We set up camp in South Carolina at Millstone Landing which was a big parking lot that had a boat ramp on the Savannah River. It was off the beaten path but busier than we expected. A few police officers drove through but never gave us any problems and made us feel better about leaving our rig there. So we stayed for four nights.
Friday we went into Savannah. We parked down on River Street and walked along the river and had a great lunch at the Cotton Exchange. We wandered into the Kevin Barry Irish Pub and had a beer. The sun was out for a little while and it was a pleasant afternoon.
Saturday we made our way to Bluffton, SC to visit friends we hadn’t seen in many many years. Mike and Rhonda had moved from Grand Haven, MI in 2000 and we hadn’t seen them since. They were awesome hosts! Gus and their two little dogs Tiki and Sammy got along just fine and they even shared their beds with Gus.
We took a tour of their neighborhood on their golf cart and then went to Hilton Head for lunch. It felt like we hadn’t missed a beat. We hung out at their place for hours and ended the night with pizza and beers.
Sunday we ran a few errands and made our way back to their place. It was rainy and cold so it was nice to relax at their house for the afternoon. They spoiled us with an excellent steak dinner. We are so glad we reconnected with them and definitely won’t wait another 19 years to see them again.
Monday we packed up and headed to Asheville, NC. My friend Lisa, and her husband Bob were going to be there for a couple days. I worked with Lisa at the Sheriff’s Office and was bummed to miss out on her retirement celebration last November. She had texted me asking if we were going to be in the area a few weeks ago and at the time I didn’t know our plan. When we decided on a tentative route, I had messaged with Bob last week trying to plan the surprise. We changed our plan a couple times and at one point we were going to head back south for warmer weather. So I told Bob we wouldn’t be there after all.
Craig and I finally decided instead of trying to head south for warmer weather, that we should just start heading north and go home. So we decided to just surprise them both. I messaged with their daughter and had her find out where they were going to be. It was so awesome to be sitting at a table at Asheville Brewing and see Lisa’s face when she saw me.
We had a wonderful time catching up! We ended the night at Green Man Brewing. It was a quick visit but so awesome. I’ve been loving seeing people on the road through this journey.
We had tried to find a boondocking spot in Asheville but that didn’t pan out. We ended up paying for a site at the Lake Powhatan Recreation Campground. This was well worth it. It has been really cold at this point and the bathrooms were heated and the showers were clean.
Tuesday morning we headed to Knoxille, TN. It was a short two hour drive and we parked the rig at the Flying J truck stop. My friend, Nathan, lives here and met us for a late lunch at Wild Wing Cafe. I met Nathan almost ten years ago when he worked at the National Forensic Academy. He is originally from Grand Haven and we always grab a meal when he’s in town to see family.
After lunch we went to his house. We met some of Nathan’s friends, played some darts and listened to music. Gus got to meet Mitch and they got along pretty well. Mitch is a good old dog too and it was funny to see them do their old dog things.
We got back to our truck stop boondock to find the place filled up significantly. We were tucked in between two semis and went to bed.
Wednesday morning we were up early and on the road by 7 am. The truck stop served it’s purpose, we definitely didn’t need to hang out there. We made the 6 1/2 hour drive to my brother’s house in Decatur, Indiana. He and his wife, Christa, had bought a new house and moved in December. We were excited to see them, their three kiddos and see the new house. Gus got to meet his cousins Mika and Bandit. They got along okay but the two big dogs were a little much for Gus.
It was even colder there so we were a little concerned with keeping Gus warm and the weather didn’t look good going forward. So we decided to cut the visit short and leave Thursday morning. We actually set an alarm for only the third time since leaving so we could be up and say our goodbyes before they all took off for work and school. It was a quick visit but it was so good to see them.
We made our way back to Michigan on back roads. It was raining and icy and we just took our time. We wanted to keep our homecoming under wraps until we knew exactly when we were going to be home and surprising people has been fun too. We were going to try and stay out another week but we were just ready to be home.
Home will be my mom’s basement for awhile until our renter’s move out. We had an agreement that we would give them a heads up when we were ready to come home so they have been looking for a place. Staying at my mom’s will be nice so we can spend some quality time without the worries of all the stuff we have to do once we are back in the house.
After 239 days on the road, being back in Michigan does feel good. We loved the journey, learned so much about what we want out of life and not for one second regret the decision to go. We are forever changed.
Off to plan the next step…
Thank you two for sharing your romp, looked and sounded like the greatest experience. Awesome!!