Day 95 - Thu 31 Oct 2019 - Halloween is cancelled - Odd jobs day

There is a weather front coming in which means a lot of sports fishers are either leaving early or arriving later. This means we get our spot for another night, which is fabulous news for us. Unfortunately it does mean trick or treating is in jeopardy.

Since we do not have to move we decide to do some odds jobs. The kids carry on with their schoolwork and build a den in their bedroom.

Janine sews the curtain for the kids bedroom and paints the front of the fridge. Martijn sifts through hundreds of photos and tinkers on the trailer.

We keep and eye on the weather and put trick or treating up for vote. In the end we decide that since we'd have to drive 40 minutes it's not worth the risk of getting washed out. Instead we do some more fishing then make popcorn and watch a movie.

This part of the coast has had an unusual spell of warm weather for the last week. We were back in shorts and sandals and air conditioning. Now the weather is turning back to normal so we are setting our sights on Savannah. Time to slowly move South again.

Today: 0km - 0h
Total: 13,037km - 261h

Day 94 - Wed 30 Oct 2019 - Gone Fishing

By stroke of luck some campers leave a day early which opens up a spot for us for another night! We move the trailer and get on with some homework and baking.

In the afternoon we go fishing at the pier on the campground. The kids enjoy casting their lines time and time again, but no catches. One of the regulars suggests that our bait might not be appropriate so he replaces the bait/lure with one of his own and gives a quick demonstration on how to cast the line and reel it in so that the lure moves like a real fish. There must be fish here somewhere as we can see the birds of prey circling overhead.

We have a lovely afternoon but eventually the rain clouds do set in so we head back in.

Today: 0.5km - 10m
Total: 13,037km - 261h

Day 93 - Tue 29 Oct 2019 - Mount Pleasant & Fort Moultrie

We drive into Mt Pleasant to explore Fort Moultrie. On the way we see some fabulous Halloween decorations. A witch on top of a roof and some zombies sending an alien back on a rocket. It might be nice to go trick or treating here.

Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island was built in 1776 but it's first use was actually against the English Navy. It was here that the first shot of the American Revolution was fired onto Fort Sumter.

The museum goes through the role of the Fort from 1776 to 1947 when it was decommissioned with some really nice displays. The Fort itself is restored in sections for specific time periods. From the banks we can see the island of Fort Sumter in the distance.

Today: 100km - 1h45m
Total: 13,037km - 261h

Day 92 - Mon 28 Oct 2019 - Charleston

Just as we are leaving our site to dump our grey and black water we see that another site was vacated early. We quickly park our trailer there and put our claim in the post. Literally 2 seconds later another camper comes over to check out the spot. We already knew from the camp host that this site was free tomorrow night so this gets us two nights, which is perfect! We prepare lunch to take with us and set off to explore Charleston.

We park the car at Mt Pleasant Memorial Waterfront Park and off-load the bikes. By chance a lady is just setting up there to show the traditional sweetgrass basket making art. The smell of the sweetgrass is beautiful and so are the baskets.

We then tackle the 2 mile ‘Wonder’s Way’ over Arthur Ravenel Jr Bridge. It’s a bit of a slog but we make it. From the top of the bridge we can see the USS Yorktown aircraft carrier.

We ride around historic Charleston which its beautiful grand mansions. Interestingly, they are built quite close together but they are built sideways on so the gated gardens are on the side of the houses. We explore the narrow side streets and marvel at the different architecture.

The cobblestone street is proving to be a bit of a challenge though.

At the harbour we look out at Fort Sumter where the first shot of the Civil War was shot upon. Niels asks if there is another way back instead of the bridge... Martijn quips there is... swimming. This got a good chuckle from some passers-by.

So we tackle the bridge again, fortunately the approach from this side is less steep. After we load the bikes back in the truck Martijn pops the hood to top up the wiper fluid. Immediately a good citizen comes over to offer assistance in case we needed a boost. We really appreciate the random acts of kindness.

The flip side of all this balmy weather though is that we are all covered in mosquito bites again. We are also a sweet delicacy for the ‘no-see-ums’ or as the locals call them: flying teeth...

