Day 157, 158, 159, and 160 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Saturday October 10th is day 157 for us. We are at Sawnee Campground. The wind and rain came in over night from hurricane Isaias. As I said yesterday, our campers are in a great spot for the wind. Charlie and I did hear a bunch of stuff hitting the roof overnight, but nothing that sounded super heavy. Once it clears up, we will inspect it. 

We planned a morning at home in our campers, while the majority of the rain clears out and the wind dies down. When you are stuck inside a camper, what do you do? Some might clean... but I baked! I baked 3 batches of banana muffins and a batch of cookies!

Once the rain let up and we ensured our RV's were secure with no damage, we drove over to Jackie's place. She has moved from her stand alone house to an apartment at The Mansions at Gwinnett. We let her know we were on the way and she was waiting out front for us! She looks great! 

The Mansions at Gwinnett is an all-inclusive, 55+ maintenance-free retirement community located on a 21-acre campus in Lawrenceville, just outside of Buford. The neighborhood-style development is designed for active seniors looking for a low-responsibility lifestyle, featuring private residences alongside upscale wellness and social facilities. Jackie has a 1- bedroom apartment equipped with full kitchen, in-unit washers and dryers, and a private patio on the first floor. Her apartment is steps away from the restaurant style dining area and very close to most of the social activities.

It was so great to sit and visit and catch up with her!

On the way back to the campground, we passed a Chicken Salad restaurant. Yes, we did... a second stop at a Chicken Salad Chick this trip!

Sunday October 11th was day 158 for us. I was able to get out for a walk and see the remnants from the hurricane. We were blessed, lots of pine limbs down and a million shredded leaves everywhere. But no damage to our rigs, or any other rigs here or the buildings. 

The sunrise was beautiful on Lake Lanier!

The deer strolled through the site just above us. 

We enjoyed another visit with Jackie. Just visiting and catching up!

Monday October 12th, was day 159 for Charlie and I. It is our last day at Sawnee Campground. We spent the morning getting stuff ready to move again. Charlie had to climb on top of the rig get the debris cleaned off.

Monday afternoon, we had our last visit with Jackie. 

The social director had a saxophone musician coming in that afternoon to play for the residents. 

We stayed and enjoyed the music with Jackie and the other residents at The Mansions at Gwinnett.

It was an early to bed night, as we have a long drive tomorrow... over 200 miles!

Tuesday October 13th, was day 160 for us. We departed Sawnee Campground on Lake Lanier, near the Buford Dam, with our final destination of the Stagger Lee Music Park in Hazlehurst GA.

We headed out and the first town we came to was Lawrenceville, Georgia. It is known for being Metro Atlanta's second oldest city, its historic downtown with the Gwinnett Historic Courthouse. It is home of the Atlanta Braves' AAA team, the Gwinnett Stripers. The Lawrenceville Arts Center is highly popular. The arts are evident in the beautiful murals along the highway.

Jackie's place in right near Gwinnett Field. It is home to the Gwinnett Stripers, the high-level Triple-A Minor League affiliate of the Atlanta Braves. Gwinnett Stadium, was renamed Coolray Field in 2010, and reverted back to Gwinnett Field in early 2026 after the sponsorship ended. The immediate perimeter of the stadium has been developed into high-end apartment complexes, many of which are designed specifically to overlook the game action. From 1966 to 2008, the franchise originally operated as the Richmond Braves in Richmond, Virginia. In 2009, the team moved to Lawrenceville, Georgia, in Gwinnett County and debuted as the Gwinnett Braves at Gwinnett Field. In December of 2017, the team officially rebranded as the Gwinnett Stripers, inspired by local striped bass fishing traditions near Lake Lanier. 

The next town was Monroe, Georgia. It is known as the "Antiques Capital of Georgia" and the "City of Governors." It boasts the largest concentration of antique stores. Monroe Georgia has provided Georgia with seven governors for the state. The city features a historic downtown with redeveloped mills now serving as event spaces and antique markets.

Social Circle Georgia, is known by the motto "Georgia's Greatest Little Town," the city features a 132-acre historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic well in Social Circle is a downtown landmark and wishing well that represents the origin of the city's name. According to 1800s folklore, a group of local men sat in a circle having a drink near a well when a weary traveler approached them. Impressed by their friendly hospitality and the circle of people, the stranger remarked, "What a social circle!". 

