Living Life RV Style

08/12/2026

🌊 What a Beautiful Comeback at Mountain River Family Campground! 🏕️❤️
We had such an amazing weekend at Mountain River Family Campground! It was especially meaningful to see how beautifully this place has been rebuilt after the devastation of Hurricane Helene.
What they have accomplished is truly incredible. You can see the hard work, heart, and determination that went into bringing this special place back to life. 🙏
Our fur babies, Money Penny and Princess Buttercup, had a great time too! 🐾❤️ They absolutely loved their walks, exploring the campground, and spending time in the water. Nothing better than seeing them having as much fun as we were!
We also made a trip over to the flea market in Jamestown, where we had a great time looking around and finding a few really cool items. You just never know what treasures you’re going to find! 😎🛍️
Between the beautiful mountains, the river, camping, family, our pups, flea-market treasures, and just slowing down to enjoy life, it was a weekend we won’t soon forget.
If you haven’t been back to Mountain River since Hurricane Helene, I highly recommend stopping by and seeing what they’ve done. This place has come back stronger and more beautiful than ever! ❤️🏕️🌄🌊

07/28/2026

Roan Mountain 2026!!!
We had a great 9 nights of camping at Roan Mountain this year! This is one of our favorite campgrounds at almost 3000 feet, it is cooler in the summer!!! You have to take the rain with the cooler temperatures and the rainforest like atmosphere.

We camped with the Blewett’s and their extended family as well as the Murphy’s. Visiting the Smoky Mountain Bakery, Holy Smokes Barbecue Truck and hiking to the top of Round Bald (5829 altitude) is always on the to do list.

On rainy days, we got in the truck and explored surrounding towns. Checking out their antique stores and cute shops. We visited Elk Park, Banner Elk, Boone, Mountain City, Bakersville, Spruce Pine and Roan Mountain. There is not much to see in Mountain City but we found a shop or two in most towns and ate at three different diners.

Darryl found the Hardware store of his dreams in Elk Park. We looked up and down every isle of Brinkley’s Hardware. The old building with wood floors and separate rooms held a combination of items that could fulfill any home owner or farmer’s needs. The eclectic mix was exactly what that community desired. We left there with a few treasures listening to Darryl talk about the shovel of his dreams.
*When I woke up the next morning at camp and went outside. Darryl was sitting in his rocking chair and said “I’m going back for that shovel, I want it!”

Someone else might not get the same feeling for a hardware store but if you like antiques and junk stores we definitely had a fun time looking through those. Sometimes it just feeds the memories that you had forgotten. Things your grandma had or toys you once played with.

My brother, Todd who lives in Kentucky came to stay a few nights with us. It was his 60th birthday and we had a great visit. We celebrated his birthday with smoked chicken wings and s’mores. We walked the campground, sat by the fire, hung out with all our friends and played sequence while it rained. I gave him a bag full of all things SNOOPY because that is one of our childhood memories.

The campground was alive with animals. We saw deer, rabbits, birds (raccoons got in our out door trash but we didn’t see them😜)and this year a bald eagle!!! There is a photo of the bald eagle but it’s not great .

We hiked with the Murphy’s to Elk River Falls but you had to climb up on rocks to look over and see it. Needless to say, I didn’t see it. 🤣
Darryl climbed up on top and I turned around and didn’t look. I might have also been praying. 🙏
Anyways, I survived that and we carried on.

Something interesting is that last year while driving to the top of Roan, Darryl’s deleted and tuned Ram Turbo Diesel stalled before cresting 5000 feet and would not continue up the mountain. When we got back to Knoxville, he took it back to the tuner who had it reprogrammed to 15,000 feet. This year it powered all the way up and over the mountain with no problems. I might have been saying some big prayers then too!

Kathy and I walked loops around the campground, talked about our kids, all the different dogs and campers and enjoyed this one little three year old boy who spent the week covered in mud. If he wasn’t digging in it with his trucks, he was driving his little balance bike through the mud. I thought he had on rubber boots, but it was mud up to his knees.

Bella and Blitz (Blewett’s dog) had a great time walking, relaxing and tromping around in the rain. Bella is 12 and Blitz is 15.

We are booked again for next year -
Go with us!

Happy Camping ❤️🐾

06/22/2026

06/01/2026

🍄Mushrooms from Cloudland Canyon state Park. 🍄

06/01/2026

Camping trip #70 was to Cloudland Canyon State Park in northern Georgia, just below Chattanooga. The park was established in 1938 and is located on the west rim of Lookout Mountain.

