Chattanooga to Flat Rock, NC

Well...we are back in North Carolina.  This time we are on the western side....in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  Hendersonville (actually we are in Flat Rock, but that's just a speck) is about 20 minutes south of Asheville.  This is a beautiful part of the state.  This park ... Lakewood RV Resort is an adult only (55+) park.  It's on a hillside with lots of huge shade trees.  The park is impeccably maintained and even though there are quite a few permanent residents...there is no clutter or "shabby" rigs (as we have seen in some of the other parks).  All the sites have large concrete patios and are beautifully landscaped.  They also have a great clubhouse with a (free) full size pool table, an air-conditioned laundry room, fitness center, a pond and a huge covered deck overlooking the pool and grounds.  We plan to check out the pool table tonight while we're doing laundry.

The 4.5 hour trip over was spectacular...especially the last few hours.  From Knoxville to Asheville, we crossed over the Blue Ridge mountains.  We were lucky...there is a big part of I-40 that just re-opened (after being closed for over a year) due to a massive rock-slide.  These mountains are some of the most beautiful I've ever seen.  Everything is covered in huge hardwoods as well as some evergreens and there is water everywhere.....crystal clear rivers, lakes and mountain creeks.  And the people seem very friendly.  We've been here less than 24 hours and have already met several of our neighbors. 

After we got set up yesterday, we took a drive into Hendersonville.  It's an okay town...a bit small but in a pretty setting.  We're keeping our fingers crossed that this park goes well.  Selling ad's seems to be getting tougher and tougher. 

 Our two weeks in Chattanooga was good and bad.  On the business side....it was tough.  But on the recreational side, it was great.  Chattanooga is an awesome place.  We had no idea.  It's clean and incredibly scenic.  The downtown area is set in a valley on the Tennessee river with several "mountains" all around.

One evening after work, we went up the the Raccoon Mountain Pumping Station and took some pictures. This place is less than a mile from our park.....

.....apparently they take water from the Tennessee river and pump it up to a man-made lake at the top of the mountain.

That water is then channeled through the mountain and used to make electricity. During times of low electrical usage, the water is then pumped back up to the reservoir. Pretty interesting and incredible views of the river and downtown Chattanooga from the top.

Just before we left, we ventured up to the top of Lookout Mountain.  There is a quaint little town at the top, complete with a post office and some cute restaurants.  There is also an incline railway, a civil war battleground, a "rock city", a cave, a waterfall and some of the most impressive vistas you'll ever see.  They say you can see 7 states from the top.  Not sure about that, but the view of downtown and the Tennessee river is jaw dropping.  And many of the homes up there have that view....O....M.....G!!!

The first weekend we were there, we found a great Mexican restaurant downtown with a rooftop bar overlooking the riverfront park.  We snagged a table outside just as it stared to rain....but with the overhang and our table umbrella we stayed completely dry.  After dinner, we wandered down to the park (the rain didn't last long) just as the summertime live concert series band was starting up.  It was a country-rock band from Nashville called Telluride.  They have an album out and are very good.  It's such a great setting....with an amphitheater leading down to the river and  water taxis, riverboats, barges and pleasure boats chugging up and down the river.  Even the Delta Queen (the flagship for Delta Queen Steamship Company) is parked across the river (it's now a floating hotel).

 The park we were in (Raccoon Mountain RV Park), was great too.  Not the most deluxe park....it was much more like a campground than an RV park.....with more vacationers (rather than full-time RV'ers).  Lots of kids too.  We had a great site with a view of mountains as well as the go-kart track.  It was fun to watch all the activities there all day.

Well...guess I better close this post....it's getting a bit long. Hope you are enjoying our blog. Stay tuned!