A 'hopefully safe distance' from the major expected impact of Hurricane Matthew we are tucked into the woods 90 miles from the coast. We got up in the dark this morning at 6am and broke camp to start our six hour drive unsure of what traffic we may encounter. Heading East and then South we encountered very very little traffic. I haven't mentioned in any of the posts how great the truck is doing. It's diesel Cummins Engine and seven speed transmission roll along like it isn't even stressed when going uphill. It drives smooth and pulling a fifth wheel is many times easier than a trailer. We encountered a few windy areas but for the most part we are currently in the 'calm before the storm'.
A very big change from the scenery we have had in Boston, New York, and Washington.
We passed the failed hotel that Trump listed as the 950 million dollar loss on his taxes.
Just kidding Trump fans. We have to maintain a sense of humor.
Actually the beautiful homes Martha and I both love that we have shown on our previous posts are no where in sight around this part of our country. The towns we pass through are small and operating at about 50% with the other buildings boarded up. Not because of the hurricane, because of the economy. Most of the homes are modular or trailers.
While driving on Hwy 301 West, which is a pretty non traveled roadway, we crossed Interstate 95. It is the major North South route and while on an overpass that was in the boonies, no towns around and no reason for traffic to be backed up or moving less than the I95 speed limit of 70mph, it was surprising to see the traffic moving about 35mph and backed up as far as the eye can see heading out of Charleston. Charleston is under an evacuation order and it is obvious that order is being taken seriously and Charleston must be becoming deserted by the number of cars moving Northward. The only vehicles traveling toward Charleston in the South bound lanes were emergency vehicles, National Guard vehicles, and multiple school busses. I assume that they were heading to Charleston to evacuate people.
Looking the other direction, Northward, you can see the traffic is heavy moving North and non existent moving in the Southbound lanes. Sorry its blurred but we were moving West at about 55mph.
We moved into Georgia just a few miles later.
The RV Park is on Old River Road. We had some trouble locating it as it was barely marked with a street sign and it is a dirt road. Even the GPS in the truck and Mapquest on Martha's phone couldn't agree on where the 'road' was located. Two miles up this straight dirt road we came to an 'RV Park' if you want to call it that. About a dozen RV's parked in a sort of a field, 15 miles from the nearest town, and 50 miles from the nearest Starbucks (thank goodness for Starbuck K-cups). Amazingly enough there is full hook ups (water, sewer, 50amp electricity, and internet) but none of the shower rooms or a pool that most of the places we have stayed feature. Funny too, because most of our stops are only two days, and because of the hurricane, we will be here four.
A panorama of what the middle of nowhere looks like. It is actually right adjoining to a public hunting area and I think that everyone here is out hunting as we are alone in the park. Not even a manager around. Nothing to site see around here except maybe an occasional stray bullet.
No blue skies to be seen anywhere and tomorrow the rain is supposed to start. The highest winds from the Hurricane are supposed to reach here on Friday early and only attain a 24mph top speed. Thanks for joining us and why not grab your duck call and come on by, the coffee is on.