There are paved walking trails along the rim of the canyon and dirt trails that go down into the canyon. Mike and Darryl hiked down and took pictures of the waterfall. They started from the parking lot at the overlook. If you really want to hike, you can take the trail that leaves right from the campground. You have to be able to hike stairs because there is around 600 of them.

We camped here on camping trip #5 and I don’t know why we haven’t been back. We went in March on our first trip when there weren’t any leaves on the trees. You could see down into the canyon. With all the leaves on this time, the view was beautiful but you couldn’t see as much without hiking to the bottom. It is only a 2 hour drive from Knoxville and it is so beautiful! Hard wood trees are everywhere. The campground is very neat and clean with nice flat parking spots. You can tent camp right along side the campers in any of the sites. There is a large open section of pull through spots that we don’t remember from before but they are nice and BIG!!! They have planted small trees but right now they don’t have shade. They do have sewer which is nice because the older shady section that we love doesn’t have sewer hook up. We saw Blue Jays, Blue Birds and giant red headed Wood Peckers.

The bathrooms are remodeled and very clean. They are in the process of building a new welcome center and it is going to be fabulous! In the pictures there is a list of all the upcoming activities that are great for kids and families. You can enter the park with a one day pass for $10.
Picnic tables are available at the overlook and it’s a nice day trip.

Saturday, we all ventured over to the Chicamauga National Battlefield. We toured the museum, watched a short movie about the Civil War and The Battle for Chattanooga. These battles took place right on that soil. We looked through the gun room at a huge collection of antique guns and looked through the collection of found items. We read stories and looked at photos of the faces of men who lost their lives fighting.

There are 705 monuments in the park. The first monuments were put in place in the 1890’s with the last ones place in 1976. It is a beautiful car ride along the fields and through the woods where battles were fought and now large granite monuments stand in honor of regiments. The drive is quiet and beautiful and you feel the importance of each monument. The museum is free and makes a wonderful teaching experience for all ages.

Back at camp, Wendy and Jim had their two Great Pyrenees dogs and we had Bella. They were really sweet with Bella and loved by all the people walking by. We built fires, sat around and talked. We played sequence and rummy, we walked the dogs and relaxed.

We were worried about rain but the last few days of May were gorgeous. The temperature was mid to upper 70’s with a breeze. It rained our last night and thunder rumbled but we fell asleep to the rain on the camper roof.

Put Cloudland Canyon State Park on your list. The campground wasn’t even half full and there are so many beautiful sites. I included several camp site photos so you could be inspired!

Thanks for following along!
Happy camping!🐾❤️

04/20/2026

Yarberry Peninsula Campground in Lenoir City was camping trip number 69! We are beginning our 8th year of camping and are looking forward to a great camping season!

Yarberry is a beautiful campground just past the dam on 321. It is so easy to visit this sweet campground and you don’t even have to camp! They have boat ramps that you can use for $12 or you can pay a weekly price. There is a sandy beach and a roped off area in the lake to swim. They rent canoes, kayaks, paddle boards and pontoon boats. Pack a picnic lunch and come for the day!

The campground is very neat and the grounds were nicely mowed. There are three bath houses which were a bit older but all clean! The camp sites have 30/50 amp and water but no sewer. There is a single dump station. All the sites are nice and level. We watched the campground host rake each one by hand in between guests. Several of the sites have beautiful lake views and some have access to the water.
We were on the inside lane but we like it there. It’s shady and we don’t have any of the gnats that are around on a hot day.

We arrived Friday afternoon and got everything set up. We proceeded to build a fire and roasted hotdogs on the open flame for dinner. We had three sites booked in a row. The Murphys were right on the corner with the Johnson’s in between us. Jim and Wendy ended up not being able to camp but they still came and hung out with us Sunday. The campground was very nice to the Johnson’s and let them cancel due to an unexpected event.

An older couple ended up in their site in a truck with a soft shell camper top. That lady must have been nicer than me because I watched her haul herself over that tailgate to sleep in the back of that truck. Saturday night it rained from 8:30pm to 4:30am and I thought about those people all night. I’m sure they are used to it but it wouldn’t be for me!!!

We woke up to a temperature of 43’ Sunday morning! The high Sunday was 65 which was 20’ cooler than Saturday. We built a fire that morning and sat around it with coffee. We kept it going all day and it was wonderful. It was sunny and brisk but so so so beautiful. Kathy and I sat there drinking coffee looking at all the birds. Cardinals, Blue Jays, Blue Birds, Doves, Robins, Crows, Geese and Osprey. I am not kidding, it was crazy! The squirrels were plentiful because of all the nut trees. Our Bella is definitely getting old. She used to bark at squirrels and now she’s just too tired.

