I had pictured a nice, easy return as we worked our way home, regardless of the several long driving days ahead of us. We even added an extra two-day stop in Hilton Head to see good friends. Hang on for the ride because it did not go as expected!
Day 80 – Baton Rouge, LA
I had in my notes we were staying at the KOA Holiday; however, I must have added it to my itinerary but never called to make the reservation. I walked right in and announced we were here for our overnight reservation, only to be quickly informed we didn’t have a reservation! Certain I most definitely made a reservation, just months in advance, I quickly begin searching on my phone in my ‘camping file’ for our KOA email confirmation. Only to my despair, to find no such email!
Stay Anyway, thanks to KOA Rewards
The lady behind the desk said “No Worries! I see you are a KOA VIP Rewards member. We can easily accommodate you, and my husband will show you to your site.” Whew! Hindsight, the last few legs of our journey home was being planned just days before the BIG wedding! I guess I simply forgot.
Day 81 – Defuniak Springs, FL
About 20 miles from our overnight stop, Mark pulled into a truck stop for diesel. Mark always does a walk around to double check Jack & Cheeto while I take Timber for a quick walk. As I return, Mark shows me where Cheeto’s weld on the bumper on the driver’s side has failed. We were very lucky to catch it when we did. We unhitch and I follow Mark the rest of the way to our overnight Harvest Host location, Chateau Le Coeur. Here is another location where you have to stay and sample the wine to understand the story. This couple is extremely interesting – splitting time between their vineyards in Oregon’s outer fringes of wine country and establishing a research vineyard and winery in Florida in conjunction with Florida State University. They are working on a hybrid vine to resist disease. They have about 80 acres and lots of plans for a wedding venue, campground resort, and more for when they ‘retire’ to their property in Florida. They are very thankful to the campers and RVers who stay, totally catering to their six to ten camping guests each night!
Gourmet Pizza, Wine Tasting, & Chocolate with Dessert Wine
Upon arrival, the owner let us know that around 6pm they would begin preparing gourmet, brick-oven pizzas near their outdoor firepit. Standing around the fire, talking with the other campers, we sampled red and white wines from Oregon-grown grapes as we nibbled on delicious combinations of pizzas. We then tasted a chocolate-drizzled dessert pizza with their dessert wine (similar to a Brandy). It was our first experience where the campers were the only ones at the winery and totally the center of all activities! We loved getting to know the other RVers … one Canadian couple was in a Class A, one couple was full timing in an airstream, one young couple was in a fifth wheel, we were in the Super C, and one ‘work camper’ was in a travel trailer. We will definitely make it back to this Harvest Host in the future to see if their retirement dreams are coming true!
Days 82 & 83 – St Marys, GA
I had previously read about Crooked River State Park and wanted to try it. Wow! What a beautiful state park with many of the extra-large campsites having water views and full hookups. The campsites were mostly booked, and the day use areas seemed to have plenty of local visitors, as well. We enjoyed the peaceful serenity of this state park and will also put it on our list of return places when needing an overnight stop traveling home on I-95 North.
Days 84 & 85 – Hilton Head Island, SC
We added a few extra days to spend some time with our very good friends who live here. We booked two nights at Hilton Head National RV Resort and made plans for them to bring dinner over for an evening picnic. We had a campfire going and the small picnic table set when they arrived. We enjoyed eating Indian food from one of their favorite places. It was a little windy, but we wanted to stay outside to enjoy the relatively mild November evening; so the two ladies bundled under light weight throws while the two men enjoyed their cigars.
A Day of Shopping
Several of my favorite stores are in Hilton Head, so I convinced my friend to go shopping for the day. We were going to meet the boys at Watusi for lunch and then continue our shopping spree. Mark drove Cheeto so he could go back after lunch to check on Timber and then would drive back in for dinner at our friend’s house. After shopping, the plan was to run by the grocery to pick up vegetables to prepare as sides, having previously gone to Benny’s and selected fresh tilefish.
We had a fantastic morning, hitting Quiet Storm in Coligny Plaza for end of summer bathing suit deals, then a few knick-knack stores for stocking stuffers and more. After lunch, we went to John Bayley’s in The Village of Wexford for Christmas and Birthday gifts for our husbands, then to Belk’s in Shelter Cove Towne Centre for other Christmas presents (as they were having a special sale and I had a 50% off coupon!), and lastly Phillips Shoes for some needed summer sandals on clearance. We then headed to Fresh Market for potatoes, salad items, and broccoli.
Another Cheeto Incident
While we were in the grocery store, Mark called to say Cheeto wouldn’t start. It had happened a few days ago to me when we were in Florida. I let it sit for about 15 minutes and tried again, and it started with no problem. I had dismissed the event.
Mark had me try to remote start it using the Ford app, and he tried the key fob auto start, and several more times sitting behind the wheel. Nothing worked. So… we decided to go on to our friend’s house and start prepping dinner and let the Bronco sit for a bit to see if it would ‘settle down and start.’ — No Go. We regrouped and loaded the dinner groceries to take over to the campground and finish cooking (and eating) again at the rig. On our way back to the campground, Mark called and asked if we would stop by the auto parts store to pick up a battery.
