North Carolina to Wyoming and Back

[exploringcaroli]

We decided to go on a 23 night camping trip from North Carolina to Wyoming and back. We left home on September 3 and got back September 26. The trip was around 4100 miles. We put 5700 miles on the TV.

We camp with a 2010 LivinLite CampLite 11 and TV is a 2013 Nissan Frontier crew cab pickup. Did not know how the trip would go with two people in this size camper. The camper rig performed great for us.

Here's camper modifications made before the trip, happy to report the modifications worked great!

http://www.rv.net/forum/index.cfm/fuseaction/thread/tid/27883688.cfm

First stop was Cove Lake SP Tenn, they have a very nice BBQ restaurant in the SP, we stayed here on the return trip, too:



Next Stop was Lincoln SP Indiana, where we learned more about President Lincoln:



Santa Claus Indiana was close to the SP:



Next stop, Army Corps of Engineers Lake, Carlyle Ill, Boulder Campground:

We were invited to an antique tractor show and really enjoyed it.
This Lady cut out animals with her power saw. My Wife bought a Bear:



They had all kinds of tractors there:



Another great campsite:



Next stop Long Branch Lake SP Campground Missouri, we stayed here on the return trip, too:





Next stop Branched Oak SP Nebraska, stayed here on the return trip, too. This campground is close to Lincoln Nebraska. We happened to stay during the home football game with Miami. We saw lots of the color red and there was plenty of celebration after the game, since Nebraska won.





Next stop Lake Minatare SP Nebraska, stayed here on the return trip, too:





Had a change of plans due to snow, so stayed at Absaroka RV Park at Cody Wyoming for two nights. This stay allowed us time to visit Buffalo Bill Center of the West and very happy we had time to visit.







Next stop, Buffalo Bill SP Wyoming. We use this campground for home base while visiting Yellowstone & Grand Tetons:





















On the way home we camped at some of the same campgrounds we previously stayed at on the trip out to Wyoming.

Here's some "new to us" campgrounds we camped at on the way home:

Dam West, Army Corps of Engineers Campground Carlyle Ill:





Rough River Lake Army Corps of Engineers campground Kentucky:









Will be camping in the South East until the next September Western Adventure!

[exploringcaroli]

Yep, that stove is probably OK in the winter, but HOT in the summer. Agree, we have it good!!!!!

[littlemo]

exploringcarolina wrote:
While visiting Buffalo Bill Center of the West, saw this camper 🙂 on display:

Pretty cool! We have it good! LOL Imagine making 20 miles a day and bouncing over the terrain for that long!

[exploringcaroli]

Thanks!

We enjoy mountain camping and will check out Horse Cove, since we are about 3 hours from there.

[huachuca]

Nice Parks on your 'local' list; we've stayed at many of them and always enjoyed our visits.

We're a couple of hours from the Outer Banks and frequently stay at the NPS Friso campground. Unlike Hunting Island, there aren't any sites right on the water and none of the big live oaks found there but its located within the dunes which is unusual for an OBX campground.

Our favorite mountain campground is Horse Cove in Nantahala National Forest. It has less than twenty sites but most are large, fairly private and located on a creek or brook.

[exploringcaroli]

While visiting Buffalo Bill Center of the West, saw this camper 🙂 on display:

[exploringcaroli]

huachuca wrote:
Thanks for posting - really enjoyed the photos! We're from NC as well (Tarboro area), have a small camper (Scamp) and enjoy trips out west but most of our time there has been spent in the southwestern parts from Carlsbad down to Big Bend. We recently retired and hope to spend some time in many of the areas in your report.

Hope to see you on the road some time; we've got a lot of special places here in NC as well - Al & Cindy

Thanks,

Hopefully we can compare notes in the future! We're retired too. Will be heading to Hunting Island SP SC for a week in December. We like camping @ Stone Mountain NC, Mt. Pisgah NC on the BRP, Lake Wateree SC, Linville Falls NC, and Bandit's Roost NC.

Now that we have been out west, can't wait to go back and explore other areas in the US, too. Feel like a couple of kids in the candy store!!!!!

We like to hike & camp @ South Mountains SP NC, too. Took this shot there this summer:

[huachuca]

Thanks for posting - really enjoyed the photos! We're from NC as well (Tarboro area), have a small camper (Scamp) and enjoy trips out west but most of our time there has been spent in the southwestern parts from Carlsbad down to Big Bend. We recently retired and hope to spend some time in many of the areas in your report.

Hope to see you on the road some time; we've got a lot of special places here in NC as well - Al & Cindy

[exploringcaroli]

Thanks!!!!!

We enjoy camping in the South East and already looking forward to the next "out west trip" during September 2015! Also want to camp in many places in the lower 48. May have to expand beyond "September" trips to get it all in!

[RGar974417]

Thanks for the pictures.We prefer state and federal parks too.

[southerngirl76]

Wonderful photos! Thanks for sharing them.

[exploringcaroli]

jalichty wrote:
You noted photos at Shoshoni National Park. Is it possible that it is Shoshoni National Forest rather than Park. Also, great pictures, we spend about three weeks a year at Colter Bay Campground and fish extensively on Jackson Lake. We think it's just about the prettiest place we have ever been, although we are not really world travelers. Great shot of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as well, I don't get down that low when I take pictures of it.

You're right. It's Shoshoni National Forest.

Thanks! We had lots of fun exploring & taking photos! Hope to make many more trips out west!

[jalichty]

You noted photos at Shoshoni National Park. Is it possible that it is Shoshoni National Forest rather than Park. Also, great pictures, we spend about three weeks a year at Colter Bay Campground and fish extensively on Jackson Lake. We think it's just about the prettiest place we have ever been, although we are not really world travelers. Great shot of the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone as well, I don't get down that low when I take pictures of it.

[exploringcaroli]

Here's a few more shots of the trip:





Wind River Wyoming:



Yellowstone:





Nice place to have lunch:



Buffalo Bill SP:

[exploringcaroli]

While camping at Cove Lake SP Tenn on the way home, we visited the TrailManor Camper manufacturing plant at Jacksboro Tenn: