Steven and Betty RV Adventures

Pineola Campground, Near Newland, NC. On Monday, July 22nd, we left Swannanoa and arrived here at Pineola Campground. Pineola is the town where this campground and the Down By the River Campground are located, even though the mailing address is Newland, since Newland is where the nearest post office is located. When the latter campground is available on August 18th, we shall relocate there until Sep 30th when we shall return home in St Augustine.

Yesterday we did shopping at the Publix in Boone in a downpour. A big switch from the dry hot days we had experienced so far. It did cool things off quite a bit, leaving us with a nice cool dry day today. We went for a walk around the campground here earlier this afternoon, then the Rohrbaughs came by to visit us here at the motorhome. They left around 4:30 pm to go home for dinner, then off to Wednesday night service at church.

Endless Queen Ann's Lace in Property Next to Campground

Betty Captured Closeup of One of the Flowers

Covered Picnic Area with Our Grill Set Up

On our walk we followed the path provided which led to a tree house. We need to find out who owns it, who built it, who lives there, etc. Pretty nice tree house, but not really in a tree. Only among the trees on stilts.

View from the Path

Ground Level Porch

Upper Level Porch

Betty Took This Photo of Me Setting Up the Grill Table

Betty also took the following photo of a moth lying on the ground beside our motorhome. It was still alive but unable to fly. Not much could be done to help it, but Betty wanted to save its image anyway.

Now to get the blog caught up. On July 11th we left Mt Airy, NC to head for Mama Gertie's Hideaway Campground in Swannanoa, NC to be near the Billy Graham Training Center at the Cove. I don't know if they expected me to drive down that hill to leave, as convenient as that would be, but I decided to back out, then drive around the hill.

Extra Shady Campsite at Mama Gertie's

Betty Noticed a Bird's Nest Up One Tree

Betty Examining Bird Nest

A few days before the Michael Card concert and classes were to start, we were called to see if we wanted a room at the Cove. Betty had put us on their waiting list and a room had opened up. We took it, and stayed there for the concert Sunday night and the classes that followed Monday afternoon through Friday noon. It is a good thing the time there did not last any longer, since with tons of food everywhere for free, including dessert after breakfast, lunch, and dinner; it tends to be a glorified gluttony. I gained 8 1/2 pounds and Betty is not telling how much she gained. Spoiled all our progress on Weight Watchers.

I picked up a screw in the left front tire of the Jeep somewhere at the Cove, called AAA who sent someone unfamiliar with a four-wheel-drive vehicle, who complained that he had trouble removing the wheel. Finally, once he had replaced it with the spare, his air pump would not work to bring it up to the correct inflation. Thus the Jeep was towed to the nearest place with an air pump. Once that was done, I still needed to have the damaged tire fixed. They are so busy at the nearest AAA service center in Asheville that they had me drop off the wheel for them to fix when they could. Two days later they said it was ready. On the way back to the Cove on I-40 the left front wheel wobbled like crazy; they had NOT rebalanced the wheel. I called and was told to come by 8 am Saturday and they would try to work me in. I finally found another place that honored AAA in Asheville who rebalanced the wheel for free within 15 minutes. Hallelujah!

Glad to report that the concert by Michael Card and classes at the Cove went very well. It is his last year of doing this, since he is feeling his age. As he noted, we are called grownups because we groan as we get up.