Day 1 Tuesday April 28, 2026
It’s that time of year again for us to return to Stone Mountain State Park where we will be volunteering as Campground Hosts for the 11th year. Our first year was 2015 and we didn’t host in 2020 because the park was closed for COVID just before we were scheduled to depart for the park.
We got up early and got everything ready and departed about 7AM. We stopped at the Warsaw exit on I40 at the Sheetz Station to fill up with fuel. It was painful since we needed 100 gallons. We had not bought any fuel for the motorhome since November 2025. After filling up we went inside the store and had breakfast. Sheetz has fairly good Lattes and breakfast items.
We had a good drive with some rain before arriving at the park at 1PM. We got just enough rain after we passed Greensboro to get the motorhome and Jeep dirty. We left home with clean vehicles but that is okay. North Carolina needs rain very bad.
We got everything setup at our campsite in about an hour then had some leftover pizza for lunch. After lunch I setup our Starlink so we could access the internet and have a cell phone signal. We have lots of trees at the host campsite but I was still able to get a decent signal with the Starlink Mini Disk.
It has rained here this morning and is still cool, about 54 and overcast. It is predicted to be no more than about mid 50’s all week. Unless the state has lifted the state wide burn band there will not be any campfires in the campground until the ban is lifted. That will cut down on our work some since we won’t have to clean fire pits.
Day 2 Wednesday April 29, 2026
It was cool, overcast, foggy and light rain this morning. We left the park in heavy fog and drove to Jonesville to the River Roast Coffee Shop for our morning Latte fix. They usually have good coffee and a fairly good selection of pastries. It is a nice coffee shop with good seating and WiFi. They were busy this morning even at 9AM when we got there.
After getting some Internet stuff done we left and went to Ollie’s to get a campsite yard mat to replace one that has started to deteriorate from sun exposure.
On the way back to the campground we stopped at the Park Visitor Center to see if our supplies were there. Michael, the Superintendent was there and he was glad to see us. He said they hadn’t had a campground host since November and they haven’t had the funds to hire any Summer help so the Rangers have been having to checkin campers part of the time.
We got the keys assigned to the hosts but the radio and paperwork was not there. Ranger Rachael said she would get with Ranger Cassie to find out where the other items were located. Ranger Lynette, who we work for, is out on sick leave.
Michael told us they had replaced all the water hydrants in the park at a cost of approximately $51,000. The old hydrants were a constant maintenance issue. We asked about replacing some of the bad fire pits and he said they had 20 new ones and they would be installed this Fall when there weren’t as many campers in the campground. We noticed when we came in yesterday there is all new signage in the campground identifying the three campground loops and which site numbers are located in each loop and other street signs.
Before we left to return to our campsite I told Michael that the new hydrant at the hosts site was leaking water thru the backflow preventer. When we got back to the site two maintenance guys were already working on it and had it fixed in a few minutes. That is what I call quick service.
Superintendent Michael has only been here about a year and half and he has really done a good job of getting things done in the campground that had been neglected for far too long. He worked here a few years ago as a Ranger but transferred to New River State Park which is about 30 miles or so from here.
Day 3 Thursday April 30, 2026
Today was our first day of work and we WORKED. There hasn’t been a campground host here since November of last year. They never have one for December through February because there just aren’t enough campers at that time of year to justify having a host here.
They couldn’t get a host for March and April so we had to do some catch up worked on some sites to get them tidied up. Most campers leave the sites clean so normally it is things like bread ties, small pieces of candy wrappers(Hershey candy bars appears to be the candy bar of choice), plastic forks, cigarette butts in the fire pits, raking the tent pad areas, etc. Only a few of the fires pits needed cleaning since there is a state wide fire ban in place so there can’t be any wood or charcoal fires in the campground until the ban is lifted. This will make our job easier until the fire ban is lifted. But the park is losing money because they aren’t selling firewood. Normally the park sells a lot of firewood bundles.
