Chickery's Travels

Chickery's Travels logo. A blue-green Earth globe with continents surrounded by dots with an arrow denoting movement or travel and "Chickery's Travels" as part of the dotted circle. Next to this is a photo of their blue and white Arctic Fox 5th Wheel with the awning out.
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      • Apache Trail: A Crazy, Scary, Beautiful Drive
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        • Get Back to Nature in Tampa Bay
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        • Why We Love Tampa
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      • Visiting Atlanta? Don’t Miss These Civil Rights Museums
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      • Two Days in Acadia National Park
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      • Las Vegas RV Campgrounds: Nellis Air Force Base and Lake Mead RV Village
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      • Burgess Falls: 3 For 1 Waterfall Special
      • National Civil Rights Museum – Memphis, TN
      • Window Cliffs, TN – I’m Not Afraid of Heights, But I am Afraid of Falling!
      • WWII History in Tennessee
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      • Best Eats in Fredericksburg
      • Enjoy a Bird’s Eye View of Texas Hill Country
  • RV Resources
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    • Roadmap to Financial Freedom
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report April 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report May 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report June 2018
      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report July 2018
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      • Roadmap to Financial Freedom: Accountability Report September/October 2018
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July 24, 2018 by Julie Leave a Comment

Crossville I-40 KOA (Crossville, TN)

We really enjoyed our two-week stay at the Crossville KOA campground in Crossville, TN. While it has easy access on and off I-40, it is far enough away (about 5 miles) to make you feel as though you are in the country. It is so quiet and peaceful with all the amenities you expect from a KOA. Watch our video below to see the campground and some highlights from the local area.

RV, Tents, and Cabins

One thing we really like about KOAs is that they offer a range of accommodations, and this one is no exception. In addition to paved full-hook up sites, they have tent camping sites, as well as several different size cabins. Some of the cabins had RV hook-ups adjacent to them so you could have family come visit and have enough room to spread out. If you want to have a big gathering, they even have a 4-unit log lodge which could be a great place for family reunions. Each RV site has water, sewer, 50 amp power, a picnic table, and fire pit. Although we were there in July, we still made a fire in the evening.

View this post on Instagram

Once the sun started to set, it cooled down enough to have a campfire! #betteroutside #campfire #rvtravel #homeiswhereyouparkit #travelusa #rvcamping #rvcouple #rvlife #koacamping

A post shared by Chickery's travels (@chickerystravels) on Jul 5, 2018 at 6:33am PDT

Cumberland Plateau

This campground is situated in a beautiful part of Tennessee known as the Cumberland Plateau. There are some amazing historical sites, state parks, and beautiful waterfalls! One of our favorites is Burgess Falls. You can’t swim there, but you can see three waterfalls on one fairly short short hike (3/4 from the parking lot).

View this post on Instagram

The tallest of three waterfalls at Burgess Falls State Natural Area on the Cumberland Plateau in Sparta, TN. #lovetennessee #travelusa #rvlife #homeiswhereyouparkit #rvtravel #coupleswhotravel #rvcamping

A post shared by Chickery's travels (@chickerystravels) on May 30, 2018 at 2:47pm PDT

Click here to learn about some surprising WWII history in the local area.

Learn More

For more fabulous places to visit in the local area, follow us on Instagram @chickerystravels where we posted photos (like the ones below) almost everyday. https://www.instagram.com/p/BksHdtInznK/?taken-by=chickerystravels

View this post on Instagram

Last day in Tennessee, and it’s a beautiful one at that! #lovetn #koacamping #travelusa #homeiswhereyouparkit #rvlife @kampgroundsofamerica

A post shared by Chickery's travels (@chickerystravels) on Jul 13, 2018 at 6:11am PDT

Click here to make reservations for your next adventure! 

Sharing is caring! Feel free to share the image below to Pinterest.

Learn why your family will love the Crossville KOA campground. Set in an idyllic location near waterfalls, great hiking and a lake, this campground has RV & tent sites and well as cabins to rent. Amenities include a pool, game room, and more!

Learn why your family will love the Crossville KOA in Tennessee! Cabins, RV and tents sites mean there is a place for everyone and every budget. A swimming pool, game room and nearby waterfalls will ensure everyone is a happy camper. Visit the Crossville KOA in your RV, motorhome, fifth wheel, or camper.

