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Published: February 15th 2017
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Friday morning when I went to break camp at Sunshine, I unfurled my extra long sewer hose, connected it to the sewer gate, and tried to connect it to the hole in the ground. No hole. WTF? I was on a site that had no sewer? I looked around and none of the sites had sewer holes. It seems a honey wagon comes around twice a week and empties your holding tanks. I would not be there. Not really a big deal, just inconvenient. I finished breaking camp and looked for the campground map I received at registration to direct me to the dump station. No map……right, I spilled my coffee on it and threw it away. Ok. Ask neighbor. One right turn and one left turn later, as directed, I ended up in the kiddie playground. I drove around until I found a maintenance worker who gave me equally confusing directions because if I went directly there I would be facing the wrong direction. So, to avoid one-way streets, drive around this way, then that way, go past the sewer plant, turn in the cutout. What should have been an easy chore ended up being a funny pastime. What else
do I have to do with my time, I am retired. At least the campground is grassy and paved roads, so I didn’t get sand in the relatively clean rig. I was asked to review the campground by the owner management company, and I gave high ratings except for the propane tank view and not being told I was in a no sewer site. I did the same on Trip Advisor.
On the road north, I waved goodbye to Kathy and Judy and Larry as I passed Flagler. I cruised past Jacksonville and Savannah and on into South Carolina. Time to make a decision, where was I going to stay overnight. My choices were a Wal-Mart for free in Walterboro or a $20 campsite at Santee SP in SC. I opted for Santee, electric is always nice, and Santee is a beautiful location with beautiful views. As I drove in, I noticed the campground wasn’t there….it was all torn up. Uh oh, nervous. I went to the ranger station and was told there are 3 campground locations at this park, and the main winter one was closed for renovation and would open in April with flat roads and campsites
and full hookups. That is a vast improvement. I asked the ranger to pick out a nice site for me at the other campground and was given directions to get to it….5 miles ‘up the road a piece.’ Fortunately, someone else was registering and they suggested I follow them. OK by me. Site 111 was slightly uphill, I couldn’t level totally, and the utility pole was very far from Moya….and all that means is my very clean hose and electric cable would be laying in the sand and need to be cleaned again before final stowing. Santee SP is located on beautiful Lake Marion, formed by a dam on the Cooper River. It’s gorgeous location and plentiful shaded campsites and cheap rates must make it a summertime favorite. As it was, it was relatively crowded, mostly with popups and small travel trailers with lots of kids – maybe a holiday weekend???
I hunkered in, and cleaned the inside again and packed everything I possibly could into large shopping bags and lined them up in the aisles. I had to dump again, and this time I could see the dump station from my campsite. Hooray, it wasn’t terribly sandy. I found a shiny set of keys on the ground. Now, being a good person, I knew I had to do the right thing. I asked the nearby tent campers (a real no-no in my opinion, you do not camp next to the dump station in a tent), and they said someone had dumped just a little bit ago. I called the ranger station (I had the number in iPhone Contacts.) They asked me to please drop them off at the station. Uh, no. 5 miles into the park to drop off, 5 miles back out and 3 miles to I95. That’s 2 gallons of gas. As I was protesting, the ranger jumped in and said she would send someone to meet me on the road. Yay, a thinking person! I drove out and saw a ranger stuffing envelopes into the honor pay system box, and asked her if she was the person I was supposed to meet. Nasty lady, said “NO! She was the Park Manager and was meeting no one.” Well okay then. Then she softened and asked who I was meeting and I told her my story, and she again told me she was the Park manager and would take the keys to the ranger station. Great, I was on my way, shaking my head at her arrogance. I hope that the lost keys will make their way home safely. Paying forward the permanent loss of one phone and the temporary loss of its replacement.
Have I ever told you that I95 in SC is the worst piece of road on the East Coast? There are so many potholes, poor pavement, narrow, on and on and on. I could write a book. The potholes are bone rattling. One bag of food fell off the dinette and almost killed Winston who was sleeping under it. It was nice to get to NC for sure, after passing Pedro and South of the Border.
I arrived home in great time on Saturday. My wonderful family, Tim, Gretchen, Lilly and Ben came over and moved all those bags, the laundry and equipment I had packed up earlier into the house or garage. Gretchen climbed up on the dashboard and washed Winston’s nose prints and spittle off the windshield. Lilly put all the refrigerated food away. Such a big help. I sorted wash into 12 loads. Ugh.
Yes, it’s good to be home, but I sure do miss being on the road. I like to drive and listen to my audiobooks. I like going off the beaten path and seeing old places and finding new ones. I enjoyed the rest and doing nothing for days at a time. I am rejuvenated
I traveled only 1250 miles this winter, was on the road 35 days, a very short trip, and averaged $25/night for campgrounds. That’s 10 cents less than 2016.
I have been busy since my return…..MD appointment (gel shot in my knee), groomer, breakfast with the girls, Valentine’s day lunch with my son, Tim, and a 380-mile round trip drive to Greensboro NC to watch Lilly in a gymnastic competition, which put us home at 1:00 am. Garage sale this weekend on Tim’s street has me cleaning out every closet and every cabinet and the garage in a big purge. Retired life in the fast lane. Wouldn’t have it any other way.
Until next time “Quest for the Stamp”, starts April 20 in Natchez, MS. Stay tuned.
Kat over and out for now.
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