Edisto Beach

We stopped in here on our way home on our last trip south in 2018. Its a really neat out-of-the-way spot, with miles and miles of beach, lots of interesting shells, pelicans and ever present dolphins.
Edisto is a small town with all the usual small town conveniences. A fillin' station, a Bi-Lo grocery store, two bar/restaurants and a Subway.

Today is American Thanksgiving. The campers here are displaying everything from pumpkins and scarecrows to laser light shows. 
Many are smoking/grilling/BBQing everything imaginable. Go BIG or go home.

We spent most of the day on the beach, actually using the beach umbrella for shade instead of as a windbreak.

It is supposed to cool off a bit tomorrow, Friday, so beach time may be at an end here.

This was Edisto Beach this morning.

Today, Saturday, we move to Skiddaway State Park, just south of Savannah.
Another easy drive of only a couple of hours.

OK, its time to pack things up and get ready to leave. Going to miss this place.

Myrtle Beach .... a pleasant surprise!

Myrtle Beach. 
We were expecting the worst. Crowds, traffic, noise and line-ups for restaurants and a beach full of......beach-goers.
We found none of the above.
Come here in November. The temperatures are in the mid to high teens, and the place is practically deserted! 
Nearly all the restaurants and shops are open.
This is Ocean Blvd (the Strip), bumper to bumper in season.

The Boardwalk. They call it the Strand.

We had a great "late lunch", more like supper.
Coconut shrimp and fries. What is considered an appetizer here, is dinner for two for the us. 
First food pic, I know. Many more to come.

Myrtle Beach State Park was a real unexpected treat. 300 acres of pristine wilderness surrounded by hundreds of beach wear (t-shirt) outlets, fast food restaurants and condos. 
Our site was nestled in a forest with scarcely a neighbour in sight. Only a few minutes to the largely deserted beach.

They ride horses on the beach here. I brought an e-bike. More fun and faster. (and it doesn't crap on the beach!!)
Tomorrow we head to Edisto Beach, near Charleston SC. An easy day of driving, only 150 miles.
Thanks for coming along, lots more to come.

Three days of Nasty Weather and a Near Show Stopper

I really wanted to have a picture of the Port Grocer as we left. 

Sheena and Darlene in front of the legendary establishment.

On the day we left we managed to stay ahead of the rain until the last half hour coming into Saint John. It rained hard that night and pretty much for the next two days. Cold, windy and wet. Not pleasant driving.

Cold November Rain. Most of it looked a lot like this.

Crossing the border at St. Stephen was a gift. A young guy, very polite, asked to have a look inside. When we told him we were headed to Texas, he kept asking if we were going anywhere near Brownsville. I know what goes on in Brownsville TX, he, he, but I played dumb and told him were weren't going there (and we're not).  I believe more weed crosses international borders in Brownsville than any other place on earth.

So, other than the crappy weather, mostly an uneventful ride. 

Until last night. Coming into Scranton, PA there was a major traffic backup. The GPS suggested an alternate route to get around it, about 15 miles, so we took it. Well, we ended up on some pretty dark, wet, winding and hilly streets, some of the finest the Blue Ridge Mountains have to offer.

As we were careening down a long slope I see a sign flash by "No Vehicles over 10 tons ahead, Last chance to turn around". We are 14 tons. Well, turning around was even less of an option than stopping. A long line of headlights behind us.

So I figured, how bad can it be? An old bridge maybe? Surely it could support us for a few seconds. No worries.

As we rounded a slight bend, there it was, a small trestle. But we weren't going over it. We were going under it! I don't recall the writing on the rusty old thing but Darlene assures me it said something like "Danger, Low Bridge".

I was on the brakes hard but we were going through regardless, no question about it.

I fully expected something very loud and "expensive" sounding.... but nothing. We never were able to find out the clearance of this bridge, but we are exactly 12 feet tall and I doubt we had more than a few inches to spare. 

For some hilarious entertainment, well, not so hillarious for the driver, check this out:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USu8vT_tfdw

There but for the grace of God go we.

