Charleston, SC

 After we left Myrtle Beach, we took a short trip over to Charleston.  Evidently, everyone wants to be here!  We had a really hard time getting a place to stay, and could only stay until Friday (4 nights), but we worked it out!

The traffic around Charleston is HORRIBLE!!  OMG, even the side roads are backed up at rush hour, but if you're a tourist, I guess it doesn't matter. I sure wouldn't want to commute in this mess every day!

We tried to eat out to get as much seafood as possible, so we have totally blown our dining out budget for this month.  Oh well, c'est la vie.

P.S., I'm really enjoying these short travel days.  A couple of hours, and then the new parking spot is GREAT!  I think I'll plan all of our trips that way.

After Charleston, we headed to Columbia, and stayed at the Charwood Golf Club in West Columbia (a Harvest Host - great place, we'll be back).  Mike golfed, and then we met Elaine and Chuck for supper.  Fun evening, and it was so good to see them after all this time.

Today we landed at an RPI/Thousand Trails resort in Fair Play, SC called Carolina Landing. It's right off of I-85, on Lake Hartwell.  Tomorrow we head to Leisure Acres in Cleveland for two nights so that we can clean the motorhome and winterize it. (And maybe get a brat in Helen while we're at it!). We take it in to Apalachee RV on Monday for hail repair.  (Fingers crossed they can fix it, and it doesn't get totaled)  We have just discovered a crack in the windshield, not sure if it's hail related or not.  CRAP!

The First Unitarian Church of Charleston, founded 1787

The Unitarian Church gardens/cemetary

Unitarian Church

A B&B - I just liked the iron-work

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MIKE!!!!

USS Yorktown aircraft carrier at Patriot's Point

On the flight deck. This thing is HUGE

Chief Osceola's gravesite at Ft. Moultrie

Hiking on James Island

Morris Island Lighthouse - Folly Beach, SC

Charles Pinckney was a signer of the Constitution, a Governor of SC, and possibly a relation to Mike. I have to do more research. (Ira Pinkney Gaines - possible spelling difference)

Trip back to Georgia 2021

 After the HAIL STORM our plans got changed.  Rather than go to Idaho to see Joan and Chuck, Pahrump to see Claudia and Chuck, and then to Phoenix to hang out until December, we decided to head back to Georgia so we can get the hail damage fixed there.  Very disappointing - it's been three years since I've seen Claudia, and way longer than that since we've seen Joan and Chuck.

Mike said he wanted to go to Myrtle Beach, so we left Hart Ranch on 9/27 and headed East.  We took our time, 8 days of driving, and got here on October 4th.  A little windy at the start, but nothing terrible. We lost the top of our TV antenna - luckily it didn't hit anyone on the interstate.  It sure made a horrible noise though! (Part of the hail damage.  The tape over the holes seems to be holding well though)

We had a beautiful drive through the Smokies on I-40.  We stayed at the KOA in Crossville, TN - what a beautiful RV park!  I'd go back there again!

We're at the Barefoot RV Resort in North Myrtle Beach.  It's a smaller park, but only 2 years old with lots of space between the sites, all paved roads and concrete.  Really a nice park - we'd come back here.  The laundry and bathrooms are immaculate.

We're heading to Charleston on the 18th (we could only get 4 nights there), then one night at a Harvest Host close to Columbia so we can see Elaine and Chuck, then an RPI park on Saturday the 23rd.  We're staying 2 nights at Leisure Acres in Cleveland so we can get the Flair cleaned up and winterized before we park it in storage, and then will take it to Appalachee RV on November 1st for the hail repair.  

I sure hope we get it back in January so we can head West - I really want to do our trip in reverse in 2022. Stupid Hail. Stupid Covid. 

View from the KOA in Crossville

We're not really beach people, but we bought an umbrella

From our hike on the Heritage trail in NMB.  We rented a house on one of these canals when Nate was 1.

Our site at Barefoot RV Resort

Lots of seafood lunches at bars along the beach

Hiking at MB State Park

More seafood and beer

View from our table by the boardwalk

This is a really nice RV park. We'll be back!

