 10

 Day 10, Tuesday, October 27 - Day 10 - Lake Norman State Park, Statesville, NC, Day 2, 146.9 Miles for the Day, 868.3 Miles for the Trip

Only down to 50°F overnight with a high around 70°F, but still only 50°F when I did my morning walk. I did the loop around the campground that is a little over 1/2 mile. While there are 44 sites in the campground, only 10 have hookups; the rest are dry, some with paved driveways that are too steep for an RV. There are also 6 very nice cabins that have a full size platform as well as a pair of bunk platforms. There are mattresses in the platforms but I don't believe they have bathrooms; I didn't get inside one to check. They do have heat & AC.

A Cabin

A fairly relaxing day. I moved outside when the temperature hit 65°F and read. I finished Lee & Andrew Child's Chain Reaction and went back to the Dan Padavona Wolf Lake series. I'm on #10, The Bone Forest. 

Around 3:00 I headed to the bathroom for a shower, but there was a crew working on a drain backup. They said about 15 minutes but I gave them a little more time and headed back at 3:30. 

A shower report: 3 stalls in the men's bathroom, one disabled. There is also a separate full bathroom. I used the one closest to the toilets in the men's bathroom. A very small dressing area (18" deep) with a bench & 1 double hook. The shower head aimed directly at the drying area although there was a shower curtain between them. I still expected the entire dressing area floor to get wet. Nope! Seems this is the most anemic water flow I've ever encountered. While there is a 3" shower head, only the bottom third spits out a weak dribble of water. It does get hot, but there isn't any spray, just a little water coming out of the bottom of the shower head. I managed to wash & rinse, but it wasn't much fun. At least the dressing area floor stayed dry. Since I'm here for 2 weeks, I hope either of the other showers is better. This one gets a D.

Dinner was a Boston Market Chicken Pot Pie.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 9

Day 9, Monday, October 26 - Lake Norman State Park, Statesville, NC , 146.9 Miles for the Day, 868.3 Miles for the Trip

39°F this morning.

I said good bye to the Guidos, and left Hungry Mother around 11:00. Most of the drive was on I 81 & I 77, although I got bored with I 77 and did part of the drive on NC 21 which runs parallel to I 77. I arrived at the park a little after 1:00, checked in at the office, and headed to my site. I'm in site 41, a full hookup site on asphalt with a gravel picnic area that has a fire ring, picnic table & hanging pole. Shade towards the back of the site & what looks to be nice morning sun at the front. I'm here for t weeks at $39.00 per night (including an $84.00 senior discount). The bathhouse is a short walk away.

Site 41

After setting up I checked the internet speeds - Verizon at 74.5Mbps down & 1.68Mbps up, AT&T nothing, and Starlink at 41.98 down & 11.61 up.

I did some reading sitting out in the sun. It hit 70°F this afternoon, and by 4:30 down to 67°F. 

Dinner was a pair of El Monterey Chicken Enchiladas.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 8

Day 8, Sunday, October 25 - Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 5 , 0 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

39°F this morning and 40°F for my morning walk. While a few left this morning, many are staying until tomorrow or later. 

While I started Dan Padavona's Gone, I just received notice that a book I've had on hold for a long time at Libby came in. So, for awhile, Gone is gone & I'll be starting Lee & Andrew Child's Chain Reaction, a Reacher book. As far as I'm concerned, it is still too cold to sit outside & read at 54°F at 2:00, so I'm sitting in the trailer. 

The Guidos drove The Back of the Dragon, a 32 mile stretch of VA 16 (the road Burson Campground is on) that climbs a couple thousand feet and has over 400 curves. The motorcyclists love it but not me. I'm OK if I'm driving, but as a passenger on that kind of road I turn green. I'm not sure the truck is the best vehicle for the trip.

I checked and everything I find on the internet tells me my site at Lake Norman State Park (Monday's stop) is a full hookup site. My notes say bring water, it is electric only. I hope my notes are wrong. 

I spent the rest of the afternoon reading & saying good bye to folks as they left.

Dinner was Bubba burgers & tortellini salad.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 7

Day 7, Saturday, October 24 - Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 4, 0 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

A bit warmer at 44°F this morning. I stopped across the way for coffee, donuts & chat with folks attending the rally. 

Coffee & Donuts, Day 2

After coffee I headed back to the trailer. It is still only 46°F outside so there are not too many sitting around. Once it warms up I'll make a round of the park with the camera.

I took a walk around the campground during the early afternoon, but it was still too cool for many folks to be sitting out. Some were probably putting together their contributions to the pot luck. In any case, lots of photos of trailers. I did drive out to the Creekside campground to take a couple photos of a Casita 24. I'll add a few here, but many more are available at today's LakeshoreImages page or the 2026 Hungry Mother Gathering.

We did a group photo (well I included a few of them just in case you blinked during it. There is a fill size .jpg of each, but be sure you have the bandwidth to download them - they are around 12MB each. Since some complained that I'm not in the photo, check my shadow.

