Goodbye Lake Greenwood

Thursday, 8 August
Somewhere ON I-95 South Heading to Florida

Our month-long stay at the Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort in South Carolina is over.  At the moment, we are heading south on I-95 with another 100 miles (160 km) or so to get to our destination in northern Florida.

Technically, we had one more day left at Lake Greenwood, but we made the mistake on Tuesday of trying to get some fresh air into the coach.  One open window … two Fantastic fans … and before we knew it, hundreds of the gnat-like bugs had found their way through the screens and were swirling about inside.

The gnats were around from day one.  They didn’t bite, so when sitting outside, we just used our fans to keep them away from the patio.  But they did come inside every time we opened and closed the door.  Not in large numbers, though.  The bowls we set out with apple cider vinegar mixed with dishwashing detergent did a good job of trapping them.  Unfortunately, the traps were not up to the task of dealing with the bigger population that made themselves at home in the coach on Tuesday.  Luckily, these gnats must be deaf.  Mui was able to periodically vacuum them off mirrors, windows, and counters to make a dent in their numbers.  By the time he was done with that exercise, though, we had made the decision to move on.

Despite the gnats, we really enjoyed our stay at Lake Greenwood.  The weather was more cooperative than I expected it would be this time of the year in South Carolina.  We managed to be outdoors every morning until the temps finally drove us inside the coach around 1:00p.  Mui used the time outdoors to catch up on some Phaeton maintenance, including giving it an overall coating of UV protection.  I used the time for continued trip research, and reading books on my new Kindle (loving it, by the way)!

Scraping off the rust and giving the steps another coat of Rust-oleum
has become an annual maintenance item.

Late afternoon dips in the pool served as refreshing interludes and led to happy hour on the patio, where our two outdoor fans kept not just the gnats at bay, but kept us cool as well.  Our current plans call for us to head west this winter, so it will be a while before we have a chance to return to Lake Greenwood.  But return we will someday for another quiet R&R stay.

A nice setting for happy hour!

We debated splitting today’s drive into two segments, but decided to push through instead.  It’s been an easy drive on secondary roads, but rest areas have been pretty-much non-existent.  So, we stopped at a weigh station on I-16 to give Mui a break shortly before noon.  While at it, we re-confirmed the Phaeton’s weight.  You might recall that we were slightly over our rear axle limit due to the full water tank we were carrying when we got ourselves weighed at Freightliner in July.  I’m happy to report that with the extra pounds shed, we are back to being within our normal limits.  That’s a good feeling.

Time to get the beast fed, so I’ll finish up this post.  See ya in Florida!

Entertaining Friends … and a Bit More

Sunday, 28 July
Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort — Cross Hill, SOUTH CAROLINA
Temps: Lo 69F / Hi 88F (20.5C / 31C)

We’ve not done anything exciting since my 10-day overview post last Saturday.  So why post today?  I want to make sure I don’t overlook the fun evening we had with Nur, Mui’s high school classmate, and her husband, Faruk.  Consider it a “making the journal whole” blog entry.

After enjoying their hospitality the week before, we invited Nur and Faruk to join us for dinner at the Phaeton on Sunday (the 21st).  Despite a rain delay on their way from Spartanburg — it was sunshine and blue skies here at Lake Greenwood — we were able to proceed with plans for cocktails on the patio.  It was a bit hot and humid, but with the awning curtain in place, we did get to sit outside for a couple of hours.

Shrimp cocktail, mini quiche, and a cheese platter accompany our adult beverages.

Around 7:00p, I took Nur and Faruk for a walk around the resort, giving Mui a chance to set up for dinner.  Knowing that with dusk the pesky mosquitoes would make an appearance, we opted to have dinner inside.  On the menu: salad, grilled salmon and grilled vegies with a balsamic reduction, and key lime pie for dessert.  Thanks go to Nur and Faruk for the sweet ending to our meal.

An enjoyable evening was had by all!

We enjoyed entertaining them at our home; and they said they enjoyed the hospitality.  So, by all accounts it was a successful and fun evening.

