Our Camp – Lebanon State Park

Travel Journal – June 22, 2015

I close up our Cedars of Lebanon camp in Tennessee, saying goodbye to a neighbor that pulled in a couple of days ago. Once the Workhorse is hitched to the Coach, Jagger and I take off for Georgia.

Our first Georgia stop will be in the city of Hiawassee. I have read it’s a beautiful, forest covered area in the Northern Georgia Mountains. There we will be staying two nights, just to rest from the drive and check out the small town.

Even though we have now been on the road almost a month, since leaving Arizona, the time has gone really fast.

Hiawassee Arrival

As we arrive, I find myself driving down a “dead end” road that is very narrow, with trees hanging over the street on both sides, when I see a sign. Whew I was beginning to wonder if Google sent me down another black hole.

We Find Long Ridge Campground

Wait a minute there is no street where it says to turn. I go a little further around a sharp turn and see a one lane road to the right with another sign. This must be it Jagger. I turn hoping and praying nobody will be coming down the road. There is no place to turn around that I can see once I commit. It’s less than a half a mile when the road opens to a beautiful campground on a sloping hill with a small pond and lots of mature trees.

I stop at what appears to be a small, well kept office, but no one is there. It’s late afternoon, maybe they are closed for the day. I hear a shout from near the back of the campground on the other side of the pond. They tell me to proceed to my site and meet me as I am setting up camp.

The Pond and camp above

It’s a peaceful spot right above the pond under a big tree. The Host arrives at our new home site and welcomes me to his campground and home. He is a very polite host, telling me to just drop by the office in the morning and we will settle up with the nightly fees. I learn later that he and his wife bought this campground a number of years ago after vacationing here and falling in love with the area.

Jagger and I spend the night, then one more, to rest before moving on down the road.

Pulling in Long Ridge Campground Hiawassee, Georgia

Long Ridge Camp – Hiawassee, Georgia

 Traveling to South Carolina

Wednesday morning we’re off to Aiken State Park, South Carolina. For me it will a total of five hours to drive there. It’s just half hours drive over the state line. We will be staying there for a week before our first reservation in the Clark’s Hill Lake area back in Georgia. During the week we will be visiting my friend who moved to Georgia several years ago and checking out the sights in Aiken, South Carolina.

Until next time, Safe Travels…Gary

More Photos: Hiawassee Camp

Campground Review

Another area that I wish I would have planned another day or two. There is just too much to see and the mountains are beautiful. Long Ridge Campground is a small campground with full hookups and a small pond you can fish. The owners are very nice. They live one the property, manage and maintain the grounds. I found this campground using Passport America. A beautiful campground with excellent utilities and free wifi. I only stayed here two nights, but I wish I could have stayed a week or longer. The host and owner of the campground was very nice. Campsites were a little difficult to pull into, but not bad and I did have to level my rig. We camped at Long Ridge Campground in a Fifth Wheel. I would give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5.