After the group photo we had a pot luck. Great food and lots left over. Again, more photos at the rally page or today's LakeshoreImages page.

Dinner was the pot luck.

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 6

Day 6 - Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 3, 0 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

34°F again this morning. They had coffee & donuts across the street, which was good because the Guido coffee pot died. When I checked the photo I took of the coffee gathering I found one of my back yard showing why I have problems with many kinds of outdoor plants:

My Deer Herd (at home)

Coffee & Donuts

After coffee it was time to start making pies. It looks like there are enough folks that 3 pies should cover. I didn't finish until around 3:00. 

At 3:00 I headed for a shower. They have a bunch (I think 4) individual showers with a couple of different shower heads. The one I picked had a 3" full volume shower head with adjustable temperature that slowly dropped over the length of my shower. Both the shower & drying room are large, there is a bench in the drying room and the shower is perpendicular to the drying area. 2 double hooks in the drying area and a shower curtain between, however most of the floor gets wet during a shower. Overall, a C+ at best. Guido would rate his (in a different room) a Z. No or little hot water. 

After getting dressed I headed to the Guido Clam to read for a bit. I'm up to book 8 in the Wolf Lake series by Dan Padavona.  I'm still hoping they will get better, but so far not a lot of improvement.  It was warm enough outside for a T shirt for much of the afternoon, but by 4:00 a light flannel shirt was necessary, and by dinner at 6:00 I wore my lined vest.

Dinner was spaghetti & turkey sausage made by Anne & left over ribs.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 5

Day 5, Thursday, October 22 - Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA, Day 2, 0 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

34°F this morning and 38°F when I went for my walk.

Around 10:00 Guido announced that it was warm enough to site in the clam and read. I checked, and my outside thermometer said 48°F - I stayed inside, rubbed the ribs & wrapped them in foil.

We made a trip to the store for pie materials & other shopping, then back to the trailers. At 2:30 I started the ribs. Ribs was one of the main reasons I bought a Napoleon Grill. It is about the same size as a Weber Q series grill, but has two burners (and weighs twice the Weber). 

When cooking ribs I can turn off the side the ribs are on & adjust the flame on the empty side to keep it between 275 - 350°F. 3 hours & a coating of barbecue sauce finishes them off. Other than reading while the ribs cooked that was about it for the day. By the way it did warm up to the mid 60's so it was a nice day to sit outside. As soon as the sun went down it quickly cooled. At 8:00PM is is 54°F.

Dinner was ribs, beets & a salad with fruit cocktail for anyone still hungry. 

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 4

Day 4, Wednesday, October 21 - Burson Campground, Hungry Mother State Park, Marion, VA - 239 Miles for the Day, 721.4 Miles for the Trip

38°F by morning, but in the 40's when we packed up. Getting out of Creekside is interesting. In one direction is a 10 ton bridge with no sides or rails and a tight turn through town. The other direction (the one recommended by the campground) is a sharp turn out of the site and up a steep hill on what is essentially a one way curved road. If a large vehicle is coming down, we have a problem! To our good fortune, no one was coming down the hill. 

Breakfast today was a microwaved egg sausage cheese thing on a brisket. I mentionded this because I forgot to mention Monday's breakfast which was at a shiny diner that served typical diner breakfasts near the entrance to I 81. Next time I'll try something else - the home fries & eggs were pretty bad.

The drive down I 81 didn't have any stop & go sections, but some slow downs and very heavy traffic. We stopped twice for gas, $4.199 at a Pilot that once again would not take my phone number. I thought I had solved the problem with a phone call to them, and I think it worked once, but it now insisted that there are more than one account linked to my phone number. I picked up a loyalty card and will try to get it to work. The second stop was at a Loves, which gave me the $.10 discount as usual - $3.899 per gallon.

A big surprise at the entrance to Burson Campground. They had a packet for the Guidos, but none for me. We drove to the park office and they did have both reservations, just forgot to make up a packet for me. I really don't mind - Hungry Mother has the most paperwork of any state park I've ever visited. A packet 1/2" thick.

I'm in site 37 & the Guidos in site 38. Both are water & electric on gravel with a picnic table, fire ring & hanging pole. I needed 1" side to side & a 2" drop on the tongue to level the trailer. We are here for 5 nights, leaving Monday. $46.28 per night.

Me in Site 37

The Guidos in Site 38

For dinner we decided to hit the Mexican restaurant, Mi Puerto. All three of us had shrimp Chimichanga.

By the time we got back to the park it was 7:00 and cooled down to 60°F so we called it a night and headed for the trailers.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 3

Day 3, Tuesday, October 20th, Creekside Campground, Edinburg, VA - 190.6 Miles for the Day, 482.4 Miles for the Trip

Down to 41.3°F by morning, with a high of 73°F, and 72.6°F when we arrived at Creekside. We stopped for gas at the Loves in Jonestown, the next stop on I 81. $4.18.9 per gallon with a $.10 discount using my phone number. A couple of slowdowns & one stop & go for a truck accident on I 81. 

