After our lovely, but mostly cold trip South in January, we headed South again. It had to be nice in March, right? To digress, we have an old story in our family. When our youngest went on field trip to the local radio news station, I joked with him. “Did you see the people in the closet, rolling the weather dice?” I figured that’s how they got the forecast wrong so often. Now I wonder if there is a drunken deity somewhere who is rolling the dice to create the weather this year. In our two week trip, we had temperatures from 19 degrees, to close to 90 Fahrenheit.
Before we left home, we decided to take a chance and unwinterize Spud, especially since we wouldn’t be at a campground for a bit. More about what happened later. We left on Friday night, so we could get a head start on the driving and spend some weekend time with friends, while Steve didn’t need to work. Fellow RVers, had recommended a Harvest Host, that they stay at on their trips South. We had to email, The Battlefield Country Store in Fredericksburg, Virginia, not the usual Harvest Host procedure, but were approved.
We packed dinner to eat on the road, so we wouldn’t need to make a lot of stops on the way down. But of course I decided some vegan ice cream for dessert would make a good stop to the trip. There was a place listed in Bethesda, Maryland, Jeni’s Bethesda Row, that wasn’t too far off 95. Unfortunately, there was no parking in the very crowded area, so I went in to order for us both while Steve circled. Not worth the detour. The ice cream was tasty, but not phenomenal, it was also quite expensive for the portions. The only upside was they had three unique vegan flavors and I was able to get a dish with three of the small scoops.
We got to the Country Store and pulled into park between a few other rigs that were already there. In the morning we went to check out the offerings in the store. Our friends go for the bacon, but since that’s not something we eat, we got some hot drinks and wandered the shop. They had breakfast offerings, but again, nothing that really worked for us. Instead we picked up some pickled eggs, also recommended by the same friend, some sauerkraut, chips and such. They even offer a discount at the register if you are a Harvest Host member.
We wound up eating some breakfast that we had, not realizing that our next stop would be Kickshaw’s Allergy Free Bakery, which would have more than treats, but a nice breakfast menu. We did get two of their pizza croissants, with vegan cheese and crumbles and shared one for the road and one for later. A very nice family-owned business with all kinds of breads, cakes, cookies and more. We also bought some of their sourdough bread that went with meals over the following days.
Saturday night’s Harvest Host, was to be the Peaks of Otter Winery in Bedford, Virginia. The Peaks of Otter is a local mountain range. From the Peaks of Otter Lodge you can take a shuttle to the top and then hike down. Something I’ve wanted to do since we were in the area about 5 years ago, on one of our first rental RV trips. That time there was too much fog and they suspended the shuttle. This time I researched it the day of and found they hadn’t opened for the Season yet. Instead we headed into the little town of Bedford and browsed the shops and saw what there was to see.
We drove up to the winery in time to give us plenty of leeway before they closed for the evening to taste and buy wine. We had also visited the winery on the aforementioned trip and were excited to find they were a Harvest Host. After the woman in the shop told us about each wine on their extensive list, we narrowed it down to a flight to share. They allowed us to bring in our own snacks and sit at a table overlooking their lovely farm. After the flight, we were able to narrow our selection to two, one to bring home and one we thought some friends later in the trip would enjoy sharing. We also spent some time connecting with the two shop staff over NJ connections, one who moved to Bedford just a few years ago from Southern, NJ.
We pulled Spud up behind the maintenance shed as directed and were the only overnight visitors that night, so we enjoyed the lovely view in peace.
The next day brought our first weather challenge of the trip. Our plan was to visit a friend near Winston- Salem, North Carolina. They had offered for us to use their guest room and for Steve to be able to work there on Monday before we moved on. The night before we found out there were severe storm warnings for the entire State of North Carolina, including possible tornados. It did not sound like weather we wanted to have Spud in. So we altered plans. Instead, we didn’t stay overnight, but only visited for the day. We had a lovely lunch with them at the River Birch Lodge. Great options for everyone.
