Our pad,
number 53 on the Lake Side Loop, was paved, and had thirty amp
electrical service with water and sewer. With no camping pads across
the access road in our part of the loop, privacy was great. We could
easily have been in an isolated outpost, but in fact the campground
is just around the corner on North Carolina Highway 191 from the
entrance to the famed Blue Ridge Parkway and the beautiful North
Carolina Arboretum.
Lake
Powhatan Campground is open from April 1st to October
31st, as are the other three camping areas that are part
of the recreation area, North Mills River, Sunburst, and Davidson
River Campgrounds. Lake Powhatan has 85 sites, but only 6 have RV
electrical service, and only 5 have standard electrical hookup. All
the other sites are standard non-electric or tent camp sites. Our pad
had all the civilized amenities of any RV campground except for cell
phone coverage. A quirk of the local hills and valleys puts most of
the campground in a dead spot. No Wi-Fi Internet service either, not
even for Verizon users.
Our first
stay at a National Forest Campground – it is run under permit by
the Cradle of Forestry Interpretive Association – and we can't
help but notice the number of volunteers working and staying at the
campground. Each of the four loops, Big John, Bent Creek, Lakeside,
and Hardtimes, has at least two sets of full-time hosts, and the
campground shows the result: it is spotless! The toilet and showers
are sparkling clean, and the camp pads are raked and swept almost as
soon as they are vacated. There is no camping store or “headquarters”
so to speak, a huge fifth-wheel camper parked behind a wooden privacy
fence at the main gate serves as the office. The group of hosts meets
there in the morning before heading out to their respective tasks.
One of those tasks, of course, is to man the front gate which is open
from 7:00am until 10:00pm, which in our experience are extraordinary
hours for a manned gate. The gate closes at 10:00pm, and there is no
access until the gate reopens at 7:00 am the next morning. You may
be fortunate enough to meet a sympathetic guard after hours, but
don't count on it as they make rounds of the entire campground.
The campground also honors the Federal Senior pass, or in my case, the now obsolete Golden Age Passport, so costs are quite reasonable for a full 14 day stay. Many of the sites are first come, first served, but the full-service sites are available through on-line reservations at Recreation.gov.
Our site
has full service, which means it has a sewer hook-up. This can be a
terrible experience for first-time sewer users in an RV as many
people mistakenly believe their RV systems work exactly like those at
home. They do not, and leaving your RV's black water valve open
continuously so it drains constantly into the sewer will normally end
up in an embarrassing service call to unblock a solidified
black-water tank or drain. We simply use the sewer hookup as a dump
station, emptying when it is full, then filling the holding tank back
with two gallons or so of fresh water along with the chemical packs
we normally toss in at the beginning of each cycle. I don't keep the
gray water tank valve open, either, as I use that water to flush the
drain hose after emptying the black water tank.
The
campground is criss-crossed by hiking and biking trails of all skill
levels. In fact, the entire area around Asheville is an outdoor
enthusiasts dream. Unfortunately the run-off from the continuous
summer rains that feed the small, pretty lake have contributed to a
high bacterial count that closed the lake to swimming. The lake
isn't large enough for even a kayak or canoe and can be circled on
the adjacent hiking trail in less than 20 minutes. It is perfect for
the two Canada Geese that decided to spend the summer. Incidentally,
the water monitoring service determined the geese were not at fault
for the contamination.
We'll post
more photos as we explore the campground and the surrounding area,
but our first impression of the campground is very good. In fact, it
is a pleasant surprise.
NEXT: Asheville - A New Definition of Diversity, at:
http://sleepstwo.blogspot.com/2013/08/asheville-new-definition-of-diversity.html
NEXT: Asheville - A New Definition of Diversity, at:
http://sleepstwo.blogspot.com/2013/08/asheville-new-definition-of-diversity.html
Just to add to your description of why NOT to leave the black or grey water valves open when connected is simply so that the inevitable sewer gases in the underground system will seek an upward path to atmosphere through your toilet and sink drains and can produce something that you might mistakingly blame Taz for :-)
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