This week has been a quiet one for us — one of several in a row.  With the weather cooperating, mornings on the patio has been the rule.  Since we’re early-risers, this has worked out quite nicely.

This great blue heron visits the neighbor’s dock in the mornings.
I was just zooming out to show you the big picture when he decided to take off.

What better way to enjoy breakfast than on the patio?

By noon, the rising temps start to signal that it is time for a change of venue.  We stretch the outdoors time with the help of the fan, but eventually we have to retreat inside for the hottest hours of the afternoon.  A good time to catch up on indoor projects and chores.

Installing a screen-door bar has been on Mui’s project list for a while.
Sure beats pushing on the screen to open the door.

Pool time in the late afternoon has become a pleasurable habit — one that we will miss when we leave here.  Surprisingly, we’ve had the pool to ourselves on most of the days.  One of these days we will remember to take the camera with us.  In the meantime, here’s a photo — albeit on an overcast day — from our first visit here in June.

The pool water warms up nicely from All the sunshine we’ve been getting — just the way I like it.

The weather this week has been really great — far better than we anticipated when we booked our mid-summer stay here at Lake Greenwood.  Mostly sunshine and blue skies.  Mostly dry.  Yesterday was the only on-and-off-rain day.  Not a bother since I was feeling a little under-the-weather and was stuck inside anyway.  I curled up in my spot by the window and read books on my Kindle — yes, I have finally joined all you eReaders out there; and so has Mui.  The rest of the short-lived wet-stuff has been making an appearance late at night.  Tonight’s the exception — the out-of-nowhere rain shower came through just in time to ruin sunset for us.  But no worries, I have pictures from earlier this week.

For those wondering if we’re ever going to get off our butts and do something … the answer is yes.  But it probably won’t happen until we leave Lake Greenwood.  We’re enjoying this resort too much to go anywhere else at the moment.

10 Days at Lake Greenwood … Already

Saturday, 20 July
Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort — Cross Hill, SOUTH CAROLINA
Temps: Lo 71F / Hi 88F (21.5C / 31C)

Should I say that time is flying … again?  I seem to say that a lot, don’t I?  But it seems like that’s the case no matter where we are or what we are doing.  Honestly, except for a couple of projects, some chores not worth mentioning, and two outings for shopping and visiting with friends, we’ve not been doing much more than chilling and reading since we plunked ourselves down at the Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort ten days ago.

81 easy miles (130 km) brings us from Gaffney to Lake Greenwood near Cross Hill.
(the inset map shows Our meanderings to-date.)

Faithful readers may recall that we stayed at this motorcoach resort for a few days in June when our plans to camp at the Army Rec Area at Lake Strom Thurmond fizzled out because of ants (post here).  We really enjoyed ourselves then and decided to return for a longer stay despite the possibility of some hot summer temps.  So, we’re back in lakeside site 32, which we’re leasing from the owner for a month.

Site 32 is one of the few directly on the lake.

Site 32 from the deck of site 33.

Left: A nice long concrete pad gives us plenty of privacy.
Right: Looking down towards the lake and Site 32 from one of the hilltop sites.

The monthly rate, based on $59/night, is discounted 25% and includes all utilities, amenities, and wi-fi.  Thanks to a flash flood that came through the property the day before we arrived, the wi-fi system is out at the moment. But Mel is working to get it up and running.  This stay is a budget-buster to be sure, but since we’ve been so good with our camping budget the first six months on the road, we can afford the ding on the wallet.

Left: View of Lake Greenwood looking back from the front of Site 32.
Right: Manicured grounds separate us from the house that neighbors the property.

The beautifully landscaped lush green grounds and the campground’s waterside location make it a wonderful place to relax.  If there is one problem, it’s the gnats.  To be expected when you’re near still water.  At least these bugs don’t swarm around us, nor do they bite.  But they do take every opportunity to come inside the coach.  (A bowl of apple vinegar with a dash of dishwashing liquid set on the dash by the door seems to catch most of them.)

the boat dock here at the resort.	the view from the boat ramp.