Today: 95km - 2h
Total: 12,936km - 259h

Day 91 - Sun 27 Oct 2019 - Hunting for campsites

We want to go and see Mount Pleasant and Charleston but there is a severe lack of campsites that are available, accessible, suitable and affordable. We get lucky and get one night at Buck Hall Recreation area. This campground is really popular with sport fishers and it is shrimp fishing season.

We spend the afternoon doing schoolwork and planning. It looks like it’s going to be really nice here for the next 2 weeks so we’re looking to stay in this area.

Today: 40km - 47m
Total: 12,844km - 257h

Day 90 - Sat 26 Oct 2019 - Founding father and more beach

We visit the plantation of one of the founding fathers of the US constitution. Charles Pinckney is not a very well-known figure but is was interesting to learn more about him, the good and the bad stuff. Again we are pleased to see the ugly stuff (he was a vocal supporter of slavery) being discussed. The plantation grew indigo (used as a blue dye) and tea before the region switched to cotton.

We go for a quick dip in the ocean before dinner and park up in Mount Pleasant.

Today: 170km - 3h30
Total: 12,804km - 256h

Day 89 - Fri 25 Oct 2019 - South Carolina

Happy Birthday Martijn!!

The trailer has been decorated with birthday banners and Martijn is treated for breakfast with a new jar of Damson jam.

His main present will be revealed in Florida.

After lunch we make our way further south past the spectacle that is Myrtle Beach. Along the highway we notice a repeating pattern of shops, retirement homes, souvenirs, medical centres, entertainment and petrol stations. The crazy golf courses are trying to outdo each other with pirate ships, giant waterfalls, King Kong such. But where did all the trees go??

We drive on to Francis Marion National Forest where we stay the night. We make birthday burgers on the campfire and have some birthday cake.

It’s actually getting really warm at night now so no more rush to get further south.

Today: 170km - 3h30
Total: 12734km - 254h

Day 88 - Thu 24 Oct 2019 - Beach, Ocean & Palm Trees

We spend the morning “at home” not quite believing it is going to be beach weather this afternoon. The kids do their school work and the adults do their home work. After lunch we head out. We are now in alligator country...

It has warmed up nicely and it is actually very pleasant at the beach. The kids even play in the water. Only up to the knees, but it is a real treat after all those beaches we had to drive past. The sand is picture perfect silver white. The roads are lined with palm trees.

Today: 20km - 35m
Total: 12,569km - 250h24m

Day 87 - Wed 23 Oct 2019 - Fun on the Farm

After a delicious helping of French Toast we explore the cotton fields.

Not before long George comes over, he is keen to share his toys with us. We all get a ride in his Slingshot. Martijn even gets to drive it! It is exhilarating! After that the kids go on the golf cart and the little tractor. We finish off on the "zero turn" lawn mower which works like a tank. Lots of fun to be had.

We have a lovely chat with George about the farm. He has cotton, tobacco, peanuts and trees. He gives us some tips on routes and we set off again for Sunset Beach. It's a bit of a drive, but we get rewarded with the our first palm tree sighting!

Today: 330km - 4h30m

Day 86 - North Carolina Cotton Plantation

Another fairly substantial drive today to keep ahead of the falling temperatures. Niels helps take the leaves off the slide out.

We drive to Robersonville where we can park our trailer on George’s farm. We stop at Newport News about an hour South of where we were staying. As we get out of the car it feels like we are in a different world. It is warm and humid. A sharp contrast from this morning!

As we get to the state border of Virginia we are suddenly surrounded by cotton fields. As we head into North Carolina we keep looking for a place to stop and take photos but there is no place to stop safely. Turns out we needn’t worry as George’s farm turns out to be a cotton farm!

We meet George and his wife Bridget and they are just lovely. We talk for quite some time. The kids pet the cats and the horses.

Unfortunately it was already getting dark so no photo opportunities yet. We look at the night sky for a bit but are unable to see the meteor shower. 

