We are in a Mansion! - Carolina Clan Rally, Day One

(Murrells Inlet, SC)  Hi 57 Lo 46 -- We had rain all night, but it stopped by the time we were ready to hitch up this morning. It was a cold 42 degrees, but we got ready to go within 40 minutes and on the way to Camper Connection in Myrtle Beach, SC to have our slide repaired. Along the way on I-95 we saw many utility company trucks headed to the northeast to help with Hurricane Sandy power restoration. It’s a mess in that area with billions of dollars in damages and lost business.





Jim worked for an electric utility company so he really feels for what those men and women are going through. But he sure doesn't miss it! :)

We got to Campers Connection a little earlier than our appointment, but the repair tech got to work right away replacing our slide motor. We went to lunch and by the time we got back the job was done. Jim tested the slide and it seems to work well. So we have our roomy home back... it's like moving from an apartment to a mansion! :) We just hope this is the last time we'll need to have it repaired. One nice thing is, Camper Connection has a shop in Kissimmee, Florida, which is only about an hour from where we'll be staying all winter. So if we have any more problems with the slide we won't have to go far to get relief, unlike the first two times we had it fixed.

After we paid the bill (we only had to pay $73.00, our extended warranty covered the rest) we were on our way to Huntington Beach State Park, which was only 10 miles down US 17. I’ll post a photo of our site tomorrow. We're under a big tree, which we don't particular like. But overall the park is really nice! Jim got a good satellite signal for TV, and we have a weak Verizon 3G signal on our phones for internet, so we’ll be fine.

We're here for a loosely arranged get together of a group of RV-Dreamers from the Carolinas. Nancy and Bill started the group last year when four full timing couples got together, and they named the group the Carolina Clan. Word got out about how much fun they had, and this year there’s 23 couples coming this week.  Not all of them are full time, and not all of them are from the Carolinas, but all of them are fun loving friends, or soon to be friends. A few of the early arrivals were already gathering when we drove in.


By evening we had gathered in front of Bill and Nancy's rig for our first "happy hour."


We had a great time talking and getting to know each other better. We were very surprised to find out that we were the veterans of the group, having been on the road the longest. It was cool and breezy today, and it started getting downright chilly when the sun dipped behind the trees, so we all departed to our own RV’s for the night. But we'll meet up again tomorrow.