When we made plans to spend the summer in the south, we were resigned to being stuck inside the Phaeton with the air conditioning blasting.  Surprise, surprise!  We’ve actually had decent temps, with most days in the 85F-89F (29-32C) range.  Normally, that would be too hot for me.  But with reasonable humidity and plenty of shade, we’ve been able to sit on the deck or patio every morning, moving inside around 3:00p when the sun finally makes its way over the coach and across the lake to the distant shore.  That’s when it starts baking at our site and it’s time to go to the pool for a dip.  The locals say it’s an unusually cool summer.  Hey, we’ll take it.

Breakfast on the deck has become a morning ritual.

We’ll even take the rain that’s been a fairly constant element of the weather.  Of course we can say that because we didn’t have to deal with the flash flood that came through and filled the swimming pool with muddy water just before we arrived here.  The damage was limited, luckily.  We wouldn’t have known anything had happened had we not heard about it after the fact.

The clubhouse and the swimming pool are all cleaned up after the flash flood
created a mess before we got here.

Our first week was totally overcast, with frequent rain showers each day with no notice whatsoever.  One minute it would be dry; the next minute we’d hear the pitter patter of raindrops.  Most of the showers were little more than drizzles of short-duration, and we didn’t have to run inside — the awning and the shade curtain kept us dry.  We were dumped on several times, receiving about half-inch (13 mm) of rain on two of those occasions.  On all but a few days, thunderstorms were in the forecast, but they mostly came through late at night … if they came at all.  We can live with that.

Flowering plants add color to our site.

Then, on Tuesday (the 16th), a miracle happened.  The skies cleared and the golden orb called sun appeared.  Since then, we’ve had mostly blue skies dotted with lovely white clouds, and only one night of thunder showers.  The overcast moved back in this morning, but cleared up in the afternoon ... which seems to be par for this area. We’re keeping fingers crossed that the weather continues to be nice for at least one more day so that we can entertain our friends outdoors tomorrow.

one of the many eastern tiger swallowtails that visit the flowering plants at our site.

But enough of the weather.  I mentioned early on that we (Mui, really; but I helped) worked on two projects since our arrival 10 days ago.  One was an easy Phaeton mod, which I’ll write about in another post.  Yes … we drilled some more holes into the coach ;-)  The other project was a lot of work, but not blog worthy, so I will spare you.

There’s a flock of Canada geese that swims by several times a day.

I also mentioned that we did two outings.  One involved a drive to Greenwood, about 15 miles (24 km) away.  It was a grocery run that Mui did on his own; I’ll go with him next time to check out the town.

The other outing was a 51-mile (82 km) drive to Spartanburg last Saturday to have dinner with a schoolmate of Mui’s.  Nur, and her husband, Faruk, are originally from Turkey, but have been in the US for quite a few years.  They both teach at the University of South Carolina (USC), and Faruk also has his own business.

First, they entertained us at their home, where we had cocktails and tasty appetizers.  Then, they took us on a quick driving tour of the USC Spartanburg campus and downtown.  Finally, they hosted us at the Piedmont Club where we enjoyed a delicious meal and southern hospitality in a “relaxed style.”  Alas, our camera was left behind in the toad, so no photos from that evening.  I’ll try to make up for that when they join us for dinner at the Phaeton tomorrow.

Oh yes, I almost forgot.  There was an event today to celebrate our 10-day anniversary at Lake Greenwood.  OK, OK … even though the ice cream social at the clubhouse really wasn’t in our honor, it was fun.  Organized by Peggy (she and her husband own one of the lots here), it gave us an opportunity to meet and chat with some of the owners and ‘renters’ sharing the property with us.  Peggy has now invited us twice to go out on their pontoon boat, but we’ve had to decline both times.  Third time’s the charm they say ;-)

The hot tub (right) was too hot on a hot day (get it … it was  hot today),
but we did take a dip in the pool (left) after the ice cream social.

From our north-south facing site we don’t get to enjoy sunrises …

This is the best I can do for a sunrise photo … on a misty morning, no less.

… but we do get to enjoy some pretty spectacular sunsets from the deck … and patio … and even from the passenger-side sofa if it’s too hot to be outside. You might think that with the unchanging view, the sunsets would all be the same … but they aren't ...

