Day 111: James Island County Park in Charleston.

Our day started late as usual but with a knock at the door. Our buddy Kyle was taking off for the holiday weekend and wanted to say good-bye before he hit the road. It was probably a good idea to start the day a little earlier since we might run into some Thanksgiving traffic. We quickly got ready and crossed the street for some breakfast. Dan has been meaning to buy some clear coat touch up paint for our filiform corrosion issue, especially before we hit the east coast’s salty air, and lucky for us there was an auto parts store nearby.

We actually got into Charleston with no real traffic issues since Luka is finally sleeping in longer stretches in the car. He used to take 45 minute naps in the car but now that he is 7 months old, 2 hour naps seem like the norm. Let’s just hope it sticks around for a bit. We have a lot more driving to do across this country.

Dan insisted that we hit up the Costco in Charleston before we settle into our campsite. Yeah, I know. Costco-sized ingredients and our small fridge don’t necessarily mix but don’t tell me, tell that to my cook. And today was the day that Luka sat in his first shopping cart. Yeah for germs! The girls were excited to add him to the mix. Yes, Mila too.

The girls love Costco, especially now that the holiday toys are out in full force.

Oh and let’s not forget about free samples around each corner. They might have visited the gingerbread cookie lady twice. Shh, don’t tell.

Yesterday we got a little worried about available space at the campground we wanted to spend Thanksgiving at so I decided to call up James Island County Park beforehand. The first person I spoke to said that they are 100% booked and there was no way to get a spot. Oh crap. I couldn’t believe it. I didn’t want to believe it and more importantly I didn’t want to do any more research today. So I called again 30 minutes later and another person answered the phone. This time they actually spent a few minutes looking on the computer and found us a spot for 4 nights, no problem.

As we drove into the park, we saw a lot of the lights that they had set up for the Holiday Festival of Lights show that happens every night from 5:30 to 10 pm.

And while checking in at the front office, I overheard someone say that there were lots of spaces left due to cancellations. I guess a lot of people book this campground a year in advance and plans change, lucky for us.

When we look up into the trees, we notice a change. The welcome arrival of Spanish Moss. The memories of our last cross country trip to this area immediately flood us and put big smiles on our faces.

As soon as it got dark, we hoped back into the van, cranked up the Christmas music and drove thru the Festival of Lights.

There were lots of ooohs and aahs from the little ladies, especially for this unicorn.

It does feel a little strange to start celebrating Christmas the day before Thanksgiving but there is no way to avoid Christmas around here.

Or avoid New Years for that matter, too.

the end,
marlene