Saint Augustine to Virginia

Starting our journey north from Saint Augustine our first port of call was Savannah, a town worth a second visit; this was our third and we still found new places to walk and a new place to eat. Walking along East Drayton we spotted The Tea Room which is very like Lisa's Tea Room in the Pruneyard in Campbell, CA.  Lunch was beautifully served and included a little plate of scones with whipped cream and raspberry jam, short bread and carrot cake to finish. The selection of teas was the largest either of us had ever seen. The day was hot and humid but Savannah's tree lined squares keep the center of town somewhat cool.

When we arrived at the RV Park we noticed that we were minus the inside light of the tow dolly; the complete unit was gone with only the screws left. Tom found a garage that would replace the light unit, not cheap but a lot cheaper than being pulled over by the cops.

From Savannah we went to Santee on Marion Lake, South Carolina. Lake Marion is a manmade lake and a very popular spot for weekenders. This being Mayfly season there were thousand flying about; thousands more dead on cobwebs, on the porches of unoccupied caravans and all over windows and doors of nearby apartments. There are several nature reserves around the lake; we hiked in two of them; one was through a swamp where there were warnings about large alligators but having kept our eyes wide open and our running shoes on we saw none. In the other reserve we walked beside the lake through a wooded area to an Indian burial mound on which the British had built Fort Wilson; it was captured and destroyed by the Americans during the Revolutionary War. Remarkably, we saw more wild life on our after dinner walks near the RV Park.

After Santee we went on a marathon drive for us, 270 miles to Roanoke Rapids NC. A nearby town was listed as historic Halifax, once a thriving town as it was an important port on the Roanoke River and was the center of commerce for many plantations and a vibrant horse racing area; sadly…the train and time passed Halifax by. Today it is being branded as Historic in an effort to attract tourists with many of the older building still standing and in the process of renovation to preserve their history. All commercial life has left the area.

When we stopped for gas, our first stop in Virginia, we saw a big horse box with a lady feeding the horses so Adele walked over and started chatting, Adele told her that she was from Ireland and the lady said so is my husband he’s from Co. Kildare in Ireland where the Irish National Equestrian Stud (known as the National Stud) is situated; Tom had a chat with him.

We just had to tell them the story about a Senior Executive of the National Stud arriving at an airline ticket counter in the US to collect his ticket stating “you have a ticket for me…the Irish National Stud”; the ticket agent immediately made a loud announcement…”Ladies come and meet the Irish National Stud”!