Ft. McAllister, Richmond Hill, GA – February 24 - March 1

Our 4^th night was at Ft. McAllister State Park in Richmond Hill, GA where we planned to stay for 4 nights. Four became five so we could get the pump ordered and replaced at Dick Gore's RV. We had a great time exploring the park, fort, Savannah and Harris Neck Wildlife Refuge where we saw wood storks nesting and alligators in the wild bellowing.

We traveled down to Darion, GA to Skipper's Fish Camp for a great lunch and saw a boat load of guys and their dogs heading out for a pig hunt. Supposedly, they catch them alive to them sell to reservations where people come to hunt the pigs for sport. Not a world I understand!

The Fishers, Chisholms, Freda/Magnells and Tom’s sister Kathy all planned to rendezvous in Pensacola, FL on March 2^nd so we were converging from different places the night before. Harry and I had joined Harvest Hosts (HH), a network of wineries, farms and other sorts of properties that sign on to offer a place to stay on their property for 24 hours at no charge other than a modest annual membership fee to HH so we really wanted to try them out.  There happened to be a goat and sheep ranch, Golden Acres Ranch in Monticello, FL that was midway to our destination. This first experience couldn’t have been better. 

Our hosts, Bobbie and Fred, initially told us to park at the beginning of the drive but be mindful of parking between the fire ant hills. Once we arrived and they saw the size of Trekker, they told us to come on up and pick a spot we liked by the house. We chose right by the chicken coup and house so we could see the activity. We had full range of the property and learned about Tennessee Fainting Goats, Great Pyrenees guard dogs, Mayhaw jelly and of course the fire ants. Fred had retired from the corporate world 11 years earlier, bought property piece by piece accumulating 70 acres and has quite a business going. They have sheep, goats, guinea hens, dog boarding, chickens as well as being distributors for animal feed and goat housing. We left with fresh eggs, mayhaw jelly and goat meat to try for the first time. Picking out the goat meat was a challenge because there were shanks and loins that I knew would need to be slow cooked which is impossible in the van. Then there were organs that I didn't even want to ask what they were never mind how to cook them. I settled on ground goat which we cooked up as burgers. They were quite good with a flavor somewhere between chicken and beef.

More pictures

Finally, we are off! – February 21 - 23

After meeting the Fishers at Mariner’s Park in Hull at 8:30, we are finally on the road with a goal of driving as far as we can around NY and south on Rte 81. The first night (and first time) was at a Flying J Truck stop in Carlisle, PA topped off with a long wait for a not so good dinner at Denny’s. The asphalt really does vibrate with the rumbling of the trucks all night long!

Next destination was Medoc State Park in Hollister, NC. This was quiet, in the woods eating around the campfire. No hot showers until March 1^st but thanks to the advice of Steve & Ellen, we pulled out our solar shower. Our van is setup for showers but it’s a bit of a project stopping for the night with an early a.m. start.

We had planned to continue south on Rte 81 staying west of the Appalachian Mtns. but with warnings of severe thunderstorms and tornadoes, we turned southeast at Winchester, VA and followed Rte. 95 south to join the Freda/Magnells at Buck Hall Recreation Area in Frances Marion National Forest, McClellanville, SC. This is a small campground with 14 sites on the ICW. Buck Hall is a beautiful spot worthy of a longer stay another time. As we were leaving, we discovered we had issues with the macerator pump and were unable to empty the holding and grey water tanks. There seems to be some sort of gray cloud following the Chisholms when it comes to plumbing! The Brewster still has a bum sea cock that we need to deal with when we get home, of course there was Harry’s ordeal and now it seems to be Trekker’s turn. I think I’ll take a pass! The good news was a RoadTrek dealer in the next town we planned to stay. 

Pictures of the trip south

Prelude to The Trail

The Chisholms don’t seem to plan much in advance but also don’t have a lot of trouble making quick, impulsive decisions! With Harry’s retirement in June of 2011, the only next logical step was to close down PRN Consulting at that same time. What the heck! We had always thought we’d spend time cruising the coast from ME down along the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida and the Bahamas. 

Our first “retirement cruise” on the Brewster in August/September up the Hudson River to the Great Lakes was cut short with engine problems in Block Island. A tow to Pt. Judith, Hurricane Irene and a month of repairs made us realize we needed a Plan A and B! In October, we became the proud, impulsive owners of a RoadTrek Popular 190. “Trekker” is a conversion van that could perhaps entertain 4 but will only sleep 2 and of course our dog, Nina. A perfect addition to the boat. How else can one travel the country by land and sea with a dog!

We made two maiden voyages with the Fishers and Freda/Magnells in the fall to learn from them before venturing south for several months this winter. And then there was one more bump in the road! Harry was rushed to the hospital the beginning of January with a bowel obstruction due to abdominal surgery he had in his childhood. After a month and a half of ups and downs, we got the green light from the surgeon to hit the road. And so our journey begins . . .