Nov 14, 2022: Let the Road Trip Begin!

After almost 5 months in Asheville, we decided it was time to pack up and become nomads again. This time we will be land pirates, exploring the United States on RV Aventis. New Adventures here we come!

With the threat of freezing rain in Asheville, we decide to leave town a day early. The plan is to take the next 7 days to make our way to Orlando, where we will spend Thanksgiving with the girls.

The RV is 40ft long and our 3500 Ram truck is 20ft. When hitched together we extend to 55 ft. This can make for some pretty stressful and bumpy driving especially on some of the roads that are badly in need of repair.

Ideally, we drive 2-3 hours per travel day and spend 2-3 nights at each spot giving us time to explore.

Our first stop is Santee Lake in Summerton, SC. This quaint campground was fairly deserted. Not exactly a busy time of year to be on this beautiful lake.

We spent three nights here enjoying the peace and quiet, knowing that as we move south, we will find lots of other RVers.

The set up of the inside of the RV is working well for us. Shannon has a nice work station, where his large screen monitor fits perfectly. Addie does school work at the island and Ashley crafts anywhere there is an available space.

Outside, we have the flexibility to set up in whatever way works best based on the landscape and if the site provides a picnic table and/or fire pit.

We enjoyed walking the beautiful grounds even though it was cold. Very glad we all purchased puffy jackets!!

Definitely wearing a few more layers than we did on the boat!!

Time to make a move – our next stop is Jekyll Island, GA. Our plan is to travel around the United States, spending more time in the states we have not yet been to. We have spent a fair amount of time in GA, so this visit will be two quick nights at the Jekyll Island Campground.

Even though we met the family at Jekyll Island just this past summer to celebrate Julie/Mom/Grandma, the dogs were not with us, so Addie is excited to show them Driftwood Beach.

It is truly a unique place with giant dead trees lining the beach.

We are ready for some warmer weather. The hope is that we will find it in FL. We made our way to Beverly Beach Campertown RV Resort on Flagler Beach, FL.

We arrived mid-afternoon and were happy to feel air temps in the low to mid 60s. Our spot was amazing, right on the sea wall. It was covered in new sand from Hurricane Nicole, which hit this area just one week prior.

We felt fortunate to be able to visit this site, as it had just reopened the day before.

Our one full day here turned out to be 55 and rainy, all day. Bummer!

We made the most of it, enjoying the fire and watching football.

Ashley even spent some time crafting, getting inspiration from this amazing backdrop.

The next morning the rain stopped and we had just enough time to comb the beach for treasures before making the 2.5 hour trip to Orlando.

Coming Up Next: A fun Thanksgiving week in Orlando!