Day 4 Travel Day

Today we traveled from Longs SC to near Mt Airy NC.  Six hours on the road.  We were both beat when we pulled into the campground, even the dogs.  After getting the RV set up we all took a nap.  Have you ever wondered how small towns get their names?  We passed thru mostly farm country today, saw lots of cotton ready to harvest in SC.  I was told once that before cotton is harvested, the plants are sprayed with a chemical that causes the plants to shed their leaves.  This makes it easier for the machinery to remove the cotton.  Anyway, back to names of towns.  Passed thru Green Sea and Lake View in SC.  Never saw any green sea or a lake for that matter.  The best one was traveling up Future I-73/I-74 in NC.  Saw a town on the map called Why Not.  Wonder what the story behind that was?  We are currently at Mayberry Campground, just south of Mt Airy NC, which is the home of Andy Griffith and also Donna Fargo ( remember the song "The happiest girl in the USA"?).  The campground is located at the homeplace of the descendants of the Siamese Twins, ENG & Chang Bunker.  The home is still maintained and stands above the campground.  I was excited that we would have cable tonight so I could watch the NASCAR race at Richmond tonight.  Boy was I disapointed when I found out the race was last night.  Oh well, at least my driver, JR, driver of the number 88 was able to clinch a spot in the chase.  Tomorrow we have a shorter dirve as we head up to the Staunton/Walnut Hill KOA which will be our camp base as we tour the Shenadoan Valley and Skyline Drive area.

Day 3 Fall 2011 trip

We were able to sleep in until the sun started to come up.  Our pets have gotten use to the routine and slept all night at the foot of our bed.  Took them for a walk and snapped this picture of the sun coming up

Spent the rest of the morning relaxing.  Diane worked on her needle point and I got the GPS programmed for the next leg of our journey.  Also did some serious reading.  Got a copy of "Absolute Power" from the library before we left.  Got it almost read all the way.  Book is a lot better than the movie that Clint Eastwood starred in.  Then it was time for lunch so we headed up to Calabash NC.  Our favorite lunch spot there is Becks.  We both had the fried shrimp lunch special. 

After lunch we crossed the road and did some window shopping at Callahan's.  This store is huge.  They have a large christmas area as well as a pretty good Dept 56 section.

Returned to the campground, took a nap, then chilled awhile, sipping wine ( Diane ) and had a few cold beers (Me).  Was able to get the  Gamecocks football game on the radio.  It was an exciting game, especially since Carolina beat Georgia and are now 2 - 0 on the year.  Tomorrow we head up to Mt. Airy NC for a one night stop over and then Monday we continue on to the Shenadoan Valley area of Virginia.  Our stop over is at Mayberry Campground and they have cable so I'm looking forward to watching the NASCAR race at Richmond.  This is the last race before the Chase starts.  This race will determine the 12 drivers who will compete for the Sprint Cup Championship.

Tomorrow is the 10 year anniversary of 9-11.  We will never forget!

Day 2 Fall 2011 Trip

Our day started early.  Our pets were restless, the first night on the road.  They woke us up at 4am wanting to go out.  So we took them for a walk, there was a bright, almost full moon casting some light for us to stroll along the lake.  Needless to say, we slept in a lot later than usual and got a late start to the day.  It was almost lunch time when be headed out.  So our first stop was at the Liberty Steakhouse and Brewery located at Broadway on the Beach.

When in the Myrtle Beach area we always make it a point to stop here for lunch and sample the locally brewed beers.
    Next, we headed back up 17A to the Tanger Outlet mall.  Diane did some shopping while I mostly sat and enjoyed the afternoon sun.  Next we drove across the highway and went to the Bass Pro Shop Outdoor World.  If you fish, hunt, or camp, this is the place to find what you need.  I got some tackle to make carolina rigs for the next time my brother visits and we go bass fishing on Lake Keowee in upstate SC.  Spent the rest of the day, relaxing at the camp site.  Had a nice breeze blowing.  Watched all the campers coming in for the weekend.  Seems almost everyone has a golf cart to ride around in now.  Many of the fith wheels that pulled in were also towing a trailer behind which had a golf cart inside.  This campground is huge but we enjoy walking around with our pets so we all get good exercise.

Day 1 Fall 2011 Trip

We got all hooked up and pulled out at 9:20 this morning.  Stopped at the Loves at exit 76 I-26 east  to top of the gas tank.  Pump stopped at $125 so didn't get topped off all the way.  We stopped for lunch at the rest area on I-20 east of Columbia SC and gave the dogs ( Ginger & Kellee ) some exercise.  They enjoy traveling with us.  Kellee dosen't like the big rigs when they pass.  We made one more fuel stop at Sparky's on Hwy 501, Marion SC to top off and walk the dogs again.  We arrived at Willowtree Rv resort about 3:30.  This campground ranks at the top of our list of favorite campgrounds.  We will be here three nights.  We enjoy the Myrtle Beach area.

This is our camp site #32

Above is a view of the campground with the 36 acre lake in the background.  There is a beach on the lake, as well as a swiming pool.  There is a paved walk way/golf cart path that goes all around the lake.

here is a link to the campground web site: http://willowtreervr.com/photos/

Preparing for our trip

This morning I pulled the RV up front.  Ran the generator for a little while and checked out AC power in unit.  Ran the AC unit for awhile to put a good load on the generator.  All seems OK.  Then washed the camper.  Thats a job! Next, back the camper up and get it level.  Hook up shore power and get the fridge going.  Takes about a day for the fridge to cool down enough to use it.  We will take the next few days to get the RV packed up with our clothes and stocked with food and drinks for the trip.

Irene may put a monkey wrench in our travel plans

Looks like hurricane Irene has its sights set on the outer banks of North Carolina.  Sure would like to see it make a turn to the NE and bypass the east coast.  We lived thru Hurricane Hugo when it hit Charleston SC.  Are prayers are with all those in the path of the storm this weekend.

Blog update

With the help of Dee ( Tumbleweed ) I have been able to update our blog with a USA map, showing the states we have camped in so far and have also added an interactive Google map which shows the locations where we will be heading on our fall trip.