Rain Rain ...

Today was laundry, shopping and check out the sites at Jordan lake. We drove to Wake Forest to a laundromat we found in the trusty internet. There was also a Wal Mart near by so that made it a good deal. While we were waiting for our clothes to be washed we went across the plaza to the local dough nut shop. Good stuff.

After we got our supplies stowed we headed of for Jordan Lake. We went to Crosswinds campground area and looked at sites in loops B and C. Loop A is not water electric. We talked to the volunteer at the entrance station and she said reservations were recommended in season for long stays. We saw a number of sites that had reserved signs on them. All reservations were for a week or more. We found a number of good sites for the week of 5/4-10th. Looks like about a 30 to 40 minute commute. Of course the official gate opening time is 0800 there is reason to believe that the gate may be open as early as 0700. That will work good.

After supper we secured things for the expected T-storms. So far, 2220, all we have had is rain. Heavy at times. The weather radio we purchased last year has been going off quite a bit. Nothing for the county we are in or the ones to our west and south. Hail and 58+mph in Wake county which is East of us. The weather map on weather.com shows a lot of rain west of us so I think we are in for a long night.

I just checked the awning and all is well and the water is draining off well. I'm sure the slide topper is sagging nicely. We will deal with that tomorrow.

A view from the main slide looking toward the wardrobe

Rain off the awning

The USB broadband modem, antenna and router are working well with download speed above a meg and 200k to nearly 400k upload speed.

Oh the excitement

As last night progressed a few more campers arrived, several tent campers.

We had a large breakfast and since the tanks were both reading 2/3 we figured we had better make a trip. It took about an hour to break camp, take care of the duties and setup again. We didn't think that was to bad. More backing practice. Almost hit the same spot. Well the tires were on the boards that we used to level the trailer but the tongue angle was about a foot off.

Then it was off to the Duke Homestead. We made our donation and toured the museum waiting for the guided tour. Jason did a very good job, very interesting. Heading back to the park we stopped for lunch, a tour of the local Dollar Store and Food Lion.

We decided to take a ride to the Information Center. Well what do you know. Closed Saturday and Sunday. I guess you don't need information on Falls Lake State Park on the weekends. While we stood on the porch of the closed building, flash-bang! That was close. We don't know where it hit but we figured we shouldn't be at a closed facility and we left.

Back at our campsite we watched as a few more campers arrived. LOUD music. But after a while one of the rangers came by and it quieted down. Watched the NASCAR race then supper.

We had planned to do a little paddling but with the flaky weather we just sat out and enjoyed the evening.

Where in the world are Larry and Suzette

Well Larry is out of retirement for a few weeks doing some "consulting" in North Carolina. I did the first week and stayed in a hotel and took time to check out a couple of campgrounds in the area. One, Birchwood RV and Mobile Home Park, didn't look to inviting but Rolling View Campground at Falls Lake State Park has nice sites. Only loop B is currently open.

The next week, the current one actually, we dragged the Fox down US 15 in VA and found our way to the SP. For our safety NC locks us in at night. In April the gate opens at 0800 and closes at 2000. However the camphost is willing to open the gates if needed. Next month, May, they only protect us between 2100 and 0800.

I was able to adjust my hours but found that the CG supervisor usually opens between 0730 and 0745 so that works out pretty well. I did ask if I could extend to a 3rd week and NO. Oh well we will check out the campsite at Jordan Lake.

Site B29 at Rolling View campground

I'm not sure what is happening but blogger will not let me use the icon to add pictures so I had to use some html. Could the problem FireFox or is Norton Internet Security doing this to me?

Travel Day

We had stayed another day at Santee SP and there were severe storm warnings but we all we had was rain. We had prepared for the worst so we were ready to get going this morning. As we were hooking up we could hear thunder in the distance. Sure enough as we were ready to pull out it opened up. We sat for a while until it abated, about 10 minutes, and headed for the dump station. Of course as I put the hose away it completely quit.

We had planned to travel to Jordan Lake rec area south west of Raleigh. But as we drove in the rain on I95 we decided to just head up 95. Man what a drive. Lots of rain with both heavy and light traffic. Of course some folks figured that 70 or more was the way to drive. They would quickly slowdown only to speed up again then lane diving to beat the slowdowns. One guy that hadn't taken his patience pill slammed on his brakes only to find the guard rail on the left lane. That was the only close one.

Anyway we decided to stop at a KOA north of Rocky Mont. We didn't even disconnect. Just parked the rig and cooked supper. We will be home tomorrow.

Santee Cont.

