Westbound and Down for California

     Tonight Debbie and I are resting comfortably in Russelville, Arkansas, having survived 3 days of interstate driving along I-81 & I-40.  Sunday we joined thousand of Mario car drivers returning home from visiting relatives for Thanksgiving, and we can only say it was absolutely amazing.  I-81 through Virginia was bumper to bumper @ anywhere between 70 mph and 0 mph!  Five vehicle accidents and assorted other chaos made our 5 hour planned excursion turn into an 8 1/2 hour thrill ride!  But we made it safely to our RV park in Wytheville, Va, and since then the traffic has been reasonable.  Extremely heavy truck traffic today from Memphis to Little Rock, but those guys are professionals and for the most part, pretty courteous.  But I'm getting ahead of my skiis, so let's bring this trip up to date. 
      After departing Naggs Head, we continued south for a few days in Myrtle Beach State Park.

We managed to get in on Veterans Day weekend without a reservation, and Sunday the place emptied out.  The State Park is right on the beach, south of all the glitter and glamour of Myrtle Beach, and we thoroughly enjoyed the quiet and peacefulness of the area.

      Being the bashful guy that I am, it took me about 20 minutes to meet our neighbors, who turned out to be from Quebec, just north of Richford, Vt.  They were a wonderful couple, Helen and Francois, who were enroute to Texas for the winter.  They gave us lots of ideas for touring the area since they had camped here many times previously.  They were amazed at Debbie's Bonfire in a Can, and we had an enjoyable evening of cocktails and snacks around the fire, till the cold finally forced us inside. 

      We visited a wonderful seaside village of Georgetown, SC and were amazed at the magnificent trees lining the streets.  Georgetown used to be an active seaport, exporting rice and cotton to Europe in its heyday.  Today the downtown waterfront is bustling with restaurants and renovated shops.  The Rice Museum describes life in the 1700-1800's in Georgetown.

Numerous homes from the 1800's line the streets away from the waterfront, and I would think it's a hopping tourist town in the summer months. 

         We also had the opportunity to visit the          Brookgreen Gardens, just a short distance south of the park.  The gardens are massive, and throughout there are multiple sculptures decorating the landscape.  It really needs to be seen in the spring/summer when the flower gardens are in bloom, but we were told that the Christmas season is quite spectacular.  The day we visited, they were busy setting up the Christmas displays throughout the gardens, and I'm sure it will be quite amazing to experience at dusk. 

  The Gardens must really be seen in person, and stop and enjoy lunch at the restaurant on the grounds.  There's also a zoo, which we just didn't have time to enjoy, but that will give us an excuse for returning. 
      From Myrtle Beach, we headed north to Plattsburgh for Thanksgiving with MAE, Tony and Gage.  We left Big Red in Pa after winterizing, and the weather cooperated the entire trip.  We fried a turkey out back, (first time for Tony), and he did a pretty good job.  MAE put on a pretty fancy spread with all the trimmings, and we all stepped away from the table quite full.  We did manage to force down a piece of pumpkin pie prepared by Princess. 

     We even managed to get in MAE's 10 month birthday party and early Christmas among all this hoopla!  We sure hope she enjoys the bike that was re-gifted to her!!!
     We'll be heading west and then south to San Angelo for a pass through Randy and Retha's house.  They tend to get upset with us when we pass by without a visit.  But we have to remain strong and on schedule...with an arrival date of 12/5 in Santee.  We think Liam is marking off the days on his calendar till Grammie and Papa arrive.  BIG NEWS!!!  We found out yesterday that Ben and Joanne will be having a little girl arriving in April!!  That will put a whole new spin on life for them.  We hope Liam is ready for that!  And what about Jamo???  Time will tell.
      So we seem to be caught up with our travels.  Mostly driving now.  But if something exciting happens, we'll let you know.