2015 Southern US

Dundas, Ont to Allegany State Park, NY

July 12, 2015

We should have listened to “On the Road Again”, what a great feeling! Departure was 3:00PM but we still had a stop at MEC to return a brand new InReach SE satellite communicator that had decided to no longer charge. Not much use as a safety device if the batteries run out.

Despite our late departure we still drove 250kms. We had a very smooth border crossing at Fort Erie, Ontario although we almost lost our driver side mirror because an impatient pickup truck driver felt the need to squeeze into an already occupied space.

We configured our GPS to avoid toll roads which routed us along beautiful country roads and quaint rural towns. A traditional stop at Walmart supplied us with some much needed groceries since we didn’t bring any across the border.

Pepsi assumed her also traditional position in the van patiently awaiting our return.

Now we were ready to find a nice place to spend the night – and it wasn’t Walmart. We use a terrific app on the iPad called Allstays Camp and RV that shows a map with parks and campgrounds in the area we are travelling in and what a place we found. Allegany State Park was created in 1921 and construction of the Red House adminstration building was from 1927 to 1928. In 1929 the beautiful lake was created by building a dam. The park now has a beautiful campground as well as cabins and a few rooms in the adminstration building.

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Allegany State Park, NY to Staunton, Virginia

July 13, 2015

We had a great sleep, the black bears we had been warned about didn’t attack us, and we were sad to leave.

Today was driving day. We drove through the beautiful park and saw the sign “Quaker Area” and wondered whether this was an old Quaker settlement or whether the pretty green wooden cabins were specific ground for Quaker families.

After leaving the park we continued on smaller roads through lush hilly areas. It was a bit sad to leave the coutry roads and get on the Interstate, but the Interstate is definitely faster.

Before we got on I-70, we had a late lunch at a Classic Denny’s. It was a replica but it definitely reminded us of Route 66 with its red seats and black and white tiled floors.

In Winchester, Virginia we stopped at a farmer’s market, sampled some delicious peaches and cherry-apple cider and left with fresh tomatoes, peaches, a half gallon of cherry-apple cider and a mouth watering peach pie which was to become part of dinner tonight.

After 575kms, we were done for the day. Tonight there is no beautiful park but a friendly Walmart with RV and truck friends.

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Staunton, Virginia to Meadows of Dan, Virginia

July 14, 2015

We started the morning by writing blog entries for the last two days but were unable to post them as we didn’t have a fast enough internet connection. Our plan was to drive as far as possible today but the idea of going to the Roanoke visitor center changed the entire day. The visitor center is located at the former Norfolk and Western Railway station which now houses the permanent exhibition of O. Winston Link’s photographs documenting the last steam trains in America. We had a fascinating tour of the exhibit, including seeing his cameras and lighting equipment (flash bulbs!) and details of how some of his images were created, followed by a movie on the photographer’s life. We were so impressed that we bought a book about the exhibit.

The visitor center staff suggested we drive up the nearby mountain to see the large star overlooking the city and then take the Blue Ridge Parkway south.

The parkway has a speed limit of 45mph and is quite curvy which meant we didn’t make it very far. At the beginning there wasn’t much to see so we took a suggested detour to visit the town of Floyd which feels a bit like a hippy town from the 1960s and is quite well known for its live music festivals.

Back on the parkway we stopped at the Mabry Mill, built about 1910 and used to grind corn and saw lumber. In 1945 the National Park Service restored and landscaped the mill. Today is it the most photographed feature on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Now it was time to find a place to sleep. The first option was a state park but it didn’t appeal to any of us. Pepsi even nipped the nose of the park ranger who stuck his face too far into her personal space. The second option, Meadows of Dan Campground was much nicer and we settled in for the night after having had dinner outside, going for a short walk and then reading outside until it became too dark.

Total distance covered: 268kms

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Meadows of Dan, Virginia to Colleton State Park, South Carolina

July 15, 2015

Today was to be a driving day to make up for yesterday and we did make in fact make 526kms. Nevertheless we had some exciting diversions.

On the parkway we stopped at the Puckett Cabin where “Aunt” Orelena Hawks Puckett lived for the latter of her 102 years. She was a midwife for 52 years and assisted at births of more than 1000 babies, delivering the last in 1939, the year she died. She never lost a child or mother through her own fault although none of her own 24 children lived beyond infancy.

We left the parkway and soon entered North Carolina where we stopped at their visitor center to stock up on fresh places to visit. There are a number of vineyards in the area and we stopped at Grassy Creek Vineyward and Winery where Ruth tasted 6 different wines (Martin was driving) and we spent some time talking to Jim, the owner and winemaker. Jim is not only a great winemaker but also a well travelled person with many stories to tell.

Lunch was a picnic at Lake Norman State Park overlooking a beach and swimming area.

After lunch we determined to make up for lost time and didn’t permit ourselves to visit the South Carolina visitor center.

Our home for the night is the Colleton State Park in South Carolina which is located next to a river and is very spacious with lots of trees. The air is very humid and hot. No aligators are reported in the vicinity and the cottonmouth and rattlesnakes also haven’t come for a visit.

We’re very happy our air-conditioning works!

© OpenStreetMap contributors
Colleton State Park, South Carolina to St. Augustine, Florida

July 16, 2015

We had a pretty good sleep and the air conditioner kept is nice and cool although it does make a lot of noise. When we woke up in the morning the outside temperature was quite pleasant.

The park had a very good internet connection and we were able to upload the last four days of blog entries.

We left in good time, returning to I-95 and quickly found ourselves at the Georgia Visitor Centre. There the agent persuaded us to visit Savannah and we were glad we did! We left I-95 and took I-16 into the historic part of Savannah. A visitor center there had inexpensive RV parking and helped us narrow down what to see.

Savannah has many squares which are the heart of the different districts. The squares often have a monument of a famous figure from Savannah or Georgia’s history. The benches and mature trees provide a lovely shade from the heat.

We saw a number of small exquisite art and clothing stores as well as cafes and restaurants.

We walked to the Savannah river promenade where we admired the beautiful Talmadge memorial bridge and Ruth got to eat the Southern fried chicken she had talked about all morning.

After lunch, we happened upon the Savannah Candy Kitchen where we saw taffy being made. Taffy was not all that was available there – a whole wall of candy, sure to delight any candy lover. We sampled extensively.

It was now time to move on – Florida awaited. We drove non-stop to St. Augustine where we are staying the the Anastasia State Park right at the Atlantic ocean.

After settling in, we went for a sunset stroll along the beach. Tomorrow we hope to go for a swim before leaving.

© OpenStreetMap contributors