Beginnings…Better Late Than Never

Today marked a momentous day in our lives. At approximately 9:15 am this morning we eased Big Ass Pearl, our F-350, and our home on wheels gently out of Site #4 at Chester Frost Park in Chattanooga, TN. Headed for our first true, life on the road, destination.

We thought this day was years in our future but thanks to Covid accelerating inevitable changes in the world. Our course changed. Then at the last minute life stepped in and delayed our plans. However, today that all changed and while this journey is both early and late in it’s initiation. It is finally here and real.

So after dumping tanks we pointed Big Pearl north on I-75 and put the hammer down. This is by far the furtherest we have taken our new 5th wheel. Let me say that I love pulling it. It wasn’t much different than just driving the truck here. Not the white knuckles event pulling the travel trailer could sometimes be. Look, it’s all about the tow vehicle and more is more.

With everything that has happened of late we have not been able to plan. The prevailing sentiment is that you need to book at least a year in advance and we have not been able to make any plans. So once it became clear the Mom and Dad were safe and settled we started making plans. Instead of a big sweeping trip, wandering where ever our wanderlust took us. We decided to plan shorter excursions with a week or two back home to check on family and see grandkids.

So now we have a plan, where are we going? I sat down and started researching destinations and campgrounds. Yes, some we wanted were booked but we started booking destinations. WAIT!!! A little ways into our booking we find out Cathy has to work some events. Ok, Shorten that stay. Cancel that booking and so forth. But finally we at least had our first 3+ week adventure planned including a 3 day stay for Cathy to work an event.

I will say that our choices may not have been our preference but Hey there is a major camping holiday one week into our trip. So availability has had a lot to do with our choice of location. Oh and I have to ensure I have strong enough signal for my hotspot and that we have a decent area for Cathy to prospect customers for her new job. Booking on short notice means you will probably stay in places you wouldn’t have. It’s just a little more adventure.

Let’s also not forget that this is Campsitebrews and part of our mission is to explore local breweries and tap houses. It’s a good thing I enjoy research and planning.

So back to heading north on I-75. Our destination. Anchor Down RV Resort. Located in Dandridge, TN and less than 30 minutes from Pigeon Forge. Now we are not the most Boujee couple out there but we could get used to places like this. This is somewhere between camping and staying at a resort. I mean there’s water slides and nice bathhouses and Laundry rooms. I’m not sure why there are bathhouses since every site has sewer hookups, but hey they are here and they are very nice. There’s a pool with a fancy water slide but no swim up bar or fancy restaurant.

I don’t want to use the term Glamping because to me that refers more to your accommodations or rig. If I pitched a one man tent here I wouldn’t be Glamping but since we have a house on wheels we are always Glamping. But it nice to have a concrete pad and a fireplace with a killer view of the lake. We were met outside the office by a nice lady at our truck window asking if we were the Honeycutt’s. She handed us our info packet with a map marked with the best path to our campsite.

Cathy had to rent a golf cart and we drove it around until time to turn it in. The battery was pretty much shot by then. This is a super nice RV Resort and while the prices are well above what you will find at a State Park they are not much more than you would pay for a standard RV Park where your neighbors sewer connection is a step or two from your front steps. I’ve seen RV Resorts for much more than what we paid that were no where near this nice. So while it’s not cheap I would rate it a good value.

We enjoyed some time in the pool after setting up. Met a super nice couple from North Carolina and found a cool little bar and seafood restaurant three minutes away. The place was called Cowboys On The Water Bar and Seafoood. It evidently used to be a restaurant but is now a food truck on the water with outdoor seating. The food was very good and most of the patrons, of which there were plenty, came off the water and parked at the sizable dock. They don’t have a website but they do show up in maps. Cathy had a Philly Cheesesteak and I had a grouper sandwich. The fries and cole slaw are very good. Beer menu is limited, no craft beer here, but who doesn’t enjoy a Corona by the water.

So we are less than a day into our first trip, about 10 hours, and we are having the best time. I’m sitting here in front of the fireplace. Under the stars as I write this. The Cicadas are singing. I’ve got some country music playing softly. The fire is down to glowing embers and a light breeze blows from time to time. The air has a chill to it. I can see Jupiter glowing brightly above me. Fancy ass resort or not its is hard to find any negatives.

Let me say this about Anchor Down. There’s not much to complain about. It’s an experience and worth a visit. We are looking forward to exploring Dandridge this week. Tomorrow night we are hitting up a local brewery. We plan to eat at my favorite steakhouse, Ye Olde Steakhouse, while we are here. Cathy and I will share more story’s and information as we explore this area

We leave Anchor Down in a few days and move a few minutes down the rode to a farm. I will write about that in a separate post. Brewery hopping in Asheville is also in our near future.