It is now so warm that we can go back to a single duvet layer, woohoo!

Today: 255km - 4h

Day 85 - Mon 21 Oct 2019 - America's Historic Triangle

Today we start off with a visit to Jamestown where John Smith landed on May 1607 to establish the first English permanent settlement in the colony of Virginia. Jamestown was the capital of the Virginia Colony until 1699. We learned that this was actually driven by the Virginia Company of London for economic reasons and that this was the first oversees colony established by the Kingdom on England to build their empire where the sun never sets.

Another interesting aspect we learned was about the role Pocahontas played in achieving a truce between the natives and English settlers through her marriage to John Rolfe. This is where they got married.

We spend a few hours walking the site and the visitor information center to learn about the trial and tribulations of the early settlers. During one bleak winter they had to resort to cannibalism to survive. The kids earn another Rangers badge.

Mid-afternoon we head over to Yorktown where we learn about the decisive battle in Oct 1781 by the combined American and French forces against the British. This was the last major land battle in the American Revolution and ultimately led to the recognition of the United States of America in the 1783 Treaty of Paris. Another Rangers badge for the kids.

We are ushered out of the visitor center at closing time and drive the grounds to visit the 2 redoubts that the Americans and French stormed to create their second trench, which gave them the edge in the battle.

Unfortunately we ran out of time to properly explore the historic site of Williamsburg which is now a living museum. We do drive past and see some of the restored old buildings. Williamsburg was the capital of the Virginia Colony 1699 to 1780. 3 US presidents went to school here.

Today: 125km - 3h

Day 84 - Another Rainy Day

We stay holed up in the trailer due to the record braking rain presented to us by the impact from Tropical Storm Nestor. Janine braves the rain to do some laundry. The kids catch up on school work and the adults work out the plans for the area, and a route south.

0km - 0h driving

Day 83 - Virginia (Draft)

We take it nice and easy in the morning. After lunch we head to our next campsite near Williamsburg, Virginia.

250km - 4h driving

Day 82 - Washington DC (Draft)

We take the bicycles around the sites in Washington DC. We spend most of our time in the White House Visitor Centre and the kids earn there White House Ranger Badge.

Although it is very busy in Washington, it feels very clean and organized. We have no problems navigating around on our bikes. What an enjoyable day.

71km - 3h Driving

Day 81 - Washington Zoo (Draft)

We spend a lovely day at the zoo. The pandas are the stars of the show. We decide to make a full day off it and stay another night at the campgrounds to do the sightseeing tomorrow.

71km - 3h driving

Day 80 - Rainy day (Draft)

We have to move campsites as our current one is booked out. It is bucketing down by the time we leave. We drive through Washington and toy with the idea of visiting the zoo but it is just too wet.

We count our blessings that really we have not had many rainy days. 

90km - 3h driving

Day 79 - Frederick (Draft)

We leave the trailer on the campground and go for a day trip to Frederick. A beautiful historic town. We walk along the walled creek that runs through the town and admire the “trompe l’oei” art and all the different flowers. A very pleasant place to have a picnic.

We do some shopping before we go back to the campsite.

In the evening we have another campfire and we cook some fresh burgers on the fire and finish ourselves off with some s’mores.

55km - 1h30m driving

Day 78 - Clarksburg, Maryland (Draft)

We drive to our new campsite in Clarksburg. We have a great campfire to cook our sausages and s’mores for desert.

90km - 1h45m driving

Day 77 - Day at Gettysburg Museum of American Civil War (Draft)

We spent the full day at the museum. It is very well done and extremely educational. We learn about the events leading up to the civil war, the war itself (with a focus on the 3 day battle in Gettysburg 1,2 & 3 July 1863), and the aftermath. We are delighted to see a very open and honest narrative. We didn’t realize how the civil war tested the fundamentals of the new nation of the United States of America.

30km - 45m driving

Day 76 - Drive to Gettysburg (Draft)

After some Halloween arts and crafts at the campground we pack up and take a leisurely drive to Gettysburg, a key battleground from the American Civil War. We’ll learn all about this tomorrow.

