We spent the week of Thanksgiving at Tom’s Mom’s place in Folly Beach. It was our longest stay “on land” (that is in a house) since we’ve been on the road. I had actually been feeling under the weather- my stomach felt a bit off the day before we arrived- and it was a blessing to enjoy a queen bed and a much needed flush toilet! This was even more of a necessity a few days later when Tom and I got our “doubles” - the flu and the COVID boosters. We had heard from some folks up north that boosters were harder to schedule; getting them in South Carolina proved to be a cinch. We scheduled our appointments online at the same time-slot at a local CVS.
Our “Port” —Tom’s Mom’s house on Folly Beach
Tom had a running list of tweaks and improvements he wanted to make to the van and his stepfather’s basement workshop was essential. He upgraded our electrical cabinet air exchange system, added positive latches to additional drawers and cabinets, and adjusted our ottoman to make it easier to use. We did a big load of laundry, of course. Once we had recovered from our shots, we enjoyed leisurely walks on the beach and home cooked meals. Tom and I volunteered to prepare the Thanksgiving meal, complete with turkey and all the trimmings.
Walking on Folly Beach
Our last day in the area was spent in downtown Charleston. We capped off the evening with cocktails at Doar’s and a great Amy Winehouse tribute concert. All in all it was a great stay. We enjoyed some family time and a “stationary” home which gave us a break from the constant (and fairly fast paced) decision making pattern we generally need to have on the road.
Day out in Charleston
That said, we both felt the excitement of getting back to the van which has truly become our home and back to the “adventure” of our vanlife, a gift of which was our next stay, on our route southward, in a truly magical and unexpectedly beautiful campsite in coastal Georgia (who would have guessed?)
Blythe Island, Georgia - a beautiful campsite on the Marshes of Glynn
We are now in Florida where we’ll spend the next month bouncing around the state, mostly utilizing state parks. Florida was the most highly planned part of our journey as many Florida parks fill up a year in advance and good boondocking is harder to find. This may be hard to believe, but we actually made some of our Florida plans and bookings in 2020, even before we had taken possession of our van!
Current “home” for a few days- Anastasia State Park
Bridge of Lions, St. Augustine
Last night we managed another impromptu night of music, grabbing The Wood Brothers tickets at a concert hall in Ponte Vedra Beach just up the road. The night was electric; it was the first night of their traveling tour post pandemic. The band was really excited to be playing live and the crowd was super appreciative and enthusiastic. I would say the audience reminded me of a cross between a youngish Jimmy buffet straw-hat crowd and Grateful Dead-head followers… lots of dancing, singing along and requisite southern style “woot-ing” going on! Oh, and these concert goers were GIANTS. Guys and girls alike were SO damn tall. We saw at least two dozen guys over 6’5”. There must be something in the water down here! Nevertheless we joined in the fun, standing on our tiptoes, and peering through shoulders when we could!
We are currently camping at Anastasia State Park, on a stretch of quiet white sand beach just east of St. Augustine. Today we walked around old town, ate popsicles and visited Castillo de San Marcos (the old fort). It is a bright and breezy 70 degrees here. We’re all smiles. It’s no wonder so many snowbirds come south for the winter!
The Wood Brothers, Ponte Vedra Concert Hall (I was standing on a chair here!!)
