NC
TS4-1 Hop 7: Keeling VA to Swannanoa NC
218 miles via US 29, I-40 and US 70. Cumulative tow miles: 1055. Truck miles: 230. Cumulative truck miles: 1905. The extra truck miles were due to one trip to refuel and get take-out dinner. This was an uneventful trip. Almost. The first 200 miles were level, smooth and relaxing. The last 18 miles, though, … Continue reading
Fourth Trip South (TS4) preview
We start our fourth trek south on Wednesday. We will be heading to our new home at Cypress Trail RV Resort in Fort Myers. We are excited about this new location and our new status as “permanent residents” but that doesn’t mean that we are going to rush down there. We are, as always, going … Continue reading
TN4 wrapup
I am belatedly doing the post-mortem on the Fourth Trip North (TN4). By the numbers: 17 nights in 8 hops, 1664 tow miles, 1930 truck miles, $757.93 in campground fees ($44.58 per night). The campground total does not include the 2 nights we spent in the Quality Inn in Lexington MA and if I were … Continue reading
TN4 Hop 4: Wilson NC to Lorton VA
237 miles via US 301, US 64, I-95, I-295 (around Richmond) and VA 242. Truck miles: 254. Cumulative tow miles: 1139. Cumulative truck miles: 1185. The first “adventure” of the day occurred as I was on my way to fill the tank: the “check engine” light came on as I was idling at a traffic … Continue reading
TN4 Hop 3: Charleston SC to Wilson NC
299 miles via US 17, I-26, I-95 and US 301 with a refueling stop in Florence SC. Truck miles: 316: Cumulative tow miles: 902. Cumulative truck miles: 931. Well, we always like an adventure. And this trip is becoming an adventure. I thought I detected a wobble in the steering as we approached Charleston on … Continue reading
TTN Hop 5: Roanoke Rapids NC to Lorton VA
182 miles via I-95 and local roads. Cumulative tow miles: 1075. This was a simple trip up I-95 – a route that we have traveled several times before – so there was nothing new on the route. But it was, again, mostly in the rain, which made it a little more challenging. No incidents, though. … Continue reading
TTN Hop 4: Myrtle Beach SC to Roanoke Rapids NC
244 miles via SC 544, US Business 501, US 701, NC 410, US 74 and I-95 with a refueling stop. Cumulative tow miles: 893. Cumulative truck miles: 1104. There were a number of events and conditions that made this hop interesting, starting with the rain. It rained all day – heavily at times. That alone … Continue reading
TTS Hop 6: Asheville NC to Charleston SC
266 miles via I-26, I-526 (around Charleston) and US-17. Cumulative tow miles: 1,437. This was a pretty straight shot down I-26 to Charleston, with a lunch/refueling stop at the midpoint. The NC portion of I-26 was hilly, but not as hilly as the approach to Asheville from the north. And once it crossed into SC … Continue reading
Blue Ridge Parkway – Pisgah section
On our free day in Asheville, I was looking for some way to explore the area further and discovered that the very southernmost section of the Blue Ridge Parkway – the “Pigsah” section – ran very close to Asheville. And, in fact, very close to our campsite. That was all the encouragement I needed to … Continue reading
The Biltmore Estate
My bucket list is not very long, but The Biltmore Estate has been on it for a number of years. On Wednesday I checked it off my list. I was expecting Biltmore to be similar to The Breakers in Newport, RI. And why wouldn’t they be? The Breakers was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt II, grandson … Continue reading