Maps of travel routes and campgrounds.
We briefly visited Fort Raleigh National Historic Site in North Carolina. This is the site of the “Lost Colony”, that arrived in 1584 and vanished; their fate is still unknown.
Here’s the NPS map; click or tap to interact:
An interactive map:
We had lunch in the picnic area:
We took a long drive out to and along the Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina.
The NPS map; click or tap to interact on their site:
An interactive map of our route to visit Fort Raleigh National Historic Site (post coming tomorrow), Wright Brothers National Memorial, Cape Hatteras National Seashore, and Sugar Creek Seafood Restaurant for dinner on the way home:
A replica of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at a gas station on the way:
Alligator River:
Cape Hatteras National Seashore sign:
Whalebone Junction Info Center:
Bodie Island Light Station:
Bridge:
Ocean view:
Sand blowing over the road:
Cape Hatteras Light Station. It is currently undergoing repairs and restoration; they had just finished adding the scaffolding when we visited:
Park Store:
Museum:
The lighthouse was moved half a mile inland from the coast:
Saving the Light Station:
Cape Hatteras Light Station:
A long Sunday drive, but we enjoyed it.
We visited the Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, south of Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, where Wilbur and Orville Wright achieved the first successful powered airplane flights.
Here’s the NPS map; click or tap to interact:
An interactive map:
Entrance:
Visitor Center:
Relief map:
Exhibits:
A full-sized reproduction of the first plane:
Home away from home:
First flights:
First flights launch marker:
Looking along flight path:
First flight marker; 12 seconds, 120 feet, December 17, 1903:
Second flight marker:
Third flight marker:
Fourth flight marker:
First flight markers, and info sign about the launch rail:
Monument:
Plane sculpture:
Impressive how we’ve come so far since then.
We stayed at Twin Lakes RV & Camping Resort in Chocowinity, North Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)
An Encore park, mostly full of full-timers and seasonal sites, but with a section for transients.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Water, water everywhere, but not a beach in sight
If you’re looking for a place to stay so you can visit the Outer Banks, keep looking. If you’re looking for a place to stay with nice waterways and fishing but not an actual beach, this place is good for that. It’s a nice campground with water all around and lots of seasonal/annual residents. There’s one main area where they place the “transients,” and it’s okay. Our site was not huge, but it was large enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle, with room for our table and chairs on the side. We camped at Twin Lakes RV & Camping Resort in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
The utilities were at the back of the site, and we parked at the front, so I used two 25 foot water hoses and three 10 foot sewer hoses (it’s good to have extras):
The sewer was actually a holding tank, periodically pumped out:
Trash collected from around the site; worse than typical:
A bunch of aerial photos of the campground and environs, via my drone:
Entrance:
The gate requires a magnetic card for access (which is more convenient than a code, as most places do):
Dumpsters near the entrance:
Office:
They had some flooding a while back, so were stil working on restocking the store:
Swimming pool:
Playground:
Bathrooms:
Dog park:
Clubhouse:
Ice and water machine:
Other sites:
Another playground:
Boat storage:
Another pool:
Geese:
There were lots of squirrels roaming around:
We’d be happy to stay here again.
We drove our coach 201 miles, about four hours of driving, from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Chocowinity, North Carolina. Another new state.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading north:
An interactive map:
Leaving the campsite:
A little narrow:
A tight turn:
Toading up:
Goodbye beach:
Exiting the state park:
Myrtle Beach Welcomes You:
A plane flying low over the highway; the airport is right next to it:
Blue water at mini golf:
Wax museum:
Another mini golf:
Yet another mini golf:
Crossing the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW):
Welcome to North Carolina:
We stopped at a Hardee’s for lunch, as they had RV-sized parking spaces:
Back at our coach, Paladin in his nest:
Exit:
Hey, there’s Jenn’s brother, Leland:
Northeast Cape Fear River:
Fun with zoom:
New River:
We stopped at a defunct car dealer parking lot; very few stopping opportunities (“stopportunties”) on this route:
Paladin took my seat when I used the bathroom:
An abandoned house:
Neuse River:
A fire lookout watchtower:
Arriving at our destination for a couple of weeks:
While staying at Myrtle Beach State Park, we went into Myrtle Beach proper a couple of times. Not the popular boardwalk and such, but along the endless strip of mini golf, beachwear, and pancake shops.
Mini golf:
Rope course:
Mini golf:
Park:
Beachwear:
One excursion was to try Cook Out:
Cook Out menu:
Mini golf:
Beachwear:
Beachwear:
Beachwear:
Treats:
Mini golf:
Mini golf:
Beachwear:
Beachwear:
Pancakes:
Beachwear:
Pancakes:
Beachwear:
Beachwear:
Mini golf:
Beachwear:
Beachwear:
Pancakes:
Mini golf:
You get the idea. Not the most exciting part of town. I kinda wish we had checked out the boardwalk area, but it was probably more of the same.
