Finally warm

We are at the Elks lodge in Orangeburg, South Carolina (map).

We had a wonderful afternoon yesterday with friends Bob and Sandra, who took us on a lovely tour of the Columbia area after lunch at the Capital City Club. That got us a late start on the road, and we opted to head to Orangeburg on US-21, rather than down US-321, as we knew there was both a lodge and a Wal-Mart here, less than an hour from our digs in Columbia.

The Wal-Mart was a bit off the route, and the Elks lodge advertised 30-amp power, so we came directly here, which also put us all the way across Orangeburg before stopping. It was 70° yesterday in Columbia, and it was still that warm when we arrived here. What a treat -- just a day ago, we were having to run the Webasto for at least an hour in the morning, and now, we're having to run the fans to keep it cool inside. The 30 amp power made short work of topping off the batteries, and a quick check of the forecast revealed that it would be 74° here today, although cooling off later in the week.

This morning we decided to stay an extra night, now that we are finally warm, and with a free 30-amp spot, to boot. We really needed a chance to relax for a day, especially since Louise is still under the weather, and I needed some time to get a few things done around the house. I did not make it very far down my list, but at least I got the CB antenna replaced (destroyed by the Harbor Tunnel and several 13'-x" overpasses) and the fridge defrosted -- long overdue, so it took me nearly three hours.



Tomorrow we will try to get an earlier start -- before noon, anyway -- and should be in Savannah's gravitational zone by day's end. We have friends there, too, and we might try to catch them for dinner if Louise is up to it. She pointed out tonight that she's been sick now for a week and a half, and is quite tired of it. We are shooting to be in Kingsland, Georgia (just north of the Florida border) by the weekend, as that is where our mail is heading.

It seems I started something of a firestorm here in the comments with my remarks about Interstate travel yesterday. In hindsight and upon re-reading it, perhaps my choice of words was poor. Of course we understand why many, many RVers choose to travel on the Interstates, and, often, the reasons are compelling. I ought to have written, instead, that we encourage anyone with the time to do so, to forsake the Interstates for the (IMO) far more interesting and relaxed US and State highways. It takes a bit more effort -- the GPS or the trip routing software will never take you that way by default, and handling a big rig on some of these roads does require a slower pace and a steady hand. But the rewards are legion.