Using Google Maps, the drive from Atlanta is 630 miles and takes 10 hours to drive.
Last April, I camped with the group near Stevenson,AL. CamperCouple1=M and J, CamperCouple2=K and R came and I met them for the first time. (Note: I abbreviated names to respect their privacy.) They had camped with others in the group last winter in Florida. They heard about the gathering and came to enjoy being with the group and the area. They enjoyed the outing and invited everyone to visit their farm in late June. We were given dates and the location of the farm and I arrived on June 24. I left Atlanta about 5:30AM, drove until lunch - stopped to eat and rested in the back of the van for a while. About 3:30, I started driving again and when I stopped for gas about 5:30pm, the Garmin GPS said that my estimated time of arrival was 8:30pm. I knew that it began to get dark then and I didn't want to drive after dark, so I decided to drive as long as I felt able. As the sun went down and it got darker, I was close and really didn't want to stop and sleep somewhere I didn't know. I felt like I could get to the farm and continued to follow the GPS directions. About 9:30PM, I arrived near the location, but the GPS co-ordinates that I input was not the turn that I expected. I called Cuz Dick and John drove from the camp to my location to show me how to get to the camping area. By that time, it was dark and, later, I realized that there was a sign that I missed. Anyway, after driving all day and getting to camp, I was very grateful to have arrived and had a safe place to rest. I have to add that I was told about the ski slopes in this area, but was surprised to see how wonderful the lake is and how many vactioners were in the area.
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MDMcHenry,HunyakFarm_Campers-DirtRoad-toPavedRoad
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I have to 'back-up' a bit. I drove my younger son's Roadtrek to Maryland. He had loaned it to me and I had taken a couple of trips back in April. My first trip was to Alabama and the second trip to Cape Coral. (See 2 previous blog posts.) When I returned to Atlanta, I told him that he could have his van back and he looked into getting someone who had a rollback truck to deliver it to Chicago. He couldn't find someone and I had told him that I planned to go camping in Maryland early July. We agreed that I would be half-way to Chicago and that I would drive to Chicago and stay with him a week. So, my trip to Maryland was in the Roadtrek van that my son had bought last September. It was very comfortable and had many built-in conveniences. (Roadtrek Zion RAM base van)
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We had a GREAT time camping in Maryland. The pictures show a large field where the vans are parked on a hill. Our hosts had done a lot of work on the farm in order for us to visit. They had cut the field so that we could park. They had trimmed limbs from nearby trees, so that some large campers could park in the shade. They had installed a 'pole-tarp' and provided a picnic table and round, glass-top table for campers to eat. Also, they had constructed a stone fire-pit near the pole-tarp and provided wood for the fire from a fallen-tree that had been cut, AND, they provided spring-water from a nearby creek for drinking. Our camp was super-convenient and well-provisioned. About 15 vans were there during the July 4 time-period. Many of the campers were familiar to me from previous experiences, and I had the opportunity to meet many more.
Several of us stayed for the two-week camp-out, others were in-and-out for shorter periods-of-time. We had a wonderful time enjoying being outside and pretty good weather. We had a couple of rainstorms, but the plants needed the rain and afterward, there was a beautiful rainbow. One Saturday night for supper, everyone contributed items and M & J cooked a pot-luck 'stone-soup'. They had a large iron pot and constructed a tripod hang for cooking. M & J provided us many cooked suppers which was outstanding.
The -big event- was a PIG ROAST! M & J purchased a pig at an auction for a July 4 pig-roast. They constructed a pit over the fire and let the pig cook almost all day. It was outstanding. The next night was BBQ sandwiches. I ate too much and was sad about my weight-gain after returning home. I gained a lot of weight and enjoyed every bite!
Note: Internet service was 'slow' in this area. Another camper told me that he had better service at night which means that the nearby tower is congested. I had downloaded some podcasts, so I listed to them when it rained. Another note: There have been several bear sightings in the area. The camping dogs provided us with protection.
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.jpg "PigRoast-cooker (2)")
MDMcHenry,HunyakFarm_PigRoast-cooker
I would love to have your comments about this blog. The wordpress software that I used when I first began blogging allowed comments as part of the webpost. However, my software has changed and the new blog post does not allow that feature. You may email me at j-x-h-u-g-h-e-s at g-m-a-i-l dot c-o-m with NO DASHES and appropriate email custom nomenclature.
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Blog-Note 1: Because the pictures take a long time to load, it is best to view these webpages using a desktop.)
Blog-Note 2: http://PuddinInVannaWhite.wordpress.com is the 'original' website of this blog. This blog has a domain name without the .wordpress. middle name. see website=PuddinInVannaWhite.wordpress.com for older trips ---)))LEFT MOUSE CLICK HERE"(((---
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