Lesson learned. The GPS probably thinks we are a VW Golf. We're not! No more detours. We'll tough it out as in the good old days, before GPS.

We're in Roanoke VA tonight, our last Walmart stop for a long while, yay....not that we're unappreciative.

Last night's accommodation, Walmart parking lot in Wilkes Barre, PA. Not very picturesque but had a Liquor store, Subway, and a Starbucks. Checks all the boxes, no?

Tomorrow, Charlotte NC and the day after that......THE BEACH!!

One More Time...

Darlene and I have been very busy getting things ready for what may be our last RV trip. Its not that we haven't thoroughly enjoyed every mile and destination over the past several years, but we've been thinking it may be time to explore some other more distant places in the future. This trip will be the longest yet, about six months.

For those of you who are new to this blog, the most recent posts are at the top, older ones below. Keep in mind there are 3 trips here dating back to 2015, so if you don't want to read ancient history, click on the posts from 2019 and (soon) 2020.

We will be visiting a lot of our favorite  destinations from previous trips and a few new ones. I'll try not to dwell on things you may have seen before. I'll also try not to dwell on how hot it is, and how spectacular the food is.....well OK, maybe a little.

The plan is to go south along the east coast as far as St. Augustine, and then follow the Gulf Coast west to Texas. Our final destination will be near Terlingua, TX. Google it or check out the older posts. Terlingua is the definition of eclectic. We are taking it easy this trip, we will be taking 3 months to get to this area. That works out to an astonishing average of 36 miles per day. This, I can do!

As usual, our first 4 or 5 nights will be Walmart parking lots, drive, eat, sleep, repeat. The first "non-Walmart" stop will be Myrtle Beach State Park. We have never been to Myrtle Beach, hopefully its not too cold and I doubt it will be  crowded.

Today is Nov 14, 3 days before we leave, depending on the weather as always. It snowed last night and it's getting cold. With perfect timing the brakes on the CR-V packed it in yesterday so that needs to be repaired before we leave.

We will really miss all of our friends here in Port. We will miss dumping day (lobster season opening, the day they dump the traps in the ocean), and missing out on a lot of lobster. Six months without the Port Grocer on Friday night Pub Night. Ouch!
There should be 2 weeks left in lobster season when we return so we'll make the most of that.
The cold damp weather, not going to miss it so much.

We checked into what we can bring into the USA food wise.  Pretty much nothing! No meat, no fruit or veggies, no dairy. So we're packing the freezer with salmon, scallops and shrimp. And I'll drink my coffee without cream for a day!

And of course, my blog policy is "no post without a pic", so I'm going to have to come up with something soon....

OK, not exactly a picture but a Google Maps  screenshot of about the first two weeks of the trip. I'm thinking a ferry from Yarmouth to Savannah would really do well. 

I'll post again a few days after we leave. Anyone up for pictures of Walmart parking lots? Or.... how about a fine digital reproduction of a  MacDonald's Big Breakfast, suitable for framing..??
Thanks for coming along.
Stay tuned.

The Long Road Home

Since leaving Edisto Beach on April 13th we covered about 1800 miles in 6 days of driving, stopping for 3 days at a State Park in South Carolina, three Walmarts, a KOA and a Cabelas.

The Walmart in Staunton VA is very popular, it's close to a major snowbird migration route, Interstate 81.

The next morning I counted about 30 units in the lot. Reservations not accepted, come early.

Stopping at Cabela's is always a treat.  They have the most amazing wildlife displays.

This one was in Hudson, Massachusetts, just west of Boston. We had expressly chosen this stop so we could dump our tanks in their RV dump station, a free service they offer to RV'ers, in addition to overnight parking. Well, it turns out their dump station had not been opened yet for the season. Hmmm...  No problem we were on day 4 of a system that can usually carry us for 5+ days. 

