Boone-dog-all

Day 1

As the Toad was being attach the voyagers received one last goodbye & hugs from A neighbor, Larry Wu.  The Smitanic left the Tasman dockage around 1:30 as checkin at the campground was not until 4:00. The first planned stop was Mebane at the Pilot station.  Kevin had challenged Theresa to try a turn at the wheel from there to just outside Wilkesboro. After filling both diesel and DEF tanks. Theresa accepted the challenge and took the drivers seat for the first time in the Smitanic II.  Kevin talked her through each maneuver as she got up to speed and entered the interstate. Other than hugging the right side of the lane, she was able to make several lane changes, manage the speed on hills and control the downhills and curves.  She drove 100 miles to a rest stop just outside of Wilkesboro where she was happy to turn the wheel back over to the professional. Here the toad was unhooked to allow better maneuverability going into the campsite.  

Bandits Roost  is a state park and an US Corps of Engineers reservoir which allowed Theresa to use her Senior pass for a 50% discount.

The reserved site was right on the lake with a narrow pad for the RV and steps down to a large picnic and campfire area.  The 8 ft. wide Smitanic was positioned as far to one side as possible so that with slides out a person could almost get to the steps to the lower area!  Water & 50amp were hooked up, there was no sewer just a dump station. The Jacks would not self-level so the air bags were used to level.
Dinner was urkylurky from leftover rice, pork loin,broccoli, corn with some saucy sauce and cheese, and edamame at the picnic table looking over the lake.  The temperature was in the mid to upper 80s and with high humidity and limited breese the couple did not last long outdoors. That evening one of the 3 air conditioners seemed to freez up resulting in no cool air coming out of the unit.  Kevin elected to power off the faulty air conditioner in hopes that it would thaw out.

Day 2
A side trip to Boone was scheduled to get the Snaggy Mountain house ready for new property management company Hidden Creek prop mgnt to take over the vacation rental service .  The couple had a 1pm appointment with professional photographer who would produce a 3d tour of the property for marketing purposes. The team elected to start their day with a 4 mile walk of the Maze trail at Bass lake in Blowing Rock to set the day’s positive mode.  The walk was followed up with a quick stop at Comeback Shack for lunch and on up to the  Snaggy Mountain Retreat. To Kevin’s surprise the House was found unlocked! Probably for 2 weeks since the last rental by the previous manager! Argh!

The photographers were met and shown the property so they could take pictures and a drone fly over.  After the quick tour Kevin, Theresa and Grandpa did errands to Lowe’s, Walmart and Mast General Store to kill time.  Keys were made and dropped off at the prop mgmt office. Kevin also asked the new property managers to get someone to fix a plumbing issue not addressed completely by the previous mgmt .  They said no problem. So far so good. The photographer was just finishing the drone flyover as the owners returned. Next we’re several repair and preparation tasks including:
- Put new insides in mbr toilet not addressed by previous manager
- Count sheets and towels and mark
- Replace burnt out light bulbs
- Mount a bottle opener
In checking grease tray on the grill, Kevin found the propane tank empty and the entire bottom of the grill had rusted completely out... even though it has been covered.
Guess there would need to be a return trip again tomorrow to get a new grill.  Kevin emailed the new prop mgr to ask about hauling the old grill away and they said the guy who comes out to fix plumbing can haul it away.  Another point for them!
It was getting late so the remaining touch up would be done tomorrow.
Dinner was pulled pork from a previous evenings feast, Cole slaw, mashed potatoes and baked beans (Kevin’s favorite meal).

An after dinner stroll to the beach area to see the sunset was less than serine due to a fellow Tiffin owner obnoxiously playing loud music. When Kevin informed him of his selfish behavior the camper jumped out of his chair and approached Kevin.  Kevin informed him that he approved of the Music selection and suggested others might want to enjoy the sounds of mother nature and not Santana. The gentleman backed off as Kevin strolled past.

Day 3

The State Farm trail in Boone would provide today’s step count before heading to Lowe’s to pick out a new grill for Snaggy.  The grill was locked into place with a bike cable and covered. All owner items were secured in a locked closet and extra sheets and towels placed the maids closet.  One final walk around and the door was locked. Hopes were high that the new property manager would take good care of the place!

Day 4 - Scythian in concert 

The morning was spent lounging at the campsite and putzing around the RV and walking Grandpa.  Then it was off to catch an early dinner at a steakhouse close to the Wilkesboro campus where the concert was to be held.  

The concert was billed as a welcome back to campus for the students at Wilkesboro community college.  Kevin and Theresa made bets on how much the 2 senior citizens would raise the mean age for concert attendees.  Upon entry the wager was lost as the average age group was about 55 - 65. However there was not much diversity in the audience, perhaps a bluegrass and Celtic thing.
The band was high energy and got the audience dancing in the aisles.  They were also very family oriented comprised of 2 brothers & a sister to head up the band.  Several kids were invited up on the stage for the encore finale. A great time! Scythian even does several trips to Ireland which would be a hoot!

The next morning the Smitanic would exit and head to a Luxury RV Resort southern of Asheville, NC called Mountain Falls.