We cleaned 67 sites today and between us walked about 5.5 miles. So we got our steps in. The weather was great so we enjoyed being outside. Tomorrow will be a much easier day because we will only have to clean the sites where a few campers are checking out and put out reservation signs.
One of the campers told us about a large tree limb that was partially broken off and was hanging over Big Sandy Creek which runs through the campground. Sometimes kids like to play in the creek in that area so it was a danger if the limb was to finish breaking off. I reported it to maintenance and they came and took the limb down.
Day 4 Friday May 1, 2026
The temperature is still cool in the morning but not cool enough for us to wear our hoodies like we did last year when we worked here in April.
We ate our morning fruit, I called maintenance on the radio to report two maintenance issues in the campground and then we went and put out the
44 reservations signs for campers coming in today. Then we returned and had the rest of our breakfast.
We returned to the campground about 10:30 to start cleaning the sites as the campers that were leaving this morning packed up and departed. The checkout is 12 noon now in all NC State Park campgrounds and checkin is 3PM. This gives us enough time to get the sites ready between campers if the new arrivals don’t get here early as some will do. We had all the sites ready before 12:30.
Then we returned to our site to rest a bit before lunch. After lunch Lena and I (yes me) baked a peach cobbler based on a recipe I found on YouTube. It is very simple, even I can fix it. It was good with some vanilla ice cream but when we fix it again we will do it a tad different. Lena fixed Jackie (the lady at the camper checkin station across from us) a bowl of the cobbler and I took it over to her. I told her it was good but not great. She said it would probably be better than the energy bar she was eating.
Our duties have been changed slightly this year which actually makes our job a little easier. With the fire ban we aren’t having to clean fire pits except when people level cigarettes butts and peanut hulls in the pits. And we don’t have to work any in the contact station checking in campers and we aren’t allowed to sell firewood even when the contract station is closed like we have in the past. We don’t even have the key anymore for the contract station which is the first time we haven’t had a key to it since we started 11 years ago. We don’t know why the changes were made but like I said it makes the hosts job a little easier. So we are okay with the changes.
Day 5 Saturday May 2, 2026
It was a cool 50 degrees with no sunshine this morning so after we had our breakfast fruit we donned our hoodies and went out in the campground to put out the reservations and check for any issues about 9am. We have 18 reservations today and 12 people checking out. Usually Saturday is a not as busy as Friday and Sunday. Then we came back to our site and finished our breakfast.
We got all the sites that were vacated ready by noon except two and both the occupants on those sites were late leaving for the 12 Noon checkout. One didn’t leave until 1pm.
We found out why some of the changes to the procedures took place. And it was as I expected. There was an audit done by the parks system and they put in place new policies about handling money and access to the computer system.
We picked up our reservations papers about 5:30 for tomorrow and made a final pass through the campground before calling it a day. Tomorrow will be a busy one.
Day 6 Sunday May 3, 2026
It was a cool 42 degrees with light wind when we got out this morning and we still can’t get the heater on the golf cart to work.🫣
We only have 16 reservations coming in today but we have a lot leaving so we will have lots of sites to clean. And the state wide fire ban was lifted this morning at 8am for 81 counties including the county the park is in. So that means the fire pits will begin to be used again so we will have fire pits to clean in a few days.
After putting out today’s reservations sign and having breakfast we returned to the campground to clean sites. Most of the campers that were leaving departed before 11am. Only two sites didn’t vacant by the 12 noon checkout but those sites were not reserved so it was not an issue. One of the maintenance men came out and helped with a few of the sites so we had every vacant site ready by 12:30pm. This is the first time anyone has helped us clean the sites on any day other than Mondays. Sometimes some of the maintenance crew will help on Mondays but never any other day.
