We pulled out of the dump station at Sherando Lake State Park around 10:45 am for a 4-hour drive to Stone Mountan State Park in Roaring Gap, North Carolina on Tuesday, October 13, 2026. Almost the entire drive was on Interstate highways which is not always our favorite way to go, but through the mountains of Virginia and North Carolina it evened out the ups and downs a bit.
Stone Mountain State Park
This was out first time visiting this state park and campground. I was a little confused when I initially looked at the reservation because years ago, when I was deployed to Atlanta, Georgia, Cindy had flown up to visit me and one of the places we went to visit was Stone Mountain just outside of Atlanta.
So the first thing I asked Cindy was, “Are you sure this is in North Carolina?”
I should know better.
Because, of course, places can be named the same in different states. We see it all the time with cities and towns.
We pulled up to check-in at about 3:15 pm and were absolutely thrilled to be told by the check-in volunteer that they too were being besieged by stink bugs. Several flew up to the window as she and Cindy were going over our reservation. It would be a week of stink bug hell.
Our site was very level and not too close to others with water and 50-amp electric. We’ll dump when we leave in 7 days.
And yes, the stink bugs were flying and landing everywhere; on the smooth sides of Nomad, on the screens in the windows and on the door, skittering across the ceiling like ugly versions of spider-man. It was truly an infestation.
We got Starlink connected and figured out the signal would be stronger on the roof of Nomad so up the ladder I went. Plus, I don’t feel like we have to disconnect it and store it away like we’ve done when it’s on the ground. I doubt anyone would steal it, since it wouldn’t work for them, but I’ve also learned not to underestimate the stupidity or just plain meanness of some people.
We ate dinner and watched the news, Jimmy Kimmel Live! and 3 episodes of Fringe before hitting the sack.
Wednesday, October 14th, we ate a hearty breakfast and were out the door at 9:30 am to do some hiking in the park.
Widows Creek Falls
First we drove 3 miles up the mountain to the parking area for Widows Creek Falls. It’s a small waterfall, not nearly as majestic as some we’ve seen, but was still beautiful to behold. It was a short hike to get there and we had to be careful on the slippery rocks and slopes in order to get as close as we wanted, but it was worth it and a great way to start our day.
Then we drove partway back the way we came to hike at the Stone Mountain Trail in order to get to the Hutchinson Homestead. The hike was listed as .4 miles and moderate. The listing was a lie! It was at least 3 miles and VERY strenuous. At least that’s what it felt like, lol. I honestly thought we must have passed it somehow when we finally came to it. We got some good photos on the trail and at the homestead, and then saw where there was a road up to the homestead leading to a parking lot for those with handicapped placards for their vehicles. We decided to go back on the road, which was much easier and leveler than the trail. By then it was noon and we were exhausted.
Getting Older
While we were hiking the last trail there were a couple of places (a cave and a hollowed out tree trunk) that just begged to be explored further. I wanted to. My brain said, “You can do that! You can jump up to that level where the tree trunk is, or crawl down into that cave opening.”
But, as I started to do each of those things my body said, “LIke hell you can!”
And that was the end of that.
It’s probably the major thing I dislike about aging. The feeling that your body will not do the things you used to do or were able to do. I very well realize it’s better than the alternative (being dead) but the feeling that your body is betraying you is not a happy one. I mean, the senior discounts are nice and I guess I should be grateful that with age comes experience and with experience comes some degree of wisdom; and wisdom means knowing that your body WON’T do what your mind says it can do.
Yeah, I’ll focus on that.
Visiting Mount Airy/Mayberry
On Thursday we left the campsite around 10 am for a 45-minute drive to Mount Airy, North Carolina. Mount Airy is the birthplace/hometown of actor Andy Griffith and the inspiration for the town of Mayberry in the popular TV series The Andy Griffith Show, which aired from 1960 to 1968. The show still enjoys widespread airings around the country today in reruns.