Kathy and I took lots of walks and Darryl and Mike fished! Boy, the fish were biting!!! Darryl caught about 12. The Keen’s stopped by to say hi and Dolly even got to catch a fish! Camping is so enjoyable. You spend quality time with friends and family just visiting and hanging out.

We grilled steaks with loaded potatoes, hamburgers and chicken wings. I made life easier on myself and hit the deli up at Food City. Potato salad, Cole slaw, broccoli salad and a fruit tray were our sides. Meals were really easy this trip!

It was so nice and quiet all weekend. The campground was only half full but school isn’t out yet. There are some tent sites if you don’t have a camper.

Put Yarberry on your camping list and stay tuned. We have many more trips to come!

Happy camping!!!🐾❤️

10/26/2025

Camping trip #68 was Loyston Point Campground in Andersonville, TN.

Loyston Point is named for “Point 19” on the TVA reservoir. They offer 65 camp sites and 3 single room cabins. 60 of the sites have electric hook up and most all have lake views. Any site can be camped on with an RV or a tent. Visitors can use the “Day Use Area” and enjoy the beach area on the lake.

One beautiful attraction that is found at Loyston Point is the Hemlock Bluff National Recreational Trail. It is named for the prominence of hemlocks in the hardwood forest.
Another attraction is the daily sun rise over the mountains. Ducks were flying over, fishermen were out on boats and along the shore, Blue Herron were flying along the top of the water and the sun would rise over the mountain and reflect off the clouds and the lake. Breathtaking!

Loyston Point has a nice camp store with groceries, ice, firewood and camping supplies. They sell shirts and sweatshirts, stickers and keepsakes.

There are 22 camp sites that are given out in a lottery system for the whole season. The season lasts from the beginning of March through the first week of November and they rent for $625 /month. They have already drawn this year but only 16 people showed up! This never happens so if you want a site for the whole summer, you should call asap! 865-494-9369 You can also bring along your boat and use the boat ramp. We aren’t ready to leave our camper in the same spot every year. We enjoy all the different campgrounds, but one day we would consider being a full timer.

During October, the kids trick or treat on Saturday nights and some people decorate their campers and campsites. The campground also decorates and it looks really cute.

Darryl and I only got to camp 6 times this year! We usually camp at least 10 times but we went on a cruise and had other things come up this year. Jim & Wendy and Mike & Kathy were both able to make this last trip! We had so much fun! Darryl tricked Mike and Jim into a “Man Hike” which was much longer and rockier than anyone signed up for! We sat by the fire for hours talking and laughing. We walked the dogs and played Sequence in Jim & Wendy’s camper.

Bella (Great Pyrenees mix) and Money Penny (Full-bred Great Pyrenees) got to know each other better. Bella is 11 1/2 and MP is 2 years old so we let them hang out together but not really play. Bella tends to throw a hip out when she does zoomies these days. 🤣

There are so many campgrounds in the south east. We are really blessed to be able to spend time with friends in the beautiful campgrounds and state parks. Darryl uses “Allstays Camp and RV” app to locate campgrounds.

We appreciate all of you who follow Living Life RV Style. We are up to 1074 followers! All 68 of our trips are below. We will be planning next year’s trips in January!

Happy Camping! 🐾❤️

09/21/2025

Campers take a Cruise: Greece/Turkey

Each morning when Darryl and I woke up and pulled the drapes back on our balcony, we would have a different view. We started each day saying “WOW!”

It is different visiting a place that is so beautiful and knowing that you will never see it again. You feel somewhat eager to soak it all in. When we are in the USA, vacationing and enjoying lovely sites, we know we can visit again and it doesn’t feel so desperate.

We cruised on the Norwegian Cruise Line/VIVA. It was all SO surreal and such a blessing to be able to visit Greece and Turkey. The Viva criss crossed the Aegean Sea for an entire week. We visited Athens, Volos, Crete, Santorini, Mykonos, and Rhodes in Greece and Istanbul and Kusadasi in Turkey.

SHIP:VIVA
Cruising was new to us so we had much to learn. A few things we didn’t learn until our last day on the ship.

1. Key card is everything. Unlocks your cabin, charges purchases to your room, drink ticket, scan to get on and off ship….Don’t lose it!

2. Insert key card inside cabin for electricity.

3. Rotate sliding glass door handle to lock for your air conditioning to work.

4. The TV/remote control works like a computer for all information you need to know. Channel 2 which was the Bridge Cam also played overhead announcements in your room.