As I call it a wrap for this post, the forecasted rain has started beating a gentle tattoo on the roof.  No problem, I’m inside … and I love to go to sleep to the sound of raindrops, so I don’t mind one bit.  I do hope it clears up for tomorrow, though.  Two minutes later, and the rain has stopped.  Still keeping fingers crossed for tomorrow!

Short Stay at Lake Greenwood

Saturday, 8 June
Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort — Cross Hill, South Carolina
TEMPS: LO 68F / HI 85F (20C / 29C)

Plans for camping at Lake Strom Thurmond didn’t work out due to an ant-infested campsite.  But those plans gone awry led us to another lake … in another state.  So, instead of spending an additional two weeks in Georgia, we are now on the shores of Lake Greenwood in South Carolina.  But not for long.

What with the heavy rains, and the heat and humidity, we haven’t been out to explore the area.  Regardless, I wanted to get a post up before we take off tomorrow.  Once you see the photos, I think you’ll understand why we’ve made plans to return here despite the expected hot July weather.  (Those following Karen and Al’s blog have already gotten a sneak preview of the place.)

After leaving the Wal-Mart parking lot in Grovetown Tuesday morning, we drove 80 miles to arrive at the Lake Greenwood Motorcoach Resort (LGMR) around 11:00a.

Our 420-mile (672 km) route from the Eastbank COE campground in Bainbridge, to the
Pointes West Army Resort in Appling, to the Wal-Mart in Grovetown, to the LGMR in
Cross Hill took us through Georgia and into South Carolina.
[inset map shows our meandering travels thus far.]

Mel (owner/manager) greeted us at the office and took us around the campground, pointing out the two sites he had in mind for us.  As he had explained when we called to check on availability, the last bit of paving work was about to reach this section of the park, so we settled on Site 44 and quickly hustled the Phaeton into place.  (As promised, the paving work was completed by 5:00p.)

Site 44 is an end-site at the top section of the resort.

The view from our living room.
And yes … the grass is that green.

This ownership resort reminds me of a classy, well-maintained urban sub-division.  It is quite different from the campgrounds we have favored thus far in our travels.  We first heard about LGMR several years ago when its name was Cane Creek RV Resort & Marina.  Back then they were offering free stays to promote the property.  Unfortunately, we were still worker bees and a trip this far south was not in the cards at the time.

Fast forward several years, and now there are no free stays (at least not at the moment), but if you have a spare $49,900 to $89,900 in your pocket, you can purchase a lot and take advantage of the promotions offered to buyers.  We will have to pass on a purchase.  At $49-$59/night, renting a spot is plenty spendy for us.  Besides, it is too early in our gypsy lifestyle for us to tie ourselves down to a specific place.

Looking towards the back of the resort from one of the centrally located sites.
If you look real hard, you can see the Phaeton back in site 44.

At the time we checked in, Mel indicated that he could move us to a lakefront site once the new pavement set.  Since we were here for just five nights, at first we weren’t going to take him up on the offer.  But then, we looked at the weather — rain, heavy rain, and more rain on the radar.  Then we looked at the lakefront sites.  Then we called Mel to see if he could get us into one of several sites that tickled our fancy.  After all, if we were going to be stuck at home because of the rain, we might as well have a view to go with it.  So, Thursday morning we moved from site 44 to site 32.

From site 44 (red arrow) to site 32 (blue circle).
[scanned from the map we received at check-in; sites in white are already sold.]

Site 32 is a bear to maneuver into, but once you get in it’s worth the effort.

Glimpse of site 32 and the landscaping from the deck of site 33.  Site 31 is quite close,
but sits on a terrace, and our awning on that side of the coach blocks it entirely.

We managed to make the move between rain showers.  By the time we were settled into our new site, we were hot and sticky.  Although the day was overcast, the expected monsoon looked like it was going to hold off, so we quickly donned our swimsuits and headed to the pool to cool off.

Hot tub and swimming pool with a view of Lake Greenwood.

