Eclipse-4

Day 4 - 8/19/17

Along with its welcome....

...came its warning.

And there I was--my infinite wisdom and my fool-proof solution to the anticipated traffic nightmare: Leave at 5:00 am, top off the diesel at the very first 24-hour Pilot station and go for it. Breakfast was made the night before and wrapped, coffee was made just before leaving...even a snack or two to have around noon. So precisely at 5 am, I cautiously left the campground. No lights on the road, no EXIT signs so I went out the way I came in. At that hour, as expected, traffic was non-existent to light. For one thing all the truckers had pulled into rest areas to sleep. I passed two of them and they were packed! So full were these stops that many had spilled out onto the roadway beyond their exit ramp. 

I was slowed down because of frequent area of patchy fog.

Surreal but hazardous.

Then there was the 1,000 foot drop in elevation as I traveled down a 7-mile long, 6% downgrade and hoped the brakes wouldn't overheat. I must say Winnie does real well in this regard. I use the cruise control, set it at about 55-60 mph and coast down. The engine is used as the braking system. I was able to use the brake pedal sparingly.  The scary parts, of course, were the "run away truck ramps" I saw every so often. I shuddered to think each time I saw one.

After two fuel stops, I arrived at the State Park around noon.

Although the campsites were a distance away, this part of the park for
registration, boating, fishing and hiking was most picturesque.

Looking down the path to the handicapped accessible boat dock
and at one of two lakes in the park. This is Lake Oolenoy,
a 67 acre lake. the other is Pinnacle Lake, the smaller of the two.

The exposed rock on the distant mountain is Table Rock.
The Cherokee Indians believe their god used this rock
as his table for great feasts.

The site is well shaded by the dense growth of
oak and pine.

This area of the campground is filled with mostly young families with anywhere from one to five young children and are in tents or pop-ups. Two such set ups are next to me and threw me back 35 years ago when my two kids where young and we went camping as a group of families. 

"Dems was da days"; loads of good memories

This forest area is surprisingly quiet even with its transient human population and free of pesky insects and the twittering of birds. The diffused light through the leaves and the occasional cicada song makes for a truly relaxing experience. Did you ever experience silence that was deafening? I real neat experience.

My Travelers Rest friends, Tim and Marsha, stopped by for an afternoon visit and were kind enough to bring me a local BBQ pulled pork sandwich for lunch. We've made arrangements for Monday's eclipse that will allow them access back into the Park. I was told that when all the parking areas are filled they'll be closing the gates to the public. They suggested that my guests arrive before 7 am. Ha! Not likely. Instead I had a duplicate car pass made for them so they'll be "returning back to their site" late Monday morning. I'm thinking why does anyone have to be "somewhere" to view an eclipse? All you need is the recommended eye protection and a clear view of the sky/sun. Being within the 70 mile swath will give you totality which I guess is the draw and the ultimate goal. 

As you've noticed, I'm knocking out these posts quickly so as not to get behind then get bogged down while rushing to update and take time away from "smellin' the roses." Another aspect of RVing, that of interacting with other campers hasn't occurred here. As many as there are, when they walk by or drive by seldom do they ever look to give or receive any kind of greeting. I noticed when I'm inside, however, a number of folks actually stop and stare at Winnie and can guess why.

Where I've been is growing and the number of those campgrounds
who didn't have decals or stickers is also growing to my disappointment.

Well, that's it for now. Temperature is 89° with a "feel like" temp of 94° and sunny here in Pickens, SC.