Mocksville, North Carolina - Day 1
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Lake Myers RV Resort - Gem Mining
Our last camping trip with our granddaughter (Jessie) for a long time took us to Lake Myers RV Resort in Mocksville, North Carolina. We promised her a another gem mining vacation before we went full timing on the road, so when her school finished for the year we hit the road again. Our research led us to a mine just north of Statesville, North Carolina that we could actually go into the mine and "do it ourselves."
The day began early in the morning, but not as early as anticipated because we all overslept. When poppa woke up it was already light outside even though the sun hadn't yet risen. After coffee, shaving and showers, it was time to wake Jessie up and head out. She was real good because she knew where we were headed. Breakfast could wait until we took a pit stop in Emporia, Virginia.
Traffic was light heading out of Hampton Roads and the roads were pretty good. The stretch between Suffolk and Franklin had the usual smell from the paper mill, but the smell from inside the coach was even worse. Grandma farted many, many times as we rolled on down the road. We never knew when she actually farted, but we figured it out when her lingering fumes consumed all of the good air inside. Then, we heard laughter coming from Grandma's lips, and we knew for sure she had let another one loose.
Breakfast in Emporia was light after Grandma and Jessie went shopping at the WalMart for marshmallows, toilet paper, Sun Chips and a painting, color book for Jessie. Emporia is a perfect location for pit stops as it has easy in/out access, shopping, restaurants, fast food and fuel. We usually only stop for Poppa to stretch and have a cigarette or two, but sometimes we remember things we forgot and have to go shopping. When its really hot outside, Jessie and Grandma need to cool off, so off to get an ice cream is on the agenda.
Our GPS software (CoPilot Live) routed us west on Route 58 and then south on I85 into North Carolina. Again, the roads were wonderful until we hit a stretch south of the border where the bumps were almost too much to endure. A light over our table even came loose, and Poppa had to do repairs at a rest area. It was a simple repair, and we were back on the road again in no time at all.
A fuel stop was next because we left Virginia Beach without a full tank. Poppa decided to stop at a Pilot Truck Stop about 60 miles east of our destination. Doing this ensured we would have plenty of fuel on our return trip and still have some left over for our next trip.
Finding the Lake Myers RV Resort was simple. We saw a resort sign on I40 just 5 miles before we had to exit. There were also signs directing us after exiting the interstate. Our GPS was also on the money, with the familiar voice "You have arrived at your destination" as we pulled up. We drove up the driveway through the card entry gate and onto the office passing two beautiful lakes along the way. That's when Poppa figured out we had forgotten our fishing poles and tackle. Checking into the resort was straight forward as we already had a reservation. Unhooking the toad and finding our campsite wasn't difficult.
We all helped getting situated at the campsite. Grandma and Jessie had eyeballed the swimming pool already, and they were ready to go; changing into their bathing suits before Poppa wiped the swet from his forehead. He wanted to simply chill out for a bit, but they were insistant and headed down the trail to the pool. It wasn't too long before Grandma called Poppa on the walkie-talkie and told him about how nice the water was. The pool was great, wasn't crowded and was very relaxing.
We had a light dinner because of the heat and exhaustion of the day's events. We simply ate ham and cheese sandwiches with chips. Truth be known; Grandma and Jessie wanted to roast marshmallows over a campfire before hitting the sack. While making dinner, Grandma discovered she had forgotten the salt and pepper shakers and the clips for opened chip bags. Oh well, they can be put on the coach before next trip.
After marshmallows, we hit the sack for a long, anticipated field trip to the mine in the morning.
Our Ratings (1=lowest, 10=highest)
| Campground / Resort | 8 |
| People | 8 |
| Roads | 9 |
| Traffic | 9 |
| Scenery | 9 |
| Things to Do | 10 |
| Weather | 10 |