Then, to avoid the worst of the storm, we headed over the mountains, back into Virginia and landed at the Wytheville KOA. The bad weather wasn’t supposed to start until late, so we actually snuck in a camp fire and relaxed. We did get rain during the night but nothing severe. We still wanted to wait until later in the day to head back to NC, as the storms were predicated to move out by evening. The other threat ahead was freezing temperatures, starting the next night and last at least two nights. We were prepared with the RV antifreeze that goes in the pipes and tanks and I should have been able to complete the task by noontime when we needed to move the van. Steve was working but I had written directions and confirmation from him. BUT I started with draining the fresh water tank and then adding the amount of anti-freeze in the instructions. To abbreviate the story, there were two issues. We were parked on a slant and the fresh tank probably didn’t drain well enough. Then I added the antifreeze and it wasn’t enough to come through the pipes.
We did have a wonderful lunch at a small family owned vegan restaurant in Wytheville, Taste & See Kitchen. The food was good and filling. While we were waiting and talking to the owners, they brought us a sample of their apple crisp and Steve left with one of those too. We stayed parked in Wytheville during the afternoon, where I would have explored but the cold and the rain were daunting and inside the van was more cozy.
Then came the stressful afternoon/evening, trying to fix the winterization problems, stopping at several Walmarts and finally a camping store. Before we met up with friends for a late dinner at the YAFO Kitchen in Charlotte we finally had things under control. Dinner was a great stress breaker and we ate and talked the evening away.
The campground nearby is owned by Camping World at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, and is part of a series of campgrounds at NASCAR tracks. There was no race so it was quiet and although not fancy, it met our needs, as we huddled under our warm blankets.
When looking for a place for Steve to work on Tuesday, our friends at dinner had suggested The Depot at Gibson Mill. A huge complex of restaurants and antique shops kept me busy, hunting for items for my daughter’s upcycling all morning and early afternoon.
Before leaving the area, we went into a section of the city for dinner at Calle Sol Latin Cafe & Cevicheria. Restaurants with Ceviche in the title always make the list. The ceviche as good. Not as plentiful as some portions, but that meant room for dessert. We kept hearing about Amalie’s, a famous Charlotte tradition for their macaroons. It happened there was one of their stores right around the corner; we had seen it as we circled looking for parking. They only had two gluten free, dairy free flavors and only one, the raspberry appealed to me. I bought the one they had left for later. It was tasty, but not for a $3 cookie. It might be a great place if you could eat more of the treats. But, a happy ending to the story. I had also noticed on Happy Cow a totally vegan ice cream shop in the area. Seemingly Over Zealous, actually is dairy and gluten free, so LOTS of choices. We both got a cup to go and have at our campsite once we arrived, which by the way, was delicious.
Kings Mountain campground was first in a series of lovely spots we stayed. It was pretty much on the top of at least part of a mountain, as from the loop where we parked we were surrounded by gullies. In the morning I sat outside and not only did I get visited by at least one curious squirrel but saw the coolest red headed woodpecker, along with many other birds. The cold night had turned into a lovely morning. Eventually I figured out how to walk down to the lovely lake, which was not really far.
Once Steve was done working we took a ride in the area, to the closest town, Clover, just to see if we’d have better Internet there, as we both needed to work the next day. Not much around to see and fortunately our Internet worked fine on Starlink for both of us. The campground had WiFi, but you literally had to park outside the store/office. We both worked the next day and did fine with Internet. When we were done, we had a nice walk part way around the lake, the map of trails was very confusing, so we turned around, not knowing if there was a way all the way around.
Friday morning we headed toward Duncan, South Carolina, where another friend lives. I spent the day with my friend and her family. In the morning we hung around so Steve could join us for lunch. We had an “all you can eat feast” at Ichiban Sushi. When Steve staggered back to work, we headed to Hatcher Garden and Woods to walk off our lunch and enjoy nature on a lovely day. Fortunately, it was a small but lovely area. The trails wound around and the way back wasn’t clear, so we covered most of area trying to find our way, but it didn’t take more than an hour. One of the features was a nice pond, know as Turtle Pond, and sure enough there were turtles sunning on a number of logs.