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Filed Under: Campground Review, Campground Reviews, Tennessee Tagged With: campground, campground in crossville tn, campground on interstate 40, campground review, campgrounds, crab orchard (city/town/village), crossvile, Crossville, crossville (city/town/village), crossville i-40 koa, crossville military memorial museum, crossvilletn, cumberland homesteads, cumberland mountain state park, cumberland plateau, kampgrounds of america (business operation), KOA, koa campground, koa campground in crossvill, koa campground in east tn, koa campground in middle tn, koa camping, military museum, ozone falls, ozone falls (location), reviews, rv camping, RV Parks, Tennessee, tennessee (us state), tennessee campground, tennessee camping, tn, travel trailer camping

July 23, 2018 by Julie 2 Comments

WWII History in Tennessee

The more we travel around the country in our RV, the more I realize how little I know about our history. This trip was no different, and I was very surprised to learn our campground in Tennessee was close to a WWII German POW camp and a nuclear laboratory that was a key component of the Manhattan project. Thank goodness for TripAdvsior or we may have missed these historic sites.

Atomic City – The Manhattan Project In Tennessee

I was shocked to learn that the uranium for the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima was enriched in Tennessee. Prior to this visit I had only heard of the Los Alamos Laboratory, which is where the bombs were developed.

Did you know that the uranium for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was enriched in Tennessee? We learned about it on a recent trip to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

In about 18 months the area transformed from farmland to a secret city that employed 82,000 people.

American Museum of Science and Energy

The museum in Oak Ridge has exhibits on the history of the Manhattan Project, as well as a bus tour of the nuclear laboratory sites.

Did you know that the uranium for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was enriched in Tennessee? We learned about it on a recent trip to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

The Story of Oak Ridge Museum Exhibits

We started our tour of the museum with two short films that explained the history of Oak Ridge as well as the Manhattan Project.

Walking through the museum, I thought the exhibits of the building of this secret city were the most interesting. Sean found the history of the science behind the discoveries here to be more to his liking. Since that part gives me a headache, I’ll tell you about the secret city.

In order to build the facilities needed for this large effort, the Army Corps of Engineers was tasked with the unpopular project of evicting about 1,000 farmers and families from 56,000 acres of land under eminent domain. Some families were given just a few weeks’ notice to vacate farms that had been their homes for generations and others had recently resettled in the area due to other government projects. None were happy about having to move again.

They basically built a guarded city in which you had to have credentials to enter. It was a true city though, with schools, seven theaters, restaurants and cafeterias, and grocery stores. A library with 9,400 books, sporting facilities, and churches. Several different types of housing was built for the workforce and their families including prefabricated modular homes, dormitories, and even a trailer village.

Sadly there was segregation at Oak Ridge although FDR had signed an executive order barring discrimination in the defense industries. The army and companies involved justified it by saying it was a necessary practice due to racial attitudes in the area. Black workers had the less desirable jobs and were required to live in small wooden shacks called hutments, unlike housing in other parts of the Oak Ridge community. At 14 feet by 14 feet, hutments were roughly the size of a storage shed and were shared by 5-6 people. Amenities were sparse, with a coal-burning stove, dirt floor, one door and no bathroom. Married black couples were not allowed to live together either.

Oak Ridge National Laboratory Bus Tour

The museum also has a 3-hour bus tour that takes you through the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge facilities. This tour is in high demand, so be sure to sign up online or get there first thing in the morning.

There are several stops along the way including a visit to the X-10 Graphite Reactor, which “went critical” on November 4, 1943, and produced its first plutonium in early 1944. It supplied the Los Alamos Laboratory with its first significant amounts of plutonium. X-10 operated as a plutonium production plant until January 1945, when it was turned over to research activities, and the production of radioactive isotopes for scientific, medical, industrial and agricultural uses. It was shut down in 1963 and was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1965.

Did you know that the uranium for the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima was enriched in Tennessee? We learned about it on a recent trip to Oak Ridge National Laboratory.

There was also a presentation at the Y‑12 National Security Complex, previously known as the the Y‑12 Electromagnetic Separation Plant where the uranium was enriched for the first atomic bomb. This facility is still in use today, although its mission has changed. Y‑12 played a key part in the production of thermonuclear weapons during the height of the cold war, and it continues to function as the nation’s uranium storage and processing  facility.

German POW Camp in Crossville

We learned about the history of the German POW Camp at the Military Memorial Museum in downtown Crossville, TN (right off I-40 about halfway between Knoxville and Nashville).

Visit the Military Memorial Museum in Crossville TN to see artifiacts from the Civil War to present day. Of particular interest is the model of the German WWII POW camp in Crossville.

While the camp is no longer standing, the museum has a model of the camp showing the layout as well as a significant amount of artifacts from the camp itself.

Originally intended as an interment camp for Japanese Americans, POW camp was established on approximately 200 acres of a Civil Conservation Corps site. It opened in November 1942, with 68 Germans captured about 17 days earlier in Casablanca, South Africa. It was one of the first POW camps in the United States and housed more than 1,500 German and Italian prisoners.

Exhibits include German uniforms and flags, a menu and cutlery from the dining room, as well letters written by prisoners. One unique item is an oil painting by Jürgen Sperber, a German soldier, who painted it to reassure his wife that he was being treated well.

