2016XC: Day 1 and 2, June 15 and 16 – Mohrsville, Pennsylvania to Lancaster, South Carolina
CampSite: Andrew Jackson State Park
It’s been two years, but we found a reason to pack everyone and everything up (all except for the cat, but someday I hope that will change!) and hit the road in the Freedom Express. This time we planned a southern route, to New Orleans, Louisiana as our anchor spot since Steve has to be at a conference there on June 21st.
Our first destination was Lancaster, South Carolina. We wanted to spend a little time with Steve’s sisters’ family, the Zimmermans, and take the kids to CaroWinds amusement park for some roller-coasters and rides and water park fun. We planned a one-day drive to our first camping stop at the Andrew Jackson State Park , arriving after a 14 and a half-hour haul. As with most state parks, lights are sparce. Unfamiliar, we made our way into the campground. We briefly stopped at a metal drop-box but miscalculated the angle of the narrow road as we continued past. What to say? Metal dropbox – 1, Freedom Express – 0. Fortunately, as we were trying to figure out what to do next, a family from Pennsylvania were on their way out of the park (they were tenting and said they couldn’t take the heat), but they were kind enough to offer us their tarp. Then with their help we managed to navigate the drop-box out of the camper wall and then drive to our campsite. It was already midnight by this time, so we put up the tarp, prayed, then tried to get some sleep, hopeful for some clarity in the morning.
That night, the tarp was a blessing that kept the bugs out and the a/c in. In the morning, we called the insurance company and removed the tarp…
Amazingly, the place where the drop-box ripped into the slideout and did the most damage was where the sofa was, which was actually the best spot for the least amount of damage that could occur in this circumstance.
It looks crazy, but we realized we were actually quite blessed. It turns out that there was a huge amount of leaking going on somewhere, so the floor of the slide under the sofa, where the damage from the drop-box occurred, had disintegrated who knows for how long.
The actual sliding mechanisms weren’t damaged at all, but Steve had to work on new flooring to support the walls he would need to repair. Another blessing was our camping neighbor, Clint, who gave up two days to help Steve with all the work.
The kids and I couldn’t really be of much help, so we went to the Zimmermans and hung out at their pool.
We headed to Christians favorite pizza place (that’s not near where we live at least), Brooklyn Pizza. They have the best “Hawaiian Pizza” I’ve ever had, with pineapples, canadian bacon, and carmelized onions. Steve met up with us afterwards at the Zimmermans’ home.
What a way to start to a trip!