July 21 to July 27, 2019

Robert W Craig Campground

Elk Gardens, WV

 

This Corp of Engineer campground is located near Jennings Randolph Lake straddling the border of Maryland. 

 To reach it we had to go up and down one large hill after another, some at an 11% grade.  The drive was well worth it as the campground is really nice.  Arriving without a reservation on a Sunday we were lucky to secure a site for a week.  If we had only wanted to stay Friday we would have had our pick of sites as there was only two other campers when we arrived.  But almost all the sites were reserved for the following weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We spend our week relaxing, riding our bikes and took a drive to the closest town 15 miles down the mountain to get caught up on laundry and do food shopping.

July 15 to July 20

Riffle Run Campground

Burnsville, WV

 

This Corp of Engineer Campground is lovely and unusual as it offers a full hook-up including a sewer connection. 

 

 

 

 

 

July 11 to July 14, 2019

East Fork Campground,

Ranger, WV 

This West Virginia Corp of Engineer campground is located some 30 miles off I-64. 

 I’m not sure it was worth all the extra miles of up one hill and down another with a few switchbacks added in the mix.

 

We were able to pick up a satellite signal but had no wifi and cell service. 

 The campground does provide a free use phone for emergencies located across from the Ranger Station.

There are six loops running along the river with loops 5 and 6 being non-reservable. 

 

 

Being so remote and with temps in the high 90s,  we mostly just relaxed only venturing out to take a drive down to the dam some 10 miles from the campground.

 

 

July 8- July 14, 2019

Fort Boonesborough State Park

Richmond, KY

After crossing into Kentucky we spent three nights at the Fort Boonesborough State Park Campground where we relaxed and got caught up on laundry. 

As is typical at most of the campgrounds we stay at there were just a handful of campers during the week. 

 But it is almost impossible to find an open site during the weekend. 

June 30- July 7, 2019

Bandy Creek CG

Oneida, TN

 

(Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area)

After the whirlwind week we had in Pigeon Forge we were looking forward to relaxing in more of a wilderness area.

The picnic area of our site was very generous and included a bear storage box. 

We mostly relaxed during our stay but did venture out a couple of days. 

 One excursion was to the Twin Arches.

The Twin Arches Trail is only a .7 mile walk it descends about 400 feet and it kicked our butts.

 

 

The North Arch has a clearance of 51 feet, a span of 93 feet and its deck is 62 feet high. 

 

 

South Arch has a clearance of 70 feet, a span of 135 feet and its deck is 103 feet high.

On the way back to the parking lot we stopped off at a bluff offering spectacular views.

The second outing was to the Blue Heron Outdoor Museum. 

 

Blue Heron was a coal mining camp and part of the Sterns Coal and Lumber Company’s past operation.

 

 

Today, Blue Heron is an outdoor museum managed by the National Park Service. 

 

 

From 1937 – 1962 hundreds of people lived and worked in the isolated community on the banks of the Big South Fork River. 

 

 

There are several structures along a trail that signify and offer through an audio recording a different aspect of live at the mining camp including the Company Store, Courtship, Marriage and Family, Church and a Woman’s Life.

 

After leaving the Mining Museum we rounded a bend in the road and came face to face with a bear.  I don’t know who was more surprised-the bear or us!

We also took a trail to an observation deck.