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Cedar Valley

host type

This is a Boondockers Welcome host in Gray, TN

  • Max Rig Size

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    < 30 (ft)

  • Parking Spaces

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    1

  • Same Day Requests

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    Yes

  • Preferred Check-in Time

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    5:30 PM

We live in a sub-division built in the 70's. We would be delighted to give a free night or two of lodging to a Boondocker and would enjoy any conversation that may happen. If you're looking for a place where you will feel safe, secure, and have a quiet evening and night - this is the place! Wi-fi is available. Ours is a T-Mobile Home Internet utilizing 2G & 5G. If it doesn't work for you, please let us know! Remember: ...a great way to say thank you to us is to leave a reference for us when you leave that will help other guests with their stay requests to us! We also will leave a reference for you that will help other hosts with your stay requests to them. (See host if you want to cook outside) - That option isn't checked because "how" you're going to do that has too many variables. So …ask ...and we may or may not say "OK!" SUGGESTED LOCAL ATTRACTIONS (sorted by distance from us): • There is a combination "Hands On" children's museum with an attached fossil museum about 4 miles from our home on state hwy 75 South. • Boone lake, which is part of the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), is only 5 ½ miles to the North on state hwy 75. The TVA made all the dams that go through Tennessee to help prevent flooding. Unfortunately, this particular park does not allow animals in the park. • The historic town of Jonesborough (the oldest town in Tennessee) and the home of the National Story Telling Center is about 18 minutes from our home and 9.2 miles from us. Take I-26 toward Johnson City and get off on Boones Creek road and follow the signs. • Warrior’s Path State Park - 18 minutes & 10 miles toward Kingsport. This is a great park! No entry fee. trails, campground, swimming pool, boating, picnicking, children’s “Narnia” park (free) and adults are welcome in the "Narnia" park too. • East Tennessee State University is located quite near to the downtown area of the city. It’s 14 miles from us. • Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium - 19 minutes & 14 miles towards Kingsport. $5 per vehicle entry fee. Hours are 8:30 to 5:00. Other fees for planetarium, zip line, barge rides, & nature programs are quite reasonable. Lots of trails to walk. • Bristol Motor Speedway, a NASCAR short track venue, has a capacity of 153,000 NASCAR fans. The track is billed as the "World's Fastest Half-Mile" and has also been named one of the loudest NASCAR tracks. There are many major events held at the Bristol Speedway and lodging requests fill up rapidly in the surrounding areas. We are 27 minutes away (19 miles) from the Speedway toward Bristol on Hwy 11E. • David Crockett birthplace State Park is about 34 minutes and 22 miles from us - Most of Tennessee's state parks are free to visit (I don't know of any that charge an entrance fee). • The Appalachian Trail goes around a neighboring city (Elizabethton, TN), about 30 miles from us. • South Holston Dam - 47 minutes & 32 miles toward Bristol. The Dam was built in the 40s. There’s a weir dam directly below the South Holston Dam, that is quite interesting. • Greenville, TN (43 minutes and 40 miles from us), was the home of Andrew Johnson, 17th president of the United States and first president to be impeached (not a great reference… but it is what it is). • Pigeon Forge (home of Dollywood) and Gatlinburg, TN, a little over 1½ hours West of us are the cities that serve as the gateway to the Smoky Mountains. It’s about 92 miles from here to Dollywood. • Biking, There are two bike trails reasonably close. The Tweetsie Trail that begins near downtown Johnson City, TN and ends in Elizabethton, TN. The trail begins about 13 miles from our home and takes about 18 minutes. The Virginia Creeper trail is a great bike trail that can be challenging and a lot of fun. It’s about 52 miles from our home and takes about an hour to get there. Detailed information can be found at https://vacreepertrail.com. RESTAURANTS WITHIN A FEW MILES on or near state hwy 75 McDonalds; Burger King; Dairy Queen; Taco Bell; China Luck ($); KFC; Stephens Pizzeria ($); KALM Bistro [Vietnamese cuisine] ($$); La Carreta Mexican ($); Phils Dream Pit [BBQ] ($); Yong Asian House ($$); PALS ($) [PALS is a local regional chain once featured on the Food Network for its quirky architecture - it’s popularity can be seen at meal times as our nearby PALS creates some traffic congestion at those times]

