5/4/26

Location: Top of Georgia Airstream Park, Helen, GA – only full day
ChILL
Chevron
Touring the Alpine Village in the City of Helen
Hofbrauhaus Restaurant
ChILL

After a good night’s rest for both of us, we had a leisurely start to our day over coffee and bagels. The temperatures started out in the mid 40s but did warm up as the day went on to the mid 70s, perfect temperature for spending time outside.

The sites do not have picnic tables so I did my exercises in ChILL, not as good a setup as outside but I can make it work.

Then we took a walk around the campground where I guess you could say, “All roads lead to Airstreams.” We saw several other Airstreams with only a few occupied at the time. The campground hosts explained that some of their local club members choose to pay the monthly site rent and leave their Airstreams for extended periods of time as a getaway spot for them. It is very affordable to stay at the campground for us and local club members receive an even lower rate.

The campground has a vintage Airstream that was used in Huntsville, Alabama during the Apollo Space Program. Now it serves as the Hosts office at Top of Georgia Airstream Park, a fitting way for an Airstream to “retire.”

When we arrived yesterday we approached from the north and the roads were definitely challenging. We were happy to see that the drive south into Helen had a few curves on the 2 lane road but nothing like the ones encountered on yesterday’s journey. Skip reminded me that what goes up must come down so we probably have more curvy roads as we head south in the morning.

The Top of Georgia Airstream Park is located about 8 miles from the city of Helen with an area that is referred to as the Alpine Village. It is a quaint German themed village with little shops and restaurants nestled in the mountains. After a short drive through the little village we filled the truck with gas before parking and sightseeing.

At the Hansel and Gretel Candy Kitchen we bought some handmade candy for gifts. It was difficult to choose from the delicious looking variety they offered. Hoping that we can keep the temperatures consistent enough on our travels home to keep the candy at its best.

After walking around enjoying the beauty surrounding us and occasionally going into the shops, finding nothing else we wanted to buy, we headed for a late lunch/early dinner at a place that Skip chose, Hofbrauhaus Restaurant, featuring German cuisine. As so often happens when Skip and I are presented with menus, we both chose the same thing, Jaeger Schnitzel. Our waitress suggested that we get the gravy on the side so we could try two different kinds. One was rahm sauce, a white gravy, and the other was a bacon mushroom gravy, both were delicious with maybe my slight preference being the bacon mushroom gravy. Although their dessert options looked great we were too stuffed to take advantage of them.

Our table was in the outdoor Biergarten with a view of a small river, charming is the word that comes to mind and so relaxing. A guitarist setup near our table. He was a very talented young man who played and sang songs from the 70s to current at a volume that was easy to enjoy his music without limiting our ability to have a conversation.  

Back at ChILL Skip did his usual black tank clean out to make our morning departure quicker while I wrote some postcards I bought in Helen. The campground hosts advised I could put them in the mailbox out by the road.

For travel tomorrow I made turkey sandwiches for our lunchbox along with some grapes. After our big German lunch we opted for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for dinner.

A little TV, showers and off to bed in anticipation of our next stop at our first Army Corps of Engineers campground at Cotton Hill in Fort Gaines, GA.

5/3/26
Location: Top of Georgia Airstream Park, Helen, GA, site B9, full hookup
ChILL

Praise the Lord! Thank You God! For the first time in several days, Skip woke up with zero vertigo symptoms. Hallelujah! Vertigo is never a good thing but it is especially concerning when so much of our travels with ChILL depend on Skip’s expertise.

Because Skip had done the major clean out of the black tank early evening yesterday, he was able to complete the other takedown chores more quickly. Tortilla chips, bread, bagels, M&Ms and a few other fragile items were moved to the truck where they can travel with less turmoil and in the controlled temperatures.

Every departure our final step before getting into the truck is to walk around the Airstream together with both of us verifying that everything is in ready to travel mode. Then in the truck we check the mirrors and rear camera views, verify the destination address in the nav system, confirm the route is the one that best suits towing the Airstream and then take time to be with the Lord. One of us reads out loud Psalm 91 and then the other reads out loud a prayer we put together before we left St Augustine. The page is laminated making it more travel friendly.

With me in the driver’s seat, we left the Whispering River Resort in Walland, TN. Leaving the campground there is a 2 mile narrow road with several twisty blind curves that add to the driving excitement. Very relieved we encountered only a few oncoming cars and no large vehicles at all. 

Skip gave me turn by turn directions through the towns of Walland and Maryville until our nav system finally agreed with the truck route Skip preferred to use. The rest of my driving shift was the easiest stretch so far on mostly flat roads with good visibility and light traffic as it was Sunday morning. 

Near the exit to 64 East I pulled into an open parking lot behind a Hardees. It was only 50 degrees so we kept the door to ChILL closed while we ate our lunchbox sandwiches and sliced apples. Then Skip took over for what was the most challenging segment we have had so far, not just today but since we left St Augustine. Even though we were on the truck route it was a two lane road with various twists, turns and elevation changes. No time to be bored on this drive! Occasionally there was a short distance that had an additional lane allowing faster moving traffic to get around us before it went back to 2 lanes.

Eventually we were on SR17 where the real fun began! Reminded me of an old attraction at Disney World, Mr Toad’s Wild Ride. Some of the turns were so extreme that the posted speed limit was 15 miles per hour! Skip claimed that he was enjoying the drive. I assured him that I was not having a good time even as the passenger. But wait, the goal is in sight – the Top of Georgia Airstream Park! It’s great to be surrounded by other Airstreams in the mountains. No cell service at all from any carrier. Skip setup the Starlink and we were back in business.

