Our first segment took us to Coastal Georgia RV Resort in Brunswick, Georgia. We were familiar with it since we had attended a Diesel RV Club rally there in March of 2014. It is a very nice campground that was built by a man who owned a motorhome and knew how he wanted it to be from the aspect of being a customer. The streets and pads are concrete with shrubbery between each site and well manicured grass.
The entrance to Coastal Georgia in Brunswick does not give a false
impression. The campground is as well kept as this sign
and office building.
We celebrated Byron’s birthday by having his favorite cake, German Chocolate, baked from scratch by Martha. That’s eating at its finest.
From Brunswick we went to Barnyard RV Park in Lexington, South Carolina. The biggest thing we noticed was the change in temperature. It was time to turn on the heat. Barnyard isn’t as it sounds. It is, however, a better name than Flea Market Campground which is actually what it is. The property is flat for this part of South Carolina and that was about the only thing going for this place other than the full hookup. But, since we were spending only one night, it wasn’t an issue.
Our next stop was in Jonesboro, Tennessee. This is near Lewis and Marcia Songer’s home in Johnson City where we spent the weekend visiting with Byron’s brother and sister-in-law.
Riverpark Campground sits on the Nolichucky River. Rafters are welcome
to use the campground as a place of getting in or out after an
afternoon of dealing with the rapids.
While in the area we drove to Greeneville to visit the Andrew Johnson National Historic Site which is, of course, maintained by the National Park Service. It was established to honor Andrew Johnson, 17th President of the United States, who became president after Abraham Lincoln’s death. The site includes two of Johnson’s homes, his tailor shop, and his grave site. At the Visitor Center there is a brief video that briefly covers Johnson’s life before, during, and after the presidency. For instance, we learned that he was a taylor by trade and was never considered wealthy. Though he did eventually have two slaves, he was sympathetic with the abolitionist movement and a proponent of keeping the Union together. His humble beginnings are similar to Lincoln’s. Lincoln, by contrast, married into a family of substance and Johnson did not. Johnson got involved in politics by not being afraid to speak out at public meetings. He was very “electable” while Lincoln lost more elections than he won.
The second house owned by Andrew Johnson in Greeneville. The house,
when originally constructed, was of the typical Federalist design
with two stories across the front and one level in the rear
plus a cellar. It was occupied by Confederate forces during
the Civil War. Before returning to it from Washington, the
house was added to making it two floors throughout.
The maid and house servant also lived in the house
along with the Johnson family.
On Saturday night we attended a fund-raising event for the Johnson City Symphony Orchestra with Lewis and Marcia held at a country club. Lewis, who has been the principle horn player for many years, is retiring from that position and was elected to become the President of the Board of Directors. On Sunday we attended church with them at Watauga Avenue Presbyterian Church in Johnson City.
On Monday we headed to Crossville, Tennessee to spend a few days before moving on to Barren River State Resort Park between Scottsville and Glasgow in south central Kentucky. We spent the weekend there with friends who are members of Scottsville Baptist Church, the first church Byron served from 1971 to 1975. You can imagine the good fun we had with five other couples on Saturday night. By the way, the current Minister of Music at Scottsville was in the youth choir when Byron was there. After worship on Sunday morning we drove to Bowling Green for a concert by the Kentucky Baptist Children’s Choir.
Becky Boling, Byron, and Paula Oliver – close in age and close in
interests (music) – outside the sanctuary of First Baptist Church
in Bowling Green, KY.
On Monday the 27th we went on to the Mammoth Cave area and spent the night at a Thousand Trails campground near Park City. That afternoon we went to the Visitor Center which, according to Byron, has changed vastly over the last 40 years. We didn’t have time to take a tour but did enjoy the springtime air.
A relaxing visit to the Mammoth Cave Visitor Center above the world’s
longest cave system and one of the older national parks in the US.
On Tuesday we took off for the Louisville area where we’d spend the next 20 days “at home” while staying at Add-More RV Park in Clarksville, Indiana. We were here in August of 2014 and found it to be quite handy for getting things done in Louisville. We each had appointments plus friends and family to visit and favorite places to eat.
Spring and the hatching of goslings on the lake out our front window
at Add-More RV Park – a joyous view.
Our first Sunday we attended St. Matthews Baptist Church where we have been members for nearly eleven years. On the next two Sundays we attended Highland Baptist Church where the pastor that performed our marriage is still the pastor, Joe Phelps.
This was the scene eleven years ago in the sanctuary of
Highland Baptist Church when we formally
joined our futures in a simple and private ceremony.
On Monday, May 18, we pointed our motorhome northward to travel to Wisconsin Dells where we would become “work kampers” at the KOA (Kampground of America) until September 20. Along the way we had dinner with Stan and Judy Bierce on Monday night and lunch, the following day, with Larry and Peggy Stahl.
On the next report we’ll cover our initial experiences at Wisconsin Dells KOA. Until then, enjoy a safe, fun, and healthy summer.
