Finishing the South and moving North

South Carolina here we come!

We picked up the van and guess what – nothing is wrong with it. Well, okay – let’s hope! Fingers crossed!! We splurged to stay at a KOA. (I never thought I would say that in my ENTIRE life!) But they can be kind of pricey. As I mentioned before, they have lots of activities and things for families, which is nice, they’re clean and I always feel safe at them. I wanted Maddy to experience one! Having someone else with me is so nice. The setting up and all the things go more quickly. It was nice for her to see what I have to do every day and it made me feel more confident and so supported!

The Beaches

The first day there we went to the Isle of Palms. It was so different from any beach area I had been to, it was a tad crazy. So many umbrellas! We wandered a bit and found a cute place for lunch and a margarita! The table next to us had maybe been drinking at the beach for a while, but Lambert benefitted from that for sure! There was one guy that played with him the whole time, he had just bought a stuffed alligator and let Lambert have it at the end of our meal. Funny encounter for sure!

The Town & National Park

The next day we went into the historic area of Charleston. It was beautiful. The old homes were amazing. Maybe renting a house here would be more appealing to me! We wandered a while, marveling at the history, the homes and the pristine parks! Dogs were welcome to go in the fountain…but Lambert is NOT into water. I will keep trying! Off to visit one more beach area

Fort Moultrie is on Sullivan Island so we opted for a quick tour. The fort was used in the civil war and in WWI. You can walk through the underground offices too. Dogs weren’t allowed in the fort so we took turns going into different areas and then realized Lambert wasn’t allowed in ANY of the areas we had taken him too! OOPSIE! Thankfully no one told on us and he didn’t disrupt anything!

A quick walk to the beach and then onto the summering area of the island. We drove through a couple of neighborhoods and WOWZA! This area is gorgeous. I still don’t think I would spend $35K for a week, but it would 100% be somewhere I would stay before I would go to The Isle of Palm. We stopped at Poe’s Tavern. A gimmick? Maybe a tad. Edgar Allen Poe enlisted in the US Army under the name Edgar Perry and was stationed at Fort Mmmmm for about a year, during which time he wrote ‘The Gold Bug‘. I am not familiar with the story, but now feel the need to read it! We enjoyed a beer and set off back to camp.

Back to the KOA

That afternoon it was hot and the dog park had a fenced in swimming area for dogs, we tried with all our might to get him in the water. It was a hard NO from Lambert. He did decide to lay in the space between the water and the lawn, which was basically swamp land! Now he had to get wet, bath time with the hose and shampoo! At least he’s clean. Maddy and I splurged on some firewood and s’mores supplies and enjoyed a fire, just long enough to make our treats!

The last day with Maddy we spent hanging out at the pool and relaxing. Soon it was time to take her to the airport. We kind of dilly dallied and on the way there the van says, ADD DEF (or something like that). So we hurried to find a gas station. I had not yet filled the DEF, as it had been done before I left and when I had my oil changed. We felt rushed because of the flight, but I was happy to have someone with me the first time I had to add the DEF. It was actually no big deal, but I was still nervous! Dropped her at the airport and within ten minutes Maddy called to say she was at the gate. HAHA. It was a small airport, so all was good!!

On my own…again

Except for me… I was so sad. It’s weird. I am fine alone, but then I have company, or visit someone and it’s hard to readjust to being alone. I have to get back into the grove of my adventure! Figuring out that to do, where to go, where to stay, how long. All of those things are so much easier when someone else is with you. I tend to double think everything, so it can end up taking me WWWAAAAYYY too long to make a decision!

Myrtle Beach RV ‘Resort’?

Off to Myrtle beach. I’d always heard about it and thought I should check it out. It’s close, about two hours away. I’ll stay a couple of nights, then assess where to go from there. I chose an RV park with amazing reviews. Great location, great amenities, perfect. It was kind of pricey, but if it’s all that, I’ll go! Briarcliffe RV Park & Resort. YUCK! I had a spot right upfront (again), no shade, close to the road and weird! There were ‘park models’ in the back. They’re like little mobile homes, some had an RV with a sort of siding on the bottom part. Don’t get me wrong, they were kind of cute, with little lawns or porches. The park was clean, but not what I expected. Maybe there should be parks for adults only, 50 to 70! HAHA!! Seems like I can’t find the right thing; either too many kids or old people. This one had both!

Barefoot Landing

The park is next to Barefoot Landing, which people raved about in the reviews. I imagine walking along a beach, enjoying a lovely dinner outside. NOPE. It was kids galore! I spotted a Mexican restaurant, and they seated me outside with Lambert. It’s happy hour, so I order a margarita and taco salad. I may sound like a complete snob, but people were putting their kids on the ground, to sit or to play. What the heck is going on? Lambert is losing his mind too. Not only are kids crying, playing, whatever ON THE GROUND (read dirty concrete, chips, old food, gross) and kamikaze squirrels. Eating scraps off the ground and one came within three feet from Lambert. One other table was as shocked as I was, though they didn’t have to try and corral the dog and eat! I got out of there as quickly as possible.

The area has shops and it looks like a cute boardwalk. Especially if I go away from Lulu’s Arcade & Mountain of Youth Ropes Course. Wrong again, it is loaded with kids. God I probably sound like I hate kids, which I don’t. I guess I wasn’t prepared for this at all. Dodging strollers, wheelchairs and walkers all at the same time. Oh and some lady laid her BABY on the ground, on a dirty weedy patch. Crazy! I walked back to the van and relaxed with Lambert. Tomorrow I will try to find the beach.

Where’s the BEACH?

So we started walking. I see other people walking so I kind of follow the direction they went, nothing there. I keep wandering and see a hotel, thinking I could access the beach that way, nope. I decided to go and unhook the van. We will drive to the beach. It’s now after lunch and we did get kind of close to ‘a’ beach, but we would have had to park blocks away and then fight for a spot. I doubted I would want to go to this beach anyway, so forget it! Maybe tomorrow morning on my way out we can stop at a beach and take a quick walk. Maybe.

Nope, we’re leaving, heading towards Asheville, NC. First stop is Congaree National Park in South Carolina. Then a stay at a HH on our way to Asheville.

OBSERVATIONS

• I am still blown away by how many Waffle Houses there are in the area.
• Also, so many of the roads and bridges are named for people. Not people I know, maybe locals, and local politicians, local veterans, idk those are my guesses.
• Had never seen this before a maximum and minimum speed limit sign. ( I know someone that would benefit from this type of sign…)
• Lots of Baptist Churches now…..
• ProLife billboards and signs, and orphanage signs. Are there still orphanages in the US? I’ll have to look it up!
• Jesus still loves me