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Vehicle Suitability Information

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Pets Welcome

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Electric Hookup: 15A

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Wifi

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Generators Allowed

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Water Hookup

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Slideouts Allowed

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House Rules

•• Generators should be finished by 7 pm. •• No loud music or loud-speakers, please. •• Children need to be supervised, although they are welcome to play outside, of course, but playing in the open field is not allowed - it doesn't belong to us. •• Clean up after any pets allowed into the yard or on the parking area.

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Location

Access Road Conditions: There's only one way in or out of the sub-division. All the roads are paved roads and are not busy, so backing into or out of the drive should work just fine - your preference! However, there's a Bradford Pear tree next to the drive with some low hanging branches, but if you hug the Eastern side of the drive you should be fine, UNLESS YOUR VEHICLE IS TALLER THAN 10 ½', WHICH WILL CAUSE YOUR VEHICLE TO possibly PUSH BRANCHES.

Parking Surface Icon

Parking Surface

Pavement

host Profile

Hosted By VanGo_ArtBon

Age:

65+

Retired pastor and wife following the highways to explore this great country. Details: We have been traveling for months at a time, all over the lower 48 states since 2013. The adventure is not found in expensive restaurants or hotels, but in the pace of our travels and the people we meet along the way. Retired since February 2013 and taking every opportunity to explore, experience, and expand our education and knowledge base. We love our national parks and the areas managed by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). Our country has everything a person could possibly want. And, we are always amazed as we round that curve or drive up that mountain, to find a wonderland of beauty and refreshing adventure. Home Town: Gray, TN - between Johnson City and Kingsport, in the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains. Favorite Boondocking Locations: We love to camp out in nature whenever possible. We have successfully boondocked or dry camped all over the west, along the Pacific coast, through Glacier, the "rock" parks of Utah, up and down the Atlantic coast, in the southern states, along interstates, on neighborhood streets, commercial parking lots, in an "almost" ghost town, church parking lots, and once even a state fair ground. Out west (away from the coast) there are a lot more primitive federal campgrounds. We have paid from $5 to $13 a night for these, but we mostly stay wherever we feel it’s safe and where we are both agreed would be a good location. Skills or Expertise to Share: We always have things to talk about and adventures to share. We like to share how to fit out a van and travel economically. We also do “letterboxing” and carve our own stamps. Our goal is to plant at least one "letterbox" in every state. We are over halfway there!

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References for this location from other RVers

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    guertinized

    2 weeks ago

    What wonderful hosts. Such a nice place to spend the night. Loved chatting with such a friendly couple. We felt like they were family away. Highly recommend staying at Cedar Valley if traveling through the area.

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    FarmieAnn

    2 months ago

    Very friendly and helpful. Great hosts

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    MAGKtravel

    5 months ago

    Nice quiet residential area. The hosts were wonderful, invited me inside their lovely home where we had a nice evening of conversation. Rev Art connected my motor home to his house’s electrical power and even disposed of my trash bag in the morning! Bonnie showed me some of her quilting, she is very talented. I wholeheartedly recommend staying with this great couple. Thank you again Art and Bonnie for your southern hospitality. I felt safe and welcomed camping at your home.

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    FemkeandStephane

    7 months ago

    Art and Bonnie are truly kind hosts that love to share some of their adventures they experienced themselves on the road. They are really welcoming, let us use their power hookup and WiFi and gave us some tips for places to stay on our roadtrip. The view from their backyard is really beautiful!

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    FemkeandStephane

    7 months ago

    We had a great time at Art and Bonnies place. They are really friendly people and they love to share some stories of their adventures on the road. They let us use their WiFi and power. We had a nice, quiet stay with a beautiful view.

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