But I was saying that stopping at Cabela's is always a treat, so here is that story.
The morning after we arrived at the Cabela's with the closed dump station, around 8:30, nature calls. Not wanting to further stress the Unit's holding tanks, I decided to walk over to the store which had just opened for the day, and check out their sparkling restrooms.
I am greeted at the door by a gentleman dressed in full outdoor gear, Tilley type hat, khaki safari shirt complete with epaulettes, and cargo pants to match.
"What brings you into Cabela's this morning?" he exclaims.
Through a sheepish grin I answer "um...just looking around?"
And he launches into the well rehearsed speech. 
"Have you heard of the Cabela's Club? ...you receive special offers...you get 10 % off purchases...there is no annual fee...."
By now my extraordinary 6th sense has determined that the "Cabela's Club" is actually a credit card.
I'm a Canadian, I interject, I can't get a US credit card.
"Doesn't matter" he says, "just for filling out the application , you will receive a Cabela's hat, a very cool multi-tool pocket knife and an equally nifty waterproof plastic ammo box".
"How long will this take?", I ask the obvious next question.
"Just a couple of minutes" he replies.
So, long story short, I filled out the application, I was immediately declined due to no US address, he handed over the swag, I asked him to hold on to it for a few minutes while I fulfilled a prior commitment, I leave the store with a bounce in my step and an arm load of free merchandise. As I am mounting the steps into the Unit, Darlene says, "What the hell did you buy now?"
True story, I'm not making this stuff up.

Here is a quick pictorial summary of our journey back to the north.

Sesquicentennial State Park, South Carolina. April 14.

Virginia, lots of green. April 16.

West Virginia, some green. April 17

Pennsylavnia, that's right, snow, and no green. April 18.

Cabela's parking lot, Massachusetts. More snow, this was April 19th.

Maine, the lakes are still frozen. April 19

Nova Scotia's Cobequid Pass, only 250 metres in elevation but can be treacherous in winter. April 21

 And....Home at last!

This has been the adventure of a lifetime for us with many more to come, we hope. 8500 miles in a tube and ready to do it again. 

Thanks to all of you who travelled along with us, thanks for your comments, and thanks to those of you who tried to leave comments, but for some unknown reason were unable to.

Cosmo and Tara were beside themselves when they realized we were home again, and although we believe they enjoyed seeing all the new places, they are creatures of habit and for them, there is no place like home. 

And Darlene and I agree.

Hilton Head and Edisto Beach

We spent a couple of nights at a park in Hardeeville SC, just west of Hilton Head. We took a drive into Hilton Head, stopping on the way at Bluffton, where they were having a food festival.

I'm not sure what the kid in the foreground was doing. Photo bomb maybe? Practising his Monty Python silly walk?

We bought a few things there but that was over a week ago and I don’t remember what, but they were delicious.

Hilton Head

Busy busy, busy, crazy traffic, excruciatingly long traffic lights, parking near impossible and condo’s everywhere. I'm sure there’s a beach somewhere but I couldn't find it. Not one of my favourite places, Hilton Head.

On the brighter side, we had lunch in Harbour Town at a place called the Crazy Crab. The best fried clam strips ever. EVER!

I have to talk about golf carts. Golf carts are seen just about everywhere in the southern US. Not just for gated communities any more. They are allowed on secondary roads, on many beaches and in state parks. These are not run out, golf course hand me downs. Most of them are bought new and then customized.  We have seen many RV’s towing a golf cart on a trailer instead of towing a car, to get around.

Here are a few examples

Even South Carolina's finest have them.  I asked him what was required to drive one on the street. He told me all you need is insurance and in some places registration, and a driver's license, of course. I think it’s a great idea.

They’re either electric or very cheap on gas, they solve a lot of traffic congestion and parking problems, and they're just plain fun to drive. Rentals are everywhere. 

Next stop, Edisto Beach State Park. It is located on the Atlantic coast just below Charleston SC. 

This was to be our last chance for “beach time”. We had high hopes since most of our earlier beach destinations had been wet and/or frigid.

