1. FROM NEW JERSEY TO KEY BISCAYNE, FL
Saturday, April 17 - Day 1
New Jersey to Chippokes Plantation State Park (near Surry,) VA
Well, we're off on the second excursion of 1999 - a slow trip to our vacation home on Key Biscayne, FL. This trip is special, because Antje (wife), Souco (poodle 1) and Tia (poodle 2) are along.
We were on the road at 9:15 AM, temp of 47F and partly cloudy sky. But the sun came out and Spring had clearly sprung. Spring and sunshine can make even a New Jersey interstate look pretty.
Most of today's driving was on interstates, turnpikes, and freeways. I-287 to the NJ Turnpike, I-95 to Baltimore, the Baltimore-Washington Expressway to DC, I-95 to I-295 shortly before Richmond, VA, I-295 to VA 5.
This road, also called New Market Road, is part of the Colonial Trail and a very pretty drive. It took us to VA 106 and VA 10 (James River Drive) with some very attractive views of the James River area. Finally made it to Surry and the Chippokes Plantation State Park. The camping facilities are outstanding - but not cheap, $22.00 per vehicle, water and electric hook-ups, super bathhouse, fire rings and picnic tables.
We were on the road for 7 1/2 hours and covered 423 miles. Afternoon temperature rose to 80F at times, but mostly hovered around 70F. A beautiful evening, comfortably warm, perfect for grilling some hamburgers and hot dogs. The campground isn't crowded, although this is a Saturday night, it is close to Williamsburg, and NJ, NY, and CT public schools are having Spring break.
Sunday, April 18 - Day 2
Surry, VA to Carolina Beach State Park, NC
An uneventful night. Went to bed around 10 PM, after Antje took the poodles for a quick walk while I sat outside for the last smoke of the day. All four of us fell asleep quickly in our respective beds - Antje in the loft, Souco on the dog bed, Tia in the passenger seat, and I in my fold-out bed. Tia was a bit restless. When I shone a flashlight on her in the middle of the night, she was sitting in the passenger seat, with her rawhide bone in her mouth, wagging her tail at me. She loves that seat and lets it be known that she doesn't appreciate Antje using it during the day.
Woke up abround 6 AM, turned up the thermostat to raise the temperature from 56F (45F outside) to 70F. Slept another hour and then walked over to the bathhouse for a long hot shower. Antje, after her shower, took the dogs for an hour's walk around the park, and the three came back very pleased with the beautiful countryside.
Fixed my standard breakfast of egg, muffins, coffee, and OJ while they were gone, and got the van ready for the road. Antje fixed her usual healthfood breakfast with cottage cheese, soy milk, and all that other healthy stuff that makes me reach for a cigarette just to kill the imagined taste.
Went over to the visitors center to compliment the rangerette on the cleanliness of the facilities and the beauty of the setting. I think we all should make more of an effort to say "thank you" to the people who, for very little pay, work hard to make the camping experience enjoyable for us. She promptly offered me a job as CG host, which I declined. Also found out that this absolutely beautiful campground is open from mid-March until December (the DeLorme Map 'n Go CD said they were only open from mid-March to mid-May.) As a matter of principle, I did complain about the $22.00 campsite price, but my heart really wasn't in it. This is one of a very few campgrounds that I really recommend, I think it rates a B+ on the Dintel scale. If there had been some wildlife visiting the site, that would have been another half grade, and a price of under $18.00 would have been the other half grade to take the CG to an A. The rangerette mentioned that some RV people complained that the sites aren't sufficiently level - there is some truth to that.
We finally hit the road about 9:45 AM and stayed on VA 10 to Smithfield (a lovely road and a lovely town - despite the meat packing plants) and then worked out way around Norfolk to VA 168 (ugly) to NC 158 (also ugly) to Kitty Hawk (beach road = triple ugly.) The beach along NC 12 is actually quite pretty, but the beach houses along the way ought to be swept out by the next hurricane, and flood insurance should be denied. We left the Outer Banks on US 64/264 and the scenery gets beautiful past Manteo. The stretch from Stumpy Point to Swan Quarter on US 264 is worth a detour. The rest of the way on US 17 and NC 132 to Carolina Beach has some pretty bushes and brushes, but it's not worth including in my list of scenic roads.
Carolina Beach State Park is very nice. Lovely camp sites, but no hook-ups. They use a smart system: pick your site, remove a tag attached to the site marker to indicate that the site is taken, take the tag to the office, and pay. Cost for the nicely leveled pull-through site was $10.00, after a $1.00 grey hair discount. Good grill and picnic table. Checked the bathhouse, it is OK. Antje took the poodles for a long walk through the woods and along the beaches of Cape Fear, where she took a few photos:
She came back enthused about Nature's beauty. I'm beginning to think that she may get to like this camping thing, despite the 421 miles we drove today in 8 3/4 hours. Filled up the tank and paid $.979 per gallon for regular.
Monday, April 19 - Day 3
Carolina Beach, NC to Crooked River State Park, GA
Woke up quite early, 5:30 AM. Took an early morning shower - odd, there were no shelves or soap dishes in the shower stalls. Antje told me that the showers in the ladies' side of the bathhouse didn't work.
Got under way by 9:15, a beautiful and sunny day, temp of 62F after the night's low of 45F. Drove around a bit to check out Kure Beach (a lot more attractive than Kitty Hawk) and then headed for Wilmington, NC - a very beautiful city. Be sure to check out the waterfront, just lovely.
From Wilmington on it was four lane highways/interstate for the rest of the day. US 17 south to US 74 west to I-95. Some pretty wildflowers along I-95 in North Carolina, but South Carolina still seems to prefer planting billboards rather than wildflowers. Georgia seems to make an effort to beautify I-95, there are some really pretty stretches now.
Got off I-95 at St Marys (exit 2) to find Crooked River State Park. Like every Georgia State Park I have visited, it's a beauty. Spacious, well separated sites, most with good shade trees. Electricity, water, cable TV, fire ring, grill, and picnic table - all for $14.00, including the $2.00 park fee. Be sure to take a walk along the river bluffs.
Sat outside for a while and enjoyed the 70F+ temperature, then moved "indoors" to have dinner and watch "Grumpier Old Men." Sophia Loren sure aged well ;-)
Drove 451 miles, was on the road for 8 1/4 hours. Made the mistake of buying gas in South Carolina - $1.059 per gallon. North Carolina and Georgia stations along I-95 were still between $.929 to $.989.
Tuesday, April 20 - Day 4
St Marys, GA to Key Biscayne, FL
Nothing worth mentioning about today's drive - 412 miles/6:15 hours on I-95. The worst part is the final stretch from Palm Beach to Miami. Local drivers display an incredible combination of aggressiveness and disregard for speed limits. Weaving in and out of traffic at speeds in excess of 85 mph (55 mph limit) seems to be the norm. The Florida Highway Patrol totally ignores what's going on.
If you really have to go to Dade county, take the turnpike, avoid I-95.
Made it to our home on Key Biscayne around 4 PM. Beautiful sunshine, temp in the low eighties, low humidity. We'll be staying here for about a week - so no further journal entries for a while.