CATCH-UP TIME Issue 14

CATCH-UP TIME Newsy Portion Issue 14

Diary published weekly since 2001
Read a different version of this Diary on line Here


Hi Everyone: Hope those heading north enjoy a safe journey and those in the north we really hope your mega winter snow will soon depart. The weather channel in Ontario report spring is coming but I have resigned myself that the ground may still be white by the time we arrive sometime next weekend. As long as the roads are clear, we will be happy with white ground. We have enjoyed an extremely relaxing time while we unwound this week.

I made fantastic progress on a magazine story and miscellaneous other tasks – John is gradually shortening his job jar list. Now if this vast amount of rain in South Carolina and on our route north will stop, life will be perfect. But we really have not had to put up with much rain the past few months - guess we will never be satisfied, Temperatures so far have been quite moderate – no flannel sheets needed as yet, however our trip north looks like it too may be wet. Our fireplace on low is keeping things comfortable.

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WEEK IN REVIEW

MONDAY was a short travel day of a few hundred miles and we stopped in Perry at Twin Oaks campground for the night. This park is a members of many discount park systems and our overnight rate (Passport Am)- $15.00. Twin Oaks is also a very well designed park with long pull-thru’s that fill up fast – reservations are recommended. Free WiFi and cable are part of their numerous amenities. They also offer a wide variety of things to keep their customers occupied. However WiFi signal was stronger in some areas park than it was in our site. Contact info HERE – 478 987 9361.

TUESDAY we booked into Carolina Landing Preserve in Fair Play, SC (RPI/ Thousand Trails/NACO Membership parks at $10.00 per night). What a beautiful layout – because it is built on hills, all sites are tiered. To simplify navigation all roads and sites are fully paved. These roads resembled fast flowing rivers during our heavy rain on Friday and Saturday. Carolina Landing is situated in a scenic wooded area, but park staff has removed some of their trees - thankfully none that are left interfered with our satellite reception. They too offer every amenity imaginable and mega activities to keep their members busy – but John and I did not participate in much this week. I needed catch-up time after our busy few weeks of rallies and visiting. However we highly recommend this park to other members. Contact info HERE– (864 972 9892)

I repeat this point often. By staying at discount or membership campgrounds, it helps to stretch our travel dollars. If you want info reference any of these clubs – Coast to Coast, (RPI) Resorts Parks International, or Passport Am., Happy Camper or Rec USA, please send me an email. Simply put, cutting camping costs helps us diffuse fluctuating gas/fuel prices. Thankfully, diesel is still under $4.00 per gallon – sometimes as low as $3.87 p/gal. (In South Carolina, gas is floating around $3.07 p/gal).

All work and no play makes for a dull life, so FRIDAY we drove the 100+ mile scenic Highway 11 from Fair Play to Gaffney. What an interesting drive – although it will be more picturesque a few months from now when all the trees sport their brilliant foliage. Fields were ploughed/planted just waiting for the crops to grow. Numerous peach trees orchards proudly showed off their pink blossoms. The diverse form of residences on this route added interest to the drive. They ranged from high-end classy elaborate log homes to the basic mobile home variety – several communities punctuated the gently hilly route to Gaffney – the highway was super although it looked a bit isolated.

One point we couldn’t help but notice – every 15 miles or so there was another large church – the majority were Baptist. We are not sure where all the people live that would fill this many buildings each Sunday. Highway 11 ends at the new Freightliner Campus and Maintenance Center in Gaffney. Our LUXOR was manufactured in Gaffney so whenever possible we return her to the techs that built her for her annual ‘medical’. Freightliner’s new State of the Art Facility and their 20 space campground with electric hook-ups is superior, but we will share more on that service call next issue.

While in Gaffney we took time for our last major Wal*Mart ‘fix’ before Cda. I really think I should buy shares in that company – we spend so much in their stores everywhere.

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Our last few days of our winter away are always a bit sad. We had so much fun this season, but many exciting things will be happening in Canada as well – especially when we bring our new 4-legged kids home. This is an exciting time of year for RVers who spent the last few months in the north. It is time to bring your ‘getaway machine’ to life so you too can go the outside world. Take care everyone – travel safe. P&J