November 19, 2008
Not all campgrounds have wifi so that we can get on the computer. Lakewood Campground here in Myrtle Beach
has internet but it is called Tengonet and you have to pay $9.95/day to get on and we won't pay that kind of fee.
So, when we got ready to head out for a day of exploring, we packed up the computer and drove to various
motels and parked near the lobby. Many signs say free wifi and some are open so we found one to use and
did our email this way. I have also set up this blog so if you want to follow our trip, you can do so. We spent
about and hour in the parking lot and a goundsman came to the car - it is very quiet here because it is the off
season so we are noticed. He asked if we were all right and we said we were just using the wifi and he said
that was OK.
We found an Outlelt mall and did some shopping - some things are cheaper here despite the poor Canadian
dollar. Lunch was at the Olive Garden and we had leftovers for tomorrow. Boy - we are starting to sound like
the old folks we used to laugh at! We went for a long beach walk and I found some interesting coral but we
really had to bundle up - temps were about 8C and very windy - still too cold for us!
November 20, 2008
Today, we drove farther south following the coastal road. We had to drive inland a bit and were skirting along
the edge of Camp Lejune Marine Corps Base.The road on the map looked like it was for general use but we were
stopped about half way because they had live fire training exercises and the road was closed. So that meant
a rather long detour but eventually we got back to the coast and arrived at Hilton Head Island by 3pm. After
settling in the campground, we drove around the island and decided this was NOT a place we liked. Every
time we tried to get to the beach, we were blocked by security huts of large exclusive hotels and private
gated communities. Lots of golf courses and even the Wendy's and McDonald's were hidden among the
trees and constructed with muted colours. A very snobby place.
November 21
On again to the south - the RV must be fed also - stop for refueling - prices are getting better so we could
get diesel fuel for $2.69/gal - still it adds up to $180USD for a tankful but that will take us 700 miles. We never go above
60mph and often more slowly on smaller roads so that improves mileage. We will spend the next 2 days on Jekyll Island
off the coast of Georgia. The campgound is one that friends of ours go to every winter (but they will not arrive
til January) It is a State Park and priced reasonably but it is under lots of trees and we prefer more sun.
It is still COLD!!! We are tired of heaters at night and warm coats when we go out. We walked to Clam
Creek Park at the end of the island for the sunset - spectacular! You can see our pictures by clicking on
the icons next to the blog.
November 22
A day of discovery - I like to pick up lots of brochures at information centers so today we are following a tour
route to St Simons Island. There is a beautiful fan/cable suspension bridge from Jekyll to St Simons. This area
had numerous plantations in the mid 1800s with slaves helping to grow rice and sea island cotton. In 1858, a
ship, the Wanderer, landed on Jekyll with 408 enslaved Africans from Sierra Leone. They had left with 480 - it
was a terrible voyage. There is a memorial in a local park - 150 years ago. We saw several remnants of slave
homes in the area - built with "tabby" walls - crushed shells and sand to make a cement that has lasted this long.
Near the north end of St Simons Island is Christ Church - and a memorial to John and Charles Wesley who
came here in 1734 from Oxford and preached for a year. The old church yard was very interesting to poke
around in - some graves go back to that time when John Wesley said the burial service! A beautiful
magnolia tree was blooming in the garden. We also visited Fort Frederica - built in 1758 by the British to
protect themselves against the Spanish moving northward from Florida.
November 23
Finally - it is getting warmer - we are in Florida - the Welcome Center is still handing out free orange juice and
it is 18C and the sun is shining. We phoned the visitor info at St Augustine and asked about parking for RVs and
she told us about a nearby large lot for us - when we arrived we saw a sign for overnight parking allowed with
a permit - so we asked - we like cheap camping! but no one knew about it or where to get a permit. So we went about
exploring America's oldest city - 1565. The old Fort put on a demonstration of cannon firing that was fun - we met
a deaf couple and their 2 kids and only the children (hearing) jumped when the cannon went off! They were friendly
and nice and we had a pleasent chat with them. When we returned to the RV, we still were hoping to stay overnight
but finally an answer came - "only for leaving it there and not to stay in it" and the permit was $25. We headed out
to Daytona to a campground and arrived after dark (6pm) - not what we like to do.
November 24
We spent a couple of hours "noodling" our way down the coast on US 1 - we prefer secondary roads instead of the
interstates. Lots of hotels, condos, and businesses on the road close to the beaches, All that stopped as we
got onto Merrit Island - a wildlife refuge just north of Cape Canaveral. But we had to turn around and go inland when
we got to the NASA site - the map indicated we could go through but the friendly guard (with a gun) said we
had to turn around - which we did! Tomorrow we will go to the NASA visitor center. We are in a campground
called Jetty Park and it is a real find! Right on the beach and along side a ship channel - cruise ships head to sea
from here. We watched dozens of dolphins playing in the surf and pelicans swooping after fish or sunning on the
rocks. And it was a lovely warm day in the 70s!