Last leg of a fantastic summer!

October 2016

Last stop - J Strom Thurmond Lake ( also known as Clark Hill Lake ) on the border of both Georgia and South Carolina. At 71,000 acres it is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi.

Internet photo of the dam at J.Strom Thurmond Lake

J.Strom Thurmond Lake/Lake at Clark Hill is 71,000 acres large. Created by the U.S.Army Corps of Engineers, it straddles both North Carolina and Georgia. Along is vast shores are 7 Army Corps campgrounds, 5 state parks, 12 county parks and 23 public day use areas and boat ramps, plus 6 commercial marinas! 

Norm and I are quite confident that this area is where we will hold a RV rally for our local club.  But first we want to check out a few things.  Luckily this area is not in the path of the catastrophic Hurricane Mathew threatening the east coast.

There were rumors that the campground was filled to capacity, and that some Army Corps of Engineering sites that were previously closed, opened for the evacuees of the hurricane.  How nice of them to do that!

I did, however, worry since Elijah Clark State Campground (where we made reservations weeks ago) was a “first come, first serve” campground.  Was there going to be a site that our huge 41’ motorhome would fit?  Would it be the site no one else wanted? Obviously, if we were the last to arrive and most people fleeing the coast were here days ago.  We can only hope, because all other options are full.

We left early, and when we arrived there were 3 sites left.  The young, enthusiastic yet ill-informed teenage “ranger” had no idea if we would possibly fit in them, but we were instructed to “just go check them out, and pick one “.  Hmmm….. this is a different way to do it.

Our campsite was not the best, by far, but the views were great.

Noticing there were fewer available sites than the number of campers streaming in, we raced outside to quickly unhitch the car and find a site ( it was hard to determine which empty sites were available, and which the people had merely left for the day).  At one site Norm discovered the electrical box was defective, so we wouldn’t have electricity, so that would be our last choice. One had a Police cruiser in it for some reason, and the third was a little small.  We went back and asked the kind policeman if he was reserving this spot.  When he replied no, I asked if he would stay there for a few more minutes and “save” it for us so we could rush back and get the rig.

The policeman saw us and pulled away as Norm drove down the narrow camp road. This particular site had gravel missing that we hadn’t noticed. I (and the crowd that had gathered) thought our huge rig was going to flip as it lurched sharply to the left as he climbed and rounded the corner!  Thank goodness for the stabilizing air-bags, or it probably would have.  What a scene that would have made!

I later learned from our neighboring camper that what people were really gathering for, was to see what “Dignitary” was getting the site that the police department was holding!  How funny – sorry, guys- it’s just us!

The majority of sites at Elijah Clark State Park are great, but their "first come-first serve" policy makes me too nervous to bring a group of friends. 

The winds were whipping as we set up, so we didn’t put our chairs or tables out, or even open the slides yet. We had to leave anyway and check out a neighboring campground, so why beat up the awnings and risk things getting blown into the RV and scratching it.

Norm and I headed to a small, 34 site Army Corps of Engineering Campground (Hawe Creek) that looked so terrific on the internet that we ignored two local campers who said it was terrible last time they were there, which was, they admitted, many years ago.  Other campgrounds around this huge lake were amazing, so we decided we had to check it out for ourselves, even though it was closed for the season.

The Hawe Creek Campground road was an RV'ers dream! 

(picture "borrowed" from  Nancy and Bill Somebody's  blogsite. I forgot to take one due to my fear of being caught being in their when closed for the season )

I had the foresight to bring a map of the campground with me, and had noted the size of each site.  We walked each site and picked out favorites for the group. We chose the middle peninsula due to its closeness to the water, and sites 17-23 due to the orientation to the sun.

After parking the car outside the closed and formidable gate, we quietly hiked in, armed with a map and description of each site ( I had brought from home – remember I am a “planner”) and checked out each and every site – making notes about levelness, orientation to the hot afternoon sun, view, and general size of the sites.  This place is amazing! Every site was HUGE and all but a couple sat right next to the water. The bath house was a little far away, but one could drive there if they needed it.
After walking several miles, it was starting to get dark and I really hate to be sneaking in anywhere we don’t belong ( never did ) so we quietly snuck past the large motorhome that must house the full time park attendant.  Shhhh……

The campsites at Hawe Creek were all incredible! Huge, flat and fabulous views!

