Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 6

19 January 2026

Huntington Beach State Park

Murrells Inlet, SC

Great white egret along the causeway this morning.

Marc-  We started the day going off to breakfast with Vermont friends Craig and Donna Lewis who live here during the winter months.  The Blue Sky restaurant was a fantastic place to share a meal and catch up.

We went to a quilt shop, Accent Sewing, in Murrell's Inlet that we'd been to two years ago.  It's small but very welcoming and nice.  It's a Bernina dealer and had a lot of machines on display.  One of the ladies was setting up the long arm quilting machine, and an embroidery class was going.  It's hard to believe what the embroidery machines can do.  You set up the computer, push a button, and it makes gorgeous things.  I even found a source for a part I need for my old Brother machine I use to repair sails and make cushions as well as boat covers.

This is a long arm quilting machine at work.

A rather fishy quilt.

The highlight of the day was visiting Brookgreen Gardens nearly across from where we are staying.  A new pavilion has been added since we last visited and new life size sculptures.  The grounds do not disappoint the visitor with many live oak trees and other flowering trees. 

Entrance to the new Brookgreen Garden Pavilion.

The Purdy Center.

Cast Aluminum Bears.

Cast Aluminum wild boars.

Model of Brookgreen Gardens inside.

Modern business woman in Bronze.

Perseus riding on the winged horse Pegasus form Greek mythology.

(Granite)

Cast aluminum sculpture of a hungry pelican.

The original inhabitants.

Camelia flowers bloom here in January.

Flowering apricot tree.

Bronze cougars.

Boy and dolphin in granite.

                  As they sun began to set interesting shadows were cast upon the many sculptures. 

We ended the day enjoying a poem from Rudyard Kipling.

 

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 5

18 January 2026

Huntington Beach State Park

Murrells Inlet, SC 

A few bits were in view as we crossed the causeway over to the park.

Marc-  Nothing but rain and grey skies until we arrived at our campground.  It cleared a bit as the darkness fell.  At least we were able to walk around the campground.  We were also happy to see that nothing has changed since our last visit here two years ago.  The rangers are still friendly and the facilities are excellent.  The giant barrier beach is intact.  No ocean storms have passed through.  We have a week to explore here and to visit with friends.  Time to relax a bit as well.

Birds and oysters in the marsh.

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 4

17 January 2026

Rocky Mount Campground

Enfield, NC

Thomas Jefferson's Monticello

Marc-  Today was a travel day with one long stopover at Jefferson's 5 thousand acre estate near Charlottesville, VA. This is a fantastic place to visit if you are interested in history and architecture.  Jefferson is famous for drafting the Declaration of Independence and serving in various elected positions including Governor of Virginia and POTUS for two terms.  He also served as the US Minister to France for 5 years and founded the University of Virginia and was a backer of public schools.

We started off the visit with meeting a present day actor "Thomas Jefferson" who was captivating and answered everyone's questions with skill.  Next came a tour of Monticello (means little mountain in Italian), a three story mansion with a decided French influence.  He designed it (was a self taught architect) and spent 40 years building this 14,000 square foot  home.  The top two floors are well hidden.  Perhaps this was planned as he had to escape once when the British forces attempted to capture him when he was Governor of Virginia.  The views are incredible from this location.  There are amazing vegetable gardens.

"Mr. Jefferson"

Note the bust of Benjamin Franklin.  Most of the upstairs bedrooms had Franklin stoves installed in the fireplaces.

Jefferson was also a musician.  His instrument of choice was the violin.  

One of many work rooms.

Bust of John Adams in Jefferson's main office.

Most of the rooms in this house are octagons. All of the beds were in alcoves. 

Some of the young Jefferson ladies opted to bring the bed out into the room for better ventilation.

I do like this fabric pattern.

The Marquis de Lafayette was a good friend and comrade in arms during the revolution.

Inside the dome room.

He believed in compact stairways that were hidden away.  

The home has skylights in every room.

Sue - Jefferson believed education was essential for a democracy.  He thought citizens needed to be educated in order to resist tyranny (I think this is truer than ever!!!  How about education in learning how to think, in media literacy, in deciphering what the truth is?!)

We did not visit any quilt shops today.  We were going to stop at Buc-ee's, a humongous gas station (120 gas and diesel pumps) and 74,000 SF store with great sandwiches and junk food, as well as souvenirs and the kind of things you see in the Cracker Barrel stores.  We started seeing signs for it yesterday, over 100 miles away, but were distracted when we got close, and missed the exit.  

We saw our first fellow camper driving down the highway today when we got to NC--the first since leaving VT.  

This is the first night we have been hooked up to water (because it won't be freezing overnight as it has been).  Good thing, because we have no more dishes or cutlery.  And the water is hot!

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont. 3

16 January 2026 

Shenandoah Campground

Harrisonburg, VA

The Virginia Quilt Museum is in a water-powered mill.

Marc-  It was 19 degrees this morning in Hershey.  A bit cold.  The morning was sunny and dry for the drive South on Interstate 81.  (Glad we were not in upstate New York on 81 when 3 dozen cars and trucks piled up due to slippery roads this morning.)  We finished up Pennsylvania, passed through a corner of Maryland and part of West Virginia before ending up for the day in Harrisonburg, Virginia.  It's 28 degrees tonight with a "feels like" temp of 17.  The scenery was mostly cattle farms with some developed areas.  The barns in this section of Virginia look so much like Vermont's - red barns with concrete muffin top silos.  The main industry along this route is warehouses and distribution hubs.  Harrisonburg is home to James Madison University and has the look of a college town.  

We had planned on visiting the Quilt Museum in Dayton only to find it closed through the 20th.  The grounds were pleasant and we were able to see a working waterwheel and a well planned retention pond.  Fortunately there is an excellent quilt shop in town.  Sue found several things for pending and future projects.  I found a signal flag pattern fabric that I plan to use for a boat tablecloth.  

Sue - We went to Patchwork Plus 2 years ago, and I was excited to go back.  It did not disappoint.  I didn't even see everything in the store.  I found the "cats in pajamas" fabric I'd been wanting and no longer exists anywhere else (had to buy a kit to get it, oh well).  I found beautiful vegetable and fruit fabrics for a canning wall hanging, and I found cute barnyard fabrics for baby quilts.

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht). cont.

15 January 2026

Hersheypark Campground,

Hershey, PA 

Hershey's Chocolate World has a store with massive amounts of candy and merch, and a free factory tour.  It includes one free fun sized candy bar.

Marc-  We started of this morning with fixing the electric trailer brakes.  We figured out yesterday that they were not working.  It is not safe to drive this rig without brakes for long distances especially in bad weather.  Our friends Mindy, Fred and Michael came through with advice on the possible cause as well as a ride to the local auto parts store.  It seemed to be a fuse or relay problem.  Turns out we bought the wrong fuses, but removing the fuses and a relay, and putting them back in, did the trick.

Most of the day was spent driving on clear roads in sunny but cold weather.  We visited the Amish country in Lancaster County, PA today in search of Quilt shops and local country stores.  Our stops included the towns of Intercourse and Bird-in-Hand.  Both are charming small towns where you see incredible quilts for sale as well as everything you need to make a quilt.  Lancaster County is agricultural with mostly dairy farms and grain farms.  Many of the barns and farmhouses are made of stone.  Several Amish were out and about on the highways with their horse drawn buggies.  We even spotted a large work house plowing a field.

Quilt shop sign in Intercourse

Quilt shop

It looks a bit like Vermont down here.

Sue-  We went to Village Handmade, which is the store with the painted sign with the plow horses and quilted fields.  They commission and buy quilts from local quilters, and all of their quilts are hand quilted (6 stitches per inch, I was told).  Their quilts are pretty traditional and are extremely well made.   I bought some pretty animal ornaments there.

Then we went to the quilt and country store next door and were amazed by it.  They sell quilts on consignment.  The store has several little rooms and nooks and crannies with all kinds of stuff, including bolts of fabric.  I bought a baked potato bag there and some Fall fat quarters.

Then we went across the street to The Old Country Store.  It may be the best quilt store I've ever been to.  It was beautiful in every way.  Lots of fabric, books, patterns, lots of quilts made up and kits to make them.  I bought a Carol Doak book, a farm animal panel and a sparrows pattern.  There were SO MANY PRETTY THINGS I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE!  This was my favorite place today.

Then we went to The Old Log Cabin Quilt Shop in Bird-in-Hand.  It was amazing, too!  There was more farm animal and barn fabric there than I have seen anywhere in VT.  I got a farm animal panel and some fat quarters.  I saw a folded star round table topper 17 inches in diameter.  It was gorgeous, really something special to look at!  I failed to ask if they had the pattern for it, but I see it on line, and I see there are 2 versions of it:  a folded star, and a "point of view" folded star.  The POV part of it is where you can showcase a panel piece in the center, or an embroidered something or other, appliqué, etc.  I've made the smaller pot holders/hot pads.  This was my second favorite place today.

Southern Camping Trip 2026 (aboard "Elsie" the land yacht)

 14 January 2026

Vergennes, Vermont  

Looking forward to camping among the palm trees.

Marc- Elsie is all packed and ready to depart a rather cold Vermont.  We wait for a weather window of no snow or ice storms to allow us to get as far as Hershey, PA in one day (8 hours of driving on a good day).  

We left a day early due to a forecast for snow and ice on the 15th.  We altered our route for Oakland, New Jersey (5 hours).  Kerry and Brandon have a nice level driveway in a quiet neighborhood.  They also have an adorable 1 year old daughter named Lyra!  Our friend Michael Gilmartin (Kerry's Dad). came over to help settle us in and join us for dinner.  

The journey so far was uneventful with clear roads, light traffic and 40 degree weather.  We are expecting a cold front tomorrow and onward to Pennsylvania.