W arrived at Creekside around 3:00. I'm in site 30 and the Guidos are in 29. Both are water & electric sites on grass with little definition of where the site starts & stops. I think I'm on 30, but the utilities are on the wrong side. I still managed to hook up although I needed a 2" rise on the driver's side & a 3/4" lift on the tongue. Managed to stay hooked up to the truck. A picnic table & fire pit and a small creek behind the trailer. $42.12 with tax for the night.

Me Almost in 30

The Guidos in Site 29

After setting up we sat outside by the creek & read. Guido & Anne kept moving to find the shade (neither can be in the sun) and I kept looking for sunshine. It finally reached the point where the only sun was in the road so I put on my vest. It was still 65°F but with enough wind to feel cold.

We did eat outside on a picnic table. Anne made a honey chicken over rice dish that was good, along with a salad.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 2

Day 2, Monday, October 19th, Twin Grove RV Resort & Cottages, Pine Grove, PA- 160.2 Miles for the Day, 291.8 Miles for the Trip

38°F this morning in Binghamton. I set the furnace at 61°F and the batteries by morning were down to 91%, using around 29 amp hours.

We hit the road around 11:30, arriving at Twin Grove about 3:00. One stop & go section on I 81 in PA, which seems to be the usual. The Guidos are in site 8 & I'm in site 10. Full hook up on a mix of gravel & grass. I didn't need to unhook - level side to side & needed to raise the tongue 3". While there is a rather unlevel picnic table, at $72.50 for the night I think it getting to be a bit excessive. There are two family bathrooms across from our site, neither has showers or heat.

Me in Site 10

The Guidos in Site 8

I did a speed test on AT&T at the campground: 58.91Mbps down & 33.25Mbps up. 

We sat around in the comfortable 67°F for the rest of the afternoon. We usually eat between 5:00 & 6:00, and today is was towards the 5:00 hour. It is cooling off fast, 57°F by 6:00. We decided (well, mostly Anne) to eat inside the trailer. Since I have the largest table, we ate in the Escape. Have to admit, my fingers were getting cold sitting outside reading. Current book is #5 (I Know Your Name) in a 25 book series by Dan Padavona. Not the greatest writer in the world, but his novels take place in the upstate NY area so lots of places near where I live. I will do as many as I can take.

Dinner was out traditional first night Brats & Beans.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 1

 Day 1, The Guidos, Binghamton, NY - 131.6 Miles for the Day, 131.6 Miles for the Trip

Well I didn't manage to do a post this morning, but now at I'm at the Guidos, so here are the day's results. I finished packing the trailer & hit the road around 12:00. The truck was at 105,947.5 miles and the trailer at 75,748.9. Stopped at the nearest CAT scale & weighed the trailer: 4980 total weight and a little over 500 pounds on the tongue.

I arrived at the Guidos around 3:00 and started this update.

The Trailer at the Guidos

Dinner was pizza slices & a salad at Grande's Pizza.

Until Tomorrow -

2026-27 Trip to the Southeast, Day 000 (Getting Ready)

October 5:

Another Fall, another get ready for escaping the Oswego winter. Last year I went to Arizona and had the best weather I've had there over the last 8 years. Still, I have started doing Arizona one winter and northern Florida the other. So, it is Georgia/Florida/Alabama this year. I have already made reservations since I like to stay in state parks, Corps of Engineers parks, etc, and while they (at least in the panhandle area) are likely to have available sites during the week, weekends are often completely booked. I plan to attend three rallies during the winter, the Hungry Mother rally in Virginia in October, the Florida Egg Rally & S'More in January, and the Green Eggs & Ham rally in March.

The trailer is ready with repacked wheel bearings, checked brakes, inspected for $9.00 and registered for next year for $62.00. No major work on the trailer other than the usual Spring wash & wax. The truck is also ready at 105,000 miles with an oil change & a new set of rear brakes.

Lots of doctor check ups over the next two weeks to be sure I'm also ready to go. 

October 15:

I made it through all the doctor appointments with no one telling me I had to stay in Oswego, so I printed my 4 page check list and started moving things into the trailer. I have almost finished everything but the day-of-leaving stuff. I checked and filled the truck & trailer tires since the cooler temperatures dropped the pressure a few pounds. 

I spent some of the morning mowing the leaves since rain is predicted over the next couple of days. Even snow is a possibility on Friday night. The maples have just about finished dropping their leaves, but the large oak in the back yard is still green. I cut back the asparagus & the butterfly bush, pulled the tomato plants and planted the garlic for next year.

The Oak Tree

The Maple Trees

I'll try to update this on Sunday before I leave.

Until Next Time -