Nov 6
Heading south through the Delmarva Peninsula, we quickly pass through Delaware, Maryland, and enter Virginia
We take the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to cross from the Peninsula to the mainland. Crossing under the ocean via tunnel is an interesting experience, I’m glad they were not long. The two way traffic in confined space is slightly nerve wracking!
Check-in to First Landing State Park was quick and easy.
Finding our site was slightly more complicated ... the map does not quite match up (what a surprise!)
A double parking lot makes the site easy peasy and setup went swimmingly (we are so glad that truck camper setup is so straightforward compared to our fellow trailer campers. Those things look complicated!)
A nap. After flipping on the power and opening the vents, I nap. Thanks to daylight savings time and little sleep, I NEEDED a nap. The pups curled up and we did not wiggle for an hour.
Time for food! He wants pizza (like every night) and Virginia Beach has a Whole Foods. Grocery shopping!
We are stocking up for the week. 😄
Driving to our newest home in the dark is always a challenge. My night vision comes with halos - an eternal holiday light effect. I SHOULD have left an external light on at the camper, but I did not. Oh well. Easily found. Cooked frozen pizza (no Amy’s Mushroom Veggie 😢, I had to get a Daiya instead, not my favorite). Ate formerly frozen pizza. Shared bits with pups. Happy animals in the camper. 😜
Virginia drivers are slow. 5 to 10 miles under the speed limit slow. I come from a 10 miles over area. Interesting contrast.
The education and health level of people in Virginia Beach appears higher than the Delmarva Peninsula.
More military. Cute young guys working (I’ve been admiring physiques ... what does that make me? I’ll go with happy. 😜)
Nov 7
It is remarkably dark and quiet out here, especially considering how close we are to the city.
Looking out across the beach last night, I kept wondering what all the pretty lights were ... duh, the bridge tunnel!
Military song and maneuvers began at 8 am ... a bit noisy but of short duration.
The wind is blowing, the clouds are out, the birds are traveling, and we are wandering around First Landing and planning tomorrow. I do not know how you would do this without data connection. I guess your camp host had to know the area a LOT better back then!
Shower! The showers here rank with Oceanfront Camping at Reach Knolls for comfort and heat level. Spaciousness is similar between the two. (However, OCRK wins cleanliness hands down!!!)
The ADA shower here probably would pass inspection.
Nov 8-9
First Landing State Park
Nov 10
OBX
We went back and forth with the outer banks of North Carolina. The campgrounds are expensive ($50+ per night) and they are smack dab in the center of tourist ville. The national parks are a lovely alternative, but himself was adamant about "no cold showers." (No hot water at the NPs.)
So I started looking for "inner bank" alternatives, which were expensive (still?!?) and few and far between.
Mr. SMT finally gets on the searching for a campground program and discovers that ... North Carolina is expensive. His solution? Oregon Inlet Campground National Park (cold showers).
But, at $24/night it is a reasonable alternative. We book three days.
The campground is fairly quiet at our arrival. I do not think any more than 10 sites are full during our visit.
The sites are really nice, plenty of room, somewhat protected by the dunes, and they DO have hot water. The only park that does, apparently.
Except, the showers are pull chain, intant on/instant off faucets, with HUGE gaps beneath and on top of the doors. And, with the wind blowing, the temperature is hitting in the 20s when factoring wind chill. This southern bumpkin ain’t gonna do a military shower in 20 degree weather. The sink in the Northern Lite bathroom is perfectly sized and placed to have a spit bath, thank you very much!
Nov 11
A large group has set up in the tent camping area, and the wind is blowing so hard several tents are vying for "first to collapse!"
We drive down to the point, leaving the pups in the Jeep while we frollick on the beach. Mr. SMT discusses getting a driving on the beach permit for our next visit.
Nov 12
We head to Kill Devils Hill for the Wright Brothers memorial. Veteran’s weekend = free entry. Thank you NPS and Veterans!
Nov 13 - 17
Huntington State Park
Murrells Beach, SC
Drive all day
Easy check-in
Nice park, great loops. Choose one of the interior sites if you want more open space and fewer trees, choose a perimeter or the outermost loop if you want more trees, shade, and privacy.
Site 119, shaded, treed, private. Close to bathroom, but not too close.
Practically the parfect park. Good showers, nicely spaced sites, site choice diversity, can camp 42 nights in a row, great beach. Probably our greatest nightmare during tourist season!!! A great option for us in the off season!
Himself enjoyed the drive through Pawleys Island, where we shopped, but HATED Myrtle’s Beach. So we never ventured north to any experiences thataway.
We wandered the beaches during the day and night. (My MIL asked how we get around at night, walk the dogs, and not get lost? My response, 🤯!)
The marsh is really cool. We enjoyed the oyster beds (and spitting oysters closing for low tide), tiny crabs, blue crabs, snails, and birds ... lotsa birds. Two species of heron, egrets, shorebirds, owls.
Nov 17
Exit park
Head south to avoid Myrtles Beach craziness (if it is this bad in mid November, it must be hell in summer!)
We wend our way through county roads on our way to I20W. At least we get to see a C variety. Instead of corn only, we get fields of cotton, too!
Georgia begins the type of rolling hills/mountain foothills I seek. But it is too far south. There’s few degrees separating our summer temp averages. Yuck.
Home
We searched for campgrounds in Florida so that we could spend Thanksgiving on the road. Florida is full up! No spaces. So, we head home. We camp in rest stops and truck stops, thankful for the cool weather.
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