WE MADE IT TO ROCK HILL, SOUTH CAROLINA! WE ROCK!

Hampton Inn
Rock Hill,South Carolina
January 3, 2018

By 8:00 a.m. TK had the truck packed and we were on the clear roads with a temperature of 5F.  We each have two suitcases and one carry-on, so we did not do too badly with packing this year as we head to a blizzard in Savannah! The sun was shining brightly!

Tim won't let me stop at the best rest area in the Eastern US, Tamarack in West Virginia--I spend too much time looking at all the great arts and crafts of Appalachia. Sometimes he does indulge me with a stop in Flatwoods,WV, where I can shop for Fiesta seconds. However, he informed me that we would stop for lunch at New River Gorge and stop at Flatwoods on the way home. That's OK because we can take a selfie there! New River Gorge National Park is worth the stop and TK's tuna sandwiches make it even better! By 1:30 p.m. I was ready for lunch! From NRG we have about 240 miles left on our journey.

Janie at New River Gorge, West Virginia

Just down the road a piece, Tim pointed out a very nice road marker honoring Hershel Woody Williams, a Congressional Medal of Honor recipient. He was awarded the MOH for his valor in Iwo Jima-he used his flamethrower to make way for Marines on the island, by himself, for hours. The documentary, "Sons of Guns," featured Woody. His flamethrower was restored and he demonstrated its use at 87 years of age! Woody and I worked together in Huntsville, Alabama, at a local middle school while we were attending an MOH gala event. Woody, originally from Quiet Dell, West Virginia, is now 94 years old!

By 3 p.m. we were in Virginia-no snow, 32F, and by 4:15 p.m. we were in North Carolina--again no snow, 31F.

Rock Hill: 6:30 p.m., a long haul.

Observations:
I saw a bald eagle perched in a tree along the way, surveying the snow dusting the woods. A maple sugar house sat deep in another woods, waiting patiently for a January thaw.

I love little creeks that wind through the woods, reminding me of our childhood in the country--playing in the brambles and brush,  our Springer Spaniels joyfully leading us. We made tents with branches, carried our lunch of peanut butter sandwiches--and collected wild flowers, rocks, and fresh strawberries.

TK's Takes: Lots of cars, campers, and pickups headed south. He noted we passed the 38th Parallel. He is studying the weather tonight for tomorrow--the news was featuring Savannah and Myrtle Beach covered in snow. Our route tomorrow takes us closer to the coast.