Long Summer Trip
We like to head north for a long summer trip each year. Summers in Alabama are sweltering and it is good to get away for awhile. For two years in a row, the highlight of our trip has been the nüCamp rally in Sugarcreek, Ohio. As we head there and back, we visit states where we have not previously camped. This year, we were fortunate to also be able to connect with Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs and Friends and to reconnect with friends along the way.
Over the course of five weeks, we pulled our camper almost 3,000 miles and camped in seven states, five of which were new states for us and camping.
Southeastern T@Bs, T@Gs and Friends
This Facebook group, managed by Jeff Lackey, is quite active and we joined them at Vogel State Park in Blairsville, Georgia. It was the first stop on our trip. Also, our friends from Florida, Peggy and Chandler, met us there. We were so happy to be able to spend time with them. They are the best camping buddies ever!
It was great getting to know other nüCamp owners who are also relatively close to home. We hope to camp with members of the group often. We spent time with three couples from the group; Diana and Jeff, Victoria and Fred, and Lois and Gary. We also spent time with two single campers, Allison and Karen. All were very nice. There was a potluck one night and the food and company was amazing. We hiked with Jeff, Diana, and Karen, plus her dog, Cashew. We had not for planned a long hike, but Jeff and Diana offered water and snacks, plus loaned us hiking poles and a hat. They are both so nice!
nüCamp Rally, Focus of Long Summer Trip
The üCamp 19 event was awesome, despite some challenges with the weather. It is clear that nüCamp still engenders tremendous loyalty from its customers because of the service it provides and how its people treat the customers. One person this year, Robert Yoder, went out of his way to take care of a minor problem that was our creation.
Winklepeck was lovely and we had a spot with some shade that did not flood too badly.
We did the factory tour and saw the new, larger camper, the Avia. It was really nice, but we still are happy with our 400.
It was great to see Kevin, Gloria, and Sheryl, our neighbors from the 2018 rally. Two couples and one single lady we met at Vogel were also there. We had great neighbors again this year, especially Rosa, who was so generous with her homemade pumpkin cookies.
Five New States
Five new states will be added to our map from this trip: Virginia, West Virginia, Delaware, Maryland, and North Carolina. We had some great times! Below is a post for each state.
Delaware Camping at Cape Henlopen
North Carolina Camping, Mountain, City, and Coast
Virginia Camping, State, City and National Park
West Virginia Camping in the Mountains
Reconnecting With Friends
We met Mark and Heidi at a Tiny Christmas Campout in 2017 and have really enjoyed their company. They offered to let us camp on their property if we were ever in the area. It so happened that we wanted to visit Shenandoah National Park and they live just a few miles away, so we took them up on their offer.
Heidi and Mark live on a beautiful piece of property and we loved spending a few days taking in the views.
Heidi and Mark live closely to nature with a minimalist attitude. It is inspiring to be around them. They were wonderful hosts! Mark prepared a meal for us and they gave us honey and blackberry preserves they cultivated and prepared. We also played Mexican Train Dominos. We hauled the game around for five weeks and were glad for an opportunity to play.
One passion both Heidi and Mark share is their dog, Tru. He has a great life with them as his parents.
Heidi is an amazing woman. She completely built the house that is behind them. All the labor! I am blown away by her skills and because there doesn’t seem to be anything she won’t tackle.
Long Summer Trip and New Friends
Lastly, we met a lovely couple, Casey and Walt, at our campsite in Mount Pisgah. They are both charming and we really enjoyed their company. They are from Maryland and we were visiting there later in our trip. So, while camping near them, we met for dinner.
It is so nice when you meet people along the way that you really enjoy and have a rapport. Not everyone you meet falls into that category, which makes those who do so special.
We can go to new places and enjoy them without knowing anyone in the area and without really connecting in a significant way, but it is really good to enjoy travels with people who are special to you.
Safe Travels Everyone!
