Streamin’ in the Mountains – Palmetto Cove – Cleveland, SC
Nestled in the scenic foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, our “Streamin’ in the Mountains” adventure took us to Palmetto Cove RV Park in Cleveland, South Carolina, for a week of beautiful mountain views, Airstream friendships, and memorable excursions. Along the way, we explored the grandeur of the Biltmore Estate, watched a breathtaking sunrise at the Pretty Place Chapel, visited historic Hagood Mill, to sampled local flavors, and enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of an Airstream rally surrounded by nature. Join us as we share the highlights, experiences, and lessons from this unforgettable mountain getaway.
Monday, May 4, 2026
Birmingham, Alabama – Hoover Met RV Park – site #120
We got off about 12:30 p.m. I was going to need to work on the way. I was having trouble getting logged in with Jack got it going before we left the neighborhood.
We hit Birmingham at a good time and traffic wasn’t crazy. Travel was good and easy.
Just before Birmingham, we noticed the traffic on the southbound I-20 was stopped/backed up. There were police cars with lights on. We thought it was a wreck and as we got closer, we noticed several cops approaching the vehicle, with weapons drawn. There is always a first time for everything.
On arrival at Hoover Met, we found site #120. This may be the best spot in the park, level, pull-through, top of the hill, by the kids’ park and soccer fields. There is always something going on!
We ate gumbo for dinner and enjoyed sitting outside. Great first day.
Tuesday, May 5, 2026 – Arriving at Palmetto Cove
Not much exciting today – just a long travel day. We left around 6:30 a.m. since we woke up early. We made it through Atlanta at a good time, so traffic wasn’t too bad. Jack did great. I worked, so I didn’t see much.
The GPS did not help us today as we had hoped. It took us about 40 minutes out of the way. So we had to backtrack to I-85 and then to Hwy-11.
Hwy 11 is a winding road, then onto a way that seemed like a one-lane road to Palmetto Cove RV Park. We finally made it to the park. It’s nice but simple, the grass is neatly cut, and the site was pretty level with the great view. The hosts were very nice, Tommy and Clyde.
Chris and Carey got here about the same time. The boys got set up while Carey and I finished our workday. The weather was beautiful. The camp host said there was a Mexican restaurant down the road on the right. We decided to try it, so 30 minutes later and after waving someone down for directions, we decided to try their suggestion. It was about 30 minutes away.
It is Cinco de Mayo, and this place is packed. Parking is going to be an issue. So Chris parked what seemed to be on the side of the road, and then he was greeted by a homeowner rudely saying “get it out of here.” So we moved on to the next option, The Tipsy Taco. A much nicer place. Food was good, and the service pretty good. The owners were very nice.
Palmetto Cove
Wednesday, May 6, 2026 – Visiting the Biltmore Estate
We went to the Biltmore today. Carey and I both worked in-route and then on the way home. We ate lunch on the property. It was breathtaking. I’m still stunned that in the 1890s, someone would have such a grand vision and that a family actually lived there!
I wasn’t sure about having a recorded tour guide. It wasn’t bad, but there were a few questions I would have liked to ask.
The gardens were very well taken care of, and the flowers were in bloom. All the massive arrangements were real flowers – just incredible.
We ate lunch on the property and then drove into downtown Asheville and looked around for a couple of hours. It’s a very artsy town – like lots of art – expensive and way out of my league, but cool.
There were many homeless people downtown, but none made us uncomfortable and didn’t approach us at all.
After returning to Palmetto Cove, a few more folks arrived while we were gone, around 4:30 p.m. We made our way to the pavilion to visit for a bit. The rally starts tomorrow, so more people are coming in. We are going to have about 19 rigs total.
Later this evening, the rain is coming in. It’s going to rain all evening and the rest of the night.
I will be working half a day the rest of the week. So far, all is going well.
Biltmore Estate
Thursday, May 7, 2026 – The official Day 1 of the rally.
After 3 days of travel and activities, we plan to take it easy today. We have no planned activities except to meet with everyone that is attending the rally today at 4:00 p.m. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again. Currently there are 7 rigs here, with 12 more coming in later today.
We had a heavy overnight rain, but it dried up nicely this morning. I was worried it was going to be soggy. Jack’s stomach has been wound up, so he was wiped out but managed to still be social and go to the pavilion.
With the overnight rain the weather is cool. The weather has been great all week.
Later in the day we noticed the main AC unit was not working. Chris and Henry came by and gave it the once over but no luck getting it started. So the bedroom AC will need to carry the cooling load from this point forward. With the cooler weather this was no issue.
Friday, May 8, 2026 – The Pretty Place Chapel
There were eight of us that got up early to leave at 5:30 a.m. to go to The Pretty Place to watch the sunrise. It’s a 30 to 40-minute drive (10 miles) on a very winding road with many hairpin curves. The gates opened at 6:00am and we got there at 6:10 a.m. We could see first light as we made our way to the chapel, and that made us feel like we were going to miss it. Sunrise was set for 6:35 a.m., so we did not miss it.
It was very cold and windy at the top of the mountain. That was surprising as we got out of Chris’s van. There were so many people there; our best guess was about 100. The view and sunrise were magnificent. What a great morning.
We were back in time for me to sign in at regular time for work – even after getting gas and stopping by the grocery store. I needed to work about four hours today, and I was able to do that.
We went to bingo this afternoon and then to dinner with everyone at Aunt Sue’s for a seafood buffet. The food was good. We didn’t win at bingo.
After returning to Palmetto Cove, we went to the pavilion for some puzzle work, a fire side sing-along with Greg (on guitar), and Lisa.
Pretty Place
Saturday, May 9, 2026
They had a big breakfast at the pavilion. Doughnuts, yogurt, and fruit. I had to come back and eat a real breakfast – eggs and bacon sandwich. Several headed out for the hike to Raven Falls.
I wanted to go to the Hagood Mill and to the winery, Victoria Valley Vineyard. The mill was self-guided, which was fine. They use a water wheel when grinding, so the guy was there making sure it worked for next weekend’s grinding. It was cool to watch him get it going. Then to the winery.
It was more like a restaurant. We ate lunch, and I got a sangria, not any bottle but in a growler. More like a half gallon. Oh well!
The others got back from the hike, and we went to Table Top Tea Company. It was very interesting, and the young girl did a good job leading the tour.
After our day excursion, we had happy hour and dinner with the club. It was a fun day, and the food was good. We walked down to the stream at the RV property. We headed back to prep for travel tomorrow. We met several new people and enjoyed the Mountain View at the RV park. Caesars Head is the mountain’s name.
Table Top Tea Company
Hagood Mill
Sunday, May 10, 2026 – Heading home
We got on the road to Birmingham at 8 o’clock, after saying a few goodbyes. We have a 6 to 7-hour travel day. The travel was easy, and we made good time. Atlanta wasn’t terrible, but not great, and Jack did a good job.
When we got to Birmingham, I was able to log in and work a little while Jack took a rest. Our spot was another good one, site #136. Today is going to be a test with just one AC unit. The temperature here is much warmer, so it will be a test. Jack closed the curtain to the bedroom, and the bedroom AC did great. It was very pleasant inside the trailer.
Tacos in for supper weren’t terrible, but this won’t be on our food list again.
Monday, May 11, 2026
Jack had us up and out of there around 6:30 a.m. I barely got a cup of coffee down, but we were in the driveway at home at 11 a.m. Plenty of time to get our stuff done. It was a good trip. I was thankful not to be working on the way home, though.
I worked Monday half day in the office – and afternoon remote. All day Tuesday remote and 1/2 a day Wednesday, Thursday, Friday remote.