Another seafood lunch along the coast

Our last evening at the Barefoot RV Resort

Hail Storm 8/26/2021

 We had the worst hail storm last Thursday that I have ever seen. Golf ball to baseball size.  Every rig and car in the resort has some sort of damage, and all of the buildings at Hart Ranch have damage.  https://www.keloland.com/news/local-news/hart-ranch-resort-sees-major-hail-damage-after-a-severe-storm/

We haven't heard the $$ number for the motorhome yet, but there are 35+ holes in the roof that Mike has taped over, the passenger side mirror is broken, the tail lights are broken, the skylight over the shower is broken, and many of the light fixtures were leaking. The awnings over the slides are shredded, and the big shade awning has holes along the rail where it connects to the motorhome. We're lucky that's all it is.  If the windshield on this had smashed, we could have had major water damage to the electronics on the dashboard.

Geico totaled the car - $21,000 in damage.  The windshield is smashed, the sunroof is gone (luckily, we don't think water got into it), a headlight is broken and a taillight is broken.   We're waiting on the numbers for this; we want to buy it back from them.  We're getting the windshield replaced next week - and we'll get the rest fixed back in Georgia.

The storm was very scary, and luckily no one was injured.  It's just very stressful trying to figure out how we're going to get it all fixed.

Here's a link to the pictures of the damage:

8/26/2021 Hail Damage

 

Mike says he's not sure he wants to come back to Hart Ranch next year.  

Hart Ranch Summer 2021

 After the family left, we've had a quiet summer.  Mike has been golfing, we've been spending time with friends, and I've been working at the Lodge a little bit (about 10 hours a week).  I'm not on the schedule, but told Susan I'd help when she needed me.   I also volunteered at the ticket booth for all of the rodeos (very fun!), and I served on the Expansion Committee for Hart Ranch.  And don't forget Sturgis.  Our friends Annette and Mike Yarusso had a booth at Sturgis this year.  "Biker Nettie" with handmade hats and bags, as well as sewing patches on vests and jackets.  It was great to see them!

I can't believe summer is almost over. We're heading out on September 10th, and the plan is to head to Idaho to see Joan and Chuck, then down to Pahrump for a month or so (Sally and Lyle's stay will overlap a little bit).  We'll see our Vegas friends there, and then head to Arizona to see our friends there, and then get back to Georgia in time for Christmas.  That's the plan!

Rodeo Night!  New parking configuration, very popular.

Off road with Scott and Susan.  Flat tire! Luckily he had a spare!!

Checking the map App.  Luckily he had a signal!!

The wildfire smoke has been horrible

'Nuff said

Sturgis on Tuesday of rally week. 

Hot Air Baloon illumination night - awesome!!

Such fun!!

May/June 2021

 What a whirlwind month this has been!!  Jake's graduation, the trip with Taylor and at Hart Ranch, Glacier NP with the White family, Chase and Ella at Hart Ranch, and then Bill came for a 3 day visit to Hart Ranch.   Such FUN!!!

Jake graduated from High School on the 24th of May:

Congratulations Jake!

We left with Taylor on the 26th - ROAD TRIP!!  We took 6 days to get to Hart Ranch, but had a good trip. Mike and Taylor even got a round of golf in one day on the way.   He was at Hart Ranch with us for about 10 days. He met lots of new friends, played a lot of basketball, drove the golf cart, and we even did some sightseeing. 

Taylor's bunk in the motor home

Bear Country

Zip lining in Keystone

Picnic at Sylvan Lake

We left for Montana on June 10th to meet up with Katie, Mike and the rest of the kids.  We stopped at Hardin, Montana and took Taylor to see the Little Bighorn Battlefield.

This is the hill where Custer and all his men died.

Steakhouse in Butte, per Taylor it was "the best steak he had ever had!"

We got to Hungry Horse, MT on the 13th.  It was a nice, very small, campground.  Katie and Mike had a big 5th wheel delivered, and we had a great week!  Hiking, picnics, hanging out, playing Trivial Pursuit.  A great week!!!

Our campsite in Hungry Horse

The bar in Whitefish that we found in 2006

Lunch with Livie while the rest of the family went hiking

We left Hungry Horse on the 18th, and headed back to Hart Ranch with Chase and Ella.  They spent a week with us, a little sightseeing, zip lining, relaxing at the pool, and riding the golf cart.  

Buffalo at Custer State Park

This is what it looks like when it's raining and you're trying to get everything dry!

Ready to zip line!

Ella on the last line

Chase on the last line

We put Chase and Ella on a plane back to Atlanta on the 27th, and Bill and Jan arrived on the 28th!  They were here 2 days.  We saw Mt Rushmore, Sturgis, Lead (the Sanford Lab visitor center), Deadwood.  We really squeezed a lot in and had a great time.