Day 20 & 21 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

On Tuesday May 26th, we finally got our haircuts! When we are on the road, we use Great Clips. We have had pretty good luck with them. They have notes in the computer that follow you. Charlie had Jen and I had Adeline at the Great Clips on Broad Street in Sumter.

We spent the rest of the day working on some Yankee work that we needed to get done before our trip starts on Friday. Our caravanners will start to arrive shortly after we arrive in Fayetteville. The actual caravan begins on Sunday.

We took a drive to see the area on Wednesday May 27th. Camden South Carolina, was the first major town we went through. Camden is the oldest inland town in the state. It dates to 1732, when the colonial township of Fredericksburg was surveyed by order of King George II. The settlement grew in the 1750s around the Pine Tree Hill trading post, and in 1768 the name was changed to Camden in honor of the Lord Camden, the British Parliamentary champion of colonial rights.  

Camden was a major center of Revolutionary War activity and preserves three sites of national significance. Since 2005, Camden has been a leading partner in the preservation and restoration of the Battle of Camden National Historic Landmark. Activities include restoring the natural setting back to 1780 conditions, building hiking and bike trails, and interpreting the battle to the public. The project was kicked off with 225th anniversary reenactments of the battle, attracting thousands of visitors. The city also supports the Historic Camden Revolutionary War Park, a 98-acre outdoor museum complex, which includes the town site of colonial and Revolutionary Camden, and several restored and refurnished period houses. The park also includes reconstructions of military fortifications and patriot Joseph Kershaw’s mansion, which was used as British headquarters.  

I would not call it a big town by any stretch of the imagination. It has 2 basic buildings that are still in use... the post office built around 1900 and the Presbyterian Church, constructed in 1890. That is Liberty Hill, South Carolina. The area is steeped in history, originally serving as a high-ground retreat for antebellum planters in the early 1800s. It was established circa 1813 near merchant Peter Garlick’s store. It is believed that the community was named by patriotic settlers celebrating their newfound freedom after the Revolutionary War. In the following years, grand plantation homes were built, and antebellum Liberty Hill was among the wealthiest communities in South Carolina. After the Civil War, the area fell into economic ruin. Nevertheless, the town did eventually reassert itself and appears to have changed very little since the beginning of the twentieth century.

The Great Falls of the Catawba River mark the point at which the river encounters a series of rapids while coursing across the Piedmont Plateau on the border of Lancaster County, South Carolina, and Chester County, South Carolina, near the town of Great Falls. Prior to the creation of the Fishing Creek Reservoir and other artificial lakes by Duke Power, the falls were a major landmark on the river. The rapids could be heard from long distances away, while a major pre-Columbian trading path ran near the left bank.

The creation of the Fishing Creek Lake Dam at Great Falls, has resulted in the top two miles of it being completely dry except during times of very high flow. In 2023, the town of Great Falls saw the grand opening of the Southeast’s newest whitewater paddling destination. This was a 20+ year project that transformed a 100+ year old dry riverbed into a whitewater recreation area with two distinct channels for different levels of paddling enthusiasts. During Duke Energy’s recreational flow periods, the long-bypass channel features up to Class IV rapids while the short-bypass channel features numerous Class IV and V rapids.

The bottom portion of historical Great Falls is drowned by Cedar Creek dam, another hydroelectric project. 

Below the Great Falls, the river flows into Lake Wateree where it becomes the Wateree River.

On the wall of the York County Library in Rock Hill is the mural called "The Whimsical World of Vernon Grant." This mural celebrates the life of beloved artist Vernon Grant, and serves as the largest mural in York County. The beautiful piece of art was designed by illustrator Jill Pratzon and brought to life by muralist Osiris Rain. Vernon Grant lived in Rock Hill for over 30 years and much of his work can be seen on magazine covers and advertising campaigns. He is the creator of the SNAP! CRACKLE! AND POP! characters used by Kellogg’s. Grant also co-founded the beloved Come-See-Me festival which happens every spring in Rock Hill. The piece helps pay tribute to this city’s most influential artist. 

