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