Even with all of the concentration required, ears popping from the ups and downs and the numerous twists and turns, Skip’s vertigo symptoms have not returned. The Lord has blessed us indeed!

Dinner was sausage, peppers and onions prepared on ChILL’s cooktop and a salad. Showers, a little TV and off to bed looking forward to exploring the Helen area tomorrow.

5/1/26
Location: Whispering River Resort, Walland, TN, pull thru site 10, full hookup
ChILL

With God’s favor and Skip’s coaching I was able to drive the truck towing ChILL out of the tight site we were in at Northern Kentucky RV Park right next to a huge tree. Skip said he thought I would be successful and I was. The campground has a blind hill at the entrance to the road where cars are often spotted zooming along. Thankfully we did not encounter any of those drivers.

Most of the drive was on interstate 75 south and it was the first time I have been able to use cruise control for almost the entire time I drove. Previously road conditions and my limited towing experience made it better for me to control the speed on my own.

Learning that rest areas in some states and on some highways either do not exist or are very few, I took advantage of the first couple we saw. A quick bathroom break for both of us using our own traveling suite, temperature check on the trailer tires and it was back in the driver’s seat for me. 

The rest area at the Tennessee state line gave us a chance to enjoy our lunchbox meals and take a short break. Skip took over as driver at what turned out to be the 4% grade area for several miles. Skip and our truck/trailer combination handled it well.

The road leading into the Whispering River Resort in Walland, TN is curvy 2 lane with some grade changes. What a pleasant surprise to see that the campsites are on flat land surrounded by mountains. It is a beautiful place!

There are at least 3 other Airstream travel trailers in the park. That usually sparks some fun interactions.

Once his outside chores were completed Skip noticed that the solar panel monitor was dead. Suspecting that the same connection he had fixed while we were at Stagecoach in St Augustine at the beginning of our trip had become loose again, we removed my mattress so Skip could access that compartment. That wasn’t the problem as everything there was still as it should be. Next troubleshooting was to remove the solar panel monitor in the galley. Skip found that connection was loose. He was able to reconnect it and secure it with some quality fabric tape that is used by Mercedes, a big improvement from the black electrical tape that Airstream factory had applied. Sure is a blessing that Skip has these skills to keep us functioning.

Dinner was the last of the frozen spaghetti pie that we had brought from home and some raw veggies.

Looking forward to enjoying this campground tomorrow. Errands for groceries and gas are on the agenda too.

Showers and a little TV and off to our comfortable beds once again.

4/28/26

Location: Camp Creek State Park, Camp Creek, WV

The rains came while we were sleeping which cleaned off some of the pollen we brought from Florida and the additional pollen and road dirt we collected through GA, SC, NC, VA and WV. When Skip was ready to take care of the outside chores and hook ChILL up to the truck, the rain had stopped. Without a single raindrop, I was able to move from ChILL the things we take to the truck while we travel. What a blessing!

Knowing that the exit for 77 North was closed and we would have to detour onto two lane twisting and turning US 19 for 8 miles, I still volunteered to take the first driving shift. As I drove those 8 miles I started to wonder how many more days it was going to take! It was with great discipline that I kept myself from asking over and over again, “Are we there yet?” It was a demanding 8 miles. Once we were on the interstate conditions improved but still lots of climbing up the mountains and keeping the truck and ChILL at a reasonable speed on the descents with continued curvy conditions. Definitely not a boring ride. About 2.5 hours later we switched drivers. Another rest area gave us the chance to have our lunchbox sandwiches from the comfort of ChILL with Skip continuing as driver for the overall 3 hours remaining.

Our original campground in Dry Ridge, KY was at Campers Village. Unfortunately the site they assigned to us was not feasible for us. Skip was able to get into the site without any trouble but only because he was able to use the empty site in front of us. When those campers arrived we would have no way to exit the site. With some tense moments and a little drama as the Airstream nearly bottomed out during the maneuvers, Skip disregarded the campground staff’s attempts at being helpful and made his own wise choices on how to get us out of this undesirable site. Thank You Lord for protecting ChILL from serious damage. The campground staff were apologetic and as nice as they could be but they were fully booked and could not give us another choice. They recommended a nearby campground that did have availability so we headed there.

Location: Northern Kentucky RV Park, Dry Ridge, KY, site 59, full hookup

The campground staff gave Skip a choice of 2 sites that would be suitable for us. The campground is built into a hillside with somewhat level sites. Skip used 2 boards under the right tires and was able to get us level enough to be comfortable.

We discovered that the outside compartment under Skip’s bed was stuck and could not be opened because items had shifted during transit. Skip’s drill was also in that compartment. To gain access Skip had to dismantle the wood frame under his mattress using just a screwdriver and elbow grease, lots of elbow grease. Soon the obstruction was removed. As he was now able to reach his drill, putting the bed back together was much quicker than the teardown. 

Whew! Now that all of the drama is over the normal setup chores begin. Our site is small and the campground is crowded but we are not here for the campground itself. Our goal is to visit The Ark Encounter which is 8 miles away.

Finally it was time to make our dinner on our cooktop of patty melts using frozen burgers brought from home and a side of RiceARoni. 

After some TV and showers we gratefully headed for our comfortable beds in our traveling suite.