With the fire ban lifted campers began buying firewood this afternoon. And the state has raised the price of a bundle of firewood from $7 to $11 at all state park campgrounds and there is only 8 pieces of wood in each bundle. Kind of an expensive campfire. That is what I call your money going up in smoke.
I picked up our reservation list for tomorrow about 5:30pm and made my last pass through the campground for the day. Some of the campers already had their camp fires burning.
Day 7 Monday May 4, 2026
Another hoodie morning when we got out at 8:30 to put out the reservations and clean a few vacated sites. Later after we finished our breakfast and returned to finish cleaning the remaining vacated sites we had removed the hoodies because the sun was out and it was really nice outside. We have several campers compliment us on the appearance of the campground and how clean everything is. It is nice to be appreciated. 🥰
One commented on the new water hydrants and how nice they were. We can’t take credit for them but we sure do like them compared to the old hydrants that were always causing problems.
We finished all the site preps by 12 noon. Three men from the maintenance crew and one ranger were out on lawn mowers mowing the road into the campground and all the campground. It was a good time because there weren’t many campers in the campground this morning after the ones departing had left. Freshly mowed grass makes the park look nice.
Day 8 Tuesday May 5, 2026
Today is our day off so we decided to eat breakfast at Saddleback Mountain Cafe in Ennice NC which is just a few miles from the Virginia border. We found this little country cafe a few years ago and have ate here several times. I ordered 2 pancakes and sausage this morning and could not eat all of it. Lena ate some of my pancakes and I still left some on the plate. I keep forgetting how big the pancakes are in this area.
Then we drove on to Galax VA for our Latte fix at Briar Patch Marketplace and Cafe. Lena also got a cinnamon bun. I didn’t need any more food. We normally come here at least one time when we work at Stone Mountain.
We needed a few groceries so we went to Walmart for those. I decided to go to Fancy Gap and drive back on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Parts of it has been closed for a couple of years for repairs. On the way we discovered the Mennonite Store in Woodlawn had opened back up as Market 58 Bakery and Deli. It has new owners and has been spruced up and they sell lots of bulk foods, sandwiches, etc. They have the Guggisberg baby Swiss cheese that we discovered in Berlin Ohio a few years ago so I got some and also some Guggisberg Amish Butter cheese to try.
On the way to the parkway we stopped to checkout a KOA campground at Fancy Gap that is very near the parkway.
The drive down the parkway was nice. Lots of bushes were blooming. There were large bushes with orange and bright orange flowers on them along the side of the road. We took some photos and I used the Seek app on my phone and it identified them as Flame Azalea. We have never noticed them before. We saw 3 deer and one wild turkey. We almost smacked one deer in the rear when she ran across the road in front of us. We also saw 2 deer leaving the park this morning.
Day 9 Wednesday May 6, 2026
Our second day off so we drove to North Wilkesboro to Talia Expresso for our Latte fix and a muffin. We have been here several times after discovering it a few years ago. It is one of the few coffee shops that have decent seats and tables. Can’t say much for their WiFi but our iPhone hotspot did the trick.
We took a few photos of murals along the street outside the coffee shop and then stopped to fuel up the Jeep in Wilkesboro. There is a North Wilkesboro and a Wilkesboro town side by side. North Wilkesboro is the old town and Wilkesboro is the more modern shopping district with Walmart, Lowe’s, etc.
From there we drove up a winding road to the Blue Ridge Parkway to ride it back to Hwy 21 just outside Sparta NC. Parts of the parkway was closed for most of the last two years for some much needed road and bridge repairs.
We got off the parkway and drove into Sparta to eat lunch at The Pines Restaurant. We both ordered flounder that came with two sides and hushpuppies for $11.99. They serve generous potions so we were stuffed when we left. If you are ever in Sparta we highly recommend The Pines Restaurant. Their food is excellent and generous portions for a fair price, better than most restaurants.
Then we returned to the park. We saw 7 deer and one wild turkey today. Five of the deer were on the parkway having a meeting on the road.
