Lynchburg / Blue Ridge Parkway KOA Holiday
Saturday
Our first and only stop to the campground was the Bojangles, 9265 US Hwy 29, Blairs, VA 24527. There is plenty of room for camper parking, just drive slow so you do not hit pothole. When we stop here to eat a meal, I always take a picture of our rig. I will refer to our rig as the North Pole, because that is her name and also what is on her plates. If you see us on the road, give us a wave.
Next door to Bojangles is a Circle K and there is a CAT Scale there to weigh your rig. I always try to weigh at the start and end of the season with a fully loaded camper. My max, loaded, is 3850 pounds and so far, I have never been above 3600. If you do not know how much your rig weighs, you are taking risks that you should not be.
Once we were setup, we called our family to let them know we had arrived and they came and joined us for supper. We had hot dogs, chips and coleslaw with apple cobbler for dessert.
I love to cook in our small Dutch oven, but sometimes the cleanup can be a hassle. We found a cake liner at the Dollar Tree will fit perfectly inside our Dutch oven and did not leave a mess at all.
Dutch Oven Apple Cobbler (Small #2 Dutch Oven)
1 can of Apple Pie Filling
- Put hot charcoal under pot ( about 12 coals) and on top of lid (about 8 coals) and let it preheat while you prepare the rest
- Open can of apple pie filling and put on bottom of liner (NOTE: if you are using a full size Dutch oven you may need two cans of pie filling.)
- Mix up entire box of muffin mix
- Pour about 3/4 of the batter on top of the apples. (NOTE: if you are using a full size Dutch oven, use whole box)
- Put in Dutch oven and cook for at least 30-40 minutes until golden brown on top
Serve hot with Vanilla Ice Cream
My new camp stove that we purchased on our last trip in the Fall. The old single burner stove finally quit after 30 years of use. We did upgrade to a double burner and I really like this simple Coleman camp stove and it the temperature control is great.
As the sun was setting, we took a walk around the campground loop and dumped our trash as well.
Ended the night just sitting around the campfire and enjoying each others company.
Easter Sunday
We woke this Lord's Day to rainy weather, but it was a beautiful day. We went to worship service with our daughters family. We ate lunch at my daughters house and the meal was fantastic.
The kids enjoyed an easter egg hunt, inside and had fun opening the eggs to reveal what was inside.
After the evening worship service, we went back to the North Pole and ate our traditional Sunday evening sandwich and chips and then went to bed.
Monday
For breakfast we had scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon and leftover pancakes.
Once it warmed up, we went to the playground so the little one could jump on the bounce cushion. I think Mimi enjoyed the bounce cushion too.
And played some tetherball as well.
Later in the morning we all took a walk down to the pond and watched the tadpoles and fish swimming around.
After delivering the granddaughter back to her mother, we came back to the North Pole and cooked up supper. We had a tossed salad, mashed potatoes and hamburger pinwheels.
Hamburger Pinwheels
- 1 lb of 93% Lean Ground Beef
- 1/8 cup of chopped green pepper
- 1/8 cup of chopped onion (or 1 teaspoon onion powder)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon chili powder (or use 1/8 cup hot dog chili)
- 1/4 cup of shredded cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 3 tortilla wraps
- Skewers
- Lay tortilla wraps on a clean surface
- Put remaining ingredients into a mixing bowl and mix well until combined
- Using a fork, put mixture on a wrap and press out with your fork until you have a thin layer covering the wrap.
- Roll wrap as tightly as you can.
- Cut wrap into 1" thick pinwheels and put on skewer
- Cook over fire or in hot pan
Our first smore of the season and they sure were good.
Lights in the Campground
There is a lot of controversy about camper that have lights on their site at night and especially those who leave them on all night. I will not get into all of that drama, but I will tell you how we do it.
We have 4 sets of lights, but only three are set up here. Around our canopy, if it is set up, are a set of dimmable patio lights. When you are cooking or eating after dark, these are nice to be able to see. We do dim them to the lowest possible setting when we are not cooking. Usually these get turned off at 9pm unless we are coming in late and need to cook.
We have a set of red rope lights that run along the ground around our site. We chose the color red because they preserve human night vision, attract fewer insects, and reduce disruption to nocturnal wildlife. We also have a Christmas tree on the corner of our RV that has white LED lights, that do not twinkle. This will stay lit in the evenings while we are in camp and is enough to light our site, but not interfere with our neighbors. All of the lights we have are turned off at bedtime and have only be left on once in four years and I apologize to my neighbor. We are very mindful that we share these campsites with others and try to be respectful with our lights and our music.
Tuesday
We woke this morning to 45 degree weather, but we had to eat. I went out and using leftovers, made us a breakfast dog. This is fried egg, turkey sausage and cheese on a hot dog bun. Believe it or not, they were pretty good.
Later that morning, we drove to the James River Foot Bridge and started our hike.
Our hike would take us along the James River for about a mile and then up into the woods to Matts Creek Shelter, where we would eat lunch. Below are some pictures of our hike up to Matts Creek Shelter, click on the individual pictures to enlarge.
At the shelter we ate our peanut butter sandwiches and chips and rested a bit before heading back. Below are some pictures of our hike back, click on the individual pictures to enlarge.
That evening, I cooked a one pot meal using leftovers. I took our leftover meat, and vegetables and just tossed them in the pan to cook. Once done I tossed them in a bowl with some sauce and served with garlic muffins the wife made.
One last campfire before heading home the next day.
Campground Notes
- Small cozy campground with personable staff.
- Clean restrooms and showers. There is also a laundry room in the back of the store.
- Nice camp store with most anything you may need, just in case you forget something.
- One of the best playgrounds for kids and adults that we have come across, so far.
- Pool that is open from Memorial to Labor Day.
- All RV sites have 30/50 amp service, water and sewer hook ups.
- All RV sites are fairly level.
- AT&T service is spotty but the WiFi works well.
- Most sites have partial shade.
- Each site has a fire ring, picnic table and a little personal space.
- There is a trash bin, and recycle bins at the back of the camp store and a dumpster just a short walk down the driveway.
- Road leading to the campground is well maintained and easy to drive. Road in the campground is well maintained and patrolled by staff on a regular basis.
- Plenty to do in the campground
- Short hiking trail
- Pond for catch and release fishing
- Playground for kids of all ages
- Gemstone mine
- Ice cream
- Plenty to do outside the Campground
