Scenes From Pine Mountain

We really like Pine Mountain. It's a cute little town with a decent amount of activity and commerce, without crazy traffic or too many chain stores.

 Franklin D Roosevelt State Park and The Little White House are close by. Here's a mural showing FDR in several settings.

Downtown Pine Mountain. I'm not too great at pictures, even w/my new phone, but it's cute, trust me.

The frilly ladie's room at a cafe/bakery where we had a delicious lunch along with banana cake with peanut butter cinnamon frosting. Lost the pics of the cake, but still have this one of the restroom.

Dinner at the local Mexican Restaurant where I had a Sexy Senorita. 

Chris had a more modest Margarita.

Is it any wonder we like this town? Fancy restrooms, historical murals and oversized cocktails. 

Motor Home, How Do I Heat Thee...Let Me Count The Ways

It's winter. I know many of you are feeling it more acutely than we are, but we have had some cold nights and mornings where the temps were well into the 20s.

We have several different ways to generate heat. The trick seems to be finding the right balance so we are warm enough but don't wake up completely dehydrated. Then there is the issue of one of us tending to feel warmer than the other---this actually tends to vary with no rhyme or reason.

We have a furnace that runs on either propane or electricity. It does a good job of warming the whole MH fairly quickly. The propane is warmer and more encompassing heat, but we have to buy our own propane. Campgrounds provide the electricity as part of our monthly fee*, so that's a factor as well. But, when it's especially cold, we throw caution to the wind and run the propane.

*Some campgrounds charge separately for electricity usage and have meters at each monthly site. We have not stayed in a park like that, though this campground has a $50 electricity surcharge. From speaking with friends who have lived and worked at campgrounds where they charge separately for electric use, that can be anywhere from $75-150 per month. The variables are the same as everyone has with their electric bill---of course, a/c is the big expense.

Our propane tank holds about 25 gallons. We filled up in November and January and then topped off when we got here to Pine Mountain. We've paid from $3.50 to close to $4.00 per gallon making a total of approximately $200 for the winter. The propane also runs the stove and water heater. We'll likely get another fill up this spring and that ought to last until it gets cool in the fall.

The furnace is rather noisy and because it runs through the floor or beneath the MH, it causes some vibration. For our noise and vibration sensitive pet, Dooley, this can be an issue. Sometimes we have to choose between quick warmth but with a freaked out dog, or other methods which are not as offensive to his canine sensibilities.

But, he is getting better. Sometimes.

In addition to the furnace, we have an electric fireplace that does a nice job of taking the chill off, particularly when we don't need a lot of heat all over.

The furnace and fireplace are standard features of the MH. We've added a couple of electric space heaters too and use those to supplement when needed or to focus the heat on different areas.

With our large windshield, we can generate a fair amount (sometimes too much) heat simply by opening the curtains. This is pleasant in cooler temps, and very uncomfortable in hot weather.

Ideally, our first choice is to be in locations where we don't need to fuss with heat at all, but if we can't accomplish that, at least we have a few options.

What A Difference A Week Makes

A week ago we had a disgusting lunch at the much touted The Varsity. Scroll down to read the icky details.

Today, we had an awesome lunch at Country's BBQ in Columbus, GA.

I got a new phone so I'm trying to be better about taking pictures for the blog. Sadly, I keep losing them randomly (or so it seems) and I don't know why. I swear I took a picture of Chris's lunch, but don't have it now.

He got sliced beef brisket and it was de-lish.

Here are some of the pictures I did manage to take and save.

Yes, that is a 24 oz Mason jar of iced tea. You know that made me happy. Look closely and you'll see that Chris wrote "Happy Birthday, Sue" on the brown paper covering the table. 

My meal. Chopped BBQ pork, bbq slaw, fries and two pieces of cornbread. I didn't care much for the BBQ slaw and brought home nearly all the fries and cornbread. The pork was delicious.

A heap of deep fried pickles. They were so good. Thin sliced and lightly battered and hot from the fryer. But a huge portion. The dipping sauce was tangy and tasty. 

Chris got a side salad and they brought him a bucket of crackers.


When she took our orders the waitress noticed the "Happy Birthday, Sue" Chris had written on the paper covering and promised me a free dessert, though there'd be singing. I wasn't too excited about that and when she offered dessert, I asked if I could take it with me because I was stuffed. She kindly brought it to me to go and w/o any singing. Buttermilk pie. Haven't tried it yet, but I have a good feeling about it. 

 

Evaluating Recent Campgrounds

Last time I described some of the factors that are important to us about a campground. Now I am going to talk about some of our recent campgrounds and how they compare.

