Our Rural Roots

Meredith Bernard, Contributor

A year ago, I came to my husband with a money-making proposal to build an RV park. While he's used to me getting lots of wild ideas and even used to me following through on them, they usually don't involve him. He can watch from the sidelines, cheer me on and/or console me when said idea either flies or flops.

This time was different. It required a joint venture, and there were no guarantees.

I'll backtrack a bit and concede that as land and cattle owners, it often seems as though we pour more into what we own than what we get out of it, financially speaking. I've written about the value of our lifestyle many times, which is something that no amount of money can measure.

But, as it turns out, money pays the bills and is necessary to keep the farm going. Enter my wild idea to generate income from assets we have readily available.

We own land with a side of peace and quiet. And, it turns out there are folks who appreciate that, too, and are willing to pay for the experience.

Enter Riverbend RV Park. It's now open -- a year after the initial brainstorm and six months after tearing down an old house on the property. We've hauled tons of gravel and spent many hours grading it. Each site has been electrified and outfitted with water, septic and high-speed fiber internet.

Some people don't get why anyone would want to come without the fancy amenities that other parks offer. But, for the ones who do, we're serving up what one camper said better than I could: "100% Grade A God's country."

I've lived long enough to know that dreams don't just happen. They happen when we work hard for them. The truth is, we make time for what's important to us, and sometimes we must get out of our box to see the potential it's held all along.

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-- Meredith Bernard documents rural life, checks in campers and tends to farm and family from North Carolina. Follow her on social media @thisfarmwife and visit her website at https://thisfarmwife.com/… and https://riverbendrvnc.com/…

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