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Published: October 3rd 2017
A leisurely pack up and departure from beloved Chesapeake Bay Preserve. The people next door didn’t bother me that much overnight, but I did hear a lot of silly giggles from the tents. They had four cars parked…….way too many people, way too big a fire. I chalked it up to a payback from a time somebody paid it forward to me, I tried to ignore their noise.
The shiny red truck on the other hand…….He had to drive all over my campsite to get his truck parked. Rather than having pulled into his site properly he needed space from mine. Jerk.
A trip to the laundromat was wonderful. $2.50/load for the small machines for a regular load with cold water. The price went up $.25 for each option you added thereafter: water temp, length of wash, extra rinse, etc. I did 2 loads and then paid $.25/6 minutes to dry and my 2 loads were done in 24 minutes. The laundromat was in a small strip mall, all brand new machines. It was right across the street from a large papermill, WoodRock, and the area smelled like wood being sawed. Lots of full logging trucks entering, lots of
empty ones leaving. Between it and the brand-new washers and dryers, I was mesmerized.
On to Richmond to get my National Park Passport stamped at 2 new places. First Maggie L Walker National Historic Site. Maggie Walker founded the first bank in the US, by a black woman. The St. Luke Penny Savings Bank, opened in 1903, thrived for over 100 years. Her house, built in 1923, is pretty much as it was until she died in 1934. It reminded me so much of my 1910 Red Bank house, same molding, same windows, and lots of original furniture. I liked it. Maggie Walker House is the place all 4
th and 5
th graders in Richmond get a field trip to for their ‘civics’ class. The Park Rangers are specially trained to present programs for this age. It was kind of a neat place. Then on to Richmond National Battlefield Park. I cheated here. There are at least four separate sites. In order to get all four stamps, you visit all four places, or cheat and get them all at the main visitor center. Since I was driving the RV I opted for #2, The Tredegar Iron Works. This rolling mill
made Richmond the center of iron manufacture in the southern US before and during the Civil War. At some future drive thru the town I will legitimize the other 3 stamps.
Slowly I continued to the Camping World in Fayetteville, NC and bought a $100 surge protector, a new $50 sewer hose you really can’t buy a cheap one, it doesn’t pay, and a $22 water pressure regulator for my hose (my last one is over 10 years old and starting to get cranky.) AND, a $10 for a 2-year maintenance agreement on the surge protector. If it does get fried in 2 years I get a new one. These things go anywhere from $100 to $300 for my size rig. The super salesman, Marlon, convinced me that if all I wanted was something to cut off power to Moya if she took a surge, then buy the cheap one. No need for all the bells and whistles for the $300 one because then you must buy a lock and hasp for theft prevention (Another $30). Imagine that, a salesman saving me money……Nice.
I headed for my free campground Walmart, and my phone rang and I almost didn’t
answer it, but I did. It was super salesman Marlon. I left my credit card in the slot of the machine. The store was closing but he would have someone waiting for me outside with it. Sure enough, bookkeeper Bonnie was there. No one charged anything on it, either. Nice. Back to the Walmart that had been advertised as a NO PARKING OVERNIGHT. I had called, the person who answered the phone spoke to the Store Manager in the background who said OF COURSE RVs CAN PARK HERE!. When I arrived the security guard came right over an welcomed me. That was a first. I went inside, bought $50 groceries, and walked on to Arby’s for a roast beef sandwich and had indigestion all night. I slept like a rock. There were no other RVs or Trucks parking overnight. I wrote to the app in charge of these things, AllStay camping, and let them know that their review of this location is wrong. I will check on it to see if it gets updated.
Sunday morning on to Elliot’s Campground in Rimini, SC on the shores of Lake Marion. Alice, the owner, provided directions to avoid the road closure.