 

We enjoyed lunch at Victoria's Diner. We missed breakfast by six minutes! But the "cook's choice" for lunch was chicken & dumplings. Charlie, Tim and Debbie all had that. I went for the cold plate!

Founded in 1876, Clover, South Carolina, originated as a railroad depot named after a serendipitous patch of clover growing near a steam-engine water tower. Officially incorporated in 1887, this York County town grew into a booming textile hub. There is a beautiful train mural near Main Street. It was "refreshed" by Imre, who is an artist who loves to make your ideas come to life. He can do murals, canvas or work with different mediums and materials. He helped to modernize the historic Train Mural in 2024! 

Clover, South Carolina, is best known as "The Town with Love in the Middle" (a playful nod to the letters in its name) and for its rich Scots-Irish heritage. The town leans heavily into its heritage by hosting the popular Clover Highland Games and Scots-Irish Festival each fall, featuring bagpipes, traditional heavy athletics, and clan gatherings. They also throw a large-scale St. Patrick's Day celebration.

We stopped at Kings Mountain National Military Park on the way back to Sumter. At 4,000 acres, it's one of the largest national military parks in the United States and one of just two Revolutionary War national military parks. 

Thomas Jefferson called it "The turn of the tide of success." On October 7, 1780, the Battle of Kings Mountain was fought during the American Revolutionary War. It was a decisive Patriot victory where a volunteer militia (the "Overmountain Men") surrounded and defeated a force of British Loyalists commanded by Major Patrick Ferguson on a rugged, wooded hilltop just south of the North Carolina border in South Carolina. The park preserves the site of this important battle.

The battle was primarily fought between Americans. The Patriots were frontier frontiersmen and local militiamen from the Carolinas, Virginia, and present-day Tennessee. The opposing forces were Loyalists, commanded by the only British regular on the field, Major Patrick Ferguson.  After Major Ferguson threatened the Appalachian settlements, the Patriots gathered to hunt him down. 

They trapped Ferguson's forces on the rocky slopes of Kings Mountain, launching assaults from all directions and effectively using the trees for cover against Loyalist bayonet charges. The battle lasted just over an hour. Major Ferguson was shot and killed, and the vastly outnumbered Loyalists were entirely routed. They suffered roughly 225 killed and over 700 captured, while the Patriots suffered only 28 killed and 62 wounded. The battle was the first major patriot victory to occur after the British invasion of Charleston. 

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 19 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

It is Monday May 25th, it is the last Monday in May. Happy Memorial Day. 

Memorial Day isn’t a barbecue or a three-day weekend for us. It’s a roll call of faces, voices, and shared laughter that cut through the dust and heat of Iraq.

To us, Memorial Day is not about the start of summer, or the BBQ, or a 3-day weekend. It is a roll call of names, of faces, voices, and shared moments that cut through the dust and heat of Iraq.

This and every Memorial Day, our hearts are with the brothers and sisters who never made it off that field of battle. And just as deeply with the soldiers who brought the war home in their heads and hearts and lost their battles, at home.

Our wounds of war don't stop bleeding when we leave the sandbox, and those we have lost to the invisible weight of it since... you are not forgotten. We carry your memories,  we share your stories, we live for your honor, and we miss you every single day.

Rainbow, Never Forget!

Here is a little known fact about Sumter, South Carolina. It is home to the world's largest commercial Ginkgo biloba plantation. 

Ginkgo biloba is often called a living fossil because the ginkgo has existed for hundreds of millions of years. This resilient tree tolerates heat, pollution, salt, confined spaces, drought, insects and fungal pathogens. In 1945, the ginkgo even famously survived the fallout of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

This massive agricultural operation produces millions of trees to harvest leaves used for medical and herbal extracts. With almost a million trees planted in tight rows, the plantation spans over 1,000 acres. Unlike traditional ornamental landscaping, these are densely planted in a hedge-like manner and mechanically harvested for their foliage rather than grown as mature, towering shade trees.

