Get Out! Couple start family-style campground just off I-85

Given all the thrills that Arthur Morrison has experienced, perhaps it's not surprising that he so readily embraced the laidback lifestyle that you find at family campgrounds, where often the most pressing issue is whether to grill hamburgers or hotdogs.

Morrison has been a trooper with the N.C. Highway Patrol, a pilot for USAir Express and a helicopter gunner during the Vietnam War. And, apparently because his life wasn't exciting enough, he took up motorcycle riding.

His wife, Glenda, isn't a slouch either. She also rides motorcycles and flies planes. Indeed, it was their mutual passion for motorcycles that brought them together 30 years ago. Arthur Morrison was visiting with Glenda's father about some land in Davidson County when he noticed her motorcycle. They took several rides together as part of his courtship.

Then, he took her up in his plane and convinced her that if they were going to fly together, she needed to learn how to land the plane.

Eventually, she earned her license.

They love flying so much that they installed a runway at their home in Churchland in western Davidson County.

A 27-year marriage

The Morrisons have been married for 27 years and have one daughter and two grandchildren.

Last October after he turned 60, Morrison was forced to retire from his job as a commuter pilot. But he said he felt too young to quit working. So he and Glenda turned their attention to what had become a shared dream -- owning a campground.

Last month, they opened Cross Wind Family Campground, a 37-acre complex with 49 camper and tent sites, just off Interstate 85 between Lexington and Salisbury. Though most of the sites are ready, the campground isn't completed.

By the end of the month, they hope to have a swimming pool and bath house ready. Future plans include a game room, a small amphitheater and a fishing lake.

The Morrisons started as tent campers about 10 years ago as a way to spend time with their grandchildren. They would load up gear in their plane and, with the children on board, fly to campgrounds in Tennessee and Kentucky.

"We had such a wonderful time with them, and we kind of thought, ‘A pop-up camper would be nice.' And from there, we decided, ‘A little more room would be nice,'" Glenda Morrison said.

The Morrisons eventually wound up with a 33-foot camper that they pull behind their truck.

A few years ago, Arthur Morrison got the idea of owning a campground. They began talking to campground owners and campers about what constitutes a good campground.

Perhaps the most important thing they learned is not to crowd campers. People enjoy visiting with their neighbors, but they also want a roomy, shaded spot where they can enjoy privacy.

"We wanted a campground that was not so busy that people couldn't enjoy family time. It's one of the few things you can do as a family now," Arthur Morrison said.

Amenities such as wireless Internet are expected at campgrounds these days, Glenda Morrison said. Retirees like it so they can keep up with family back home.

One of the first things that Arthur Morrison did was make sure the roads were paved so that children can ride their bicycles.

He started working on the campground in January with the help of several retired friends.

"They want to start at the crack of dawn and work until dark, then talk for two hours," Morrison said. "It's about to kill me."

Fortunately, his camper is parked nearby. Glenda Morrison works in student services at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College in Salisbury and spends much of her free time at the campground. Lots of people from their community and church stepped in to help with different chores such as the tiling in the main office and building picnic tables.

The Morrisons are optimistic that the campground can weather the surge in fuel prices. "If you drive along the rural roads of Davidson County, in one in 10 backyards, you'll see a camper, and that doesn't count the tents you see in people's attics," Arthur Morrison said.

Those people still want to camp, he said. They just won't travel as far. For example, he and his wife usually go to Florida twice a year. This year, they will travel there one time and spend more time camping in the mountains.

Part of what drives people to camp is the chance to get away from the chores around the house, he said.

"If you drive down the road two miles, you can sit and talk and just relax and look at each other," Arthur Morrison said.

He expects most of his customers to come from the Triad and Charlotte. The campground's location just off I-85 makes it a convenient stop for long-distance campers who need a place to stay for the night.

"Yes, the gas situation is putting a damper on everybody," Glenda Morrison said. "But local people are seeing us as a place to go and still be away from home."

FOOT NOTE: The N.C. Museum of Natural Sciences' Nature Art Gallery is exhibiting some of the finest nature photography in the state until July 27. The exhibit, Focused on Nature, features members of the Carolina Nature Photographers Association -- Triangle Region. For more information, call 919-733-7450 ext. 360.

■ Lisa O'Donnell can be reached at 727-7420 or at lodonnell@wsjournal.com.