We are down...

 

"As in: Getting jiggy wit it?" 

No.  I am not now, nor have I ever been... jiggy.  After that 2,000 mile drive... through the heat... and some crappy roads... we are in the campground at our destination for the next month.

We were in no hurry to get out of the RV park we were in the last two nights.  Not because it was so good (more: meh), but because we only had 80 miles or so to do today.  After leaving the park, we drove a couple miles to get to...

Yep, visiting the Beav.  Gas was 20¢ a gallon less than any stations nearby.  We did not go in.  (Gasp!)  With so few miles to get to our site for the next month, we wanted to go in with our gas tank mostly full.  Less than 50 miles down the road...

Even from the highway, the views were lush (especially after coming from the desert)...

We stopped at the North Carolina Visitors Center...

As we came in, a gentleman asked if he could help us; I said we were going to be in the area for a month, mostly here to ride some of these great roads.  He is also a motorcycle rider, so he fixed us up with maps and brochures that should keep us busy for a while.

Only 13 miles to go to the campground, and it was still early (before noon).  Joan made us sandwiches and I got Murphy an early lunch.  We are in a site made for RVs at the Visitors Center/Rest Stop, and we aren't keeping anyone from getting a site.  Also, it wasn't blazing hot for once (in the 70s), so we didn't have to run the a/c.  I am getting excited for the new riding experiences.

Only 3 miles off the Interstate, on the way to Maggie Valley, we pulled into the campground.  Easy check-in and a young man escorted us to our site.  The site we reserved is a back-in, he took us to a pull-through.  I asked about that and he said, "This is where they told me to put you."

"For the next month, right?" I asked.

"Yes, sir."

It isn't fancy, and there is a big tree that will keep us from getting our awning fully out, but we can make this work.  With the extra length (and not having to push the cargo trailer around), we unhooked the cargo trailer and positioned the coach where we thought it would be most level...

Our site is right along one of the interior campground roads, so not much in the way of privacy.  But, we only have a neighbor on the other side of us - I met them while I was hooking up utilities and they seem nice and friendly.  While I was getting us hooked up, Joan was setting up the patio area (using that term a bit loosely)... a patio mat, griddle table, our chairs (Murphy doesn't know that he has his own chair)

I got the scoots out of the trailer so we could take the chocks out and get it set up as their "garage."  Looks like they made the ride just fine, although I will need to spruce them up a bit, check tires (lots of elevation changes), and give them a closer look before we do any riding (not today).

This is a family-type campground, so lots of people walking by... walking dogs (on a leash)... kids on kick scooters and bicycles.  These are all things that Murphy considers "cat-killers."  We'll let him get used to things on his own time.  I think it is important that he gets a chance to sit by the door and just watch stuff go by (fairly close, as the road is maybe 15' from our door)...

All in good time, my pretty... er, handsome boy.  This is very different from his expansive yard with the 6' walls all around it at home.  The boy has had a lot of new stuff thrown at him on this trip.  After sitting at the door for a while, he moved to the dash...

He is a long boy.  Then back to the door, where he could check things out from the safety of the screen door once again.  Joan thought he might like to try some time on the patio...

First, some lap time (above); then trying out his own chair (below)...

"This is a lot, Dad."

"Yes, buddy, but we're down for a while.  No more driving for you, for a while."  (To be clear, Murphy hasn't helped with the driving, but he is good at sitting on the driver's lap and providing stress relief.)

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We know where you are...

My Visible data service was slower than I thought it should be.  You can only contact Visible via on-line chat.  I got on the chat and visited with a woman named Mariam.  She was not helpful.  I signed off the chat and immediately, my phone and data service... went away.  As in: I couldn't call out, couldn't receive a call, and had no data?

Coincidence?  I don't think so.  I think Mariam did something to zap my account.

I signed on to the campground wifi (painfully slow) and got back on the chat.  The guy who handled my case (yeah, I got a case number) assured me he would get it resolved.  It took about an hour and a half... but, it seems to be back.  Let this be a lesson: don't complain to Visible... "We know where your phone service is - it would be a damn shame for your phone service to have... an accident."  (You need to read that last line with a Jersey accent.) ;-)