Posts featuring the coach.
The entry door on our coach was not closing or opening very well, especially when in the sun. Apparently the door latch wasn’t the correct model. So we got that replaced by Coach Connection in Red Bay:
The door arm (that holds it open) was also sagging and catching on the door, so we got him to replace that too:
Both so much better now.
We stayed at Cape Charles / Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort in Cape Charles, Virginia. (Campground Reviews listing.)
A decent RV park with a private beach and restaurant. This was a last-minute change to avoid traveling on the Memorial Day weekend; amazingly, we were able to get a reservation just a few days before the holiday, despite it being packed with holiday campers.
Dates:
Weather:
Noise:
Site:
Utilities:
Internet (in usage priority order):
Amenities:
Our review on Campground Reviews:
Like being in the Keys on the Chesapeake
This was a last-minute change for Memorial Day weekend. We were surprised there was availability the week before the holiday, and there were even a few empty sites all weekend. The campsites themselves were pretty basic (bare grass with a fire ring and picnic table), but the amenities were top-notch. We had dinner a couple of times at the beachside restaurant and enjoyed it both times. With a rum drink in hand and a salt breeze off the water, it was very relaxing after a long day of driving and the stress of getting over/through the bridge tunnel. Being a holiday weekend, it was pretty rambunctious in the campground, but it really cleared out on Monday, and it was pretty much just us and the long-term residents. We camped at Cape Charles / Chesapeake Bay KOA Resort in a Motorhome.
Campground map:
An interactive map:
Our site:
The sites were fairly tight back-to-back:
A large gathering on our driver side:
Other sites:
Tight roads, with everyone parked on the edge of the road:
Pool area:
We appreciate it when there’s an onsite restaurant, especially on travel days, so we don’t have to cook. This park has the Sunset Beach Bar & Grille:
Private beach:
A nice KOA. We’d be happy to stay here again, but probably won’t, since access via tunnels under the bay is a bit harrowing in our big rig.
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 156 miles from Chocowinity, North Carolina to Cape Charles, Virginia. Including a couple of tunnels.
We drove our coach 156 miles, about two hours of driving, from Chocowinity, North Carolina to Cape Charles, Virginia. Another new state.
This was a late change in our plans. We were originally going to head more directly north, but we realized that we’d be traveling over the Memorial Day weekend, which is one of the busiest camper weekends. And checking in to a first-come-first-served Thousand Trails park during that weekend, so would probably struggle to find a good site. So we decided to add a stop elsewhere between the two, to avoid both issues. In retrospect, we chose poorly (okay, I chose poorly), since we didn’t realize that the route would involve some narrow tunnels.
Here’s a map showing our route, heading northeast:
An interactive map:
Washington, North Carolina:
13 / 17 North:
Not a lot of stopping opportunities on this route. I found a nice big parking lot that worked well, also a convenient walk to a McDonald’s for lunch:
Paladin sat in his nest on the dash as we headed out again, until we got back on the highway:
Roanoke River:
Chowan River:
Future I-87:
Paladin asleep:
Perquimans River:
Exit to Chesapeake:
Future I-87 again:
A break at the Dismal Swamp Canal Visitor Center rest area:
Snuggling with Paladin:
Paladin on the dash:
As we left this rest area, we had a strange wobble — it felt like the wheels of the coach were loose or something, but on looking at the 360 camera footage from the truck later, it looks like the front truck tires possibly weren’t pointing in the right direction as we made a turn out of the rest area, and they hopped a few times. We pulled over, then resumed while keeping any eye on things; it was fine after that. Rather disconcerting, but no harm done as far as we can tell.
That issue did occur again on a subsequent trip. But we have since replaced our truck tires, as the front ones were getting a bit bald on the outer edges, so hopefully it won’t occur again.
“Welcome to Virginia”:
Exit:
Bainbridge?! To us, Bainbridge is an island in the Puget Sound, across from Seattle:
Southern Branch Elizabeth River:
Exit:
We hadn’t seen a “Signal Red Ahead” warning before:
I wonder what was on “Pleasure House Road”?
Toll plaza:
A bridge-tunnel across the mouth of Chesapeake Bay; part bridges, part two tunnels under the water:
13’ 6” height restriction. Our coach is 12’ 7”. 11 inches of clearance is totally fine, not at all concerning!
They’re working on adding a second tunnel for opposing traffic, but for now both ways goes through the same tunnel:
A couple of snapshots from the 360 camera on the truck; look at all those inches of clearance (remember too that our AC units stick up a little higher than the roof rail):
An animated GIF:
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A ship going over the second tunnel:
Our destination:
Guided to our site:
We originally were going to go back through those tunnels, and a third tunnel and roadworks north of Virginia Beach, but decided to change our plans again to avoid those; more on that next week.
And check out the video today; it includes views from the truck, and lots of interesting bits including an instant replay of the truck wobble thing, and the truck and coach views of going through the two tunnels, and more.
I recently generated a QR code for the Sinclair Trails blog; scanning this code will take you to a variation of the About Sinclair Trails page, that introduces the blog and gives background info about us, our coach, and truck:
I bought a couple of large stickers with that QR code from a seller on Etsy (the same one I used for the big Sinclair Trails logo sticker), and added the smaller one between the states map and URL on the side of our slide-out:
From further back:
The QR code can be read from this far back (or a little further). Here’s a screenshot of the iPhone Camera app reading the QR code:
I also added a larger sticker on the back of our coach. I have a ladder, but it was easier (and more stable) to back up our truck to the rear of the coach, and stand on the tailgate:
Here’s the big QR code on the rear of our coach, so passengers can scan it while passing us on the road:
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.
A timelapse of driving our RV, a Tiffin Allegro Bus motorhome, 201 miles from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina to Chocowinity, North Carolina.
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:
We had some flaking paint and sealant along the roofline of our coach, which could potentially leak in time. We’ve been meaning to get it fixed for a while, and had an opportunity in Red Bay.
I don’t have any great “before” pictures, but you can see some flaking in this picture, just above the gutter that goes all the way across:
We took our coach to Pro Finishes in Belmont:
We waited in their customer lounge while they worked on it:
They had Girl Scout cookies for sale, so we bought some:
Our coach in their shop:
Another coach, wrapped in plastic for painting:
Back at our site, closeups of the repairs:
Much better.
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.