While staying at the Myrtle Beach State Park campground, we walked to the adjacent beach on several days. Nice to be able to walk to a beach:
A cannonball jelly; apparently harmless:
Waves:
Pier:
Gift shop:
We walked out on the pier, while enjoying some very melty ice cream:
A sign with info about jellies:
Boardwalk:
Picnic shelters:
Gaillardia flowers growing wild (we used to buy them at a garden center):
Beach:
Pelicans:
We loaded our beach chairs, mini table, and cooler into our cart, to enjoy a picnic dinner on the beach:
Plane:
We stayed at Myrtle Beach State Park in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A nice state park in the tourist town of Myrtle Beach.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Nice under the trees
This is one of the most expensive state parks we’ve ever stayed at, but considering the location and what it would’ve cost at one of the resorts in the area, it’s a good deal, especially with the proximity to the beach. It was nice and shady under the trees, but it got tight on some of the roads for our 40′ motorhome. We had site 204, which was large enough for our motorhome and tow vehicle but extremely sloped front-to-back, and we couldn’t get completely level. The other major drawback is that the park is directly under the airport’s flight path, so it can get a bit loud. Thankfully, they seem to not operate after 11pm. We camped at Myrtle Beach State Park in a Motorhome.
Campground map; a mix of sites with 30 or 50 amp power, and with or without sewer:
An interactive map:
Our site was quite nice, other than not being very level:
Utilities:
We enjoyed being surrounded by tall trees:
Birds:
A glimpse of a plane overhead through the trees:
Playground:
“Hover like a Hummingbird”:
Bathrooms:
More bathrooms:
Garbage and recycling:
Circle entrance:
Other sites:
We’d be happy to stay here again. Stay tuned tomorrow for some scenes of the beach by the park.
We drove our coach 150 miles, about three hours of driving, from Columbia, South Carolina to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Reaching the East coast! (Other than Florida.)
Here’s a map showing our route, heading east:
An interactive map:
Leaving the state park:
A line for the dump station; we didn’t need to dump, but had to wait for a bit to get past:
The dump station:
I-20 East:
Fun with zoom:
Iron Skillet Restaurant at a Petro truck stop:
We like Petro, as not only do we get fuel discounts there, but they are often very large, with lots of parking spaces and uncrowded fuel lanes:
Our fuel fill; as usual, we paid less than the pump price thanks to our fuel discount card; we paid $204.71, a saving of $27.47:
Easy parking:
Petro has laundry and showers facilities, and even a hair salon:
And the aforementioned Iron Skillet Restaurant, where we had breakfast for lunch:
Back at our coach, Paladin asleep on the dash:
I-95 North:
Route 76 East:
Crossing over a portion of the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW), an inland water route near the coast that runs almost all the way down the East coast from Massachusetts to Florida and across the Gulf to Texas:
Arriving at Myrtle Beach State Park:
Camper check-in:
Following the coach to our site:
We stayed at Sesquicentennial State Park in Columbia, South Carolina. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A nice state park in the capital city of South Carolina.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
An oasis in the heart of Columbia
This park is smack dab in the middle of Columbia, but you’d never know that while you’re there since it’s so peaceful, with a nice lake and walking paths. A lot of the sites are unlevel without full hookups, but we had site 6 which was good in both regards. It was plenty long enough for our 40′ motorhome and tow vehicle, with a spacious living area next to the woods. The road leading into the campground has some large concrete bollards surrounding a narrow curving choke point, which made it a little interesting getting in and out. The roads are single-lane and one-way, with the dump station at that choke point, which meant a slight wait to get out when everyone else was also leaving and needed to dump their tanks. But that’s a minor thing to deal with when the rest of the stay was very pleasant. We camped at Sesquicentennial State Park in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
Adding the South Carolina sticker:
We also added the Congaree National Park sticker, after visiting that:
Park entrance:
Campground entrance:
Campground sign:
Fire pit, little library, pay phone:
Campground host:
Truck towing a fiver towing a trailer with a golf cart:
Other sites:
Dump station:
Splash pad, popular with kids during the day:
Playground:
A nice lake:
Cascades:
Nice picnic shelter:
Ranger station and gift store:
Gift store:
Some park-branded jams; we got Two Notch Traffic Jam (the park is off the busy Two Notch Road) and Sunday Picnic Sweet Tea Jelly (Jenn’s been enjoying Southern sweet tea):
(Though I had to go back a different day, as we went there on a walk without our wallets, and they don’t take ApplePay.)
Eastern box turtle:
Stuffed birds:
