As much fun as we’ve had, there’s work to be done! First was to drive to Brunswick, Georgia, to Mary and Dave’s boat YoDYo. After their 3 year trip sailing from San Francisco to Brunswick, the engine needed some love. As us small space homeowners know, space and storage are maximized. So when matenance is needed, everything is displaced.

We also had work to do at their house. Due to Hurricane Helen’s, trees branches,  trees and stumps had to be cleaned up. The stump grinding was interesting to watch but certainly left a mess of wood chips to be raked up and hauled away. Not to mention a old Dish TV satellite dish taken off the roof and a oil change on Pearl’s generator!

As we explored downtown Augusta, Mary and Dave took me to this restored Catholic church, which is now a cultural center. As we were walking in,  the volunteer tour guide was arriving. Perfect timing. In the pictures below, the information on the church, stained glass windows and the restoration that took place. The next set of pictures are of just some of the interior and windows.

I’m continuing to have fun and adventures with my sister and her husband. We went paddle boarding at Mistletoe state park on Lake Clarkshill. Then the next day we walked part of  the Augusta Canal trail. Such fun!

I love it when I can visit family on my travels. I am staying with my sister Mary and her husband Dave. The timing was perfect too. Absentee ballot arrived here, so I could vote, 3 weeks of laundry and projects to be done for both them and me. Oh, and it was Halloween!

We have also been busy exploring the area around here.

More to come…

Okay so this was planned as a stopping point to break up a long drive. However, I should have paid a little more attention to my big map. Totally missed there was a Electronic Combat Range here. Not quite peaceful hiking listening to AK47s being fired close by.

There are a ton of trails here, too bad I didn’t feel comfortable hiking any of them. I did walk the  campground loop and sites are pretty generous and secluded. Wish the lake was a little closer and didn’t look as gator infested as it did.

I may not be back, but if you need a stopping point near Columbia, it works.

I’ve stayed here before and really enjoyed this small campground. It wasn’t too busy, but I didn’t pick the best site this time when making my reservation. Live and learn. My site wasn’t bad. Don’t get me wrong, but I could have booked site 10, right on the water. Instead, I opted for site 6. It was a little cheaper,  but too close and opened to site 5. And the ladies on site 5 brought everything but the kitchen sink. They were very nice and we got along fine. I just wished for a little more privacy.

What a fantastic park! Only 34 campsites, plenty of trails that are interconnected, so you can do a short hike or piece together a longer one. It was too bad the swim lake was closed because I would definitely have gone out on the paddle board. So hiking it was.

The Visitor Center was way cool as well! Very well laid out museum and history hall. I loved what they did for the kids here too.

This is one of many campgrounds on the John H. Kerr reservoir. And its a huge campground to boot. Should have known it would be a little less peaceful over a weekend vs week stay. I can say it’s very nice and a lot to do. Walk to the beach by my site was easy and sunsets beautiful. I didn’t appreciate the fact there didn’t seem to be anyone following up on rules/regulations. In fact, I didn’t see a camphost, ranger, or sheriff ride thru the park, which is very unusual. There were easily 3 dogs off leashes leading to extreme barking of dogs both Friday and Saturday. Once Sunday came, it was a totally different camping experience and a lovely time. Would I come back,  absolutely but only during the week.

I found a map of the campground here, so wanted to add it.

This was a fantastic campground! As much as I would have loved to paddle, this river runs much too fast. The hiking trails, however, were top notch and signs along the trails extremely helpful. The trail guide was also great when figuring out which ones to take. I  did the Cabell trail to Tye river overlook my 1st day and Taylor/River trail the next day. There is plenty of down wood to have some good fires as well. It was cold while I was here, so the late afternoon fires were needed. 37 both mornings! BRRR!

This park is just outside the North entrance of the Shenandoah National Park. It is located right along the Shenandoah river. I’ve stayed here before and always enjoy the trails and views along the way. Besides that, the sites are huge, well secluded and laundry is still only .75 cents.