While the girls finished preparing dinner, the boys trickle charged the battery and sat by the campfire. We had a very enjoyable fish dinner and were very thankful our friends were so easy going to change plans on the fly.
Day 86 – Fort Mill, SC
We agreed I would follow Mark until I needed to stop for gas. We had about a four hours’ drive to Fort Mill and we both easily know the route… I-95 to I-26 to I-77. He had enough diesel to fill up once hitting our county line. He has a favorite place near home where he prefers to get fuel right before parking the rig. I was starting out with a little under half a tank and would need to stop for gas after about two hours.
With my brand-new battery, I thought I was set for the ride home. Putting it on cruise control, I began thinking of all the things I needed to do once I was home… unload the rig, grocery shop, change out summer linens for fall linens, weed and pull out the dying flowers, laundry, put out Thanksgiving decorations, and more. Before I knew it, it was time to pull off the highway for a gas station. I filled the bronco with gas, ran in for a quick bathroom break and hopped in the car to continue my way home… AND CHEETO WOULD NOT START!! UGH!
Cheeto is NOT Happy!
I called Mark to try to decide what to do. With the rig’s size, there was no way he could really assist me, so we decided for him to keep traveling toward home. I could call AAA, knowing they would probably tow me to the nearest Ford dealership (I was still a good 2.5 hours from home) and would have to sit and wait for Mark to make it home and then come back in his truck to get me.
Decision Time…
Right next door was a bigger gas station with diesel pumps for tractor trailers. I decided I would see if someone could jump start me. It took a number of asks before I found someone with jumper cables who was willing to drive over to the other gas station where Cheeto sat blocking the pumps. YIPPEE! I was able to get CHEETO STARTED! Excited, I called Mark to tell him I was on my way… but he said “Not so fast! I think you have an alternator problem and the battery won’t last all the way home. You’ll probably get stranded on the interstate.” SOOO, we decided I should find an auto parts store, buy another battery and have it replaced before driving too much further.
If It Weren’t for Bad Luck, I’d Have No Luck at All!
I find an O’Reilly’s about 10 miles back the way I’d already come. Mark told me exactly what battery to ask for at the store. As a precaution, I kept Cheeto running when I went to purchase the battery. So glad I did! They didn’t have the battery I needed in stock. The guy was super helpful and told me there was another auto parts store about two blocks away. He warned me they would probably have the battery but would not change it out for me. Knowing I didn’t have the tools nor could I even reach the battery, feeling slightly panicked, I asked if I could park the Bronco in his parking lot until I could get AAA to tow me to a Ford dealer. He then graciously offered to switch out my battery if the other store had one in stock. Did I already mention it was raining? (Of course, it was raining!)
Leaving Cheeto running, I ran into the other auto parts store to be sure they had the battery. They did! Not only did they tell me they wouldn’t help install it, but they also didn’t even offer to carry it out for me. I had to ask to borrow their cart! (Don’t go there… it wasn’t too heavy… but I had to play up the ‘Damsel in Distress’ act to see if they might change out the battery.)
O’Reilly’s Saves the Day!
True to his word, the guy at O’Reilly’s changed out my battery, in the rain, and would not let me pay him!! Big shout out to that employee and store. That chain has my business from now on! I even subscribed to their O’Rewards program!
Made it Home!
A little worn out and frazzled, I pulled into the driveway about three hours after Mark; but hey – I felt good that I problem solved my way out of a trip back to some Ford dealership 2.5 – 3 hours away! We have a dealership less than 10-minutes from our house that Cheeto will be visiting.
Stats for the Numbers People:
- Days on the Road = 86
- Number of States Visited = 16
- Number of National Parks Visited = 6
- Number of Campgrounds = 24
- Average Number of Nights / Campground = 3.33
- Number of Boondocking Locations = 6
- Miles Logged by Jack = 7, 240
- Number of Gallons of Diesel Fuel Used = 978.68
- Average Miles per Gallon = 8.154
- Average Price / Gallon = $3.625
- Average Price / Gallon with Open Roads Discount Fuel Card = $3.198
- Total Spent on Fuel with Open Roads Discount Fuel Card = $3, 278.89
- Money Saved using the Open Roads Discount Card* = $431.15
*We saved about 10% inclusive of the Open Roads’ fees.
More Stats for the Numbers People:
- Number of Pounds of Kibble consumed by Timber = 50
- Number of Pounds of Cooked Beef consumed by Timber = 15
- Number of Cans of Pumpkin &/or Green Beans consumed by Timber = 20
- Number of Bottles of Wine bought at Wineries = 48
- Number of Souvenirs brought back for Friends = 25
- Number of Blog Posts = 13
- Number of New Friends we met along the way = too many to count!
We are taking a few weeks off to spend time with family and friends during the Thanksgiving holiday. Then we’ll spend two weeks in the rig (one at a rally), home for Christmas, then 3 weeks on the road, including one week at the Tampa RV Super Show. I’ll post while ‘adventuring.’ Until then, keep exploring without me!
“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.” — Henry David Thoreau
Masters of RVing Adventures 
Leave a comment