There was a great deal of community uproar when the ginkgo plantation wanted to come to Sumter. The local residents were concerned about the smell! The trees smell? Well, not the tree, but... Female ginkgo trees produce fleshy, apricot-like seeds commonly referred to as "fruit". Because ginkgo is a gymnosperm, it doesn't produce true fruit. While the inner nut is an edible delicacy, the fleshy outer coating contains an acid that smells strongly of vomit and contains skin-irritating toxins.

When ripe fruit drops and decays, it releases butyric acid—the same chemical compound found in rancid butter and vomit. The fleshy exterior contains ginkgolic acid and urushiol, the exact same oily skin irritant found in poison ivy.

The plantation grows the trees for the leaves. So, they keep the trees very short and they never produce fruit. Here in South Carolina, they harvest the leaves, dry them and ship them overseas for processing into their final forms.

We enjoyed a grill night and birthday cupcakes. Yes, my birthday fell on Memorial Day in 2026! 

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures.

Day 18 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

On Sunday May 24th, we left Lumberton NC and headed to Sumter SC. We came by South of the Border, again. The signs for this Mexican-kitsch rest stop turned semi-amusement park straddling the Carolinas are not as vast heading south as they are heading north.

Personally I believe that South of the Border is not what it used to be. Minigolf and the carousel are shuttered. Security cars patrol through the empty parking lots. Like Wall Drug or any number of quirky roadside attractions, South of the Border is an emblem of a bygone era of American road travel, before air travel became popular. How it got here and how it survives is a recurring question by many.

South of the Border started with a simple business idea. In 1949, North Carolina’s Robeson County passed a law prohibiting the sale of alcohol. Alan Schafer, a South Carolina beer distributor, had the idea to set up a beer stand just across the border in Dillon County. The stand quickly transformed into a groundbreaking business venture. Local legend had it that Schafer used his influence to ensure that I-95 had an offramp leading right to South of the Border; Schafer told The Washington Post in the 1970s that the exit was planned there anyway, but he acknowledged that he pressured Dillon County officials to keep the exit there after they proposed moving it to North Carolina.

Schafer’s depot became the kind of kitschy fever dream that characterized the heyday of the American road trip: A fireworks shop. Minigolf. A geodesic domed hotel with flamingo statues guarding the entrance. That 200-foot sombrero-topped tower. Teens from the area worked their first summer jobs there. As the 20th century wound down and the road trip’s importance waned in pop culture, so did South of the Border. Even back in the 1990s, it was already a little shabby. 

Dillon, South Carolina, is best known as the home of South of the Border. It is also celebrated for its rich agricultural history, historic downtown district, and its past reputation as the "Wedding Capital of the East."

We drove through Lynchburg, SC on US 301. The city's name comes from its founder John Lynch, a Quaker abolitionist and businessman who established a ferry across the James River in 1757. Before Emancipation in 1865 thousands of enslaved laborers brought great wealth and fame to Lynchburg through its tobacco manufacturing industry.

Arrived at Tim & Debbie Carroll's, our home for the next 5 nights. We enjoyed our afternoon together and then we had dinner at Willie Sue's.

We were so busy talking, I took no pictures! Ricky McLeod's grandmother, Willie Sue Pierson McLeod (Nanny, to him) was born in the rural southern part of Sumter County. His grandparents made their living in the industries of timber and cotton and were severely affected by the Great Depression. After financial devastation, they relocated the city of Sumter where my great grandmother found herself working in the kitchens of local boarding houses. 

When his grandmother was growing up, she inherited her mother's talents in the kitchen. Fortunately for him, before her death, she was able to pass her knowledge of work ethic down to him. She taught him so much, and he has a great amount of respect and affection for her, more than any woman he has ever known. Serving guests at his restaurant, he hopes to honor her and show how much she really meant to him. She has been his inspiration behind Willie Sue's, and that her memory will live on through this homage to a wonderful woman.

