Heading North to D.C. - 2017

June 26, 2016 - Saturday

We noticed we had some extra space under the bench seat for an extra storage container. We went to the Container Store to find a shelf that was 16x16x4. We asked an associate at the store for a shelf that size, but they didn't have one. We continued to browse around and found an Elfa drawer that was an exact match. At the checkout, we asked if we could take it to the RV before paying. She gave us the finger: a pointing finder saying "Go Ahead". The drawer filled the space exactly. We had to wait for a green sticker, so we wouldn't be accused of stealing.

June 26 - Sunday

On the road by 1 pm. We stopped in Fort Pierce and Daytona for breaks. We arrived in Flagler Beach at 6 pm. Our usual fish restaurant was closed, so we went to a Mexican restaurant along the beach road. We sat upstairs on the open, covered deck with a beautiful view.

Bobbi's shrimp was spicy. Tim's tacos were yummy. We could look down the beach to the pier and watch people on the beach across the street from the restaurant. Motorized para-sailors flew by, buzzing the beach.


We spent the night at Steve's house in Beverly Beach.

June 27 - Monday

We cooked breakfast in the RV, but ate on the benches on the stairs to the beach.

We walked on the red-sand beach. Bobbi collected shells.

We stopped at the Georgia welcome center, but it was closed. After switching drivers, we saw a new welcome center two miles up the road.

When we switched drivers at mile post 104 we looked for peaches. No peaches. At Exit 8 in SC, heading to the Sea Islands, we found peaches for 50 cents each.

We drive along a beautiful, scenic highway through the barrier islands and salt marshes. We passed through Beaufort (not Beaufort) and Port Royal and over the Broad River on a long bridge. We arrived at our campground in Hunting Island State Park around 4 pm. The campground is beautiful (not beautiful), in a pine forest, and next to the beach, sand dunes and sea grass.



Tim went for a swim while Bobbi looked for sea shells. The lighthouse is visible from the beach and was reflecting sun setting sun.


At low tide, the beach extends forever.

Later, we walked to the camp store and bought a beach towel with the SC flag symbols. Back at the van, we watched "Other Side of the Mirror" about Bob Dylan.

June 28 - Tuesday

We rode bikes a few miles to the lighthouse. The road was busy for a state park. We passed a rookery along the way and had a spectacular view of the salt marsh.

We stopped at the visitor center and learned about shifting islands and moveable lighthouses. Bobbi lost her visor on the ride through the park, but Tim rode back and found it. We climbed all 167 stairs in the lighthouse and learned a great deal from a docent. We bought water shoes at the lighthouse store. I wasn't allowed to walk to the deck outside to try them on. I guess I didn't look trustworthy.

We walked around the old foundation stones for the original buildings for the family that tended the lighthouse.

We rode home in 92 degree heat. It was hot. We rarely turn on the AC in the van, but we did that day. After running for a while, the fan for the converter started making noise. We called Roy, our go to technical advisor. We will use the shore power sparingly.

We swam, walked, and napped. At night, we finished the  Bob Dylan movie. It rained as we went to bed. Putting out the awning, the adapter for opening and closing it broke. That is life in the RV.

June 29 - Wednesday

We stopped into a Food Lion when we left Hunting Island. The parking lot had beautiful live oaks shading the cars. We bought bananas, water, ear drops and bug spay with Deet - only the essentials. The workers in the store were very friendly. They went in the back to see if the organic bananas had arrived and then came looking for us in the store to let us know they found them.



The ride to Charleston was pretty. We stopped for lunch and a nap at the ranger station in the National Forest where they breed red wolves. We took a walk on a boardwalk to see the pen. The wolves were smarter than us: they were hiding from the rain, while we were standing in it.

Bobbi drove through heavy traffic due to an accident and road construction near Myrtle Beach. We arrive at Carolina Beach, just south of Wilmington, NC, at sunset. The sun set over the bay and the boats moored at the dock.

Thursday - June 30

The camper next to ours is a Pleasure Way. We spoke with the lady traveling in it with her two dogs and a cat. She would prefer a vehicle like ours.

We drove to Emerald Isle and did not recognize anything, except the goony golf place and the go-cart place ... oh, and the wave runner rental. We ate lunch just before the bridge to Moorehead City. We missed the turn and had to go over the bridge and back again. We ate a cup of clam chowder with half a shrimp sandwich.

We continued to Nags Head, taking the scenic route through wildlife refuges. The road was desolate, without much traffic.

We camped by the beach at Oregon Inlet, which has a lighthouse. We walked on the dunes and beach. It reminded Tim of Cape Cod, but cars are allowed on this beach. The sand has a lot of black in it. We were afraid it was pollution.

The mosquitoes were bad when the sun set. Some all-night construction was in progress, so we moved to a campsite farther away.

July 1 - Friday

The bugs bothered us in the morning in bed. Bobbi had three bites on her forehead. A torrential rain blew through. Tim talked on the phone with his instructional developer and then worked for several hours.

We took a drive down to Cape Hatteras in the afternoon. On the way, we stopped at Ace Hardware to buy a step stool, since the electric step on the truck bit the dust. We bought an empty paint can. We tried to find an adapter for the awning, but failed. The assistants in the store were helpful for both solutions. We bought some magic goo to make our own adapter and a screw eye.

The lighthouse was closed when we arrived, but the gift shop was open. Tim bought a book mark, but it was only 25 cents, so they let him have it for free.

We tried fashioning the adapter to the awning, but the liquid plastic has a steep learning curve. The goo smelled so bad, we threw it away. The screw eye bent on the first use.

The stars were amazing at night. The wind kept the mosquitoes at bay. At 10 pm, several loads of teenagers arrived. They were noisy late into the night.


July 2 - Saturday

Cooler in the morning without as many bugs. Up and on our way to DC. We drove over the Chesapeake Bay (and under). We stopped for a quick clam sandwich. One hour and a half later, we were on the road again. As we drove into the parking lot, we had to wait for a parking spot. We saw that a car had its front wheel in a hole. A tow truck arrived to pull it out. The hole wasn't there when the car parked. The driveway gave way, due to all the rain they had been having. We bought some corn and veggies at the stand attached to the restaurant.

We arrived at the Greenbelt National Park by 7 pm. The campground is quiet with plenty of trees and space. The park is inside the beltway, just a half mile from the University of Maryland.