We spent much of April stocking the camper and planning future trips. We had hoped to take a trip in mid-April, but those plans had to be canceled.
The Campground: Since Beth is from East Tennessee, it’s a place we know we’ll visit often. On this trip, we discovered Moody Bluff Campground at Warrior’s Path State Park in Kingsport. Warrior’s Path is a park that just about everyone from East Tennessee knows, but Moody Bluff is a newer addition. This section was built to accommodate larger RVs and offers full hookups. The original campground still has power and some water, but no sewer connections.
For our second outing with the Thor, setup went smoothly—thankfully, since we had tickets to a nearby event and didn’t have time for complications. Our site was spacious and fully paved, with a concrete pad, picnic table, and fire ring. It was comfortable and convenient, and the natural setting of the park made it even better.
The Adventures: Friday, 9 May 2025. Boo had a better trip over, thank goodness! Our first stop was The Black Olive Restaurant in Elizabethton, an Italian restaurant with locations in Elizabethton, TN; Johnson City, TN; and Jonesborough, TN. Next stop, Moody Bluff. We checked in early and explored the campground. We stopped at the camp store and got a sticker and t-shirt. We then drove to the marina and checked out that store. We drove by the old pool where Beth spent time as a teenager. It is closed now. 🙁 We then went to Johnson City to Mr. K’s Bookstore for Beth to exchange some books and then to ETSU, Beth’s alma mater, for a baseball game – ETSU v. Wofford. Normally a very good baseball team, they just were not having a great game that day. It got chilly with the wind, so we left at the end of the sixth inning. Back to the campsite for some R&R and time with Boo.
Saturday was an easy morning, taking our time and enjoying the day. We stopped at Ace Hardware, Ollie’s, TJ Maxx, and Target for some supplies. We then took some backroads and made our way to Chuckey through Erwin, down 107, to The Farmer’s Daughter. We have been coming here for years with Beth’s family. Daniel Boone Inn-style restaurant with a different variety of foods. Beth loves the cornbread salad, and the carrot souffle is amazing! After lunch, we took some more backroads to Telford. Beautiful land through here but such devastation from the hurricane. 🙁 We had a great visit with Beth’s brother and his family (Brian, Penny, Troy, Kelly, Jonathan, Averie, Austin-Ann, and Wyatt. Unfortunately, Ava was not home that weekend.) We walked the property – so beautiful and great views – and checked out all the great old stuff in the barn. We then headed to Beth’s old homeplace to visit with her great-nephew, Wesley, and his family – his wife, Caitlin, and their kids – Braxton, Emmitt, and Hayley. They were not home, so we headed out of Telford, again via backroads, on to Jonesborough. A surprise in Jonesborough – Beth spotted a former classmate from West View/Crockett sitting on a bench downtown – Stacie Mashburn. We made a u-turn for Beth to visit with her for a few minutes before heading back to the campsite for some good talking, resting, and visiting with Boo.
On Sunday, we parked the camper in Ollie’s parking lot and headed up to see Beth’s mom. Brian, Penny, and Averie also came up for everyone to spend some time with Margaret on Mother’s Day. Back to the Black Olive in Elizabethton for lunch before heading to West Jefferson to see my mom. We got to Blowing Rock and realized I had left my phone at the restaurant. We had to drive all the way back to Elizabethton (unloaded the car and left the camper at The Shoppes on the Parkway) to get it. Ugh…. Missed seeing Mom.
This trip was just a weekend getaway, but we enjoyed it enough that, before leaving, we made a reservation to return in July.
A few of Beth’s friends from her morning walk, above.
Moody Bluff Campground, Warrior’s Path State Park, Colonial Heights, TN