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 17 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

On Saturday May 23rd we took it easy. It was a raining off and on kind of day. We just did a bit of shopping and found a few unique places near Lumberton NC.

North Carolina is home to eight federally or state-recognized tribes: Coharie, Eastern Band of Cherokee, Haliwa-Saponi, Lumbee, Meherrin, Occaneechi Band of the Saponi Nation, Sappony and Waccamaw Siouan. Southeastern North Carolina, along the Lumbee River, is the homeland of the Lumbee People.  The ancestors of the Lumbee came together in the shelter of this land hundreds of years ago - survivors of tribal nations from the Algonquian, Iroquoian, and Siouan language families. 

The ancestors of the Lumbee were recognized as Indian in 1885 by the State of North Carolina. In 1956, Congress recognized the Lumbee as an Indian tribe while denying the People any federal benefits that are associated with such recognition. Eventually, on December 18, 2025, President Trump signed the National Defense Authorization Act, which included the Lumbee Fairness Act in the amendment. This will allow for federal benefits and services to the Lumbee people. With over 55,000 members, they are the largest tribe in North Carolina and the largest tribe east of the Mississippi River.

Lumbee tribal headquarters are located in the small town of Pembroke, NC. The tribal territory and service area comprises four adjoining counties: Robeson, Scotland, Hoke, and Cumberland. The tribal housing complex, also known as ‘The Turtle’, houses most tribal services. We found a unique housing development, Warriors' Way Veterans Village. The village is located in the Rowland Community. This neighborhood houses ten veterans. We found it refreshing that the homes were set parallel with the road, giving the homes much more yard and space from their neighbors. When the Lumbee Tribe of NC officially opened the village on May 26, 2022, the event was extra special for 5 veterans who received keys to a home in the community. The ceremony featured a Flag Ceremony as well as a Memorial Day Service as part of this special occasion. An all-Veteran Parachute team, All Veteran Group, opened the event with a parachute drop-in. 

We also found the Southern Spirit Boys & Girls Club. The Lumbee Tribe owns and operates seven Boys & Girls Clubs. Southern Spirit is one of these clubs. The tribal Boys and Girls Clubs provide a positive place where their youth can go to celebrate their culture and community, to enjoy healthy fun with their peers, and to learn new skills and self confidence under the guidance of responsible adults. The Boys & Girls Club of the Lumbee Tribe is a youth guidance organization dedicated to promoting the educational, vocational, social and character development of girls and boys ages 6 to 18. The Boys and Girls Club offers programs that build self-esteem and develop values and skills during the critical period of growth. Club programs and services promote and enhance the development of boys and girls by instilling a sense of competence, usefulness, belonging and influence. 

Next to the Boys & Girls Club is the Southern Spirit Nature Trail. The dedication of the Southern Spirit Nature Trail was on December 19, 2023. The Southern Spirit Nature Trail is a community walking path, designed to promote healthy living. Built by the Lumbee Tribe, the 0.5-mile loop trail features a covered pavilion, walking loops, and an outdoor gathering area.

Just past the Nature Trail is Lumbee Tribe's Hilly Branch Veterans' Duplex Camp Henry. It is still under construction, but the first duplex is completed and it had its ribbon cutting on May 14, 2026. This housing serves to provide safe, stable, and permanent housing solutions for those who have served the country. They are not yet inhabited, but they will be soon!

A bit further on 301 South, there was a large burned out section on pines. It was not there when we headed north on 301 North for the wedding. When you opened the window on the car, you could still smell the burnt fragrance. 

It certainly did not look like any controlled burn we have seen. In a controlled burn, they only burn the underbrush, not the complete trees!