In addition to the POW display, visitors to the museum can take in the many other exhibits showcasing memorabilia from the Civil War through today.

Where to Stay

While in Tennessee, we stayed at the Crossville KOA. It’s a great campground with RV & tent sites as well as cabins to rent. Watch our video review below to see the campground, as well as other attractions in the local area.

Click here to read about some amazing waterfalls and hikes in the area!SaveSave

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Filed Under: Tennessee Tagged With: American Museum of Science and Energy, american museum of science and energy (museum), camp crossville, cumberland plateau history, discovering german pow camps in america, German POW Camp in Crossville, german pow camps in america, manhattan project, museum of science and energy, oak ridge, oak ridge (city/town/village), oak ridge national laboratory, oak ridge tennessee, pow camps in america, pow camps in america visited, prisoner of war camp, prisoner of war camps in usa, prisoner of war camps in usa during ww2, Tennessee, tennessee valley authority, visiting pow camps in america, war, world war ii, world war ii in tennessee, WWII History, WWII History in Tennessee

June 11, 2018 by Julie Leave a Comment

Las Vegas RV Campgrounds: Nellis Air Force Base and Lake Mead RV Village

We love Las Vegas! We were married there and go back to visit at least once a year. On our last trip we scoped out two Las Vegas RV campgrounds: Desert Eagle RV Park on Nellis Air Force Base and the Lake Mead RV Village at Boulder Beach. Watch this video for a sneak peek and then read on for more details.

Desert Eagle RV Park

This campground on Nellis Air Force Base is available for military ID card holders and has 223 full hookups sites thanks to a recent expansion.

The large “legacy” section of the campground has huge, full-hook-up RV spaces with well-trimmed trees bordering a landscaped walking path. The beauty of these sites is the amount of room you have to really spread out and the bit of shade you get from the trees.

The Desert Eagle RV Park at Nellis Air Force Base is a terrific military campground with more than 200 full hook up sites. We especially like the legacy section with mature landscaping and some shade trees.

The new section has 44 – 46 ft. long pull-thru sites with full-hookups. Each site has a picnic table, but they are really close together. Also the only landscaping is desert rock/gravel. With a big rig, I’d definitely recommend trying to reserve a spot in the legacy section.

Desert Eagle Campground, the FamCamp at Nellis Air Force Base has recently added over 100 campsites.

You can make reservations up to six months in advance, and I’d definitely recommend it if you want to go during the winter.   Click here to learn more about camping at Desert Eagle RV Park.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area

If you aren’t eligible to stay on base, camping with a waterfront view at Lake Mead National Recreation Area. Please be aware, if you don’t have a National Parks America the Beautiful Pass, you have to pay $25 per vehicle (or $20 per motorcycle) to enter.

There is a privately managed campground overlooking Boulder Beach, called Lake Mead RV Village. It has 115 full hook-up sites with nightly rates from $34 to $50. However, you can do much better with the weekly or monthly rate. With the monthly rate, you save 50% of the nightly cost!

There is a privately managed campground overlooking Boulder Beach, called Lake Mead RV Village. It has 115 full hook-up sites with nightly rates from $34 to $50. However, you can do much better with the weekly or monthly rate. With the monthly rate, you save 50% of the nightly cost!

Next to this large RV Park is a more traditional style Boulder Beach Campground. There are several other campgrounds located around Lake Mead and Lake Mojave.

Boulder Beach Campground at at Lake Mead National Recreation Area

Free Camping – Beyond the Campgrounds

We also visited several boondocking (dry camping) spots outside the city. Options include waterside in the Lake  Mead National Recreation Area to the cooler mountain temps in Spring Mountain National Recreation Area. Read our review of drying camping near Vegas here.

Viva Las Vegas!

With or without an RV, we love Las Vegas. Watch the video below to learn about some of our favorite things to see and do.

Click here to read more about planning an RV Trip to Nevada.

Try these great RV campgrounds near Las Vegas: Desert Eagle RV Park and Lake Mead RV Village at Boulder Beach. Both offer terrific spots for camping with your motorhome, fifth wheel, travel trailer, or camper while visiting Las Vegas Nevada.

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Filed Under: Campground Reviews, Military Campground Reviews, Nevada Tagged With: air force, camping near Las Vegas, Desert Eagle RV Park, fifth wheel, full time rv living, full-time rv, Lake Mead RV Village, lake mead rv village boulder city, lake mead rv village boulder city nv, las vegas, Las Vegas RV Campgrounds, Military campground, military campgrounds, Nellis Air Force Base Campground, RV, RV Campgrounds, RV Campgrounds in Las Vegas, rv life, RV Living, rv living full time, RV Parks

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