Deal's Gap/Fontana Dam

The following is a write up I did on the Miata.net forum for my camping trip to Fontana Dam, NC. This is near Deal's Gap and the "The Tail of the Dragon" section of Highway 129 that is popular with bikers and car enthusiasts. The Miata community has an annual trip there every year at the end of July. This year was the 16th anniversary of this event. Thought some of you would get a kick out of my report.

Thought I'd write up a brief report for those interested in camping/campers. At the Deal's Gap event, there were surprisingly few people in the campground - a few brave tent campers and me in my teardrop trailer. I think most people that have attended this event in the past would assume it's unbearably hot to camp, but there along the river it was surprisingly cool and comfortable at night.

About a year ago, I bought a 5x10 teardrop camper/caravan from a company called Little Guy Worldwide in Ohio. I had a small pickup at the time and thought this was much better than a tent. Not only did I find out it was more comfortable, but alot less work since I only have to load my clothes and food when I take a trip - I leave all the other gear in the trailer. Only recently did I get the MX-5 set up to tow it - more on that later. The camper is built on a steel frame with a torsion axle. The tires are 15". The structure is wood frame with the sides made of fiberglass and the roof aluminum. The interior is basically a queen size mattress with some cupboards above, in the headboard and under the bed. 

The rear compartment is accessible via a big hatch and contains a counter space and a bunch of cabinetry. The interior of both is nicely finished in birch and seems very well made. I carry a coleman stove/grill and a small toaster oven for cooking.  Also a large canopy and a few folding chairs.

The campground at Fontana Dam is run by the resort at Fontana Village. You go up to the hotel's front desk to check in and they handle the reservations. There were alot of empty spaces the weekend of the event so there was no problem.

The camprground is a typical circular layout with a bathhouse at one end. It was decently clean and comfortable, but a bit on the small side - one shower stall with dressing area, one sit down toilet, one urinal and 2 sinks. That was the men's side, assume the ladies is the same except for urinal. Typical of state park type camps, the spaces are fairly large, level and there is a mix of sites with power & water, and rustic sites with no services for the tent crowd. Most sites had picnic tables with concrete slab. I found the power service good and plenty of water pressure, but the water was undrinkable - so bring bottled water if you go. There is a dump station for campers with tanks near the park entrance. 

The MX-5 towed the Little Guy without problem. I came up via interstate from Greenville, past Asheville and over to Fontana via 74. This is a pretty hilly route, but thought it easier on the car to go interstate. The fastest I went was around 70 mph, but mostly cruised 60 to 65. The MX-5 has plenty of power to do this. The trailer weighs around a 1000 lbs, maybe a little more with all my gear and supplies. Stopping was fine as well. I did have a couple idiots pull out in front of me and do unexpected lane changes, so I had a couple "maneuvers" I had to perform. At no time did it feel unstable or behave unexpectedly. I feel it's very safely set up. On my return trip, I did adjust the way I was loaded. I was a little tongue heavy, around 50 lbs or so, as I didn't consider my cooler fully loaded.

Fully loaded on the trip up, the back end of the car was 1 1/2" compressed. By shifting some things to the back, I got that closer to 1". At no time did I bottom out or even drag chain. I also learned from this trip that I pack too much stuff - carried home half my drinks and food. Never used the jump start battery pack, two folding tables, spare gas bottle. I also brought a cheap, small window AC unit. I built a jig so I could mount it in one of the windows that worked out great, but I think it could have gotten by without it. With the windows open and the roof ventilator running, it would have been quite
comfortable. When I go back in the fall, I'll probably leave it at home and free up the space. 

Don't know if that answers all the questions, but feel free to ask if there are any.