White Knuckle Ride

Monday morning, November 16th--preparing to leave Cloudland Canyon State Park--I did not have stop lights and turn signals on the T@B. It was what I call "a white knuckle" ride all the way to the outskirts of Atlanta. So, so scary to navigate the many lane changes, etc., etc.!!!!!! RVers (at Cloudland) told me of an RV Sales and Service near Stone Mountain Park. And Stone Mountain (on the outskirts of Atlanta, Georgia) was my intended next stop. I arrived safely at Peco Campers at 3:00 PM and had to make an appointment for the next day. (Departed Peco at 4:05.)

I had been relying on maps, and driving directions, printed from MapQuest. Conservatively, I drove ten or twelve miles further than I needed while en route to Stone Mountain Park. (Should have been four miles.) And those ten or twelve miles involved about an hour in late-afternoon traffic. ~~ It was $10. just to drive through the entrance of the Park!! The overnight camping fee was $33.















The woman at the Registration Desk assigned me to site #390. When I arrived... I was the only camper in a remote area. Dozens of empty sites; no RV--or restroom--in sight!! The only positive thing I can say about my campsite: For a very few minutes I enjoyed a beautiful sunset. I read the literature that had been given to me and learned that changing sites was prohibited without checking with Registration. After dark, I didn't want the drive back to the store to request a change of campsites. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was pitch black all around me that night. Incidentally, there wasn't a handle on the water faucet. I had to obtain a container of water from an adjacent site.

I left the campsite shortly before 7:30 Tuesday morning November 17th. It was a damp gray dawn, 59 degrees, but I hoped for sunshine. I was anxious to drive around Stone Mountain Park, and hopefully see the carving, before my 9:30 appointment at Peco Campers. I stopped at a restroom to wash and brush.

By nature, I'm not a complainer but I vented on the form Stone Mountain Campground provided for "comments." The same woman was at the store as I was leaving and I was confident she would tear up the form. So I gave my written--and verbal--complaint to Camp Host "Jim." We talked and he assured me the manager would see the form. He told me he drove through the campground the night before and wondered why someone was camped in such a remote location. He didn't stop to inquire thinking the camper asked to be by them self. Jim profusely apologized and asked me to believe this was an exceptional experience.















Ahead of schedule, in the parking lot of Peco Campers, I prepared tea and oatmeal. Then the very knowledgeable Mr. Beal tackled the challenge of wiring the stop lights and turn signals from German to American. I browsed the RV store for needed items. For one thing, I needed another entry step stool. I foolishly drove off (from a gas station) leaving the other stool. I had shown the inside of the T@B to an interested woman.