First MINUS: the developer of the RV sites did not have a good understanding of how inclines affect the parking of diesel motorhomes. The majority of the sites, including ours, slanted in exactly the wrong direction. Therefore, we spent the 2 weeks walking slightly uphill as we moved to the front of Roamin, and downhill when walking to the back. It wasn't terribly troublesome except when getting up in the middle of the night when one's balance is not at its best. And we figure that it just added to our daily exercise anyway. Second MINUS: we were very happy when we first arrived that we were able to get satellite reception through a hole in the bare(ish) trees above us. However, as that pretty bright green growth steadily increased, our satellite reception steadily decreased until we had none. PLUS: the park does have cable. MINUS: the cable reception is very poor. PLUS: we have Apple TV, so as long as we have Internet we have a work-around. MINUS: our personal Internet's monthly allowance will very quickly be consumed if we use it for TV. PLUS: the park provides decent Wifi. MINUS: although the Wifi is decent, our reception of it was sporadic. The powers-that-be are so paranoid about folks outside the campground accessing their Wifi, their attempt to limit it also adversely affects campers along the perimeter of the park as we were. In the end, we watched TV when Internet allowed, and cleared a lot of old recordings on our DVR.
As a sightseeing outing, we spent an afternoon walking through historic Old Salem. The buildings in this part of town date back to the 1700's and 1800's. Tickets can be purchased to see demonstrations of how things were done back then. We passed on the tickets and just walked through the streets.
We drove to Raleigh to see North Carolina's historical Capitol Building. It was built in 1840 to replace the original one that was built in 1796 and burned down in 1731. (The building burned because, while installing a new, fireproof metal roof a worker, over lunch, failed to mind a burning pot of seam sealing lead.) The N.C. Supreme Court and State Library moved from this building in 1888. The legislature moved from it in 1963. The governor's office and staff are still resident. The historical parts of the Capitol that are open for touring are furnished with original legislative desks, not reproductions.
Some of our family lives in Charlotte, about an hour's drive from Winston-Salem. We took the drive to visit. We had chosen a couple of museum's to visit while we were there. As most museums throughout the country are closed on Monday's, we made the trip on a Tuesday. When we arrived, we were told that due to budget cuts these 2 museums are now closed on Monday AND Tuesday. Oh well, we did enjoy walking around downtown Charlotte. The architecture, trees, outdoor settings, and various artistic pieces make the downtown area appealing. And our time with family that evening was great.
We enjoyed our time in central North Carolina. If we didn't have strong desires to live in Ohio and Texas, we could see us researching living conditions here and perhaps calling it home. Of course, experiencing only the spring season would not be enough. We would have to check out the other 3 seasons of the year and weigh all the pluses and minuses before making such a decision. And it's biggest minus is that it isn't Ohio or Texas. On to Virginia.