The well is featured on a public mural on the East Hightower side of 114 S. Cherokee Road. The artwork is based on a 1980 decorative postcard drawing commissioned by the Social Circle Garden Club and created by local artist BB Sams.

In Eatonton Georgia, you can find the Uncle Remus Museum. Who is Uncle Remus and why does he have a museum? Uncle Remus is the fictional character and narrator of a collection of African-American folktales adapted and compiled by Joel Chandler Harris, published in book form in 1881. The Uncle Remus Museum strives to educate visitors about the life and work of Joel Chandler Harris using historic storytelling, period artifacts, and dioramas of the more famous Uncle Remus character. Other characters include Brer Rabbit, a trickster who succeeds by his speed and wits rather than by brawn. Br'er Fox considers himself the smartest animal despite being duped continuously. Br'er Wolf is Brer Rabbit's second-most common antagonist. Brer Tarrypin is a friend of Brer Rabbit who joins him in his mischief and even outdoes him at times. Br'er Bear considers himself the strongest of the animals even though he is frequently duped by smaller creatures. Aunt Tempy, referred to by Uncle Remus as Sis Tempy is a housekeeper of equal authority with Uncle Remus who is elected to accompany the boy on his visits to Uncle Remus. If you have never read Joel Chandler Harris stories, you should.

Have you ever been to Small Grove Georgia? If you say yes, you would be mistaken! Henry Lee “Baby Doll” Gorham (1951-2020) was a professionally trained artist who earned a degree from the Art Institute of Atlanta in 1984. With roots in Telfair County, he returned to the community after his time in Atlanta. He became an accomplished folk artist, gaining recognition for his paintings of Small Grove, Georgia. "Small Grove, Georgia" refers to a fictional town created by Henry to depict the experiences of African Americans in the rural South, as seen in a series of paintings. It is not a real town but a conceptual representation of a place and time.  
 

Located at the intersection of Hwy 341 and Hwy 441 in downtown McRae-Helena is Liberty Square, home of a Statue of Liberty replica that is 35 feet tall and one-sixteenth the original's actual size.  In 1886, France gave the­ United States the Statue of Liberty. In 1986, the local Lions Club chapter in McRae, Georgia, commemorated Lady Liberty's centennial by fashioning a scale model out of Styrofoam, a tree stump, and other objects normally considered rubbish. Her arm is made from Styrofoam and the hand holding the torch is an electrician lineman's glove. Also in Liberty Square is their version of the Liberty Bell (the town's old fire bell was taken down and a crack put in) and a marble memorial to Telfair County residents who died in service.

In McRae-Helena there is also a mural that shares the unique aspects of this town. It’s a Purple Heart City, City of Distinction and the 6th safest city in Georgia.

Lumber City is a small town located at the confluence of the Ocmulgee and Oconee rivers where they form the Altamaha River. Before it received its official name, Lumber City, the community was known as "Artesian City" because of its heavy reliance on local artesian wells. The town was named after a prominent local sawmill operating near its original site. At the time of its founding, Lumber City reportedly hosted the largest sawmill in the South.

There is a historic old railroad bridge over the Ocmulgee River. It is the Southern Railway Swing Bridge located in Lumber City, Georgia on Highway 341. It was built in 1928 by the Virginia Bridge & Iron Company as a through-truss swing or rotating bridge spanning approximately 2,800 feet. It was built to rotate on a center pylon so large steamboats could pass on the Ocmulgee River, though commercial riverboat traffic was largely obsolete by the time of its completion. The rotating mechanism has been inactive for decades, but the bridge remains active and is owned and used by the Norfolk Southern Railway for rail traffic.

Historically, the community of Graham was named after an early settler, J.H. Graham, and was officially incorporated in 1897. It is situated along US Highway 341, hosting part of Georgia’s famous annual 220+ mile Peaches to the Beaches Yard Sale. It features more than 125 local vendors every March, in Graham alone!

We arrived at Stagger Lee Music Park, our home for the next 5 nights and where we will have the 6th Annual Headin' Home Fest!