5. The diamond pattern in the carpeting points you toward the front of the ship.

6. NCL delivers your excursion tickets to your room and in Turkey we needed landing passes with a QR code.

7. Walk around the whole ship early in the cruise so you see all the possibilities.

Excursions:
1. Each group received a number and we each wore a sticker with that number. The buses were waiting right off the ship and you stayed with your guide throughout the day. Safe and enjoyable, especially important in places like Istanbul where there are 20 million people in the city. *Darryl and I have not been out of the country before and our sweet boys gave us both “safety” tips which we enacted on this trip. Logan said “there is no such thing as southern hospitality when traveling. People will try to take advantage of you. Watch yourselves and don’t worry about them.” Nicholas told us “not to follow anyone calling toward us or waving us in a direction unless it was our guide.” I love them.

2. It all depends on your guide as to how much historical information you receive. They were very good about safety tips but they also lead you to retailers they were connected with. We literally got shut in a room until we learned about Turkish rug making. Then all these sales people came in and tried to sell you rugs.

3. Once you arrived at your destination, sometimes there would be multiple cruise ships at port and it was very crowded. You might be in long line to see something or you might be in large crowd all trying to see the view or the sites. The mosque’s in Turkey used to be Christian churches. They covered all the beautiful mosaics with plaster. One mosque that we toured had been a museum and they had started uncovering the mosaic tiles. Now that it has been returned to a functioning mosque, they are no longer uncovering the tiles. The tile depiction of Mary holding Jesus is behind curtains so they cannot see it while praying. My photo isn’t great, but it is included. ❤️

4. You don’t take your passport off the ship. You take your drivers license and a copy of your passport.
5. Always carry water and a hat with you. I used my fan a lot. Several people had battery operated hand held or neck fans.
6. Almost everywhere we walked was uneven, rocky, sandy and moderately steep. Our group would call over our shoulders “hole” “crack” “rock” “curb” and it would pass down the line.
7. You never know what the bathrooms will be like. Always have some Kleenex in your purse. Sometimes you had to pay for the bathroom but I didn’t mind because that meant it was getting cleaned throughout the day. Volos was the only place where the bathroom didn’t have an actual toilet. It was more of a tiled hole in the ground….I wasn’t a fan.
8. Be prepared for all forms of transportation. On one excursion, we ended up on cable cars that took us down from the top of the mountain to the port. I sat down and shut my eyes and didn’t open them until I got off. The other options were mules or 589 steps covered in mule poop.😳

Positives:
1. NCL did a great job of informing us. Emails, in cabin paperwork delivered to our room each day, announcements and people available for questions.
2. NCL had people cleaning all the time and spraying your hands when you boarded the ship (after excursions) and before entering any buffet style restaurant.
3. The flow on the ship was very good and the people were dispersed throughout the ship so it didn’t feel crowded. We did not have to wait long for elevators.
4. Our room had a balcony, King size bed, sofa, vanity and a bathroom. It was all very comfortable and enjoyable. It was about the size of our camper. 😜
5. NCL was available for any questions/problems/requests

Negatives:
1. The food in the “included” dining rooms was good, but the food in the “cover charge” restaurants was much better.
2. Instead of large pools, they had smaller ones in different areas. Usually crowded. It looked like 20 people in a big bathtub.
3. Sorting people for the different excursions was orderly but a little crowded. You had to wait in line sometimes.
4. We paid the extra fee for onboard WiFi. We wanted to be able to look up history, facts, locations. We also needed to be able to find each other on the ship.
5. Flying takes patience. We were pleased with United and Air Canada. There is no such thing as personal space when traveling, someone is always too close.
6. When cruising you have a short amount of time in each port and sometimes it’s not enough.

We had 22 family members in our group. Family that we don’t get to see very often. We looked out for each other and enjoyed making these memories together. The next time Bonnie and Jerry send out the email for a cruise (because now they are our chosen leaders😂) we might even have a bigger group.

Thank you Lord for all the many blessings! 🙌🏻

Happy Cruising!❤️

08/23/2025

Hey guys, it’s me Bella.
Say a prayer for me. I’ve got something growing in my nose that makes me sneeze a lot. The doctor thinks it’s a mass of some sort. They are giving me steroids and antibiotics but I don’t care because momma covers them in peanut butter. The nice doctor at Butler Animal Clinic is going to recheck me on September 2 and decide what to do. I am 11 years and 4 months old but my baby kitty Buster is only 3 and he needs me. Let’s pray this dumb thing in my nose can be controlled. I’ve got lots of camping to do! ❤️🐾

08/07/2025

I forgot to post my 2025 mushroom pictures from Roan Mountain, TN.
🍄🍄‍🟫