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Vintage Camper Spring Rally was a BIG HIT!
We had 45 really cool vintage campers arrive for the Vintage Camper Spring Rally. We roasted marshmallows by the camp fire, told a few tall tales and had some great BBQ.
As always what makes this a great event is the wonderful people who works so hard to restore these beautiful campers. When you look around the campground, there are no two campers the same and each one was unusual. When you look inside you will see a lot of real wood and you don’t see a lot of plastic. Next time your in a campground and see a vintage camper, stop and say Hi and check the camper out, most vintage camper owners love to show off their hard work.
So we hope to see you at the Vintage Camper Fall Rally in the Smokies 2010 Sept. 10 & 11th, 2010. We already have over 20 reservations of vintage campers with more calling every day. So get your poodle skirt and penny loafers ready, the Fall rally will be here before you know it. Give us a call to reserve you site today. More pics can be seen at:http://www.mistyriverrv.com/vintagecamperrally/vintagecamperspring10.html.
Smokies tourist bitten by Black Bear while trying to take photo.
You would think he would have known better!
A man who was visiting the Great Smoky Mountains National Park was bitten by a black bear. Park officials say the man was hiking on the Laurel Falls Trail. He allowed the bear to get within inches of him so he could take a picture of it. The bear bit the man's foot, leaving a small puncture wound. It did not require medical attention.
Wildlife biologists tracked and captured a small, 60 pound female bear. The park cannot take the risk of allowing a bear with this type of behavior to remain in the wild. Officials believe this bear had become food conditioned from visitors leaving food remains along the trail or even feeding it. Food conditioned bears may be bold in their attempts to get food.
Visitors are urged to stay a minimum of 50 yards away from bears, because getting too close may prompt threatening behavior from the bear and result in an injury. That regulation is in place to protect both Park visitors and bears.
Now let me as a good campground host get on my soap box and preach about wild bears.
First…. if you get close to a bear to take its picture and he bights you, it’s YOUR fault and not the bears. He is not Yogi or Smoky the bear, he is a WILD bear. Stay away from the bears!
Second…. You always, always and always leave a food source between you and the bear. If you don’t know what a food source is… it is anyone in between you and the bear!
Third…. All wild animals will bite.
So please be careful when you out in the wild, we want you to have a good time and come back often. If we let the bears eat all of the hikers, who would we have to sit by the campfire with.
Thank you,
Jimmy
What is this picture?
It’s the Synchronous fireflies at Elkmont.
Just one of 14 species of fireflies that live in Great Smoky Mountains National Park . They are the only species in America whose individuals can synchronize their flashing light patterns. Fireflies (also called lightning bugs) are beetles. They take from one to two years to mature from larvae, but will live as adults for only about 21 days. Their light patterns are part of the adulthood mating display. Each species of firefly has characteristic flash pattern that helps its male and female individuals recognize each other. Most species produce a greenish-yellow light; one species has a bluish light. The males fl and the usually stationary females respond with a flash. Peak flashing for synchronous fireflies in the park is normally within a two-week period in mid-June.
No one is sure why the fireflies flash synchronously. Competition between males may be one reason: they all want to be the first to flash. Or perhaps if the males all flash together they have a better chance of being noticed, and the females can make better comparisons. The fireflies do not always flash in unison. They may flash in waves across hillsides, and at other times will flash randomly. Synchrony occurs in short bursts that end with abrupt periods of darkness.
The Park is closing the Elkmont entrance road to private motor vehicles and pedestrian every night from 5 p.m. until midnight, June 5-13, except to registered campers staying at the Elkmont Campground. The National Park Service has granted permission to Cades Cove Heritage Tours to offer a shuttle service to the site and it will be the easiest way to get there from our side of the mountain. The cost is $1 per person of any age. Seats on the shuttles are expected to sell out quickly. You can call 448-8838 or book online at cadescoveht.org. Visitors can bring lawn chairs, and carry food and water in backpacks which can fit on their laps in the trolleys; there are no services (bath rooms) available at the site. Visitors are prohibited from bringing coolers, alcoholic beverages and their pets.
Synchronous Fireflies Light Show Etiquette
Flashlights disrupt the fireflies and impair people's night vision.
The light show is best when you:
Cover your flashlight with red or blue cellophane.
Use your flashlight only when walking to your viewing spot.
Point your flashlight at the ground.
Turn off your flashlight when you find your viewing spot.
Do not catch the fireflies.
Stay on the trail at all times.
Pack out all of your garbage.
Enter the Best Parks in America
“Best Camping/RVing Ever”
Contest and Relive Your Very Best Moments
Visa Gift Cards to be awarded to three winners.
Did you have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend camping/RVing trip? Has camping and RVing been a long-time family favorite? Best Parks in America – www.BestParksinAmerica.com , a collection of distinguished, independent RV resorts and campgrounds throughout America and Canada, wants to hear about your “Best Camping/RVing Experience Ever”.
In 100 words or less tell the story of your "Best Camping/RVing Experience Ever" and you could win a valuable Visa Gift Card good anywhere that accepts Visa. First place will be awarded a $200 gift card, second wins a $100 gift card, and third takes away a $50 gift card.
All stories must be true to life and may be in any format you choose (story, poem, etc.) but must be 100 words or less. One entry per camper and all contest submissions should be sent via the Contact Us page at www.BestParks.com no later than Friday, June 25th. Entrants will receive an email confirmation and the winner will be announced in an upcoming Best Guests newsletter as well as on the Best Parks in America website.
“Camping/RVing is an all-American pastime. Each trip – from the very first one to the annual family camping/RVing vacation to a snowbird season in the south – creates lasting memories and plenty of terrific stories. We eagerly look forward to hearing many, many tales – no doubt, the competition will be stiff but we’ll have a ball reading each and every one of them,” remarked David Gorin, President/CEO, Best Parks in America.
Did You Know?
There are at least 30 different species of salamanders in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. This gives the Smokies the distinction of having the most diverse salamander population anywhere in the world and has earned the park the nickname “Salamander Capital of the World.”
See you under the Stars,
Diane & Jimmy Felton
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