Our weekend getaway turned into both a fun adventure and a learning experience with the Thor.
The Campground: We stayed at Heritage RV Park, located near Augusta National Golf Club. Because The Masters Tournament was coming up the following week, we couldn’t extend our stay, but the park itself was wonderful—very well maintained with a friendly, helpful staff. Our site, RV-40, had one of the only shade trees in the park (though it was still a little early in the season for leaves).
What we really learned on this trip is just how much storage space the Thor has. Between the closets and drawers, we had more than enough room, and traveling in it was very comfortable.
On the flip side, we also discovered that “fuel efficiency” isn’t exactly a selling point of a motorhome. When we stopped to refuel for the first time, Beth asked, “When will it stop?” That experience definitely helped us rethink how to plan trips—staying longer in one place makes the cost per day much more manageable.
This was also our first time towing our car with the new tow dolly, and the V8 handled it without a problem. We even learned how to back the dolly with its surge brakes, which gave us some extra confidence.
The adventures: Friday, 28 March – the trip down. Poor Boo! She kept crying, trying t tell us something, but we did not understand. Well, she needed to pee, and we had not shown her where her litter box was. She finally (about two hours later) just squatted in my (Beth) lap and let go. OH!!! We made a pit stop to clean up and then back on our way. We arrived at Heritage RV Park around 2pm – hotter than blazes here! We drove around the area, but several of the spots we wanted to visit (Magnolia Cemetery, Frog Hollow General Store and Pendleton King Park) were all closed due to damage from Hurricane Helene. So, we found dinner at Armando’s Grill and Pizzera, a hole-in-the-wall Italian place. Wonderful Five Cheese Tortellini for me and very good Chicken Alfredo per Kevin. Back to the campsite for time with Boo and UT v. Kentucky in Sweet 16. #GoVols – on to the Elite 8!!
Good morning, Saturday. Gotta get used to the small shower. Our first stop was Saturday Market downtown. Homegrown produce, great smelling food, crafts, etc. We bought our Tupperware Salt & Pepper Shakers (just like our moms used to have!) from Shirley Pinkston. Awesome lady!!! She and Beth could have talked all day. 🙂 Next stop, the boyhood home of President Woodrow Wilson. Beautiful old house with a kitchen house. Very interesting history. You can see in one window where President Wilson had scratched his name!
Beth wanted to try The Boll Weevil Cafe & Eatery for lunch. I (Kevin) was not too sure about this one with a name like that, lol. Fun, sweet server (Reagan) who gave us some great tips about the foods. Beth had a Fried Green Tomato BLT with Pimento Cheese (“scrumptious” per her), and I had the Honey Mustard Chicken Salad Sandwich which was very good. Unfortunately, we were way too full for dessert. Maybe next time! After lunch, we toured the Augusta Museum of History. This is a very nice place with LOADS of history and great exhibits. Next was shopping. Beth broke her New Year’s Resolution (she bought three new books) at 2nd & Charles; on to Mema Had One, a unique little antique shop where I found a good little storage box for a camper compartment; Uptown Marketplace; and Carolina Pottery. Back to the campsite where we met our “backside” neighbors and had a great conversation with them. We ate our leftovers from Armando’s, watched some basketball, and were off to bed.
On Sunday, we had a slow, easy morning. We went downtown to walk the Riverwalk. Amazing! Great walk overlooking the Savannah River with views of town and the college on one side and the waterway homes on the other and great historical information kiosks along the way. We then headed to Savannah Rapids Park. Most of the trail here was closed, again due to hurricane damage, but we enjoyed what we did get to see. The Love Locks were very cool!
We then went to lunch at Goolsby’s; some great homecooked good! We were not quite dressed for the occasion (in our hiking clothes while everyone else had just come from church, dressed to the nines!), but everyone was so nice, talking like we were one of their neighbors. Back to the campsite for a little bit of basketball – UT v Houston in the Elite 8. #GoVols We packed up and headed home after the game – a little later than we had planned. It got dark and started raining, and the trip was over five hours. Two new resolutions for our camping travels: no driving after dark/after dark in the rain and no more than four hours of travel at a time.
All in all, the weekend showed us that we’re ready for more adventures ahead!