Once Steve was done work, we headed to our campground for the next two nights. Dreher Island Campground, is actually on several islands, the first two connected by bridges. Every campsite is scenic. The first night, we sat outside a bit until the gnats were too bothersome. The next morning, Steve went out early to watch the sunrise over the water. There were small boats everywhere and we later found out there multiple fishing tournaments going on.
Our plan for that Saturday, was to go to the Soda Market in Columbia, SC. It was a stop we had intended for the first trip South in January, but had to be forgone with our shortened trip. It is a large “farm market”, except due to the early spring, there was only one vendor selling produce and it was not a local farmer. On the other hand there were lots of interesting vendors of crafts, food, food trucks and more. I bought an amazing chocolate bar, from Agape Chocolates . Besides making quality chocolate, their mission is to support causes that deal with childhood hunger, and they donate a portion of all sales to local causes. I will be ordering more. We also bought some great gluten free/ dairy free baked goods for later. There were so many food trucks but we couldn’t decide on something else we really wanted for a meal, so we shared a roll of vegetarian kimbap to try it and saved a full meal for later. Next we checked out Papa Jazz Records, looking for items for our daughter, got a few things and enjoyed the funky little neighborhood.
Our plan was to go to the Riverside Zoo on the way back to the campground, but we found out that the price didn’t really make it worth it for the two hours or less we had left until they closed, so decide to save it for another trip. We stopped and picked up dinner to take back to the campground from A Peace of Soul Vegan Kitchen. They only had one gluten free entree for the day but several sides, so we got a meal to share. It was quite yummy and more enough for two and some leftovers. We ate back at the campground around a fire, as the weather was finally getting temperate again and the bugs were less bothersome than the previous night.
The other stop we had to forgo on the last trip was Congaree National Park. An old growth forest, both beautiful and historic. There is a boardwalk that takes you through a self guided tour route. At a spot about half way along the route there is an overlook of a lake. The ranger said if there were gators to be seen, that would be the spot. We saw two and Steve got some great pictures from the overlook and some nearby spots. If you visit and you have time, there are other trails, there is even a campground.
We continued to head East as we departed Congree. Our campground for the next few days was near Wilmington, Northeast, but we decided to go toward the coast first before going North. We headed to North Myrtle Beach, taking a walk on the beach for several blocks and then into a small downtown area where I had hunted down a spot with vegan ice cream, called Melt. They have a cute slogan, “It’s not Summer until you melt”. If only it was that easy to get Summer weather. As we enjoyed our treat, we walked around town and then back to Spud.
We decided it was time to head to the Wilmington KOA. The next morning, while Steve worked I explored the area some, did some laundry and did research for a dinner spot. Again, there was a restaurant named Chievice’s; well we had to go. We started with a table outside, but the weather started spitting rain, so we moved inside. The food was very good and it was a fun dinner. We decided to explore nearby Wrightsville Beach. We didn’t stay for long, but there was some nice views and we even spotted some dolphins.
The KOA was very nice and the staff very friendly. They even had a path to the coffee house that adjoined their property. Time for iced coffee, my summer drink, a sign that someday Summer is coming. And in fact it did a few days later, before it got cold again. The next day we were leaving the KOA, so we decided that if Steve could park in Downtown Wilmington I could see the sites. Some of the staff at the campground told us about a historic building, The Cotton Exchange, that had been converted to shops and restaurants. When we looked it up, they had 3 hour validated parking with a purchase. When I went into the first store, they not only validated my ticket before I made a purchase, which I later did, but suggested if we needed to stay for the afternoon, that we just leave and come back for another validation. It might not have worked in peak tourist season, but it did work out. There was also plenty of metered parking if we had needed to move.
