An Easy Drive

November 12, 2007 -- Eastover, SC

Leaving family or friends is tough -- especially when we've been parked near them for a few weeks. We experienced that again yesterday when we left Chris and Tim to move on with our adventure. There were a few tears shed as we said "good-bye" and pointed the bus toward the south. Their companionship, hospitality, and talent with food lulled us into a state of comfort (and an expanded waistline) that wasn't easy to leave. Tim even made a batch of his world-famous cookies for us -- "comfort food for the road", he said. A huge "Thank You" to our good friends for making our visit so wonderful!

The drive to the Columbia, SC area, our next objective, was an easy one. The weather was perfect, the traffic light, only 100 miles, the bus performed flawlessly. On the way, we stopped at a Flying J truckstop for fuel and propane. South Carolina's tax on diesel fuel is very low and, thus, so is the price relative to surrounding states. We paid $3.189, after discount. It's at least a dime more in other states around here. Propane, on the other hand, has not been going up. We paid $1.98, about the same as the last time we filled a couple months ago in Wisconsin.

We're staying with my cousin Debbie at her home in Eastover. She has a few acres and offered any level spot we could find. We talked and caught-up with each other while a big prime-rib slowly cooked on her Green Egg outdoor cooker. It was so tasty and perfectly done that I couldn't stop eating and probably gained more weight -- again! It was a great evening, but I may have to re-think our strategy of seeing friends and relatives along the way or I'll have to buy bigger pants and put overload springs on the bus.

We'll be here until early Tuesday morning when we take the bus in for an oil change and lube at the local Cummins dealer. As I write this, we're not certain exactly where we're going next. Certainly, we start to make a bend toward the west, but which road to take... that may be decided by flipping a coil.

T