Back to New Jersey…Part One

As many of you know, Robyn and I traveled back to New Jersey in June and we're so happy to be back home spending a few months visiting with family, friends and of course, Joannie and the girls at the Barnsboro Inn.

We took our time getting from South Carolina to South Jersey, traveling up the western side of the Carolinas into Virginia, West Virginia and Gettysburg, PA before landing in Pilesgrove, New Jersey for the summer. We can't wait to share all of our experiences from that trip with you but first, here's a recap of what we did the first few weeks after getting our RV back and before finally heading north.

On the road again…

Waterfront Camping…Yes please! This is what it's all about and why we left New Jersey back in December. Our goal is to experience life on the road and enjoy as much beautiful scenery as possible. To us there is nothing better than setting up your home on wheels with a view of the water AND the mountains.

When we decided to stay in SC after getting the RV back, we initially booked a site at Crooked Creek RV Park for one week. Since our repairs were so uncertain, we couldn’t book until just a couple of weeks out and we were lucky to get such a great spot on the water for the dates we needed. Then the family who was coming in on our site next bumped their arrival date twice, so we took advantage of their unexpected delays and were able to extend our stay and enjoy three weeks on beautiful Lake Keowee.

In the middle of our first night on the lake, Robyn woke me up and asked me if I heard something outside. The obvious answer was no since I was sleeping, however, now that I was awake, I could hear what she was talking about. I listened for a few minutes and thought it sounded like an animal was on our roof. One of my jobs over the past 30 years of marriage has been to jump out of bed and find the source of any noises and apparently this was no different in the camper. Having no idea what was out there (we literally have nobody camping around us yet), I put on some shorts and a t-shirt, grabbed my baseball bat and went searching. I cautiously stepped out of the camper, walked around to the back, climbed the ladder up to the roof and found… nothing. After climbing down I went around to the front of the camper, to find no animal, but the wind whipping our American flag up against the side and roof of our camper. I guess I didn't need the baseball bat for this one. LOL Also, there was no need to leave the flag in that spot (I need my sleep!) and the next morning it was moved to it’s new home on the back of the camper instead.

Meet the neighbors

We had the lakeside area of the campground to ourselves for the first few days. The weather was perfect, sunny and warm, and we had a beautiful view of the lake literally right out of our front door. It was the perfect location for an outdoor gym and we had plenty of time to workout as we became reacquainted with our RV. Remember we had a total of maybe three weeks of experience living in this thing up to this point and we were still figuring things out.

While doing a late morning workout we noticed our new neighbor pulling into the spot next to us. He was driving a similar truck to mine, a black Ford Super Duty, and pulling a huge Grand Design Momentum with full body paint. The Momentum is a toy hauler, which means it has a garage in the back, and it was on our radar as a “maybe” prior to buying our Alliance Paradigm. Once he was parked and set up, we got to talking and within a few minutes he offered to take me off-road motorcycle riding. See, one of the perks of having a toy hauler is that you can bring all your toys with you, and he had two bikes in his garage.

We got out on the trails a couple of days later and I quickly realized that trail riding is quite different from riding your Harley on the streets of South Jersey. Chris was patient as I adjusted to the mountain trails of South Carolina and Georgia. He may have laughed a little through the headset speaker as I struggled getting up a hill and I was thrown off the bike. Happy to report there was no damage to the bike or the rider. LOL

We rode for hours all around Lake Jocassee and in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. We rode over and through some rivers and up and down some rocky paths and the only time I really got nervous was when he asked me if I ever saw the movie Deliverance. I quickly wondered what the hell did I get myself into? But we were actually riding all over the area where the movie was filmed. 😂 Off road riding is something I quickly learned to enjoy and has been a highlight for me on this journey. What a great experience!

Chris and his wife Jody are also a full-time RV couple who have been on the road for a few years. One afternoon, after talking about the spotty internet at the campground, they hooked us up with an extra Starlink they had in their RV. Since we were right out in the open by the lake, we had a great signal and our internet access was so much better. We were super grateful… Southern hospitality is definitely a thing. You can find them to check out their travels on Instagram and youtube as Porter’s Pilgramage.

4th of July fireworks over Chris and Jody’s camper

Waterfalls & a Tunnel

As you may have noticed from previous posts, finding waterfall hikes is one of our favorite things to do. On this particular day we did an approximately 45 minute hike to Yellow Branch Falls in Walhalla, SC (Amazing!) and then followed it with an easy hike to Issaqueena Falls which was right down the road. The water that flows down the rocks is so loud and the trail takes you right to a viewing platform along the side of the waterfall. I was feeling a bit more adventurous than Robyn and decided to take the steep dirt path with huge rocks and exposed tree roots down to the bottom of the falls (to be fair, there is a sign next to the path down that reads “This is not a recommended hike for people with small children, dogs, or mobility issues”). It was totally worth the risk! The view from the bottom was spectacular!

The legend of the waterfall is that a Native American maiden stole a horse and rode 96 miles to a white settlement to warn the man that she loved about an impending attack. When her tribe learned of her betrayal, they chased her up to the falls where she faked jumping to her death, while actually hiding on a ledge under the falls. She stayed there until they gave up the hunt and lived out the rest of her days with that man. It's quite the legend and part of the fun of being in new places is learning about all the folklore and stories that shaped the area.

While we were there we also explored an unfinished train tunnel just down the path from the falls. The Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel, which maintains a constant temperature of 50 degrees year-round, was damp and dark inside and smelled very earthy. We had to dodge the water dripping from the ceiling and puddles on the ground to get to the gate at the back of the ¼ mile long tunnel.

