CHARLESTON, S.C., HILTON HEAD ISLAND and EUFAULA, AL in MARCH, 2009

In early March we traveled east and south to a motorhome rally, to see long time friends, meet new friends and enjoy exceptional motorhome campgrounds. We were not disappointed. We also hoped to escape the last vestiges of winter and were rewarded with decent weather. On route, in Nashville we visited Melody and Larry Cassidy. Melody was Jeanne’s key office support while at Southern Illinois University. Our pelican friend seems to symbolize our enjoyment of the ocean, seafood, and southern Cuisine on this trip.

CAT RV CLUB RALLY – CHARLESTON

Our Country Coach has a Caterpillar engine, which qualified us to join the CAT RV Club. We participated in their 4-day rally near Charleston, SC. The rally, attended by close to 70 coaches of assorted brands, was full of RV maintenance and coachkeeping tips, good food, fun, games and great people. The Club was looking for new newsletter editors and all Jeanne and I had to do was remark at dinner that we kinda had experience in newsletters, and so-be-it. Our first issue as editors comes out this April and highlights the Charleston Rally.
There was ample time to see the area - The Battery, antique shops, good restaurants for lunch, and historic buildings. Near the Visitors Center we found a model of the submarine CSS Hunley. The H.L. Hunley was the first submarine in history to sink an enemy ship. This feat was not duplicated for forty years (World War I). The Hunley sank in the Charleston harbor after sinking a Union ship. After 131 years on the floor, the Hunley was found by a group of marine archeologists led by Clive Cussler. We think the Hunley was Cussler’s inspiration for his book and the movie Sahara.
We took a tour boat out to Fort Sumter. The first shots fired in the American Civil War were fired here towards Fort Moultrie. Located in Charleston harbor, Fort Sumter was the fuse that lit the powder keg known as the Civil War.

HILTON HEAD ISLAND

After the CAT RV Rally, Hilton Head Island was a short 2 hour drive down the coast. We were the guests of good friends Steph and Hal Woods and stayed at The Hilton Head Island Motorcoach Resort, an absolutely beautiful location. We camped for 4 days and took all the advantage we could to explore the Island, walk the ocean beach, shop and relax. A surprise bonus - a number of Country Coach owners had arranged an impromptu gathering at the Motorcoach Resort, giving us a chance to make new friends and renew acquaintances with others. Every night was a get-together for food and stories of travel adventures and misadventures.

EUFAULA, ALABAMA

The last leg of our southeast trip was to Eufaula to meet motorhome friends Don and Mary Seager. Don and Mary proved to be wonderful hosts and guides of the area sights. A highlight of the visit was a personal tour by the Seagers of the Eufaula National Wildlife Refuge, where the accompanying wildlife pictures were taken. Don and Mary are volunteer staff there during part of the year. That alligator had to be 12-14 feet long.

The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now modern-day Eufaula was occupied by three Creek Indian tribes of the Muscogee Nation. The most dominant of the three, and most open to contact with whites, was named "the Eufaulas" (pronounced "you-fall-uhs.") In 1823, families from Georgia, looking for fertile crop land, established a permanent white settlement on the high bluffs of the area and adopted the Creek village's name. The town became a major shipping and trading point for surrounding counties in Georgia and Alabama. Its many impressive antebellum homes attest to that rich history.

We camped at Lake PointState Park just north of town, on 45,000 acre Lake Eufaula among beautiful trees covered in Spanish moss (actually a flowering plant in the bromeliad family). Lake Eufaula’s claim to fame is some of the best bass fishing in the country.