We hung out at Del and Vicky’s in Georgia while we waited for things we’d ordered to arrive. We got Georgia driving licenses, so we had to wait for them to come in the mail. Tom also ordered some truck parts from Rock Auto, so we had to wait for them. And, the big item was a couple of e-bikes, which were, of course, the last things to arrive. They arrived Monday afternoon, so we put them together, got them packed in the truck, and were ready to depart Tuesday afternoon. We made it as far as Augusta, GA, and stopped at a Walmart just outside of Augusta about an hour after dark. Fortunately for us, the Walmart was near a few other stores we needed, so before heading for Columbia on Wednesday morning, we hit Tractor Supply to restock with dog food, Home Depot to get a medicine chest for our bathroom since our current bathroom closet is about to be taken over as a charging station, and an Academy Sports to get bicycle helmets and locks so we can cruise around on our new e-bikes. We stocked up on groceries at Walmart the night before, so even with these stops we were heading for Columbia shortly after 10am, and arrived around noon.
The South Carolina Capitol is very stately and is set in the middle of a multi-block garden with a maze of paths and lots of old trees. We walked around the interior paths an let the dogs enjoy the many squirrels, and then we walked the entire perimeter on the sidewalk near the streets, which was almost a mile by the time we walked all the way around. We encountered many people out for a lunchtime walk, and while the city around the capitol wasn’t the nicest we’ve seen, it had a lot of ethnic restaurants and was the kind of neighborhood where I’d want to work so I could walk for good food every day for lunch. We also found parking to be easy in an open surface lot right across the street from the capitol, although it was a little expensive at $8 for two hours. We fit with no problem, and it was easy to get in and out, so it was worth it.
When we finished at the capitol, we ate a quick lunch in the camper and headed for Poinsett State Park. Our next planned stop is Congaree National Park, but their campgrounds are tent only, so we decided on the state park where we could plug in for a few days since the weather is pretty gray and rainy and dismal and our solar isn’t fully charging the batteries. This park has lots of nice hiking trails, so we are planning to get out and hike in between rain showers. And, when it’s raining, we have a few camper projects to finish so we can make good use of our time. Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be nicer, so we are planning to make the hour’s drive to Congaree then and hike around, and then come back to this campground for a night so we can do a Saturday morning hike and then head south.
When we finished at the capitol, we ate a quick lunch in the camper and headed for Poinsett State Park. Our next planned stop is Congaree National Park, but their campgrounds are tent only, so we decided on the state park where we could plug in for a few days since the weather is pretty gray and rainy and dismal and our solar isn’t fully charging the batteries. This park has lots of nice hiking trails, so we are planning to get out and hike in between rain showers. And, when it’s raining, we have a few camper projects to finish so we can make good use of our time. Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be nicer, so we are planning to make the hour’s drive to Congaree then and hike around, and then come back to this campground for a night so we can do a Saturday morning hike and then head south.