Google Maps and Waze got he here just fine, but people traveling from the west had some issues with the detour. The last mile of road was dirt, and all who towed had sand all over their following cars. My bumpers were covered. I didn’t have to wonder too long what the campground was going to be like; something out of Deliverance. But, what nice people. Alice and her husband were dolls, not so much her 13 y/o son who would not drive the golf cart and help me get in site #3. Jerk. Nasty. Site 3 was situated between a brand new 5
th wheel and a trailer that had been parked in same site for 5 years at least. I had a partially hidden view of the lake.
An hour later a group of SELow members who had been travelling together pulled in and I noticed a short lake front site that was empty. Alice said it was OK if I moved there, and now I am a real happy camper. My view is amazing, and the sunsets are spectacular. Pontoon boats and speed boats filled with fisherman dot the scenery. Lots of fish jumping. Lots of bait
fish seen near the shore.
Neighboring campers came down to say hello……..seasonal renters, who have a nice 5
th wheel. This multi-generational group was pure southern redneck at its best/worst. Grandpa took out his iphone 7 and showed me a picture of the 32 pound catfish he caught that morning. 32 pounds!!! Now, you can’t make this shit up…….In response to my question, “Will you be cooking it?” he answered, yes, I took it downtown (downtown? There is no town within 14 miles) and there is a N word (deleted word) there who will filet it and cut it into chunks. I will take it home to fry up. My jaw dropped, I didn’t know where to look. His mother was there, and she told him he was disrespectful to me, and I thanked her. Then he took out his phone again and showed me a picture of a 100 pound catfish caught on this lake. Can you imagine?? He used 70 pound test on his 32 pounder. They went back to his rig and played country hillbilly rock banjo music loudly until 9:15. At the end it changed to rap and I was not happy, but that only lasted
until 9:15.
At 9:30 the real fun started. Alice’s husband went knocking on the rig next to me. Go look for the pictures I have taken of this mess. It’s a very old 5
th wheel with his treasures piled up on all four sides. Picnic tables, 2 broken golf carts, many full of weeds and dead plant pots, bricks, lumber, and other obnoxious crap. Only word used to describe it, crap. I was sitting at my dinette watching TV (yes I have ABC, yay!) playing Farm Hero Saga on my iPad, and listening as hard as I could to every word. The gist, the manager wanted his $1300 unpaid rent by tomorrow or he would tow the blankety blank thing out. Harsh words on both sides, lots of pounding fists on cars and the trailer. I was starting to get nervous, what if either of these men had a gun. Doors slamming, campground owner drove off, trailer owner drove off leaving his woman inside. End of this story, it is now Monday night and there is a brand new Dodge Ram truck on his property, and his rig is still here. I don’t know what that means, but it
sure is a mess over there.
Monday most of the group drove off to Sumter, SC, one of the larger towns around, about an hour away, and only that because of the detour we must go around. We went to eat lunch at the Simply Southern Bistro, highly recommended by Trip Advisor, and it was wonderful. $10 for half an order of shrimp n grits which was best I ever had. 7 jumbo shrimp in a kind of light sausage gravy with smoked sausage pieces, over cheese grits. Others had hamburger steak, sandwiches, she crab soup, and all raved. I told the owner how we found it, and he said he gets a lot of business from Trip Advisor recommendations; I told him I would add another one.
On to Sumter County Park, Swan Lake Iris Gardens and what a neat place. Free. In 1927 Sumter businessman Hamilton Bland purchased this swampland with the intention of developing it as a fish pond and sanctuary. Assorted materials were used to construct islands in the pond and the banks were built up with refuse and clippings. Iris were planted in the too much sun and failed. Mrs. Bland instructed them
to be trashed along the banks and the next year they thrived and are still here. Cute story. This park has been name One of America’s Best Feebies!..This is the only place in the world that has a large population of all 8 types of swans. Very impressive. This park reminds me of a cross between Airlie Gardens and Brookgreen Gardens for my southern friends who will know both. A very peaceful relaxing walk around and back to the campground for happy hour and catching up with those who stayed back.
Another glorious sunset. A happy day in the deep south redneck country.
Happy Birthday to John D, our combined number this year is 129. Dang we are getting old.
Kat out
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