On Our Way

May 28, 2017

Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Tennessee

Our departure was delayed two days due to an illness in the family. We finally got on the road at around 3:30 PM on Thursday, May 25 and decided to save camper set up and take down time by overnighting in a hotel. We used some reward points for a free night at Fairfield Inn in Wytheville, VA just a little south of Hokie Country (Blacksburg). We thought that if we got an early start the next day, we could get to Cedars by 2-2:30, have time to set up camp, and be able to join our friends Ay and Em for dinner and the Grande Ole Opry.

The trip to Wytheville was plagued with heavy rain, high wind, and hail. Not fun. At one point, after refueling, a motorist pulled alongside and pointed to the side of our RV. The sewer compartment hatch had opened up and was sticking straight out of the side of the rig. We pulled over and closed the hatch and pulled on it to ensure it was secure. Fortunately, nothing fell our and it did not give us any more trouble for the rest of the drive. But we checked it every time we stopped.

About 20 minutes later, we saw flashing blue lights in our mirror and pulled over onto the shoulder. The state trooper pointed to our steps and said, “that’s a problem”. Drivers had called 911 to report that our steps had not retracted and they were having to dodge them. WOW!!! We were lucky the steps did not get hit and torn off. I think they got hung up on the ground when we stopped to close the hatch – and then did not retract when we drove off. Fortunately, there was no damage to the steps.

Now, we thought that parking the RV at a hotel would be simple. It took 45 minutes! First, finding a safe place that would allow us to turn around on leaving and a spot that was somewhat level was difficult. The service road to the hotel was plenty wide, but had a very high crown and was on a slightly steep hill. When we deployed the leveling jacks, the right side wheels were several inches off the ground. This did not sound safe, so we moved back along the road to a more level location. This was a little better, but we were still “feet high”. Finally, we moved to a dead-end road with no businesses along it and parked right in the middle of it. The front left wheel was still an inch or so off the ground, but we gave up at this point and left it for the night.

The hotel was great. Fairfield Inns are generally great facilities and this one was no exception. We had a large suite with a comfy king bed, sofa, desk, microwave and refrigerator. There was free breakfast and plenty of coffee the next morning.

Getting underway was easy and we were on the road by 7:30. We drove through more rain, but not as bad as on Thursday. We stopped to refuel at a Pilot, pulled into a rest stop to prepare and eat lunch, and continued our drive. In Crossville, TN we stopped at a Wal-Mart to stretch our legs and pick up a few forgotten items. The break felt good.

We arrived at Cedars of Lebanon State Park around 2:30 on Friday May 26. The park is deep in a cedar forest and is fairly large. However, we are disappointed in how close together the RV sites are – more like a commercial campground than the public ones we have experienced in Virginia. The pads are paved, but have lots of grit and gravel. The roads to access the campsites are narrow but trees are well trimmed and don’t pose a hazard as long as drivers are careful to say in the center of the roadway. There are electric and water hook ups in good condition. Despite the proximity of units and the number of people in camp, it is very quiet and peaceful most of the time. Rest room and shower facilities are as clean as one could expect.

Friday evening we left the park for dinner at Mission Bar-B-Que in Opry Mills in Nashville. Following dinner, we took in the live radio show at the Grande Ole Opry Theater. It was great!!

On Saturday, we relaxed most of the day and attended the wedding of a daughter of a friend of Ay and Em. Sunday was spent touring The Hermitage, home of General Andrew Jackson, war hero and seventh President of the United States, dubbed “The People’s President”. We also toured the Belmont Mansion in downtown Nashville.