Carowinds Camp Wilderness. As much as we complained about working for Carowinds, the campground rates pretty well on our list of criteria (The Finkston Scale). The sites were large. The Wifi was good. Laundry was inexpensive and we were usually the only ones using it since most everyone else went out to the laundromat. People there were generally friendly and we met a wide range of people. Grocery stores, shopping and restaurants were only about 10 minutes away.

But, we won't be staying there in the future, even though we are slated to return to the area for a couple weeks in April. Why? The cost. As workers, we paid only $175/mo for our site. But, if we return, the monthly fee is $900 and that's a deal breaker.


Twin Lakes Campground, Cumming, GA.  In theory, this was a nice campground, yet we hated it. We picked our site based on a map. Problem is, the map didn't show that the site was up a steep hill so if we wanted to walk around the lakes, we either had to drive down or walk up and down a very steep hill. We could have opted for a site down below, but they were more like a parking lot with RV's very close together. The water pressure was so bad, we filled our tanks and used our water pump in order to up the pressure. The WiFi sucked and during the 10 days we were there, we maxed out the data on our personal wireless connection.

No laundry on site, though they told us there was a laundromat a mile away. That was accurate, but when we went there, the cars were parked two deep. Hardly how we want to spend our day off.

We mentioned the water pressure problem to someone in the office, but no one ever addressed it.

The other weird thing about this place was the atmosphere. No one was openly hostile or mean, but when we drove through people just stared. It was like those Westerns when the stranger comes to town and no one says anything, they just stare.

The final straw, however, had to do with money. First, it was $660/mo which is rather steep, particularly considering what I've listed above. In addition, it was cash only. When our plans changed, they were willing to give a refund, but only by check. And, the guy who writes the checks only writes them on Thursdays (WTF?) so we left on a Tuesday with a promise that our money would be refunded by check in two days and mailed to us. We did get the check, but the wait was an anxious time.

Historic Banning Mills, Whitesburg, GA This was a rather different campground because it was part of a larger complex with climbing walls, zip lines, cabins and yurts. The campground was fairly rustic with more leaves than I care for on the ground. We were happy to be right next to the laundry facilities, but they were out of order.

This place was also at least 20 minutes from the closest grocery store, so it felt remote.

The staff were very friendly and helpful and the overall atmosphere was nice. Our neighbors were particularly interesting and welcoming and we were sorry not to be able to spend more time with them. We didn't really meet any of the other residents, but they were friendly and there was a feeling of community there.

The WiFi was good and reliable.

Another thing I liked --- it was so remote that at night the stars popped from the sky.

The trash situation was annoying. There was one dumpster and we had to drive to it.

At $500/mo it was a much better value than Twin Lakes.

Pine Mountain RV Resort, Pine Moutnain, GA Our current location. We've only been here a couple days, but this place rates pretty well on The Finkston Scale.

First, the campground is tidy and well kept. There are ample laundry facilities and they are clean.

Our site isn't extremely large, but as you can see it's scenic with pine trees all around. Our last site was rustic. This site gives the appearance of being rustic because of the trees and pine needles, but it doesn't have leaves and branches all over the place.

No cable, but the WiFi is reliable and strong.

There's a grocery store and a couple of variety stores within a mile or two. We're also close to some tourist places that we'd like to visit.

The staff is helpful. Plus, there's an employee named Tater. How can you put a value on being able to say "Hey, Tater, how's it going?"

There's an "exercise room" which includes a treadmill and elliptical. Not sure we'll make use of it, but it's there.

Trash is picked up from our site twice a day.

But, the big deal for me is the steam shower. You have to make a reservation, but currently there are very few people here so that's not a problem. I extolled my pleasure with the shower in an earlier post. Click here. 

The monthly fee here is $550. As you can see by comparing the prices of the other campgrounds described above, it's a pretty good deal. It seems there's no real rhyme or reason for pricing. There are other sites here that are nicer with concrete pads and cable TV access, but they are $200 more per month. If we were here during a time of year when we'd be more likely to spend time outside, we might consider one of the pricier sites, though $750/mo is at the top of our price range.

What Makes A 'Good' Campground?

Evaluating a campground, like rating a restaurant or book, is highly subjective. But, this is our blog, so we're going to talk about how we make the determination of what campground is worth recommending or considering for another visit if we're in the area again.

Overall appearance---is it clean? Are the sites well maintained? Are there trashy campers with flat tires and assorted crap all around (sort of the suburban equivalent of a trailer with a car on blocks in the yard). Are the sites spacious or are we close enough to hear our neighbors' TV, or worse, see it?

Amenities---for us, WiFi is the big one. Is it reliable and fast? Ideally, we can stream video, particularly when there's no cable.
Other important amenities---laundry and good water pressure. Cable is a bonus.

Price/Value---until very recently, we didn't pay for our campsites because we were working at the campground, but now that we are, that's a big consideration. Nightly rates for a campsite that can accommodate our RV range from $40-70. Monthly rates are more reasonable, but still can be $400-700.

