I’m writing this blog in Connecticut, long after and far away from the events I’m about to share. “Why, pray tell, did you wait so long?” you ask. “Isn’t it easier to capture your stories as they happen?”

I will tell you why I’m tardy. And yes, it is way easier to write about our travels when it is fresh in one’s mind, especially at my age. Unfortunately, just because we are “living the dream” doesn’t mean crud stops happening, and happen it did. We have been grinding through a rather long 4 weeks of urgent care visits, lab work, and trips to the pharmacy as both of us have struggled with illness. Lois’s troubles are of a kind that, well, only women seem to get — infections of various sorts. As for me, I’m still working through a bad head cold-turned-cough — now sinus infection — that has plagued me for way too many weeks. C’est la vie!

But the good news is the dark clouds are beginning to part, and the sun should soon shine again on our North American escapade. So here you have it — my best recollection of fun times with Harold the RV while crawling up the Southeast Coast, six weeks ago and a 1000 miles away. Enjoy!

New Found Southern Addictions (a Confession)

Wow! That’s quite an introduction to an otherwise family friendly travelogue. But truth be told, as Lois and I have journeyed through the South, we have stumbled across a number of habit forming delights. Here are some of our favorites.

Smoothie King — We knew nothing about this smoothie restaurant until we arrived in Texas. Now we can’t get it out of our head. It’s fair to say Lois led us into this addition. Smoothie King began in New Orleans about 50 years ago. It was the creative genius of some guy who started a healthy juice bar. Over the years it has evolved into a powerhouse chain in 30-something states. For you West Coasters think Jamba Juice, but IMHO much better with fresh (not frozen) fruit and few pre-made ingredients. Their piece de resistance, and our go-to menu item, is their fruit bowl layered with soft frozen açaí sorbet, fresh sliced fruit on top, and drizzled with yummy things like chocolate syrup and cacao nibs (Lois) or raw peanut butter (Alan). In fact, the “royal we” (not me) are so fanatical about this place that the standard answer to questions like “What do you want for breakfast/lunch/dinner?” is always “Smoothie King!”

Snow Balls — Neither a snow cone nor a Hawaiian shave ice, it nonetheless fits somewhere in that family of frozen treats. The best snow ball places are the one-off mom and pop shacks scattered here and there around town. A large 32 oz. is a good size to start with. The cup is overfilled with shave ice with a big round dome on top. Next comes the syrup, 30-40 flavors to choose from. And then there are toppings, of course, such as sweet cream drizzle. Surely, this ginormous frozen dessert in the Deep South was originally created to fight back summertime heat and humidity. Lois does mango with cream. I like mine stuffed with a big ball of soft serve vanilla ice cream in the middle of the cup, soaked with root beer. All it takes is one snow ball on a hot humid day and you’re hooked. Like any habit forming substance, they should give you the first one for free!

Chicken and What? — Near Charleston, SC, Lois and I had dinner at a local family run Southern restaurant renowned for its fried chicken. And it was there that we finally jumped off a high Epicurious cliff and straight into every Southerner’s favorite -- chicken and waffles. I kid you not, it is a real thing. As for how it is prepared (at least at this restaurant), the waffle itself is not sweet. Herbs, kernels of corn, and various scraps from the grill are mixed into the batter prior to cooking. Then huge pieces of boneless Panko encrusted chicken, fried to perfection, are placed on top, completing the savory side of the equation. All of this is counterbalanced with (you guessed it) loads of sweet maple syrup. The verdict? Everything about it is amazing!

With that meal under our belt, or I should say in our belly spilling over our belt, I gotta believe that Chicken and Waffles made by anyone else would be a huge let down. Take KFC, for example. They advertise in the South that “Chicken and Waffles is back!” Are you kidding me? I gave up on the Colonel long ago. That just sounds gross to me.

Final analysis: The Chicken and Waffles near Charleston was awesome, but it missed the cut as one of our Southern addictions. But that’s OK.

Hey, all this talk about food is making me hungry. How about Smoothie King tonight?

Click Images to Enlarge

Savannah, Georgia

Located near the Georgia coast, this is where we began making a big lefthand turn towards the north. And none too soon as it was hot and humid our entire stay. Summer was definitely knocking on the door.

