Base Camp
For week 69 we called Sesquicentennial State Park near Columbia, South Carolina our home. Our site was tucked into a wooded area, which normally might have been an issue, but with Verizon working smoothly we didn’t have to worry about relying on Starlink. The park itself had a peaceful pond loop that we took advantage of later in the week. Wildlife made a few appearances: a few deer sightings and a little tree frog that startled me in the shower on our first day. Overall, it was a quiet stay with very few neighbors, and was a good jumping off point for the week.
Monday, August 18th
We made a quick trip into Columbia to see the State Capitol, but didn’t venture inside. Instead, we admired it from the car and snapped a couple of photos before moving on. From there, we popped into a local Goodwill. This has become a new go-to filler activity whenever we’re in a new area and looking for something to do.
Tuesday, August 19th
We spent afternoon exploring the pond loop trail at Sesquicentennial State Park. The path was shaded and peaceful, lined with mushrooms of every shape and size.
Wednesday, August 20th
Another chore day! We went for a much-needed oil change, but it ended up being a slow process. The car ahead of us took forever, and once it was finally our turn, the worker tried hard to upsell us on every add-on service imaginable. Next, it was time for laundry, this visit came with a little twist: as the owner cleaned up, he started singing along to a song playing overhead, and slowly the entire laundromat (us included) joined in under their breath. A sweet moment that made the chore a little lighter. From there, it was off to Walmart to pick up the items we’d missed during our Sunday Trader Joe’s run.
Thursday, August 21st
This evening was spent exploring Congaree National Park, about 40 minutes from our campground. We stopped by the visitor center first to grab our usual souvenirs (t-shirt for Zac, postcard and sticker for me) before it closed. On the walk up we noticed a giant spider… then realized every tree along the path had the same ones. They turned out to be female Golden Silk Orbweavers, non-venomous and apparently great for mosquito population control, which made sense for where we were.
After loading up on bug spray, we set out on the boardwalk trail. The massive “champion” trees were definitely the highlight, towering above everything. Even with tree cover keeping it cooler, the mosquitos were relentless. At one point I could actually feel them bouncing off my arms as I walked.
Friday, August 22nd
We met up with my cousin Sean and his wife Emily, along with their daughter Ruby, at a restaurant halfway between their place and ours. The restaurant was pretty quiet, so we were able to just sit and chat for a while about life on the road for us, their upcoming school year, and everything in between. It was really good to see them.
Saturday, August 23rd
We left Sesquicentennial and made the roughly three-hour highway drive towards Atlanta. We stopped at my cousin Adam’s house and got to spend a few hours visiting. We chatted about football, had some lunch, watched the twins stumble over Bennett and pickup everything they could find (from Adam’s car keys to the tv remote). Ragan and the other two kiddos arrived just before we left and we heard about what everyone is learning in school so far this year. When we left, Miles raced us down the street on his scooter while KJ ran barefoot through the neighbors’ yards to keep up, it was an adorable sendoff.
We continued through Georgia and into Alabama until we ended up parking at a Cracker Barrel in Jasper. After getting Scout set up, we wandered next door to a Chevy/GMC dealership just to peek at their inventory under the lot lights.
Sunday, August 24th
We woke up to an unpleasant surprise: our RV stairs were positioned in an anthill overnight, and the ants had gone straight for Scout’s food dish. Definitely a rude awakening, and a mistake we won’t repeat.
The drive to Memphis was another long haul, but we broke it up with a stop in Tupelo to see the birthplace of Elvis. Aside from a few gas stops, we kept things moving and eventually made it to T.O. Fuller State Park. After setting up, we jumped straight into a much-needed deep clean of the RV, an emergency round of laundry, and a quick shopping trip to restock. By the time we finished, we were more than ready to settle in for the night.
The Next Base Camp
Compared to Sesquicentennial, this park felt a lot more remote, even though it was only about 20 minutes from Memphis. The surrounding neighborhoods were pretty run down, with stray dogs crossing the street and plenty of trash on the side of the road. At first it felt a little unsettling, but once we got inside the park itself, it was actually really nice. The bathrooms were some of the best we’ve seen, and while cell service wasn’t great, we lucked out by picking a site that worked well for Starlink.
