NC
TN4 Hop 4: Wilson NC to Lorton VA
237 miles via US 301, US 64, I-95, I-295 (around Richmond) and VA 242. Truck miles: 254. Cumulative tow miles: 1139. Cumulative truck miles: 1185. The first “adventure” of the day occurred as I was on my way to fill the tank: the “check engine” light came on as I was idling at a traffic … Continue reading
TN4 Hop 3: Charleston SC to Wilson NC
299 miles via US 17, I-26, I-95 and US 301 with a refueling stop in Florence SC. Truck miles: 316: Cumulative tow miles: 902. Cumulative truck miles: 931. Well, we always like an adventure. And this trip is becoming an adventure. I thought I detected a wobble in the steering as we approached Charleston on … Continue reading
TTN Hop 5: Roanoke Rapids NC to Lorton VA
182 miles via I-95 and local roads. Cumulative tow miles: 1075. This was a simple trip up I-95 – a route that we have traveled several times before – so there was nothing new on the route. But it was, again, mostly in the rain, which made it a little more challenging. No incidents, though. … Continue reading
TTN Hop 4: Myrtle Beach SC to Roanoke Rapids NC
244 miles via SC 544, US Business 501, US 701, NC 410, US 74 and I-95 with a refueling stop. Cumulative tow miles: 893. Cumulative truck miles: 1104. There were a number of events and conditions that made this hop interesting, starting with the rain. It rained all day – heavily at times. That alone … Continue reading
TTS Hop 6: Asheville NC to Charleston SC
266 miles via I-26, I-526 (around Charleston) and US-17. Cumulative tow miles: 1,437. This was a pretty straight shot down I-26 to Charleston, with a lunch/refueling stop at the midpoint. The NC portion of I-26 was hilly, but not as hilly as the approach to Asheville from the north. And once it crossed into SC … Continue reading
Blue Ridge Parkway – Pisgah section
On our free day in Asheville, I was looking for some way to explore the area further and discovered that the very southernmost section of the Blue Ridge Parkway – the “Pigsah” section – ran very close to Asheville. And, in fact, very close to our campsite. That was all the encouragement I needed to … Continue reading
The Biltmore Estate
My bucket list is not very long, but The Biltmore Estate has been on it for a number of years. On Wednesday I checked it off my list. I was expecting Biltmore to be similar to The Breakers in Newport, RI. And why wouldn’t they be? The Breakers was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, grandson … Continue reading
TTS Hop 5: Natural Bridge VA to Asheville NC
279 miles via I-81 and I-26. Cumulative tow miles: 1,171. This was another “easy” hop in terms of navigation: down I-81, then down I-26 to Asheville. But it was a long trip, with a refueling stop, and a couple of problems arose. First, some rubber molding on the RV came loose several times, requiring uncomfortable … Continue reading
STS Hop 7: Stony Creek VA to Myrtle Beach SC
302 miles via I-95, US 117, I-795 (through Goldsboro NC), I-40 and US 17, with a refueling stop near Sharpsburg NC. It is true: the night is darkest before the dawn. The plan was to do a 20-mile test drive, hauling the RV, around 8am. If the check engine light came on we would book … Continue reading
QTN Hop 3: Roebuck, SC, to Lorton, VA
Yes, back to Lorton and the Pohick Bay Regional Park for our fourth visit. This will be the shortest of the four – just four nights this time – because we are committed to getting the MD and DE stickers on our map. These little states are hard to get to – particularly Delaware. Who … Continue reading