A New State for the Phaeton

Wednesday, 5 December
Bass Lake Campground — Dillon, South Carolina
Temps: LO in Ashland 56F / HI in Dillon 73F (13C / 23C)

Another day on the road has brought us from Virginia … through North Carolina … and into South Carolina — a new state for the Phaeton.  And for us, too.  Except for a short weekend getaway to Charleston in 2005, this will be the first time we will be spending meaningful time in the state.

283 miles (453 km) later, we’re at our overnight spot in Dillon, South Carolina.

After a good night’s rest in the parking lot of RV Service of Virginia in Ashland, we were up at 6:00a refreshed and ready to go.  We had breakfast, pulled in the slides, and by the time the techs started showing up for their shift at 8:00a, the toad was hooked up and we were ready to go.  We needed to see Rusty, the owner, to make payment for services rendered.  So, while we waited for him to arrive, we researched stops for the rest of the week.  Forty-five minutes later, the bill settled, we were driving down I-95S under overcast skies and a light drizzle.

(P.S.  We’re happy with the service we received and the final bill; we would recommend RV Service of Virginia.)

Our first stop was at the Carson weigh station south of Richmond to get a reality check on just where we stand with the Phaeton fully loaded.  The ideal is to weigh each corner of the coach separately — and we’ll get that done at some point.  Until then, today’s front- and rear-axle weigh-in will suffice.  The good news — we’re well under the Phaeton specs; and as a bonus, we even have the toad’s weight documented.

The moment of truth is at hand — will the Phaeton have to lose some weight?
The answer — no; we’re good to go!

The light drizzle that accompanied us most of the morning, turned into a shower for a brief while, but didn’t impact the drive.  In fact, at the risk of jinxing us, I have to say that I-95, which is notorious for traffic problems, has been good to us thus far.  Shortly after 11:00a, we pulled into a rest station at milepost 5 in North Carolina for an early lunch.  Having left the rain in Virginia, we opted to have lunch at one of the covered picnic tables and do some ‘rig watching’ to entertain ourselves.

The first of what we hope will be many al fresco meals on this adventure we’ve embarked upon.

The remaining 180 miles (288 km) — give or take a mile or two — went by in a jiffy and at 3:00p we pulled into Bass Lake Campground in Dillon, SC.  Right off I-95, this Passport America park is just the thing for an overnight stop; and the 50% discounted rate — $17.44 with tax (cash only) — for a 50 amp FHU site is a downright bargain after the beaucoup bucks we paid at BRRP.  Yeah, there is a bit of interstate noise, but its muted when we’re inside the coach.  We’re in a pull-through site in the front row.  The ample width means we’ve got plenty of space between us and our neighbors on either side, and the long length means the toad stays hooked up — especially convenient for a one night stay.  And the free wi-fi is nothing to sneeze at when you have a limited data plan ;-)  Admittedly, the signal strength wasn’t great, but after Mui routed the signal through our Cradlepoint, we went from 2 bars to 5 bars — yay for free wi-fi that works!

The space between each site can easily accommodate another rig and is set up for that,
but those spots now have picnic tables instead.

After setting up, we stopped by the office to get details on their storage facilities — you never know when we might need a spot — and then went for a short walk down to the edge of the lake on the property.  There wasn’t much in the way of views, but the still waters made a great mirror for some “double the pleasure” photo ops.

We wrapped up our day with an al fresco dinner at the picnic table on our site, finishing our meal just as the skies opened up in a downpour.  It’s been raining on and off since then, but we’re cozy in our home, so we don’t mind ;-)

I’ll leave you with a photo of an interesting rig we saw in the storage area.  Wouldn’t this be an eye catcher as it trundled down the freeway?

A log cabin rig complete with a fold-down porch!

We have a short drive to our next stop, so we’ll be taking our time before we leave Bass Lake tomorrow.  Loving this life …