Places
STS Hop 9: Charleston SC to Madison GA
270 miles via I-26, SC 6, SC 178, I-20 and US 441. This was supposed to be a 256 mile hop, but we got embroiled in a battle between Google and our Rand McNally GPS. Usually when I plan a route with Google the GPS agrees with it, more or less. Not this time. When … Continue reading
The Campground at James Island County Park
We LOVE Charleston. We have already resolved to return for a longer stay. We need to invest at least another week to explore it to our satisfaction. I will follow this post with several more about the city. This one is focused on our home for the past 5 days: The Campground at James Island … Continue reading
STS Hop 8: Myrtle Beach SC to Charleston SC
94 miles via mostly US 17. The only thing difficult about this trip was ignoring the GPS when it told us to make a U-turn. I don’t know what is going on with our (relatively) new Rand-McNally GPS, but on the last two hops it has insisted that we make a U-turn when none was … Continue reading
Ocean Lakes Family Campground, Myrtle Beach SC
We planned originally to stay 3 nights at Ocean Lakes Family Campground in South Myrtle Beach SC. But we lost a day due to our truck problems. Then the forecast turned bad – the day we were scheduled to travel to Charleston was to be windy, with heavy rain. It is never fun to tear … 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
STS Hop 6: Petersburg VA to Stony Creek VA
27 miles via I-85 and I-95. Well, you guys obviously did not wish hard enough. We made it just over 10 miles into our planned 300-mile trip before the “check engine” light reappeared. We limped (which turns out to be exactly the right word – more on that later) to a truck stop just north … Continue reading
STS Hop 5: Lorton VA to Petersburg VA
128 miles, mostly via I-95. This was not the hop that was planned. We had to abort about 100 miles short of our intended destination (Wilson NC) when the “check engine” light came on just north of Petersburg VA. Accompanying the light was an alarming loss of power: I had difficulty maintaining 45 mph going … Continue reading
Gunshots, acorns and drag racers
Answer: gunshots, acorns and drag racers. Question: what noises have kept us awake in the last 3 campsites? Explanation: I told you about the shooting range near us at Pinch Pond. That was followed by 7 nights of staccato acorn explosions (at least they sounded like explosions) on the roof of the RV at Pohick. … Continue reading
Manassas
In case you didn’t know, I am a bit of a Civil War buff. I think Ken Burn’s Civil War series is the best documentary I have ever seen. I have visited about a dozen Civil War battlefields and think Gettysburg is one of the 5 most interesting places in the US. So it is … Continue reading
An introduction to the pumpkin patch lifestyle
When I was a kid Halloween was a one-evening event. You dressed up in some wacko costume, grabbed a large shopping bag and went out – without adults – and extorted as much candy booty from your neighbors as time and upper body strength would allow. Followed by a week of sugar overdosing. But now … Continue reading »