I sighed with relief when we saw our car was still there, and drove off to another nearby State Park we had heard about.

Hickory Knob State Resort Park has everything anyone would need for the perfect vacation spot.  Gorgeous golf course with very affordable rates, kayaks and canoes available to rent.  Bike and hike to your heart’s content, or perhaps try your hand at skeet shooting or archery!  A restaurant is right there as well.  Problem?  The campground is HORRIBLE for RV’ers!  If you are a small tent trailer, or even better in a tent, it would work out.  But would I drive our RV down these roads and attempt to set up in the tight, uneven sites?  No way!  So disappointing, because camping here would have made our rally perfect!

We will definitely spend time doing group activities, but camping is out of the question. Luckily we found a good prospect for camping at the nearby Army Corps of Engineers campground.

Leaving no stone unturned, we then checked out Baker Creek State Park, also nearby. This place was even worse.  We could barely make it through the roads with our little car, much less motorhomes.  People staying there made us just a little nervous in their moldy, rusted, tarp covered “homes”.  They looked at us suspiciously as we quickly drove by. Okay, time to leave!

The next morning we did more exploring.  First, was to find the nearby marina that I was told rents pontoon boats.  It took a bit of doing, as it was hidden behind what must have been a beautiful, but now out of business, conference center.  We got the information we needed, and after chatting a bit with the man behind the counter, we headed off.

My knee was still bothering me, so Norm golfed alone at Hickory Knob State Park.  It was a beautiful, but difficult and hilly course, surrounded by water. I went to talk to the park’s person in charge of group outings, and check out the meeting halls.

Internet photo of Hickory Knob's golf course.  Very beautiful, and a little tricky.

Back at our motorhome, we were invited over to the neighboring campsite that evening to join them for s’mores and music. Norm wasn’t particularly interested in going, so I went alone – hoping to relive my old Girl Scout days – maybe even singing a chorus of “Kumbaya.”

This family consisted of 9 children (most of them appeared grown) who were there for 10 days on their annual religious “pilgrimage”. They had quite the camping set-up, with huge canvas tents big enough for an army! ( Actually, Norm and I assumed it was for hurricane refugees when we first saw it.)

Inside one tent were rows of cots (the kids brought friends, so there were a lot of people) and the other tent held the dining room and kitchen facilities.  A table was set up that probably sat 20.

The neighboring family of 11 (plus friends) were camping here for 10 days. Their "mess hall" was unbelievably equipped, and even decorated!

I was introduced to all the wonderfully polite and musically talented family. Sitting around the campfire I was awed by the talent of this family.  One young man was a virtuoso on the violin as well as guitar, and several others took out their guitars as well. Soon, with some pushing from Mom and Dad, the girls started to sing.  Their voices were stunning as their harmonies melded on this magical, bright mooned night. The girls were so cute singing modern hits just to appall their mom.  This, I thought, was not going to be a “Kumbaya “ kind of night.

After a couple of hours, I headed back, as they continued to sing and play well into the night.
I was looking forward to watching this crowd take down their camp in the morning, assuming it would be accomplished like a well-trained army as they loaded the flatbed trailer that hauled all their equipment in there.  But they were getting a late start (most likely due to the late hour they finally quieted down) and we had to start the long trip toward home.

After about 4 hours of driving, we arrived at the KOA Tifton Campground in Georgia- about half way home.  It was not a terrific site, but we were happy to have found a place to stay due to the people from the coast fleeing the hurricane and filling up all the campgrounds.

We spent an hour or so talking with another older couple camping nearby in a tiny van which held a huge amount of organic wine.  I was amazed as they drank tumbler after tumbler with no apparent effect.

Stopping overnight in Tifton, Georgia the final leg took two days.

The next day, as we arrived home, a man who had parked in front of our neighbors, approached us. Come to find out, he was the previous owner of our motorhome!  He spotted us about 20 miles away and followed us home to introduce himself!  ( I had found his name and old, New Hampshire address buried somewhere in the RV and with the help of the internet, called him a couple of months ago, so he knew we lived in the next town. )