120km - 2h45 driving

Day 75 - Another day off

We relax on the campsite, do some homework & research and play mini golf. And we do some grocery shopping in Lebanon. We watch some movies at night.

60km - 1h driving

Day 74 - Day off (Draft)

We relax on the campsite, do some homework & research and play mini golf.

0km - 0h driving

Day 73 - Driving through Pennsylvania

We make our way through Pennsylvania and stay at a campsite near Harrisburg. Kids are happy as there’s is a great playground.

205km - 4h15m driving

Day 72 - Another big drive

Finally due south! We cross the border near Cornwall and cut straight down New York State into Pennsylvania. 

475km - 7h driving

Day 71 - Paperwork in Cornwall

We make it to Cornwall just in the very corner of Ontario to sort out some paperwork.

290km - 4h45m driving

Day 70 - Back in Canada

We realize we have some unfinished business to take care of in Ontario so we are taking a slight detour. Today we drove through Maine back into Quebec.

The trees put on a fabulous display of fall colours.

517km - 8h driving

Day 69 - Back in the USA

We’re back in Calais on Keenes Lake Campground where we were before.

288km - 4h30m driving

Day 68 - A day off

We take the day planning our next move. It's getting too cold, especially at night so we're working on our escape south across the border. The plan is to stock up on some groceries and cross the border tomorrow. We'll keep going south until we hit good weather.

Surprisingly, the campgrounds here are actually getting very busy. Either they are here for the fall colours or they are all staging their way south...

0km -0h driving

Day 67 - Confederation Bridge

Brr... it's getting cold. Packing up we actually have some hail. We drive off on a grey and drizzly morning and say goodbye to PEI and the potatoes. As we're getting closer to the Confederation Bridge it's starting to clear up. Once the sun comes out, it gets warmer, but only behind glass in the comfort of our car.

We pay our dues getting off PEI (you only pay the toll/ferry getting off the island, getting on is free!) and line up for the drive over the Confederation Bridge. This C$1.3 billion, 13 km/8 mile bridge is the longest bridge over ice-covered water. Fortunately the wind is not bad so Janine has a quite read for the 15 minutes it takes to get to the other side (she's not very good with bridges, or any narrow lanes, :-) ).

Back in New Brunswick we do some shopping and park up near Moncton to figure out where to go next.

175km - 3h driving

Day 66 - Anne of Green Gables (Cavendish)

A terrible start of the morning. Martijn has his last slice of toast with Damson jam... it's going to be a tough start of the day from now on...

We take the coastal road through PEI National Park. It's beautiful but it's cold, windy and rainy so we only take some quick stops for a cuppa and some photos. The soil and sand it very red here, it even makes the waves red.

We drive on to Cavendish, set up camp and head to the house from where L.M. Montgomery drew her inspiration for her timeless book "Anne of Green Gables". In the visitor centre there is lots of information about her life and her drive to become a writer. There is even a LEGO model of the house!! The book Anne of Green Gables was rejected by 5 publicists before it was printed.

It's getting pretty miserable now so we hole ourselves up in the trailer with jacket potatoes with baked beans & cheese and sausages. We actually drive the car to the showers, that's how bad it is outside. :-)

The heater is definitely staying on all night.

75km - 2h45 driving

Day 65 - Charlottetown

We spend a lovely day in Charlottetown. We buy some lobster and make lobster roles. The kids are fascinated by the process of taking apart the lobster but have mixed feelings when they see the lobster's eyes. Perhaps that's what eventually put them off on the taste of it. The adults sacrifice with a double portion.

We walk the historic streets of Charlottetown, it truly is a lovely place.

Janine debates the confederation with sir John Macdonald (first Prime Minister of Canada).

We are all astounded by the size of the cruise ships they can fit into the harbour.

On our way out we stop at a fabulous play park to burn off some energy.

As a rare treat we have some home-made pizza. The lady whose house we staying next to is letting us use her oven.

At night Janine beats Martijn at pool, but allows him to win the re-match.

55km - 2h driving