Monday, August 25th
We kept things close to home and explored the trails in T.O. Fuller. The paths were completely empty, which made the whole place feel quiet and a little creepy, but also peaceful. Butterflies were everywhere along the way, and eventually we stumbled onto a small play structure where we hopped on the swings for a bit. Days like this are always reflective, we catch ourselves talking about what we miss from home, but also what we love about this current lifestyle.
Tuesday, August 26th
First order of the afternoon was a propane refill, which was a quick in-and-out stop just over the border in Arkansas at Tractor Supply Co. With that taken care of, we headed into Memphis to see the massive Bass Pro Shops pyramid. The place is huge! Half retail store, half indoor nature park. We wandered the main floor checking out the boats, then climbed to the second level to browse grills and coolers. The indoor ponds and aquariums were full of fish, ducks, and even alligators. We considered riding the tallest freestanding elevator in the country to the top of the pyramid, but decided to skip the $8 each price tag since we weren’t all that invested. Even without it, the building itself was a fun visit.
Wednesday, August 27th
We couldn’t leave Memphis without seeing the famous Peabody Hotel ducks. It’s a whole production, there is a presentation of sorts, the ducks march out with plenty of fanfare, the crowd claps, and then it’s over. Silly, but worth doing once in your life (but probably not twice). The place was packed for a Wednesday evening, with families and kids all pressed in to see the spectacle.
Afterward we walked around Overton Park, near the museum district. We strolled past a little pond, spotted more ducks, and then pulled out the frisbee. At first we were laughably bad, but after a while we got into a rhythm and started backing up farther and farther to challenge ourselves. Later that evening, we hopped on a video call with friends for what once was a book club and has since turned into more of a “what are you up to these days?” club. It was such a nice way to cap the night, connecting with people we don’t get to see nearly enough.
Thursday, August 28th
This evening was mainly about Zac’s fantasy football draft with his work league. We stayed in, cooked up a big chicken parm dinner, and had The Sopranos running in the background. While I played chef, Zac focused in on his league and planned out his picks. He went in with a few strategies, and by the end he was pretty pleased with how his team had shaped up.
Friday, August 29th
We headed downtown to experience Beale Street and catch some live music at BB King’s Blues Club. Even early in the evening, the street had a fun energy, blocked off to traffic, neon lights buzzing, music spilling out of open doors. It felt like a blend of New Orleans and Nashville, a little more laid-back at that hour but with plenty of hints of how wild it could get later.
At BB King’s, we grabbed seats on the balcony and had a perfect view of the band. They were incredible! Classic blues, but they mixed in a few unexpected numbers like At Last and Tennessee Whiskey. The lead singer’s voice was so impressive.
As we made our way home for the night, we stopped to snap a photo of the Elvis statue on Beale, because you can’t visit Memphis without a little nod to the King.
Saturday, August 30th
We broke up our travel day with a stop at Mammoth Spring State Park, right on the edge of Arkansas. It was a perfect spot to park the RV, give Scout some food and water, and stretch our legs. The spring itself was impressive and is one of the world’s largest springs with nine million gallons of water flowing hourly! As we took a lap around the pond, geese floated across the surface, a train rushed by with ear-rattling force, and a gorgeous blue butterfly landed on the trail and angled itself toward us, as if posing for a photo.
Later in the day after a bit more driving, we swung by a nature center outside Springfield, Missouri. The building itself was closed, but there were busy hummingbird feeders right outside the entrance. We then did a short walk through the conservation area, it was peaceful and the perfect stop for late on a Saturday afternoon.
From there, we capped the day with a Red Robin stop. Zac went for bottomless root beer floats and impressively tapped out after four. That night, we parked at a Cracker Barrel north of Springfield, tired but happy after a full day.
Sunday, August 31st
By Sunday we made it into Kansas and set up at our campground for the week. In the afternoon, we drove into Topeka to check out the State Capitol. This time, we actually got out of the car to walk around the exterior of the building, admiring its size and details.
On the way to the campground earlier, we had spotted some sunflowers in bloom and couldn’t resist tracking them back down. A little old-fashioned map reading got us there, and it was so worth the detour. The fields were breathtaking, endless rows of yellow blooms that felt almost unreal in person. Photos really couldn’t do it justice.
Whew that was a long one! If you made it this far thank you for reading and check out the reel I made for these two weeks below.
Love the Peabody ducks❣️