After I fully explored the Cotton Exchange, I moved on to other parts of the city. There is a Riverwalk, that has mostly restaurants. When I was finally ready for some lunch I wound up at the Mellow Mushroom, which is a Southern pizza chain where we have gotten gluten free / dairy free pizza from before. I brought some back for Steve and then went on a hunt for some groceries for dinner. I really just wanted to get some hummus to go with the falafel mix and grape leaves we had. I found Nil’s, a mediterranean restaurant, which I wish I had found for lunch. I ordered hummus but told them I didn’t want the pita it came with since I’m gluten free. They went out of their way, I was wondering why it took a bit, to find me gluten free bread to go with the lovely hummus platter that have olives and other goodies triming it..
Returning to the van, we headed for our campground at Jones Lake. Jones Lake is really nice State Park. The campground is small, with about 8 scattered RV sites, with hook-ups. The other sites which are for tent camping were unoccupied due to the time of year. As Steve worked Wednesday, I did a fire to make us breakfast and for me to hang around on a slowly warming day. Later I walked the area to the visitor’s center and lakefront.
When Steve finished work I suggested a hike. We were trying to follow the trails to a second lake in the park, but we realized it would be too far, so we circled the main lake, also a longer hike than we had planned but nice and peaceful. Note the picture of Steve below holding the pine cone, this park had the biggest pine cones we had ever seen.
It was late for dinner when we got back to the campsite but we put something together and sat down to eat by our campfire. As we were eating I was scrolling through Facebook on my phone and I spotted a post in our Roadtrek owners group. It said “is anyone with a Zion SRT from this group at Jones Lake”? After texting back and forth with the poster, she and her husband came to join us around the campfire. They are long time group members and have the exact model off van we have. We shared stories of favorite places to visit, van quirks and other common interests. I finally had to end the night, since we were both working in the morning but it was a really fun evening.
The next day we moved to the public parking area by Jone’s Lake and worked in the van. Our trip was winding down but we had one more reservation made and some tentative plans for the remainder. The last reservation was at a recommended Harvest Host, Secret Garden Bees in Linden, NC. We were one of three guests for the night. We didn’t meet our hosts that night, but they made sure one of the other guests showed us around. In the morning we explored the property, visiting the ducks, pigs, chickens and the bees from a distance. Later the owner came over with another man to work the hives, also something we observed from a distance. They have a self service store where they sell their honey and jellies. They have samples to try and even a video tour.
We planned to at least share a meal with our friends in Durham on our way home. After we left the Bee Garden we drove to the North Carolina Farmer’s Market, to be closer to Durham and to give me a place to shop. We had been there on a previous trip and I knew there would be enough to see/do to keep me busy for a few hours. This is when the weather dice rolled hot and sticky. We actually turned the air conditioner on in the van, which we had recently unwinterized again, thankfully so we could cool off with quickie showers before heading to our friends. We were also well stocked to go home with local asparagus, apples, greens, eggs and more.
After Steve worked we went to our friends home and not only had dinner but stayed the night, so we could game and wine a bit. In the morning it was important to me to be part of the nationwide protests that were happening that day and we found a nearby location.
While we were staying at Jones Lake I had researched some Harvest Hosts we might spend the night at half way or so between Durham and home, so we could get back on Sunday afternoon. The first wound up not open for the season, but the second, Wilderness Run Vineyards, accepted us after a call the day before, it was our first experience of a host that didn’t respond quickly, but in the end it was a lovely stay.
Before we got to the Vineyards, we had a fairly long drive so we stopped at Vegan Mami in Henderson for lunch. It was a small family business and everything was made fresh, there was an extensive menu with most options being able to be made gluten free.
The Winery was interesting, they had two separate areas. In one entrance there was a brewery with a wide selection of beers. I went there to check in. They told me to go around the building to the other entrance which was the winery to sample their wines. By this time we were ready for dinner but their food truck had just closed for the evening, so we shared a flight of wine and then headed back to the van to put together some food to sop it up and then got a really good nights sleep in the quiet field.
We decided on breakfast out in the morning before heading home and went to the Metro Dinner, which is a chain that offers decent gluten free options. A good way to wind up the crazy weather trip. For anyone who was keeping track we rewinterized a final time at the winery, as we were going home to a few freezing nights.
More adventures soon, but for now this Sourth Carolina native is keeping his eye on you.
