~Sunday, June 13, 2021~
Day 364 (Travel Day)
One more moving day in Tennessee and only a 45 minute drive to our next destination…..Gallatin, TN to another great Army Corps of Engineers campground called Cages Bend on Old Hickory Lake. Once again, ACE knows how to develop one heck of a campground and what a beautiful scenic backdrop it has. However, we didn’t receive the warm/fuzzy greeting that most campgrounds offer. With not so much of a “hello” or “what can I do for ya?”, the first words out of the manager’s mouth were “10 more minutes'', followed by other directions I didn’t quite understand between the plexiglass wall that separated us. Apparently he has quite the reputation of “Mr. Grouch '' on social media. With the latest check out time we’ve ever heard of (2:00 p.m.), our site was still in the process of getting cleaned. Usually RV parks/campgrounds have a checkout time of 11:00 a.m. or noon. And with it being Sunday, there is a lot of site turnover.
Our campsite (#3) is very roomy, somewhat shaded and has a partial view of the lake. We’re so happy that we have 5 days at this site vs. the 2 where we just camped. I don’t think we, nor Sadie, could have endured 5 more days without A/C with this kind of steamy, hot weather. Sadie’s already eyeing the dock that is just steps from our site.
To our right, a family is setting up for a first birthday celebration. Love seeing friends and families gathering again, especially after COVID. With the A/C running full throttle (front and back units), I happily set things up while Jeff worked outside, taking occasional breaks inside the trailer for some heat relief. Oh, oh, Jeff’s back to making a long to-do list, some of which he hopes to accomplish while we’re here. But we also plan on getting a lot of sightseeing done in Nashville, which is only about 30 minutes away.
Had quite a list for a Target run, so I went to do that while Sadie and Jeff stayed back. Man, what a nice area. Beautiful rural homes, more green, wide open spaces and nice shopping areas. My errand didn’t take long, so fortunately, when I got back, we had a little sunset time to walk around the campground. The campsites on the same side as ours are all nice. We’ve already jotted down 10 more primo sites, either slightly above the lake or right on the lake. And only $35/night.
Just before dinner, I went up to the shower area where I was told the laundry was. And it couldn’t be in a better location as it’s just up the hill, behind our campsite. I took the truck up there with my 3 loads and asked someone where the laundry room was. She said, “Oh you mean these clunky things? That’s all there is.” There is only 1 washer and 1 dryer, both outside. But it will have to do. And thankfully, no wait. It seems I’m the only crazy one doing laundry at 8:00 on a Sunday evening. It was just me and the fireflies. With the warmer temps and being near water, there are much larger swarms of them now than what we’ve been seeing. Finally, they’re looking more like we imagined!