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 16 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

On Friday May 22nd, we traveled from Littleton NC to Lumberton NC. In an earlier blog, I told you that Lake Gaston used to be an Outdoor World. The give-away to us was the name of the road as you enter the campground, Outdoor World Drive. Outdoor World was acquired by Equity LifeStyle Properties, the parent company of Thousand Trails, in 2006. The former Outdoor World resorts were integrated into the Thousand Trails and Encore campground network, allowing members to access these locations through updated contracts. Today, ELS owns or has an interest in over 450 RV resorts, campgrounds, and manufactured home communities across North America.

We departed Littleton on NC 903 and 158, we turned off 158 onto 903, but we missed the 2nd turn onto 903 and shortly we were heading back into Littleton from the south. Maybe we really wanted to see the town... one more time!

We got back on track and stayed on NC 903 this time! 903 runs us right into US 301 in Halifax.

Our first stop today was for diesel in Wilson North Carolina. But, while in Wilson you have to make a second stop was at Vollis Simpson Whirligig Park. Actually, it is more than just a park... It is an outdoor museum. 

What is a whirligig park? Just what it sounds like, it’s a public park featuring 30 large, kinetic sculptures. The sculptures are made from recycled materials by folk artist Vollis Simpson. The park showcases Simpson's whimsical, wind-driven creations, which are made from salvaged road signs, bicycle parts, and industrial scraps. It's a community-driven project that transformed downtown Wilson. It is now a popular destination for art, music, and family activities. 

Who is Vollis Simpson? He built wind machines since he was stationed in the Mariana Islands, during World War II. After the war, his continued interest in wind power prompted him to build several other large windmills. One of those powered a heating system in his house. 

He found great joy in mounting such diverse materials on pieces of industrial machine parts. Simpson crafted huge, highly kinetic sculptures whose parts move with the slightest breeze. Some of his wind machines have been on view at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the American Visionary Art Museum in Baltimore. He was a farm machinery repairman who began creating these sculptures, in earnest, after his retirement using found objects. He was 94 years old when he died in 2013. Ironically, that was the same year his whirligigs were designated North Carolina's State Folk Art. 

We were a bit too early for a beer, but right across the street is Casita Brewing Company. Ryan and Mahalia Witter-Merithew launched Casita Brewing downtown Wilson. From day one it felt like home to us. So when Mahalia decided to sell, we jumped. We didn’t found Casita, but we’re honored to carry it forward. Becky (the wife) brings the pure beer joy, Steve (the husband) brings the technical side, and Eric (the son) drives the brewhouse with creativity and chemistry.

Beer was always running in the background—back-yard hangs, college nights, pool-side afternoons. Becky’s love started young, watching her dad tap a keg after mowing in the blazing Texas heat. My hook was the science:  believe it or not although wastewater treatment and brewing beer produce far different results, the processes aren't all that different. Eric picked it up, too—chemistry major, fermentation science minor from Appalachian State—ready to brew beers that make folks sit up and notice. Whether it’s a crisp lager or a barrel-aged stout, beer here is more than a drink—it’s a bond, a conversation starter, a tradition that pulls people together.

We drove through the heart of Tobacco country today, there were fields everywhere. But what always interests me more, is old neon motel signs. This one was in a mowed field, but no old buildings around it. It is almost as if the building vanished and someone wanted to keep the sign. It is located next to the Tobacco Farm Life Museum on US 301.

In Dunn, North Carolina at the corner of Broad and Clinton, there is this awesome mural on the side of Heart and Hammer Tattoo Company. I could not find anything on who painted it or any more about it.

There was a horse farm that certainly had its patriotism on full display with full-size American flags on every post. I wish I could have gotten a better shot, but it was a pretty amazing shot!

We arrived in Lumberton NC and I always remember the water tower in Lumberton. The iconic water tower is highly recognizable to travelers and locals for its vibrant, patriotic red, white, and blue American flag design.

Our home for the next two nights is the KOA Journey here. Keeping a travel diary helps. Charlie asked if we ever stayed here before... I said yes, in August of 2019 on our way back to Florida.

