Marion, NC: Gem Mining - Day 2

MLA & I said goodbye this am to Bill & Nina (pronounced nine-a here in the South), our next door neighbors. We spent the last several days getting to know them and had a great time. They go together like ham & eggs (here in the south it would be eggs & grits or gravy & biscuits). Wow, I must be hungry the way I'm thinking of these food related analogies.

In any case, they were wonderful people to have the opportunity to get to know. They left their phone number and said if we come through South Carolina to give them a shout, and we just might do that. Love to meet and be around two people who love each other and life the way they do.

That's one of the great things about RV'ing: you get the chance to meet a lot of really nice people. You can stay in your RV and be by yourself if you want however the opportunity to get to know your fellow campers. Well, a chance to get to know your fellow RV'ers; you are not really camping when you travel in an RV like ours with all of the comforts of home. As I'm sure some tent campers say to themselves whenever they see our 'little mobile home' pull into the campground.

I'm the first to agree with them. I did the camping in tents with the kids for years and then we moved to a pop-up. My days (or I should say nights) of sleeping on the ground are over. Unless of course the price of fuel keeps going up. Then I might have to resort to a sleeping bag and a bicycle-built-for-two in order to travel.

After we said goodbye to Bill and Nina, MLA and I hit the road to find another gem mine called Gem Mountain. This was OK but not as good as Emerald Village where we went yesterday. Gem Mountain was more commercialized somehow.

After Gem Mountain we went back to Emerald Village to take the mine tour and get a few pictures which we were unable to do yesterday.

We were also able to make a few phone calls. Our campground does not have any cell phone coverage so we have to travel 'down the mountain' to make cell phone calls. Funny enough we can also travel 'up the mountain' to the very top and get cell phone coverage there; just not in the 'hollow' we are tucked into.

Had a chance to talk with our friend Marcie; she and her husband Terry moved to Reno about two years ago. We were really close to them before they moved and miss them a lot. Marcie called to say she was back in Maryland and wanted to see us but we were not home. Funny how that works out. In any case, good to get caught up with her and of course we told her we would be pulling into their driveway when we go out west.

We've decided to stay here at Mountain Stream RV Campground through Saturday night and leave Sunday. The North Carolina mountains have so much to offer we want to explore a little bit more.

Until next time, See Ya!