The tunnel was part of the Blue Ridge Railroad project, which was built in the 1850s to link the port of Charleston to the cities of the Midwest by rail. It was actually dug using hand tools prior to the Civil War but the war and subsequent collapse of the state’s economy brought construction to an end and the tunnel was never completed. Fun fact...for decades, Clemson University cured bleu cheese inside the tunnel because of its naturally steady temperature and humidity levels.

Devil’s Fork

All of the lakes we visited in SC were beautiful but mountain spring-fed Lake Jocassee was extra spectacular. The land surrounding the lake is largely undeveloped with less than three dozen homes on it's banks and the only public access is at Devil’s Fork State Park. The water is crystal-clear and there is an incredible mountain view in the background. We were fortunate that the endangered Oconee Bell wildflower was just coming into bloom on the day we were there and although it was a bit chilly, we saw people hiking, fishing kayaking and cruising on pontoon boats all bundled up. It was cool to see the lake from this perspective after riding the motorcycle here earlier in the week.

I mentioned how interesting it is hearing the history of each area and Lake Jocasse is no different. The almost 8K acre reservoir was created in 1973 when Duke Power submerged the historic Jocassee Valley. The flooded area was filled with homes, cemeteries (including the Mount Carmel Cemetery which was made famous in the movie "Deliverance”), and a hotel called the Attakullakulla Lodge, which now lies remarkably preserved 300 feet underwater. Divers have explored the submerged structures, finding artificial flowers, stone columns, and even a Chinese boat. The legend of the Lake involves a Cherokee maiden named Jocassee who, heartbroken after her lover is killed in battle, walks across the water to meet his ghost, giving the lake its name, "Place of the Lost One". Everything we learn is so fascinating and makes me (Robyn) wish I paid more attention in my history classes.

Lake Jocasse and the Blue Ridge Mountains. Think they’ll let us build a house here?

Another quick trip to NJ

What do you do when you get an opportunity to see Disturbed in concert to celebrate the 25 year anniversary of their “The Sickness” album? You hop in the truck with your wife, drive 12 hours and enjoy the hell out of the concert (without your wife). Thanks Bill for the ticket and the opportunity to see a great concert.

We were lucky to get to stay with Brian’s mom and although it was a short trip, we crammed in a bunch of stuff. I (Robyn) had two doctor and a dentist appointment already scheduled for the week, Brian was able to get the truck to the DMV to find out that he didn’t need to get an inspection and Brendan and Melania came down to visit. It’s always so great to get to spend time with them and when they found out that we didn’t have a dash-cam in the truck, they immediately ordered us one and had it sent to the house before we got back on the road. Now we record all of our travels just in case, although we hope that we never actually need the footage.

An overnight stop in D.C.

Matt and Maddy invited us to visit them in Washington D.C. to hang out and see their apartment on our way back to SC. We are not really familiar with the area around Washington D.C. but what we quickly learned is that where they live in Pentagon City is pretty awesome. They have everything they could need all within walking distance. Let me rephrase that, they have everything Robyn and I would need. LOL They are just steps away from a gym, a coffee shop, restaurants and bars, stores like TJ Maxx & Marshalls, and then there is a park right across the street.

After having dinner at a cool little restaurant near their apartment, we went to Old Town Alexandria to walk along the waterfront and enjoy the vibe of this eclectic part of town just outside D.C. We sat along the water people and ship watching and listening to Matt and Maddy share some pretty funny concert stories. The next day we did a self guided monument tour with a few thousand of our closest friends LOL.

Exploring DC was fun, but the highlight was definitely just spending time with them and finally getting to see their apartment.

I also learned something very important on this trip: I have become somewhat of a hotel snob. You all know my love of a good dive bar but apparently I do not have the same appreciation for crappy hotels.

As we were heading back to SC, it was getting late and we decided to pull over for a quick bite to eat and to get a room for the night. Our first hotel choice was booked but they had an affiliate hotel nearby and assured Robyn it was of the same standard. She repeatedly asked them if it was going to be as nice and the phone agent promised her that it was. When we got there to check in we learned that we were severely misled. The smell of smoke, air freshener and maybe some type of mold, smacked us in the face when we opened the door to our room. We checked out as quickly as we checked in and drove another 45 minutes to a hotel in Concord, NC. We paid almost double for this room (just our luck that it was a race weekend there) but it was so worth it! Apparently the days of crashing at cheap hotels are over for this old man.

Is it a dive bar if the food is this good?

We truly do love old, dark dive bars with lots of history and this old gas station that was converted into a bar and restaurant was probably our favorite one on this leg of the trip. The Garage on Main in Walhalla, SC is understated and not fancy inside or out but they had a great selection of beer and the food was delicious.

Once we sat at the bar, we got the lay of the land and food recommendations from one of the owners who was tending bar. After hearing our “northern accent” he said we had to try his version of the Philadelphia Cheesesteak called the “Philly Po Boy”. They make it with slow-roasted beef, grilled peppers and onions, and provolone cheese on a hoagie roll. Robyn ordered the grilled wrap option and although it was completely different from a traditional Philly cheesesteak, it definitely did not disappoint. Robyn said it was one of the best sandwiches she's ever had and I have to agree. I ordered the burger and for our “sidecars” we got the homemade pasta salad, which is the wife/chef’s recipe and the “tater” salad, which was passed down from the grandmother, and they were both fantastic as well. Oh, and if you ever see a bag of Zapp’s Cajun Dill Gator-Tators Potato Chips BUY THEM! I don’t like spicy food (Robyn again) but they were so good!!!

Until next time…

We hope you are enjoying following us along on this journey. It’s definitely started a bit differently and slower than we had planned but I guess that is the beauty of having your house with you. You can pivot and make different plans when you need to. I’m sure we missed some cool things from our time in SC but we’ll pick it up next time with our travels north back to NJ and all the amazing stops along the way.