After enduring two days of cold ,rain and wind, it finally warmed up into the mid 20’s. The wind was still a bit cool so we set up the beach tent/wind break and had a couple of nice days on the beach.

Here, Darlene had just arrived and wasn't yet convinced of the shelter's effectiveness in turning spring into summer. I was wearing proper summer attire, shorts and a T-shirt. 

This is the camp ground, a few hundred feet from the water.

The beach at Edisto is more "coarse" than most of the others we have visited.

That's not gravel you see, they're sea shells, every kind imaginable. 

Here is a squadron of pelicans doing a fly over of the campground.

We left Edisto 3 days ago. 

Tonight is our last night in Columbia SC (the capital city of SC, who knew) . The weather has been great except for this afternoon when we had thunderstorms and tornado warnings.

My little buddy Cosmo has been a real trooper on this trip. He's not well, going on 16 years but I think he's really happy to be with us. He rarely comes out of the unit except sometimes at night.

We (and the vet) really didn't think he would make it through the 5 month trip, but now I'm pretty sure he'll be on the verandah at home, catching the morning sun in a week or so. He's always first in line at the water dish when we put ice cubes in it.

And he loves a camp fire.

Tomorrow we need to get an oil change. It was supposed to be a 350 mile day but I think we may lose some time with the oil change so who knows where we’ll spend the night. It may be the first of many Walmarts. We have found a few casinos

along our route home so that may be an alternative. 

The Best of Alabama

Hmmmm. 10 days. Sorry about that, I must have dosed off for a while, but I’m back.  And thanks for the weather updates, Looks like  we may need to “chill” a little longer.

We spent a week at Wind Creek State Park in Alabama. They required a week minimum stay in order to get a waterfront campsite. I'm so glad we opted for the waterfront, and the one week wasn't nearly enough.

This may be the nicest state park  we have visited yet. It's the flagship of Alabama's State Parks. The park is situated on Lake Martin, a reservoir which was created  in 1926, by damming  the Tallapoosa River. This created the 41000 acre Lake Martin. In an area which is about 15 miles square, its many bays and inlets give it over 700 miles of shoreline.The lake is home to numerous bass tournaments. Wind Creek State park has a large marina with parking for over 100 trucks/trailers which makes the hosting of large tournaments possible.

It seems that high powered bass boats are the weapon of choice here. Pontoon boats are also popular with the party crowd. Conspicuous by their complete absence are the “Lund” type aluminum fishing boats. We were a novelty in our 6 HP inflatable canoe (which we finally got to use for the first time of the trip). We got a lot of “isn’t that cute” smiles and waves.

Oddly, for a lake this size, there are no seagulls here, but vultures are plentiful. Perhaps too much competition for the gulls.

Lake Martin has numerous small beaches. It reminds me a lot of Lake Temagami in Northern Ontario where we camped when we were kids. Ironically Lake Martin got it’s beaches as a result of hydro electric dams and Lake Temagami lost its beaches to the same activity.

Here is one of the typical beaches. Just add a tent, a sleeping bag , a campfire and a tin of beans. Take me back….

I found myself near one of these beaches just about nap time, maybe 2 in the afternoon. (Darlene was in town picking up a few things). What are ya gonna do...

After my "rest" I loaded the boat with driftwood for our campfire that night...just like we used to do at Lake Temagami.

For the past few days we have been in Milledgeville GA. It is a nice small town with an amazing history. 

Milledgeville was the capital of Georgia, from 1804 until 1868, a period, the end of which included the Civil War

In January 1861, Georgia convention delegates passed the Ordinance of Secession, and on February 4, 1861, the "Republic of Georgia" joined the Confederate States of America. They knew at the time that secession would lead to war.  All of this took place right here in Milledgeville.

In 1864 General Sherman marched through the town with an army of 30,000 and burned most government buildings but left most residences intact. 

In the next few days we'll reach the East Coast. Edisto Beach, near Charleston SC, will be our last beach stop before we switch to "Camp Walmart" mode for the final stretch home.