Heading South - Again

Wednesday, January 6

Le tercera tortuga (The Third Turtle - as named by Anna) on Belle Air Street ready to head South.  For the first time, I have measured the total length of the motor home with the car in tow - 61 feet

The appointed day has arrived.  We are headed South - where it's warm.  Hopefully.

It has been a nice fall/winter so far here in Beaufort with temperatures in the 60's and 70's quite often - up until a couple days ago.  Winter has reared its' ugly head.  The temperature a couple nights back was 28 degrees.  It is definitely time to head South.

We departed Beaufort around noon and head to Wilmington.  I've decided to have a small leak checked at the Freightliner service center there.  We've been there before for service and they do a good job.  I noticed a small leak of what appears to be coolant while the motor home is parked in the drive way and just to be on the safe side, want to check it out.

We spend the night at the service center.

Thurday, Jan 7

Bright and early this morning, we have the leak checked.  Turns out to be just a simple clamp needed tightening.  That's good!

Then we head South down Highway 17 and Clara picks out a stop for the night.  She found Buck Hall Recreation Area in the Francis Marion National Forest.  We arrive early and WOW!, what a place.  A beautiful campground right on the Intracoastal Waterway.   I could stay here for the winter.  And maybe we just might!

There are only 14 sites here.  If it were a commercial campground, there would be at least 100 sites - maybe more.  There's at least 100 feet between sites.

For lunch today, we went to a rather unique little place a few miles from here near McClellansville. Buckshot's Restaurant had rave reviews on Trip Advisor for its food.  Not much atmosphere - a single family home turned into a restaurant.  But WOW!  Great food - in fact incredible food.  Fried chicken, bar-b-que chicken, fried fish, and real home grown vegetables cooked just right.  It's a good thing we don't live close by a place like this.  I'd have to work out a lot more.

After a delicious lunch, we rode around McClellan a while.  It's a beautiful little town with the largest percentage of old two story homes I've ever seen.  Some of the homes were in great shape and some showed their age.  This must have been a very prosperous community at one time.

We thought the architecture of this church was interesting.

The old oak trees lined the streets everywhere.  This one was massive.

Sunday, Jan 9

We decided to drive the 30+/- miles down to Charleston today.  We've both been here several times, but it was fun to ride around and see the old homes - and the marketplace.

After lunch, we drove over the Patriots Point where there is a large complex built around the aircraft carrier Yorktown.  I toured the Yorktown but didn't go on the destroyer or submarine.  The Yorktown is a big ship!

Arthur Revenel Bridge over the Cooper River as seen from the bridge of the Yorktown

There were two other ships at the complex that I didn't have time (or the energy) to tour

USS Laffey Destroyer

USS Clamagore Submarine

While at the RV Park, we met Jim and Louise.  They live only a couple of hours from here, but come down often to fish and shrimp.  His family once owned 2/3 of Hilton Head Island - in the late 1700's. His forefathers gave up the island for taxes because they never thought it would be worth anything

Now we're off to Florida (or as it's sometimes referred to - God's waiting room) and new adventures.