We spent the rest of the day taking another look at our plans for the summer.  Something that became apparent while we were at Eastbank was that for summer camping in hot and humid places, an FHU site is essential for stays longer than a few days unless we’re willing to make a trip to the sewer dump every couple of days.   You get my drift, I’m sure, so enough said on that topic.

Anyway, with our new-found desire for FHU sites for the summer, we cancelled our plans to stay at the 30A W/E campground at Short Stay (Joint Base Charleston).  With a big gap now in our plans, we then decided to return here to LGMR for a month in mid-July.  Yes, I did say this place is spendy, but the monthly rate isn’t too much more than our monthly budget for camping fees.  We’ve been doing really great in that respect, averaging just about $600/month, soooo … time to splurge.

Looking towards Lake Greenwood from one of the centrally located sites near the pool house.

Though it rained on and off Thursday afternoon, Mui set up his Safari Chef propane grill for some “shrimp on the barbie.”  He’s been grilling using the charcoal grills at the various sites we’ve been in since getting on the road, so this was his first time using it.  He’s very pleased with it.  It comes with a lid that doubles up as a saucepan/wok, and has both ribbed and flat griddle plates, as well as a camp-stove adapter.  A nice little kitchen to use outdoors.

The awning provides protection for the Safari Chef … just in case it rains.

TS Andrea’s rain bands reached us Thursday evening; we were spared the winds.  It rained through the night and until 11:30a on Friday.  Once the rain stopped, we went for a short walk and returned to find sugar ants in the Phaeton.  What?  Where did they come from?  A quick recon around the coach unearthed the source.  The ants were using a branch of an azalea bush that was touching the slide as a conveyor belt into the coach.  Mui cut off the branch; sprayed the slide gaskets along which the ants were coming and going.  That done, we set out some Terro liquid ant baits near the fridge where the action was concentrated.  Two hours later, not a single ant remained.  We have not seen any since then.  (Click the photo for the FAQs on how the bait works.)

I don’t recall off hand the blog where I first read about this product, but to whoever wrote about the Terro baits … thanks!  Being at home to notice the ants soon after they gained access into the coach, and having the baits on hand, saved us from what could have become a real infestation.  Just goes to show you can’t run away from ants forever … sooner or later, they get you.

Mid afternoon on Friday, the overcast skies started to part and we got some sunshine and blue skies.  What a treat — even if it was too steamy to sit outside.

Our view from the deck of Site 32; similar view from the passenger side sofa in the Phaeton.

Today dawned overcast and comfortably cool with the breeze coming off the water — so much so that a light fleece jacket was necessary for a little while.  We took advantage of the break in weather to sit on the deck to enjoy a light breakfast and read for a bit.  All too soon, it was time to get to work.  Having been on the road six months now, today’s project was to go through the basement, as well as the cabinets in the coach, to purge what we no longer feel is essential to us on the road.  Some of it will go into storage when we drive up to Winchester, Virginia with the toad.  Some of it will be trashed or donated.

Once the sun came out, it was too hot to work outside.  But by then, we had moved indoors to tackle the closet and the cabinets.  By mid-afternoon, we were ready for a break, so we headed over to the pool for a dip.  If not for the mess we’d made inside the Phaeton needing to be cleaned up, we would have stayed to enjoy ourselves for the rest of the afternoon.  Oh well; we will put the pool and hot tub to good use when we return in July.

I did carve out a few minutes from work this morning to walk up to Karen and Al’s site up the hill from us.  They were busy setting up their kayaks in hopes of getting them in the water this afternoon, and I had chores to return to, so our visit was short.  Here’s hoping we meet up again someday for a longer visit.

We also met Karen and Al’s neighbors here at LGMR.  Peggy and Jay own the site adjacent to the one they are renting.  Peggy invited us to go out on their pontoon boat this afternoon, but our clean-up project got in the way.  Hope they will give us a raincheck.

A colorful sunset wraps up our last evening at Lake Greenwood.

We take off tomorrow morning for our trip up to the Richmond, Virginia area.  We’ll be doing the trip in two segments, but not sure exactly where we will stop tomorrow night … the beauty of being flexible.  Love it.