Savannah is an amazing, very old, architecturally scenic city with tons of nooks and crannies to explore. If the weather was more cooperative, we could have easily stayed much longer in this special part of our country. While there, we took an Old Towne Trolley tour which gave us a brief glimpse of Savannah’s history. At the same time, the tour helped us dog ear certain neighborhoods to explore on our own. Interestingly, we learned that it was the English who originally laid out the town using a repeating pattern of a single square park surrounded by a couple of streets worth of buildings — houses, churches, and businesses. More than 20 of these building blocks (or districts) were smushed together by the English in the founding city plan.

Dining and shopping was good, but most of our time was spent walking from one square to another, checking out magnificent houses, churches and historic places of all sorts.

Savannah is not on the Atlantic coast, but it is built instead on a major river that empties into the sea. Just 20 minutes away, we visited a small barrier island named Tybee, a popular tourist destination. Its beaches are amazing. The town includes a lighthouse and a prerequisite pier taking you 50 yards out to sea with perfect views of the beach and the local community. Next time we visit, we will bring the beach gear and enjoy the warm water and cool sea breezes that Tybee has to offer.

Charleston, South Carolina

Yet another jewel near the Southeast coast, Charleston is likewise a must see city. In fact, it shares much with Savannah in terms of beauty, architecture, age and historical importance. Once again, we did exploring by foot, taking in beautiful homes, churches and sites. Unfortunately, our stay in this city was cut short because we waited too long to book our RV Park — our stop in Charleston coincided with Memorial Day weekend. Even so, we lucked out and were able to do a 2 night stay, then did our best to make the most of our limited time. A highlight was visiting a huge and very beautiful Southern plantation, the first we visited since arriving in the South. And later that same evening, we headed back into Charleston for a horse drawn carriage ride. Like Savannah, we love the city and will be back for more.

Along the Way to Virginia

Our ultimate destination for this leg of our journey was a small town named Powhatan, just west of Richmond, VA where our friends Tim and Barb live. Along the way to their house, we also stayed in:

Wilmington, NC — Yet another interesting town near the coast, hidden behind the Carolina barrier islands, this stop was more about resting and catching up on life. We did venture out to Topsail Island, yet another summertime destination, and it was there something crazy happened.

As we combed the beach and watched swimmers and surfers play in the water — half surprised, but half not — something suddenly popped in Lois’s brain. Not just a compulsion, more like a trance, she jumped into the water and began body surfing in the waves. “Did we have our swim gear?” Absolutely not. But nothing was going to stop Lois in that moment — it was time for some creative improvisation. Imagine people’s stares as she left her belongings with me and dunked herself into the surf. That’s my Lois! She never passes up a swim, especially at the beach. And just in case this story leaves you shocked and horrified, her go-to plan was a family friendly swim with her clothes on. Heaven forbid if it was dusk; she might have gone for Plan B.

New Bern, NC — This was another mostly rest and do nothing stop. Unfortunately, it was also where our health began to unravel. Local care was good, and Lois was able to quickly get some antibiotics to help her with a sudden raging infection. Little did we know this was only the beginning of quite a saga of events. But as I mentioned up front, things are improving. Prayers for a full healing are greatly appreciated.

Private Farm near Halifax, NC — When we need a one night stop, more and more we’ve been leaning on Harvest Hosts to find a play to stay. Through their network of providers, they offer interesting places to park your RV overnight: wineries, restaurants, and in this case a private farm. Generally speaking, little to no amenities are provided. This night we simply parked Harold the RV in their designated field. The hosts were extremely friendly, and we enjoyed long conversations about their adventures on the farm and our full-time RV’ing. They also had quite a menagerie of farm animals to enjoy. So much fun!

Good Times in Powhatan, VA

Our dear friends Tim and Barb… and Libby, too

Thank you, Tim and Barb, for everything you did to make our stay perfect. We are so happy to be reconnected with you and your wonderful family. It had been way too many years since we last saw you. How wonderful it is that from the moment we arrived and traded hugs, our friendship continued right where we left it. You live in a beautiful rural development with a perfect house to match. Special thanks to you, Tim, for buddying up with me on Harold’s oil change plus the beautiful panel we built and installed in our bathroom. Barb, you so warmly received us and catered to our every need. We appreciate you letting us crash your laundry room. Special thanks to Libby-the-Dog for allowing Lois to love on and play with her every single day. Last but not least, what a treat it was to celebrate your birthday, Tim, with daughters Karen, Mary, and their families.

We love you guys and will be back for more mooch-docking at your home built RV pad later this year.

What’s Next?

In our next blog, I’ll catch you up on our trip to New England via the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia, Pennsylvania Dutch Country near Lancaster, and a quick stop in Northeast Pennsylvania.

Venturing Up the Southeast Coast