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!

Day 15 of 166 Days of RV Adventures in the Summer of 2026

Thursday May 21st was finally a cooler day in Littleton. We headed out to see a few more local attractions, as it is our last day here. But we will definitely be back!

Our first stop was the Lake Gaston Dam & Day Use Area. It is east of where we have been camped. The Lake Gaston Dam was completed in 1963 and is located in the small town of Thelma, North Carolina on the Roanoke River. 

The lake was formed when the Virginia Electric Power Company built the dam to generate electricity for Dominion Resources, which owns the lake. When water is allowed to pass through the Gaston Dam powerhouse, the station’s four generators can produce up to 55 megawatts each, or a total capacity of 220 megawatts. There was a big youth group with buses in the parking area and in the day use area, so we could not get to the other side of the dam.

We went into Roanoke Rapids and got groceries and fuel. On our way, at the corner of E 14th Street and Roanoke Avenue, we passed a building that was being torn down, but they left one wall up with a beautiful mural on it. I know why they left it! It was painted by local artist Napolean Hill. It is a prominent piece commemorating civil rights pioneer Sarah Keys Evans on the Roanoke Canal Trail. Across the county, and especially in this area, you can find the roots of this culture beautifully captured in the vibrant murals by Napolean Hill. Don't confuse this Napolean Hill with the American self-help author and con man of the same name. Who is best known for his book Think and Grow Rich (1937), which is among the best-selling self-help books of all time.

Near the brewery, there is this mini-log cabin, is the best way I can describe it. I learned that this is actually the Person’s Ordinary Museum replica. So naturally, we had to see what the Person's Ordinary Museum was. Person's Ordinary is a historic inn and tavern located at Littleton. It dates to the mid- to late-18th century, and is a 1 1/2-story frame dwelling, three bays wide and two deep, with a massive exterior stone chimney at each end. 

It is the oldest landmark in the Halifax County town. It was once a tavern owned by Thomas Person. Active in the Regulator movement and in time a prominent Anti-Federalist leader, Person was also a planter. His nephew and adopted son, William Person Little, inherited Person’s plantation, which took the name “Little Manor.” The town of Littleton, in turn, took its name from “Little Manor.” The town’s first mail service originated at the ordinary and Little served as the first postmaster.

Person’s Ordinary, in operation by 1770, was a stagecoach stop between Hillsborough and Halifax. It became a popular stop for many travelers. In 1925 the old inn became the property of the Warren County Board of Education. In 1957 the Littleton Women’s Club leased the building from the school board. The school used it for a shop. 

It’s been used as a post office in the past. In 1954, it kind of fell apart when Hurricane Hazel came through, and the Woman’s Club back then had a project to restore it. They were renting it from the school system for $1 a year. Finally, the school system wasn’t using it anymore and said you can have it, so now they own the building. If the Woman’s Club ever folds it will go to Halifax County. The group meets at the site and opens the building at times for tours. The Littleton Woman’s Club was the driving force in ensuring the historic site remains standing. The club hosts fundraisers and relies on grant funding and donations to preserve the building. The offerings for Person’s Ordinary have come from as far away as Oregon. Over the last five years, approximately $45,000 in grant money allowed the club to put on a new roof and renovate the Person’s Ordinary flooring. Future projects are already in the planning stages for Person’s Ordinary.

Yes, we had to make one last stop at Timber Waters. We met a wonderful elderly gentleman, Mr. Mack. He is a regular at the Blue Jay Bistro or Timber Waters for his one beer a day. He is a 10th generation Littleton NC resident. He is known as the official, unofficial mayor of Littleton. We bought him a beer yesterday and he said he would repay us today. Not if Charlie can help it! So, we went in early, enjoyed our beer and paid for one for him for today too! Enjoy your beer, Mr. Mack! 

It is going to rain this evening, so it's a good night to finish up blogs and get things put away for our move tomorrow.

Stay tuned for more Two Lane Adventures!