It’s hard to believe two weeks ago we pulled out of Sanford, leaving our boat behind, for an extended van trip of following serendipity.
And let me tell you.. it feels GOOD to be back on the road with no particular agenda.
We’ve been taking things a day at the time, snagging last minute reservations when needed and returning to some of our favorite ways of exploring – visiting friends and stopping in at Harvest Hosts locations.
So let’s get you caught up on our first week on the road, in this short video recap:
For those not as video inclined, here’s a brief overview of the stops we made:
Dallas Bluff, Georgia
Our dear friends Ann & Elliott keep their sailboat moored here, and happened to be in town when we passed through.
So they got permission for us to park overnight and we enjoyed a delightful evening catching up.
We also had a stockpile of frozen vegan and salmon burgers from cleaning out the boat – so we set up the BBQ grill (we love our little Coleman Fold n Go), and hosted a burger party for all of their dock mates.
Thankfully that only amounted to a total of 8 of us, but that’s a lot freezer space we gained back! And now we don’t have to live on a menu of only burgers for the next few weeks.
Harvest Hosts – Alpaca Farm
We’ve been lifetime members of Harvest Hosts (our affiliate link will save you 15%) for many years (huge thanks to our friends who founded it Don & Kim), and it had been too long since we’ve had one near by to stay at. So we checked to see what might be on the way to our next stop – and found a LOT of alpaca farms.
We picked one out near Augusta, called ahead and set the GPS along backroads to get there.
Mays Hills Alpaca is a lovely location with super friendly hosts, with nothing to sell either. Their RV spot is secluded and shaded, and they give an open invitation to explore the farm.
Apparently there’s a reason there’s a lot of alpaca farms – it was once kinda a pyramid scheme. Convince others to buy your breeding stock to breed their own. That bubble burst, and now most who still keep these huggable investments just sell their fiber.
But oh my goodness, are these guys ever so cute. Think one would fit in the van??
Day Stop in Augusta
Chris found a biking trail along the historic August canal system, so we decided to make it a day stop. With the Volta Lithium System in our Travato van, we can easily leave the AC running off of battery to keep Kiki cool while we go out exploring.
We had a lovely afternoon doing a 10 mile ride on our new e-Joe Epik Swan e-bikes.
And Chris was swooning at all of the historic civil engineering.
Petersburg Campground – Appling, CA
Next we returned to a favorite campground, heck, even our favorite specific site from almost two years ago.
I was able to snag 2 open nights at Petersburg Campground – and Army Corp of Engineer campground along the J. Strom Thurmond Lake – where most of the sites are huge and waterfront.
We enjoyed a couple days swimming in the lake to keep cool, and taking the bikes on the connecting Bartram trail along the lake.
Harvest Hosts – Brewery
One last stop before we hit the Blue Ridge Parkway, we selected another Harvest Hosts location – this time a brewery.
What drew me to Golden Grove Farm & Brew was them making a couple of gluten free hard seltzer, cider AND pizza. Food and drink? Count me in!
And bonus, they also have an onsite disc gold course. They even had a lost and found box of discs they were happy to let us borrow.
Lovely place to stay, albeit right along I-85 with lots of road noise, in Piedmont, SC.
We had a great evening sampling their brews, dining and playing golf. We did skip the live music in the evening, as the crowds were just beyond our comfort level.
And that wraps up our first week back on the road! We’re currently cruising the Blue Ridge Parkway, battling iffy signals and amazing views. We’ll get you caught up on these adventures when next we can!
Loved all your stops and glad you’re back enjoying the the road. The alpacas are adorable!
We stayed in Petersburg Campground twice while RVing and just loved it. Unfortunately, it soured for me on our second stay when I suffered a serious bicycle crash right in the campground. A blind curve, a steep downhill, a young, unsupervised child on a balance bike in the middle of the road unexpectedly, and I ended up going over my handlebars at the end of a spectacular ride in the area around the lake. Fractured my jaw in multiple places, resulting in over a year of treatment needed and the end of our RV adventures. (The child was fine.) Your site actually looks like the one we had on our second visit — a lovely spot. If only…. Enjoy your travels and bicycle safely! Always expect the unexpected around that blind bend.
Love following your travels. We have downsized as well and find it so much easier to be flexible and just wing it..
Hi Cherie, Chris and Kiki,
We did not get to meet Kiki, but you met our baby Snoopy at Brinegar Cabin while traveling through the beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway’s Doughton Park. We are in the process of purchasing our second RV, with the goal of being somewhat nomadic by late fall. Just a reminder – we are Jim and Nan and appreciate you sharing your card. Providence! 🙂 I sat on the back porch of the cabin and dripped with envy at your nomadic life style. I shared that I have just begun working with a company that allows me to work 100% remote. My husband is semi-retired. We both feel that we are finally able to have the flexibility in our lives that will allow us to venture out to a new-to-us semi-nomadic life. Our first year’s experience will determine just how nomadic we become! I am super thrilled to see all the helpful information you provide and feel sure we will learn a lot from you going forward. A pleasure to meet you both – have saved your site to our favorites! Best thoughts and wishes for you both in your travels.
What a fun trip. Neat to see some overland explorations. Isn’t it wonderful to be able to move around more! Being nomadic is all about adaptability and you two are experts at that. We’ve been lucky too in that the places that we’ve hunkered down in have been quite pleasant and so thankful for that. Nice to stretch our wings a bit more though.
Enjoy, and thanks for sharing your fun!
You two have such great friends and such great fun. I have followed along with you off and on ever since you traveled 395 with Nina and Paul in your respective beasts. Nice to see you RVing again. Watched you on that Saturday morning show as well, and you were great. Although the show seemed like basically an advertisement more than anything. Still, it was fun. Travel safe and keep facebooking and blogging. Love it.
That trip with Nina and Paul was amazing, we so miss them. And yeah, between the filming for the TV show not being compatible with our travels/work and the show coming out more commercial than we were comfortable with – we stepped back after season 1.
I’ll be getting back on the road, myself, in another month or so. Might be trailing behind you, here and there. I appreciate the discount from the affiliate link! Happy trails!
PS
Using my dog’s email. Maybe that will work
Tallulah Gorge near Lake Rabun and not too far from Lake Bruton in north east GA is really lose to you. They flooded the town of Burton to create the lake. There was some famous guy long ago named “The Great Wallenda” (Karl Wallenda) who walked a wire across it, and the towers were still there when I went several years ago.
I am glad you are back on the road – and enthusiastic! Thanks for keeping your readers in mind. We may not always comment, but we always read (and envy.)
Sounds great! My husband stayed at Golden Grove while I visited family for a night outside of Greenville. He enjoyed the beer and live music. 🙂