Stone Mountain State Park NC - Days 1-7

Day 1 – Tuesday March 29, 2016 We departed at 7:45AM for Stone Mountain State Park near Roaring Gap, NC. We will be working for the month of April as the Volunteer Campground Host, like we did last year for the month of March.

We stopped in Wallace to fuel up and get some breakfast before continuing on our way. Everything was just fine until 12:05PM about 2 miles West of Greensboro NC on I40 when the right front tire exploded. It sounded like a shotgun going off. We were in the right lane so I was able to pull over quickly to the emergency lane. I quickly got out and set up emergency cones and a reflective emergency triangle and then called our roadside assistance company, Coach Net, to get someone to bring us a tire and install it. By 2:30PM we had a new tire installed but when the service man got the old tire off we discovered the brake air line for that wheel was also broke. That required another call to Coach Net to have a second service man dispatched to get a replacement air line. It was 5:45PM before the second service man arrived. He quickly removed the broke line and took it with him to get a replacement. He returned and had the new line installed by 6:30PM so we got on our way.

View when we stopped

After getting tire off tie rod

We were told by the service company that they could crimp the broke air line and we could drive on to Winston-Salem to one of their shops there. The only problem would be not having brakes on that wheel. I did not feel comfortable doing that so we chose to wait and get repaired on site. I didn't know when I made that decision that we were third in line for the service man and it would be over 3 hours before he could get there. But everything considered we were fortunate to not have this problem in a remote area and also we had a good place to pull off and the blown tire was on the side to allow the service man to work away from the traffic.

Broke brake air line

If you don't realize how many 18 wheelers travel I40 outside Greensboro sit about 3 feet off the travel lane for over 6 hours and you will know. It seemed like one pasted every couple of seconds.

We arrived at Stone Mountain State Park Campground at 8PM and quickly got set up just as the last rays of daylight was fading away.

Day 2 – Wednesday March 30, 2016 After breakfast we went to the visitor's center/office to meet Ranger Hicks to get the keys we needed and get an update on the changes in our duties from last year. The park had hired some more help to operate the Contact Station were we worked last year from 4:30PM until 1 hour before park closing but the person quit after one day so she asked us to operate the Contact Station tonight. They have a new person starting tomorrow. We worked until 8:15PM checking in campers, selling firewood, ice and camper store items.

Day 3 – Thursday March 31, 2016 I grilled bacon for breakfast and from 10AM until noon we cleaned sites, talked to some of the campers and hung reserved signs on the 13 sites that were reserved for tonight. Having a park employee in the contact station will cut down the hours we have to work and allow us more time out in the campground. We are thinking we like the new procedures. It rained quite a bit during the night.

Day 4 – Friday April 1, 2016 After breakfast I got the list of reservations for campers coming in today. There were 54 on the list. We hung the reserved signs on the sites, removed those from yesterday and cleaned the sites that needed it. After lunch we did a restroom check for supplies and maintenance issues. I found a problem with a light so we meet Ranger Hicks at the contact station so she could call the maintenance crew. Later we rode through the campground a couple of times and stopped and talked to some of the campers, answered questions, etc. I talked to a couple of campers that had been fishing in the streams here in the park and they had caught several fish. There were several young children out enjoying their push scooters and other toys. We got another light rain shower during the night. The campground is full tonight.

Day 5 – Saturday April 2, 2016 After breakfast I got the reservation list and we pulled yesterdays reservation signs and put up those for today and cleaned the sites that needed it. We are definitely liking the new procedures compared to last year. Not that last year was bad, just we don't have to set in the contact station for 4 hours or so in the evenings and check in campers, sell wood and ice. Now we have more time to be out in the campground which is what the new park Superintendent wants. We relieved Wilma in the Visitor' Center from 12 to 1PM so she could take a lunch break.

Then we returned to our motorhome for lunch and relaxed. Later we rode through the campground a couple of times before dark to check everything before calling it a day.

Day 6 – Sunday April 3, 2016 Today started out cold and windy but warmed up by Noon when we went to relieve Wilma at the Visitor's Center for lunch. We answered questions about trails, etc., and sold t-shirts and patches. We returned to the motorhome for lunch and then put out the reservation signs on the reserved sites and cleaned several that had been vacated. Most of the campers leave on Sunday.

Day 7 – Monday April 4, 2016 We awoke to another cool morning but the sun was out and it soon turned into a beautiful warm day. After breakfast we removed the necessary reservation signs and helped the park maintenance staff clean/rake the remaining unoccupied sites. One of the staff worked on the golf cart we are assigned to help with the gear shifting. We had trouble last year and the same this year getting it to go into gear. He adjusted the idle speed and that seems to have solved the problem.

I got out our Dutch Oven and cooked a rack of my “almost world famous” ribs for lunch. Mummm they were good. We relaxed and read for awhile. I relieved Lance in the Contact Station from 4-5PM so he could eat. Then I cleaned a few sites that had been vacated before calling it a day.