Santa Loves Camping: April 2023

Friday, April 7, 2023

We left for the KOA Holiday Lynchburg / Blue Ridge Parkway Kampground from home at about 4:15. We had to hook up in the pouring rain, but I did not care, just wanted to go camping. We took 29 North to Madison Heights, turned left on 130 and the campground was on the right about 20 minutes from Madison Heights.

By the time we got there, the rain had let up considerably and we were able to set up camp with no trouble at all. The staff were very helpful getting us checked in and even escorted us to our site and gave us some advice on where to park. I extended the awning and began to cook while Amy finished setting up inside. We had breaded flounder, broccoli tots and coleslaw. It was nice to eat inside where it was warm and dry. I finished outside and got a fire going.

We caught up on our social media and made some smores for dessert. We just sat around the fire until bedtime.

Saturday, April 8th, 2023

I was up early on Saturday and I let Amy sleep in. I had coffee and read my devotion for the day. I wrote in my journal and went to take a shower.

These bath/shower rooms were extremely nice. They were individual rooms and very clean. Shower was a 36" stall, elongated commode, chair to sit in, paper towels and sink with mirror. I have stayed at several KOA's but this is the best bath/shower room I have ever seen at a KOA.

After I got back, I started on breakfast and Amy was getting up. We had scrambled eggs, turkey sausage, avocado, apple and butter toast.

We tried out two new items on this trip, an insulated mug and air fryer. We purchased two insulated coffee style mugs from Belk's during Christmas of 2022. They worked really well and kept coffee hot for at least an hour, with the lid on. If you take the lid off, it will cool down but not as fast as a ceramic mug. The air fryer we purchased from Hamrick's in Greensboro N.C. We were shopping there for something else and we ran up on this small air fryer for $25. It was perfect for our camper and we purchased it. We used it 3 times on this trip and it is now a staple in our gear.

We only had a short time to venture out this morning, so our first stop was the James River Foot Bridge. This spans the James River and connects to the Appalachian Trail on both sides.

Our next stop was the Lower Otter Creek Overlook. This would be a nice place to have a picnic lunch with your family, but there are no grills.

The last stop was Otter Creek Falls. We walked down to the creek, crossed it and looked at several rock formations. Really cool place and there is a hiking trail as well.

On the advice of a good friend, we drove to Woodruffs Pie Shop on Elon Road in Monroe, VA. We purchased a pecan pie, a slice of coconut and peanut butter pie. The shop has been around a long time and has a rich history. Below is a video of the pie shop and HERE is the spot on the Today Show.

We PEAK Chicken Teriyaki in a wrap with Dollar Tree Chips. I had coconut pie from Woodruffs and Amy had peanut butter.

After lunch Matthew showed up and we spent time catching up with him. Soon after, Nicole, Daniel and Ruth stopped by.

While the kids played on the playground, I cooked dinner. We had hash browns, chicken and baked beans.

After dinner Amy and Matt washed dishes.

We spent the rest of the evening around the campfire eating smore's, pecan pie and enjoying each others company.

Easter Sunday, April 9th, 2023

We spent Easter Sunday at New Hope Baptist Church in Goode VA. Rev. Tom Gilliam was the guest speaker and we enjoyed the service.

We had lunch with my daughter and the whole family was there. We had a wonderful meal and we were able to witness our granddaughters first Easter Egg Hunt.

After lunch and the egg hunt, we left to go back to the campground. We saw Matthew off and then laid down for a short nap. We spent the evening on the playground playing games of ladder golf, corn hole and Amy even jumped on the jump pad.