South Carolina

It is May 1, and we are well on our way northbound. We decided to eschew Interstate 75, because of the insane traffic and widespread construction in Florida. Instead, we took I-75 30 miles from Naples to Fort Myers, then turned inland across the peninsula on state highways. We passed just to the north of Lake Okeechobee, then through miles of citrus groves stretching as far as one could see. This is a part of Florida we have never seen; it is off the beaten track.


We joined I-95 at Fort Pierce, and continued north to Vero Beach.  I-95 north through Florida was exceptionally smooth, and traffic was mostly light. We spent a restful night at Sunshine Travel, an older but well-maintained snowbird resort.

Sunshine Travel Resort

Next day we continued north, and went around Jacksonville on I-295, the Beltway. We soon crossed the state line into Georgia, and stopped for the night near the town of Saint Mary's, at a nice rural park called A Big Wheel RV Park. Saint Mary's is a very attractive old town, situated on the river, and it is adjacent to Submarine Base King's Bay, a large naval base which is home port to the Atlantic fleet of nuclear submarines. Navy personnel from allied countries travel here to receive state-of-the-art training in nuclear sub operation.

A Big Wheel park. Very peaceful, rural Georgia

Spanish moss in the park

We were awakened at 5:30am by a noisy rooster, who was roaming around the park. He decided to stand under our bedroom slide, and give us a wake-up call. We didn't mind, it's better than being awakened by train noise.

Sunday morning we were back on the road, and crossed the state line into South Carolina. I-95, for the first 50 miles in SC, is in deplorable condition. It is old concrete, and the heaving and cracking of the slabs over the years has made it so that I slowed to 55 mph, to reduce the wear-and-tear on the rig. Of course, the heavy Sunday afternoon car traffic was flying by at 80 mph, in the rush to get home. Around 2:00 pm, we got to our destination for the day, a small campground called Horseshoe Lake Farm, about 12 miles from the Interstate. It was adequate for an overnight stop. Good utilities, and we were parked on our own.

Tomorrow, we continue to I-26, through Columbia SC and Charlotte NC, to Mount Airy, in the Smoky Mountains, where we will stay for two nights.