Asheville, NC; Jordan Lake, NC; Eagles Concert

We arrived in North Carolina about a week ago.  Great to be near family again as we wait for the arrival of our granddaughter (Cheryl and Darren are both doing fine).  We will be here until the end of November or so; it feels good to stay put for a while.

Jordan Lake State Park

Arriving at Jordan Lake State Park near Apex, NC, (just outside of Raleigh, NC) we had our pick of several campgrounds positioned around this large sprawling lake.  Some of the park's campgrounds start closing down at the end of October here, but they keep at least one campground open all year.  We picked "Poplar Point" campground since it is RV friendly and has water and electric hookups.  It was a little busy on the weekend, but cleared out a lot by Monday.  We've had some beautiful days here; October is a great month to be in NC! 

Poplar Point Campground - Jordan Lake State Park

We will stay here for about 10 days and then move to a private RV park a little southeast of Raleigh where we will be able to stay through the month of November.  (Note:  North Carolina State Parks have a policy that you can only stay in the same park a maximum of 14 days in a 30 day period.)  An interesting dilemma we had is finding an acceptable park in the area where we could stay for longer than the 14 days the State Parks allow.  We didn't think it would be that difficult, but this area proved to be a little bit of a challenge.  We preferred to stay in one spot if possible, fairly close to Cheryl and Darren, and have full hookups.  (Maybe a lot to ask for!)  We finally found something that will work, just kept digging around and making phone calls.

Smoky Mountains - Blue Ridge Parkway

On our way to the Raleigh area, we stopped in Asheville, NC for a couple of days.  Asheville is known for its' location in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, the grand Biltmore Estate, and other attractions.  We opted for a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway between Asheville and Marion, NC.   The Blue Ridge Parkway is part of the National Parks system and is referred to as "America's Favorite Drive".  Mount Mitchell (in Mount Mitchell State Park) along this section of the Parkway, is the highest summit east of the Mississippi River at 6,684 feet.  (Very limited camping available here.)

Blue Ridge Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway stretches 469 miles from Virginia to Tennessee, connecting Shenandoah National Park and Great Smoky Mountain National Park and is closed to commercial vehicles. With sharp curves and low tunnels, the Parkway is generally not suited for large RV's, so the short section we drove was in the car.  You can pick up the Parkway in many locations and drive as little or as much of it as you want.


There is a Blue Ridge Parkway Visitors Center in Asheville with driving and hiking maps available. The scenic drive provides a slower pace, with lots of overlook areas to pull off on, points of interest, and hiking opportunities.  A beautiful and interesting drive since one minute you can be in complete sunshine and the next in the low clouds that make the mountains "smoky".
 

Greensboro Coliseum

Shifting gears a little; we were very excited when the timing of our NC arrival worked out for us to go to the Eagles Concert in Greensboro on the 17th.  It seemed only fitting since the blog name is a tribute to our favorite band; one of their hits being "Life in the Fast Lane" (which they played as their final song before encores).  The Greensboro Coliseum is only a little over an hour from Jordan Lake.

Deacon Frey - new "Eagle"

T.B.Schmit, V.Gill, D.Henley, D.Frey, J.Walsh, S.Smith

You'll have to indulge me while I get a little carried away writing about the concert. As you may know, after band leader and co-founder, Glenn Frey,  passed away last year, the band's future was uncertain; but with the addition of Glenn's son, Deacon Frey, and country artist Vince Gill, they are able to put on quite a show.  Along with long time Eagles, Don Henley, Timothy B. Schmit and Joe Walsh, they played all the old favorites and left the sold out Greensboro Coliseum (mostly baby boomer) crowd very happy.  The "Hotel California" encore was terrific as they are getting ready to release a 40th anniversary edition of the Hotel California album in November.

"Tequila Sunrise"

The older members of the band are about to turn 70, if you can believe that.  We loved the concert and enjoyed talking to other "baby boomers" seated around us. 

"Already Gone"

"Already Gone" performed by the Eagles is another favorite.  Maybe a little wisdom in the lyric?:

    "so often times it happens that we live our lives in chains; and we never even know we have the key"


Everyone has different life passions and dreams; remember to consider the possibilities.

"Work Station" - Jordan Lake

Back to Jordan Lake; we had our first dinner guests over since leaving Michigan.  Cheryl, Darren, and Darren's parents, Sharon and Sylvan stopped over on a beautiful evening for hot dogs on the fire and s'mores.   We got to show them the motorhome and enjoyed stories and laughs around the fire.

We have logged over 5,000 miles since leaving Michigan in early September and have enjoyed every one.  It will feel good to spend the next month or so here in NC.  Posts may be a little less frequent, but still plan on passing along experiences and information on the RV lifestyle.