Wednesday, May 31, 2023

Stone Mountain State Park 2023 May 24-30, 2023

 Day 24 Wednesday May 24, 2023 We went to Dirty Joe's Coffee Shop in Elkin this morning for our Latte fix. The man that gave us the $10 gift card was there when we walked in and he remembered us. I asked him if he was the owner. He said no he was just a “Groupie”. Later we went to Combs Butcher Shop for some more of their sausage and their $1.59 pasture raised eggs. Then a quick stop at Walmart for a few items and back to the campground to unload everything before we drove to Sparta to meet Joe and Joyce at The Pines Restaurant. We met Joe and Joyce in 2018 on a Carnival Cruise. They were one of the four couples at our dining room table. We normally get up with them when we are at Stone Mountain but we failed to do that last year. We had a great meal and a great waitress. Much different experience than yesterday's.


After a good visit and meal we returned to the campground to rest up for the start of our last week here.

Our Site


Day 25 Thursday May 25, 2023 Two wild turkeys walked across the site next to us this morning and we saw the rabbits for the first time this year. But we have only seen the deer one time which is unusual. We had nice weather today so we cleaned several sites in preparation for a busy Friday.

Wild Turkeys


Day 26 Friday May 26, 2023 We have 58 reservations today which is about normal for a Friday. We started our rounds at 8AM. It is only 56 degrees this morning. We saw rabbits on the site next to us. Rain is in the forecast for the entire weekend and Monday so we will probably have some cancellations and “no shows”.

We have seen a lot of unique campers but never one like this one.


We decided to pack up most of our outside items so we would not have to pack it up wet. 


Day 27 Saturday May 27, 2023 We had 16 “no shows” last night as expected due to the weather forecast probably. It was 52 degrees and windy this morning so we put our hoodies on again. We thought we wouldn't need them anymore this trip but they felt good this morning while we did our morning routine.


I worked at the Contact Station for 1.5 hours during the lunch musical chairs routine. 


Rain started about 4:30PM so we put out the Sunday night reservation signs because the forecast for tomorrow is all day rain. 


Day 28 Sunday May 28, 2023 Rain, rain and more rain. There is only one site other than us in our loop of 37 sites with a camper on it. The loop we are in is basically a tent site except our site.


There was a little break in the rain so I made a pass through the campground taking up reservation signs for the sites where the campers had arrived and checking for any issues in the campground. I got a little damp before I finished. The golf cart we use has a top and windshield but no doors.


Lena did the laundry while I  checked the campground.


Day 29 Monday May 29, 2023 It was not raining this morning so we put out the reservation signs came back and ate breakfast and then checked and cleaned all the vacant sites in Loop B and C. We had already checked Loop A Friday and Saturday and not many had been used since then.


When we went to the dumpster to empty all our trash we found that the bears had been in the dumpsters again and scattered trash behind the dumpsters so we cleaned up all of that.


Not sure what can be done about the bears because if the park staff secures the dumpsters so the bears can't get into them then the bears might wander into the campground and cause worse problems. So far the bears are satisfied with the dumpsters.


Later in the afternoon we went to the Contact Station to get the reservation sheet for Tuesday so we could put those reservation signs out as our last job for the month. We said goodbye to Jackie and the new seasonal hire, Sarah.


When a camper checks in they are given a yellow card that is about 4” x 4” with their site number on it and the date they are checking out, plus a similar card to hang on their vehicle's mirror. They are supposed to put the 4  x 4 card on the post at their site where the site number is. This tells us as we make our rounds in the campground that they have paid and checked in at the Contact Station. When we were finishing our last pass through the campground we notice one camper had not put their card on the site post but they had put the card on the mirror. We stopped to tell them to put their card up. The lady walked out to us and said you are not going to believe this but our “dog ate it”. I told her we had heard several stories but had never heard that one, except when we were in high school when some students used that as an excuse for not having their homework.


Day 30 Tuesday May 30, 2023 We departed the campground at 8:45AM after breakfast and turning in our radio and keys to Ranger Hicks. 


It rained off and on about half the way home. We got home about 3PM and got some of our stuff out just before it started raining again. 


We are thankful for a good month and safe trip.



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