These probably seem fairly obvious, but there are some additional factors that come into play, now that we've had more experience. Most of these aren't make or break, but they can make the difference between an average or poor experience and a very good experience.

Trash pick up. Campgrounds have dumpsters for your trash and some also will pick it up at your site (just don't leave it out overnight due to critters). At our last campground, there was only one dumpster and it was not w/in walking distance, so we had to drive our trash there. Not a huge big deal, but not convenient. For me, the bigger issue was cleaning up after the dog. We're diligent about doing so, but also want a place where it can be disposed of. If there's no dumpster or designated doggy doo receptacle (also popular at campgrounds and me as well), then what do you do with it?

Customer Service. Once we're set up, we don't usually need much attention, but if there's an issue, we'd like it to be addressed and we'd like to feel as though someone cares.

Convenience. How close are grocery stores, gas stations and if need be, a laundromat? Is there heavy traffic that makes going out of the campground stressful and annoying? Are there nice restaurants in the area?

Location. Are there interesting things to do in our off time? Do we feel like we're able to explore the area and expand our adventure.

Overall atmosphere. Campgrounds are like a neighborhood. You can move into a neighborhood that looks pretty much like a dozen other neighborhoods in the area, but some can have a different feel to them based on the people who live there.

Intangibles. Great scenery. Unique amenities. Particularly nice or interesting staff members.

Next up...we'll evaluate some of our recent campground stays based on these criteria.

Another Move

Greetings from Pine Mountain, GA. We arrived a couple days ago and will be working for a gas company located in Columbus, GA. We ought to be here for 6-8 weeks, which is a bit of a relief after three moves in a month.

We're happy with this move for several reasons.

We know we are going to be here for at least a few weeks. Being in a holding pattern for the last month has been a little stressful. It also makes it difficult to conduct other parts of our life like getting our mail delivered, setting up appointments for haircuts or the dentist etc.

We'll be working on our own rather than on a project with several others and a variety of supervisors. I don't like feeling monitored.

This is a nice area. To me, Georgia had always been a long state that you have to drive through in order to get from Ohio to Florida. Stop for gas and restrooms and move on.

Turns out, it's a pretty state with a variety of things to do and different terrains. Right now we are a short distance from Calloway Gardens, FDR's Little White House, and several Civil War museums. We've also been told that the azaleas will be "popping" in a few weeks, so we're bracing for that.

We're at a pleasant campground with good wifi and clean facilities. This is an RVC resort. RVC is a group of campgrounds that tend to be more high end. The big news, as far as I'm concerned, is the fact that they have a steam shower.

Now, we have a very attractive Motor Home with a decent sized bathroom and shower, at least by MH standards. However, it's still small.

The steam shower is 5' square with a 10' ceiling. Lots of water pressure and shower heads overhead and on the wall. The steam is good, but believe me, having a giant shower with endless hot water and pressure and a large two room dressing and bathroom area all to myself....heavenly.

So, no matter what happens while we are here, we'll be clean.

What'll Ya Have?

Probably indigestion.

Today we went to an Atlanta Landmark, The Varsity. It's been featured on a number of different Food Network shows and we were excited to give it a try.

It was bad. So disappointing. I won't even include the link here because I'm so disgusted by them.

When we arrived, there were at least 20 school buses in the parking lot. I'm not exaggerating. They do have plenty of parking, though.

The place was full of school kids, but the dining area had ample seating and the kids weren't noisy in the dining room. The ordering area is very loud, though the lines move quickly. Their signature line is shouting "What'll Ya Have?" when you step up to place your order.

The menu is basically burgers and hot dogs with a variety of toppings like slaw or chili. We each got bacon cheeseburgers with lettuce and tomato. I got fries and Chris got onion rings. For dessert I had a brownie and he had a peach "fry pie".

The burgers weren't even warm enough to melt the cheese.  The tomato was nearly white, it was so unripe and hard. The fries were soggy enough to be bent in half without breaking, greasy and cold. I only ate about 4, so that's got to tell you something.

It's possible that knowing they had many buses of kids arriving at lunch time, they cooked a lot of food in advance. I checked some reviews on Yelp, and we weren't the only people who have gotten cold food. Besides, there were already at least 100 people eating in the dining room, so you'd think that even if they'd prepared food in advance, they'd still be making fresh hot food too.

If they did, we didn't get any of it.

The brownie was adequate. Seemed sort of old and not too interesting. The peach fry pie was the only item served hot and it had the most flavor of everything we ordered. That's still not saying much.

Only McDonald's has worse burgers, and I might even prefer one of theirs since they are at least hot when served.

Rating: Blech.

An unsuspecting Chris reaches for a fry.