When I arrived back at Myrtle Beach, it was HOT. Like 95F hot, and humid. I had spent the last six weeks in a fleece jacket and long pants so I was totally unprepared for the conditions. And I still had my stupid head cold.
The good news upon my arrival back in MB was that the Ridgeline was all fixed up from its winter accident in the parking garage. A quick Uber ride from the airport to the repair place reunited me with my truck, all washed up and ready to go. Me, too. I jumped in and we headed to the storage unit to rescue Breeze from the hot sun and get all three of us to a shady campground spot.
Did I mention that it was stupidly hot? And I was sick? I spent the next four days sleeping and taking meds, waking up to drink more water and make sure the A/C was still running. How sick was I? I literally didn’t see the beach till Day 4, the day before I left to head north. I didn’t walk far, just enough to get my toes wet and appreciate the slight breeze off the water.
My next stop for any length of time was at the bottom of the Delmarva Peninsula, so I was planning to get there in two jumps of one night each. I hadn’t planned on the heat, though, so I did my hitching up slowly and carefully, making sure I was doing it right. Kind of weird to be hitching up after six weeks away from it; I was sure I was forgetting something really important but it was just nerves.
First stop was a new state park in North Carolina, Raven Rock. Half the campground loop is full hookups, which was a nice treat, even if it was a short stay and I didn’t really need the sewer hookup. Still, it saved me from having to do a separate dump stop on the way out, so that was nice.
Here’s a note for the campers in the audience. LevelMatePro is a really excellent tool for leveling your trailer or van. It has a base unit that you install in the trailer when it’s level and then it learns what “level” means. After that, every time you pull into a campground, turn on the base unit and the matching phone app to see how level the site is as you’re backing in. For a solo camper like me, it’s a game-changer. I can get close to level without ever getting out of my truck. And once I’m close to level, I can place my Anderson leveler or pads on the side that needs it and then use the app to see when I’ve gotten level side to side. After unhitching, I use it to make sure I’m level from to back. It’s my new favorite thing.
Second stop was a familiar one, Longwood Park up near Clarksville, VA. It’s another great US Army Corps of Engineers campground, with big sites and, in cooler weather, nearby water to paddle on. This trip, I didn’t even bother to unhitch for my one-night stay because it was level enough (thanks, LevelMatePro!) that I didn’t need to. And in the heat, it saved me a bit of energy on the morning I left, which was a nice bonus.
The next leg was long, with a bit of everything I don’t like about driving while towing: construction zones, detours, crowded gas stations, and the always challenging traffic in and around Virginia Beach. By the time I got to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel, I was happy to see the water and know my stop was at the other end. Kiptopeke State Park, four nights, two of them here and then two more in a similarly shaded spot, which was great considering the temps were hitting over 90F on a daily basis.
I did take a few beach walks in the mornings, before the heat and humidity chased me back inside. The line of concrete ships is still out there on the horizon, and the breeze, although hot, was a welcome change to the near-constant drone of the A/C unit in my Alto.
In a well-timed break from the weather, I drove north one more time to Delaware, leaving Breeze in a storage spot for five nights while I enjoyed the hospitality of my friends Karen and Steve and their beach house with super-cool A/C and a big fridge and freezer, where the ice cream was stored in abundance.
They live close to Assateague so we took a drive down to get some cool breezes (check!) and see the horses (check!). It was baby pony season and we spotted a few colts following their moms through the throngs of people and cars. Rangers were busy keeping the horses safe and the people moving along, but we did get stopped long enough for me to get this shot.
While it was hot enough most of the time that I didn’t want to leave the A/C for a walk, it did cool off towards the end of my stay and I enjoyed walking around the neighborhood with Karen and Sophie the dog.
And if you know anything about Karen, it’s that she’s an ice cream expert, and so we ended up at this spot in Bethany Beach just as it opened for the day. Delicious!
And for those who followed my recent adventures in Scotland, the irony of my visit to Delaware is that there is a small herd of Highland Cows you can visit any time. Which we did because this was closer than I got to any of these things in Scotland, I’ll tell you that!
Five days in a big house, hanging out with friends, sleeping in and not having to deal with trailer stuff in the heat was a wonderful break. Thanks, Karen and Steve (and Sophie) for the hospitality and the fun!
Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.
Sam Keen
Great picture of the mare and colt with their tails swishing at exactly the same direction!
I’m shocked you took pictures at all (and wrote a blog!) while in feeling sick in the humid heat. Well done! You’re a trooper.
What a great combination of camping and visiting. Plus….ice cream!!!
We enjoyed your stay! We’ll have to do it again in an off season. Oh, and don’t forget that great hot dog in Berlin, MD.