Georgia “Two Ways”

This post is about Georgia, done “Two Ways”.  Two Ways? How so?  Way One is CROWDS – Last week we were camping in Perry, Georgia, with 2700 other RVs.  Way Two is NO CROWDS – This week we were camping in LaGrange, Georgia with very few people…the geese outnumbered us. 

Last week was the 97th International FMCA (Family Motor Coach Association) Convention also known as an RV Rally.  We met up with our friends Paul and Kay (from Southwest Maine) and we worked as the Advance Crew.  Jim and Paul helped park RVs (like they did last year in Chandler, Arizona…see my Chandler RV Rally Blog Post).  Kay and I helped were we could.  We sliced tomatoes and onions for a cookout.  We helped stuff Welcome bags to give to attendees.  And we took three 2 hour shifts to drive around in a golf cart and deliver the Welcome bags.

This being our fourth rally, we pretty much know what to expect.  Jim attends all the seminars and spends major bucks.  I attend the seminars that interest me and sew in my spare time.

One of the seminars was a meeting of On Road Quilter’s.  Forty-nine quilts were collected for local charities (five of the quilts were mine!). 

And of course, there are some shenanigans.  Check out the video below (use this link if you need to:  https://youtu.be/E4Wiq9WWExQ ).  Here’s what happened…we were sitting in the RV and keep hearing a honk blowing.  Further investigation led to the discovery of this dog left to his own resources in his owner’s RV.  Play the short five second video. It’s worth it.

And more shenanigans….

This RV rally we really tested the capacity of our black and gray tanks.  It was 11 days of dry camping.  That means no electricity, no water, and no sewer connection.  We did pretty well.  The solar panels and Lithium-Ion batteries worked great.  Next time I would use paper plates, since I filled up the gray tank that held the dish water.  We also came close to running out of fresh wash.  But this proved with some modifications to our normal routines, we can do 14 days off-the-grid.  14 days is the max number of days you can stay in one place on BLM land in Southwest.  We are looking to the future.

After the rally, we stayed in Georgis.  We headed west to the Whitetale Ridge Corp of Engineers Campground on a reservoir along the Chattahoochee River.  Paul and Kay had suggested this as a post-rally destination for our merry group.  It was heaven!!!!  We were camped on the shores of the reservoir in a beautiful site with water AND 50 AMP ELECTRIC!  Let me tell you, after running off solar panels for 11 days, plugging into 50 Amp power and not having to worry about what-to-turn-on-when was a luxury.

We didn’t do too much this week.  A trip into town to do laundry was necessary.  But mostly we stared at the water, caught up on life, and relaxed.  This campground is definitely a new favorite.  Although I would be curious to see what this campground is like in the summer.  I suspect the peace and quiet is spoiled by the sound of ski boats and jet skis on the lake.

We parted ways with Paul and Kay this morning.  We hope to see them again next winter in the desert Southwest.  Tonight we are camping at the Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello, Florida.  This a Harvest Hosts location that allows people like us to stay on their property for free.  Spring has certainly come to this part of the country.

From here, we are driving to Dade City, Florida tomorrow.  Jim is going to join a group called the Care-A-Vanners who are participating in a Habitat for Humanity build for the next two weeks.  Since Jim will be otherwise occupied, I am going to fly to Arizona to see my Dad for a week, then to Texas to visit with Janelle and Callie (also flying in).  It will be the Goeke Girls in Galveston!!!  Then it will be back to Florida for more adventures.