Lazy getup today. Cold so we put the furnace on for a while. Since we didn't want to cook outside in the cold we had a lite breakfast and started gathering things together so we could move to site 12 as soon as it was empty. Well the folks were using all their alloted time so we biked to the boat ramp for entertainment. We were not let down. Two guys were trying to get their boat secured so they could pull it out. One guy was in the water up to his arm pits trying to hold the line they had gotten on the bow fitting. The other guy was rushing to back the trailer in. The boat was rather low in the water at the stern and listing some. Hummmmmm a missing plug perhaps? We watched as they finally got the boat mostly on the trailer and pulled it enough out of the water that we could see water pouring out of the stern. Yep plug. A boat ramp is a good spot on an otherwise dull morning.

When we headed back to the campground loop we saw that the folks were at the dump station. We stopped and talked for a while and then went to move our camper to site 12. I was in the road and had it tied up and there were 2 or 3 new arrivals so I went around the loop to allow them to get to their sites.

We got ourselves in where we wanted and once setup cooked Cheese Burgers for lunch.

We took a bike ride to the visitor/interpretive center and looked at the displays. It was disheartening to see the pictures of the area before the dam was built and realize that a lot of folks lost their homes. Was it for the better? You be the judge.

Since it was late in the afternoon we decided to take a ride on the Mountain Bike Trail. This is a 6.5 mile loop. We rode a little less than half and returned to the trail junction that led back to the campground. The section of the trail that we were on was easy with only gentle grades and not a lot of roots or other obstructions. A nice ride.

We took care of a few more things around camp because the forecast is for T'storms and tornado's in the evening and night. Then it was back to Lone Star BBQ for dinner. BBQ Ribs were the main attraction and there was the usual southern food items. We had a good dinner and had peach cobbler for desert.

Back at camp we finished putting away as much as we could and make things secure for the expected weather. We then just sat outside and relaxed and watched the world go by.

A good evening.

Once we were inside and had the TV on we were looking at the network weather channels, the digital -n channels, and could see where the storms were forming and their direction. Most are west of us moving NE. However there is a line SW of us moving NE and we may get some of that.

Oh I hear the wind picking up now. Should be an interesting night. Glad I took out a full value policy on the camper.

Santee State Park, SC

We arrived yesterday after an easy 112 or so mile trip from Hunting Island. After we had made the reservations for here we thought perhaps we should have stayed at Hunting Island if we could have moved to another site. Maybe next time.

We had picked site 39 in Cypress View campground because that was all that showed available for our size. What a good choice. Most sites in this figure 8 campground are very nice however a few are to small for the 30U or are not very level. Since we had to add a day or two to our trip we decided to add an extra day here. However we have to move to another site. Site 12 is a back in with a nice lake view. It should be real nice with the big windows in the rear of the 30U. The only bad thing is the possibility of thunderstorms. Rats.

This morning it was 46 an rainy when we go up. So we decided to hit the local Country Bucket, aka Cracker Barrel, for breakfast. We then did some shopping but were disappointed that many of the stores in the Santee Outlet Mall were EMPTY. However we were able to find some new sneakers to buy and help the local economy.

We watched a DVD, "Good Night and Good Luck", in the afternoon. Wow what an exciting day. It never got above about 56 and was just plain cold and nasty out.

For supper we decided to eat at "Lone Star Barbecue and Mercantile", where we had eaten 3 years ago. Cool place, Good Southern Eats. If you are in the area give them the business.

More storms are in the forecast so we may not be able to enjoy much of the park. There is a 6 or 7 mile mountain bike trail I would like to try as well as do a little paddling on the lake or nearby feeder streams. Since we didn't bring much of a video library we may only have "Bullet" and "The Worlds Fastest Indain" to choose from. Both are good.

We do plan to have dinner at Lone Star. Tomorrow is BBQ Ribs night.

Next stop will be one of the campgrounds on Jordan Lake near Raleigh NC.

Hunting Island State Park SC

What a beautiful day, sunny and warm. After breakfast we head out on a bike ride to the lighthouse by the hard road. We make the turn and decide that we will return to the campground area. We take the trail back which is a challenging mountain bike and hiking trail. Roots, sand traps, up/down hill. Just like the old day's in Essex Vermont. As we remember it was easier back in the early 1990's. Must be the bikes?

After our calorie burner we take the truck and head to the boat launch at the end of the island. We talk with a couple from Maryland for a while. They decide that they don't want to go out since it is windy and very choppy in the bay. We decide to head out and take a estuary that is just off the ramp. We paddle for about 2 hours exploring all the channels that are cut by the tide and storms.

Since we are low on diesel we head off the island to the first station we find that has a sign for diesel. Citgo, damn, $3.859.

Now it is off to the lighthouse and climb the 90 or 100 steps. A new definition of triathlon.

We received a call from our Realtor that our house would be included in a group open house on Saturday so we need to add a couple of days to our trip. We made reservations at Santee SP in South Carloina. We would have like to stayed another day here but the site was not available.