Monday, May 2, 2022. Charleston SC to Roanoke Falls NC
The stay at Hope Haven Equestrian Center was a contrast to the Moonpie Farm and Creamery in that there were far fewer animals around, and they didn’t have as well developed gift shop. We also had 30A power which allowed us to use the air conditioner. Although it was not terribly hot (upper 70’s), it was humid outside. We were very comfortable in the RV. There was also much less animal activity- just two horses peacefully milling about in their pasture, rather than gangs of ducks running around making all sorts of racket. We were able to Venmo payment for the power hook up, and hit the road early.
We drove into Charleston and were able to park the RV at the Charleston Visitor Center using an online parking payment system. The lot had pull through sites, and when we arrived, the lot had plenty of space for us to maneuver. The only tricky part was the exit to the parking lot required some very careful maneuvering because it requires some very tight turns in a very confined space. We did end up brushing against some shrubbery and overhead limbs but managed to get out damage free.
We took a 90 minute Charleston Gray Line Bus tour, which was very much like a cruise ship excursion. Our guide Chris was very knowledgeable and friendly, but spoke a tad too fast at times. He did use a PA system in the bus, which helped. There are a lot of historic structures in in Charleston, and he did point out some key architectural and historically interesting and unique sites, including the Emmanuel Church where a white Neo-Nazi had murdered a prayer group several years ago.
We did learn a few things and can now recognize the characteristics of a typical Charleston Single House or sideways porch row house. The “front door” seen from the street is actually accesses the side of a covered porch that runs the length of the building, which typically is one room wide by several rooms deep connected by the porch as an external hallway.
There are neighborhoods where these narrow but deep and tall houses stand in rows separated by narrow covered porches. We had a chance to get out and walk a little along the Charleston sea wall where Fort Sumter is visible in the distance.
There was a separate 2 hour National Parks tour including a ferry ride, but we didn’t have the time for that today. That will have to be incorporated in a future trip.
The drive through South Carolina and into North Carolina along I-95 is characterized by flat terrain covered by vast stretches of pine forests. We refueled in Summerville with 10.356gal @$4.999/gal with 21109 miles on the odometer (15.6mpg). We did stop for some authentic southern fried chicken at Bojangles in Santee.
Bojangles is a regional chain that specializes in southern fried chicken and biscuits. The chicken pieces were tiny, but tasty and moist. The sides were also good (dirty rice, red beans, mac and cheese, fries).
We made a second refueling stop at a Walmart in Smithfield SC, and also used their bathrooms and purchased a jug of DEF since our DEF level was getting close to 1/2. The add DEF message is due to come on soon.
We finally arrived at the Jeff’s Retreat Boondockers Welcome site in Roanoke Falls, NC. He had a couple of RV sites that we could have used including one with a waterfront view, but we chose one closest to his power and water hookups so we could run the air conditioner. He had 50A power but had a 30A adapter we could use. He has a lovely waterfront property on a power generation lake where the water levels can fluctuate 2-3’ routinely. He has two mature dogs and has lots of projects he’s working on including boats and an old RV. He also has an e-bike which he lies us take for a test ride. It has fat tires, and really scoots like a motorbike. We went down to his boat house on the lake and fed the catfish, blue gill and carp with bread scraps before retiring for the evening. We had sandwiches and left over Bojangles for dinner.
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