I sit here at my desk, thinking about what I need to do to get ready for this weekend’s camping trip. And my mind wonders to my blog and my Vlog.   I wonder if I should be filming some of this, but it seems so routine and boring. Then again, so does “the Kardashians”.  Alright, I can’t bring myself to compete with the very bottom of the septic tank.  I know people get curious; they want to know what other people are like.  Sometimes it’s easier just to go next door and ask if they would like to share a cold beverage though.  The internet has allowed us to be so much braver, since we are anonymous and hidden. Which leads me to another thought, going on next to me.

A coworker just returned from a week at the beach. They were all upset because they thought they left their 9mm semi auto pistol under the pillow in the hotel.  What is wrong with someone they believe they need to sleep with a gun (loaded) under their pillow.  I really just can’t get my head around the idea that such a thing would be necessary.  And my other co-workers were agreeing that has almost happened to them too.  Would you really expect you need to have your gun handy while sleeping at a 4 star beach resort hotel on the 5^th floor.  It’s like a “drug” that you really just can’t control.  It’s a case of “I have it, so I can’t live without it”.

Sorry, I was distracted by this ongoing conversation.  Anyhow, I just got a NEW solar panel for the Aliner.  I will be installing it over Labor day week.  Upgrading from 100watts to 210watts, going

hopefully from 5 amps/hr to 10 amps/hr.  Also upgrading the controller to an MPPT that will work with Lithium, in case I upgrade the battery someday soon to lithium.  I would ALSO have to upgrade the camper power convertor, because it only works with lead acid batteries.  So keep an eye on the blog and Vlog for those videos. In the meantime I will of course continue to camp/hike/explore with Akela.

Oh, I don’t know if I mentioned this before, we are heading to an Aliner Owners Club Rally in Mississippi Sept 30^th.  Hoping to meet some viewers or readers and maybe make a few new ones. Also, the Rallies are always very good for seeing new mods and getting ideas for improving on the camper.  So I hope to get some great ideas there. If your looking for ideas or answers, drop me a comment and I’ll look at the others trailers to see if there are things to share.   I want to modify the rear bed so it lifts up using gas struts. I have a bunch of things buried under the bed now, and it is very hard to get into the water tanks and water heater.  I may want to increase the bed from a twin to a full size or double some time in the future.  It’s just a possibility, since many of my viewers are couples and may want to see the mod.

As for some details on my recent videos, I returned to Julian Price Campground in July.  It was hot everywhere, but not there!!  Camping at the top of the Blue Ridge Parkway is a great idea when its mid-summer.  I did a previous review of the campground in 2018, and it is still applicable, as not much has changed. The bathhouse was brand new when I did the other video, and it is still in super new shape 3 years later. So good to see that.  I wish they would put in another one, but I understand that one was “Donated” by an individual and isn’t likely to be duplicated. The Other thing I “discovered” while camping there this time was that the areas I previously called “Parking spaces” are actually considered actual RV campsites.  I camped at one, it was a little weird being parked along the road, and being considered “in a campsite”, but of course during the night the road was never used so it wasn’t bad.  For me, I am never at the camper during the day except for a few minutes to pick up something and then go somewhere.  We even attempted to see the full moon rise at 8pm and drove down the parkway quite a ways.  Unfortunately, just as I found the perfect spot to lie on the grass with Akela and his stick, the clouds rolled in and obliterated the sky.   It tends to happen every time! So to finish out this point on Julian Price, we hiked the Boone Fork trail, and as last time, it was pretty busy. However, it was well worth the time and effort.  While it has a few hard spots up and down, there are so many great places to stop and enjoy the waterfalls and pools. It really doesn’t feel like a long hike.  The heat was worse than the miles.  Next time I’ll remember to bring my water shoes.  Akela brought his!!

I also spend a weekend at Mills River Campground in the Pisgah National forest.  This is such a nice little campground.  And it is right at the very best place to explore the National Forest.  It was too bad the road going beyond the campground was closed.  I’m hoping that was because of the COVID 2020-2021 thing and will be open again in the future. Otherwise a lot of great dispersed camping spots are out of reach for car campers.  That could be a boom for bicyclists or hikers, but they already have most of the forest at their disposal. As a campground though, this one has good stuff.  Fishing and wading, playing in the stream, hiking, biking, and exploring.  The local wildlife birds, mammals, bears and deer, are all prevalent. There are many great wildflowers (just a bit more Poison Ivy than I like).  So if you can get in to Mills River, get there and enjoy it.

I hate to say anything about a campground based on the people who are there at any particular time.  Campers can change with season, year, and economy.  In a bad economy, it can be just rich snotty people or poor homeless like people.  Any campground has this potential.  The Campground is made great or terrible by the host who watches over the place and service people who care for the facilities at the campground.  So if you ever feel something is wrong, please contact the local administrators.  Hosts are usually great, first year hosts can be iffy as they get their feet underneath them, so they need some understanding. But, always stop by the host and let them know you appreciate their service and that they are doing a good job. I have considered being a campground host. In some areas they are paid and sometimes they can change out in as little as 3 weeks.  I think that would be fun.  And it is possible in the distant future Akela will not be able to travel as much as he does now.  I’m not sure if I’m going to trust him to drive while I nap once he gets over 10yrs old! He is already easily distracted by squirrels and Rabbits!

And way far back in time,  I did a nice video on “Hiking on Top of The World”.  Which was a hike we took on Pond Mountain Gamelands in the upper North West corner of North Carolina.  We took a few wrong turns and it ended up being a very long and hot hike of about 9 miles.  Not a good hike for Akela as there was very little water for him to cool down in. I think one icky mud puddle.  But he was ready to go again the next day, so no harm done.  But I do watch him pretty carefully on hot days.  I did have water for him, but he won’t drink my water.  He is fussy !  The trail is a long trail up and over several tops of hills and so the views are just spectacular.  Its not a hike I would want to do during a thunderstorm, but it other wise it is just awesome.  And the number of flowers and birds we saw was pretty great too.   The top of the mountain has some great camping areas. The State ranger told me you’re not supposed to camp there except during the hunting season. The land is actually part of a conservation preserve and they allow hiking but not camping. There were quite a few folks on the top of the mountain when we first started out.  But none of them did the trail past the building at the top of the road.  I believe your suppose to have a special “Gamelands License” to hunt on the gamelands.  Or pretend to hunt (like I do).  I have been warned several times by law enforcement that even being in the woods with a camera is considered “hunting” as it still disturbs the wildlife.  They haven’t given me a ticket yet though, so I’m not sure how serious a violation it would be.  Any decent judge would probably throw it out I bet.  Where can I find a decent Lawyer to ask?

Anyway, time to quit for the day,  Hope this wasn’t too long for y’all. (I’m learning “southern”)  Feel Free to to Buy something off the RV Shopping Page. Earn a very small credit on amazon and it doesn’t effect the price you pay at all. It does help support the channel and the blog.  So, get out and enjoy the world! We’ll hope to see you on the road!

Rick & Akela.