We started off, as we usually do when exploring new places, at the Visitors Center on Main Street. A rather overbearing volunteer corralled us and another couple (maybe she didn’t want to explain things to us separately or twice, I don’t know, but she practically commanded the four of us to gather around to hear her spiel) in an area off the main room and proceeded to tell the 4 of us about Mount Airy and what we could see and do. It really wasn’t anything we couldn’t have read in the brochure, lol, but we listened politely and then got the hell out of there.
We walked down Main Street to first see Floyd’s Barber Shop. Cary Grant haircuts were featured and I thought of getting one, but you can only fit so much handsomeness on a head and mine is at its limit, so I spared the female population and passed on getting one that day.
Next door is the Snappy Lunch, but we would come back to that later in the day.
We walked down two more streets and then over two streets to visit The Andy Griffith Museum next. It cost $10.50 for seniors and we felt like it was worth it. Oh, and you HAVE to wear the sheriff star sticker on your person while in the museum. It was interesting to see his life on display beginning with his early childhood, high school plays, movies, TV series and personal friendships. In fact, it was one of his closest friends who was responsible for creating the museum and filling it with memorabilia.
As you can see in the photos, we took several with us in various settings. Me in the museum’s jail mock-up; Cindy with another Goober besides me; me getting kissed by Thelma Lou (she always preferred me over Barney); both of us with the Andy and Opie statues; and me in a Mayberry sweatshirt (not sure who I was supposed to be, but it was fun).
Then it was back to Main Street and a meal at Snappy Lunch. In one of the early episodes of The Andy Griffith Show, Andy suggested to Barney that they go to the Snappy Lunch (which really existed in Mount Airy) and Andy also mentioned the Snappy Lunch in his version of the song Silhouettes during another episode.
Their specialty is the breaded pork chop sandwich, but we stuck with cheeseburgers and chips (no fries, which seemed odd since they deep fry the pork chop sandwich) and drinks. It wasn’t haute cuisine, but it was filling and not expensive. Plus, we just wanted to eat in a place connected to the TV show, for memories. When we left, there was a line down the street of people waiting to get in, so our timing was good on that.
We strolled up and down the Main Street, Cindy looking in various stores while I sat on benches in the shade outside. She was trying to find a hot pad to add to her collection of places we have visited, but had no luck.
The other places we wanted to see were a bit farther from the downtown area than we wanted to walk, so we went back to where Voyager was parked and drove down to see them.
First up was Wally’s Service Station where Goober and Gomer (before he enlisted in the Marines) worked. We picked up a couple of t-shirts there. Next door was the “Mayberry Hotel” but it was really just a gift shop and Cindy almost hit pay dirt. They didn;t have a hot pad that said “Mayberry” but they DID have an oven mitt that said “Mayberry”, so she got that for her collection.
Then I had to shove some guy in a blue and red costume out of the phone booth so I could use it, and Cindy got a shot of me telling him not to come back around. Some guys think they’re the only ones who can change in a phone booth!
Next was the Mayberry Courthouse and Jail. I got to be both the sheriff at the desk and Otis in the jail cell that he let himself in and out of. Cindy just wanted to be Otis, so that was the only photo we got of her there.
We finished up with some ice cream from Ellie’s Ice Cream Shop and while eating it I grabbed a quick photo of Wally’s Service Truck with a Gomer on the Go decal.
All in all we spent about 3 1/2 hours visiting Mount Airy and had a lot of fun doing it. It’s something we’ve wanted to do since we started traveling and I’m glad we finally got close enough to be able and make a half-day of it.
The next four days were spent reading, writing, resting and relaxing. We finished the fourth season of Fringe (just one more to go) and binge-watched the first four episodes of the latest season of The Diplomat. Monday afternoon and evening we packed things up so we’d be ready to leave Tuesday morning for our next stop.
Thanks for following The Wandering Wetheringtons.
