James Island County Park Campground – Charleston, SC

14 Tuesday Apr 2026

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Tuesday, 4/14/26

Location: Campground at James Island County Park

Fort Sumter
East Bay Deli
Harris Teeter
Fuel
ChILL

After purchasing our tickets online on Monday evening for the noon launch of the ferry tour to Fort Sumter the next day, we had a good breakfast on ChILL and then headed to the Aquarium parking garage, located close to the Fort Sumter Visitor Center. We had enough time to take pictures and walk through the museum at the visitor center. Skip remembered to get our sticker for our National Park Passport book too.

Today was the 165th anniversary of the first two deaths of the Civil War, which had officially begun two days prior on April 12 at Fort Sumter. We were able to see and learn more about our nation’s history on the anniversary dates of these significant and tragic events where they happened. Being at Fort Sumter would be a solemn occasion at anytime but it was particularly meaningful on the 165th anniversary date.

After the ferry returned we walked to a nearby restaurant, East Bay Deli, just a few blocks from the parking garage and had a tasty late lunch. After leaving the parking garage we decided to stop at a Harris Teeter grocery store for just a few things. On the way there Skip made me laugh by asking if the store sells tater tots would that make them Harris Teeter tots? With a full tank from a nearby gas station we headed back to ChILL to well, just chill. Later for dinner we enjoyed nachos using already prepared meat from our freezer. It was a wonderful day!

Stagecoach RV Park > James Island Campground – Charleston, SC

13 Monday Apr 2026

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adventure, camping, hiking, nature, travel

Monday 4/13/26

Location: Stagecoach RV Park, St Augustine

Although we went to sleep last night with lingering concerns about our electrical system, we were able to get some quality rest. Unfortunately I woke Skip up earlier than his 7 AM alarm to tell him I was hearing a strange noise that I could not identify. He realized immediately that the Fantastic fan in the living area was attempting to open and the morning dew was preventing it from doing so (it automatically closes if it senses moisture). After working with it to open and close a couple of times the issue resolved itself.

After the sun came up Skip checked the solar panel output and found that it was not performing as expected. He discovered a loose connection that was probably the result of his troubleshooting efforts last night in the dark. He repaired it and we proceeded with the normal take down routine.

As planned I drove the first stretch. Because I needed a major refresher course on towing, I wanted to begin on roads that were familiar. We made various rest area stops to tighten the lug nuts, a recommended safety practice after getting new tires on an RV. We also found that the porpoising on the highway had caused our dinette table to fall down, thankfully causing no damage to the table or the Airstream. Skip wisely recommended that we travel with the table in the down position, great advice since we encountered many more sections of bumpy highway.

After enjoying our previously prepared ham and cheese sandwiches, grapes and drinks from inside ChILL with the door open to a relaxing forest view, a pleasant temperature and refreshing breeze, Skip took over as driver at Love’s at exit 90 on I-95 North, near Richmond Hill, GA. This exit has a unique roundabout that routes traffic on and off the interstate, different but very efficient and easy to understand and navigate.

Location: Campground at James Island County Park, site 121, full hookup
Megan and Indy
Bohemian Grill
ChILL

What a beautiful campground, well maintained and RV friendly layout with one way roads that make it easy to get around with your rig. Our site is very shady and more than long enough for the truck and the trailer.

Upon arrival we were surprised to find a police cruiser blocking the entrance into the park. He explained that an unauthorized senior skip day had caused some issues until an hour prior to our arrival. His presence was just to make sure no one decided to come back. He waved us through and wished us a pleasant stay.

Location Bohemian Bull, James Island, SC

Our travel day was longer than we anticipated. Megan and Indy agreed to meet us at Bohemian Bull for dinner at 6:30 where we all enjoyed burgers and good conversation. The restaurant was less than 15 minutes from the campground and 10 minutes from their house. Indy surprised us by picking up the check for all of us. They are such a wonderful couple and we enjoyed having some one on one time with them.

Home > Stagecoach RV Park – St Augustine, FL

11 Saturday Apr 2026

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adventure, camping, hiking, rv, travel

Saturday 4/11/26

Inspired by a comment that Skip made, we decided to name our adventure, “One S’Mile at a Time.”

Location: at home
Storage Lot

Our theme song is a takeoff on Rascal Flatts’ tune made famous in the animated Cars movie: Life is a High Way.

Sunday 4/12/26

Location: at home

The Lord’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. May we be in step with Him always as we follow His High Way.

After loading up the truck with everything except the freezer and refrigerator items, we tuned into Lakewood Church to hear Joel Osteen’s morning message at 10:30 eastern. It seemed that God was speaking directly to us because the focus of the message was that each of us is exactly the right age right now for what God has planned for us to do. No matter how young or old or in between we are or feel, the Lord has equipped each one of us to fulfill the purpose He planned in advance for us, not at the right time, not at the right age but now.

God confirmed for both of us that we are not too old to travel in ChILL, that we are headed out on this adventure at the right time, at the right age. This timing is different from our plan. When we began dreaming about getting an Airstream we thought we would have the opportunity to travel with it as soon as we retired. Furthermore we assumed that by the age of 70 we would have completed our extensive travels and slow down to more local or shorter trips. Obviously our thoughts were not God’s thoughts. The safest place for us to be is in His will, in His timing.

Location: Stagecoach RV Park, St Augustine, FL, site 27, full hookup

Skip drove two miles from our storage lot to our favorite local campground. Had an issue immediately as we pulled into our campsite. The truck ultimately indicated that the trailer battery was not charging. Skip went through all of his diagnostics and found that the culprit was a malfunctioning new switch on the battery, which he removed. Airstream factory does not equip their trailers with that switch so Skip may not replace ours in the future.

After some time running as much as we could on 12 volt power with all lights and fans on to make sure the batteries were functioning normally, Skip activated the solar panels and continued to monitor the situation. He wiggled all the connections in every part of the system, confirmed that everything was fastened properly and declared a successful repair was completed!

Then he proceeded with the normal arrival chores such as connecting us to shore power, water, sewer and internet.

The saying goes that RV life is fixing things in beautiful places. 🙂

Another saying is the adventure doesn’t start until you have made your first repair. Here’s to the official start of our first extended trip ever!