Day 10 Thursday May 7, 2026
It drizzled rain off and on last night and we got some light rain while we were out working in the campground. Not many in the campground after those that were scheduled to checkout departed. We only have 13 reservations for tonight.
Ranger Cassie stopped to talk to us and she asked about a car that was on one of the sites that hadn’t departed yet. I said he is preparing to leave now. She took a closer look and said he was wanted by the local Sheriff’s Department for domestic violence. She left and said she would call the sheriff’s department and let them know where he was.
We had an easy day but will make up for it tomorrow with 63 reservations coming in.
Day 11 Friday May 8, 2026
We had our breakfast fruit and went out about 9:00 to check the campground and put out the 63 reservations signs. We are finally getting some sunshine this morning. Sure seems good.
Then we finished breakfast and returned to check/clean all the sites before today’s reservations arrive. We had all sites ready about 12:30.
We made another peach cobbler today and we tweaked our recipe just a tad and I believe it is just a little better. A quick and delicious dessert.
One thing we have noticed more this year than any year we have volunteered here is where dog owners groom their dogs and just pile up the dog hair and leave it on the site. I am not talking about just a tuff of hair, I talking two double handfuls on one site. Now I don’t believe they would like to arrive at a site with a pile of dog hair on it. Of course some people think they are doing a favor for the birds because some birds will use hair in their nest building. But in that case just walk a few feet and put the hair in the woods that is right in the back of the campsites. Or just put in your garbage bag with the rest of your garbage.
We almost have a “full house” tonight. Only 3-4 unused sites tonight.
Day 12 Saturday May 9, 2026
Normal Saturday routine today, have breakfast fruit, put out reservation signs, answered questions from campers, return to motorhome have our bacon, eggs, oatmeal with strawberries and walnuts and our home made lattes.
Then we returned to campground about 10:30 to start cleaning vacated sites for today’s reservations.
Most campers will tell you how much fun it is sometimes watching other campers come in, back their RV on the site and setup. We have seen some interesting situations in our years of camping/RVing.
Well today we were on site 69 getting it cleaned and a car pulling a cargo trailer that had been converted to a camper pulls up in front of site 67. The woman gets out to help the driver back into the site. She is standing on the passenger side of the driveway for the site and the man can’t see her in his mirror. He starts backing up and I immediately knew he didn’t grow up on a farm because he didn’t know much about backing up a trailer. He stops and asks the woman how was he doing.
And here is what was funny to us:
She said “You are knife jacking”
He said “What?”
She said “You are knife jacking”
He said “I’m doing what”
She said “I mean you are jack knifing”
And he was jack knifing the camper. So he pulls up and tries again and after a few more tries he gets the camper backed up the driveway.
We hear all kinds of things working here.😂
We had 4 campers leaving a little after checkout time so we waited for them to finally pack up and leave. We got all the sites ready and then returned to the motorhome and had lunch and took it easy for the remainder of the day until I picked up our reservations report for tomorrow and made one more pass through the campground.
I stopped and talked with one couple that live in Raleigh now, that are Dutch, originally from the Holland area overseas and another couple is from Germany. 🇩🇪
Day 13 Sunday May 10, 2026
Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there.
I call today “shift change day” because all the weekend campers will be leaving and the 21 that come in today are normally retired people or some that are traveling in the area. Some of the retired people that know the park know that it is quieter in the campground during the week.
It seemed that those leaving today departed earlier than normal. But that made it easier for us to get the sites cleaned. We cleaned 43 sites and were ready for a rest by 2:30.
Today was the warmest day we have had so far this month. This afternoon has been really nice setting outside. Our site has so much shade it is several degrees cooler than those sites out in the sun. Our heaters ran this morning and the air conditioning this afternoon.
I picked up our reservations list for tomorrow and made a final pass around the campground about 6pm.
Between the two of us we walked about 5 miles today while we cleaned the sites.
