Four Oaks NC - April 1-6, 2024

Day 1 Monday April 1, 2024

We needed a short break from our normal routine and also needed to test everything on/in the motorhome before we start traveling this Spring/Summer. 

So we reserved 5 nights at Raleigh Oaks RV Resort in Four Oaks NC. This is near Four Oaks and Smithfield NC. We stayed here a few nights in 2022. It is nice RV Campground with all level gravel sites with all hookups in the correct location and all but the sites on either side are pull through sites. It still amazes me how unlevel some campgrounds leave their sites. The sites costs a little more than some campgrounds we stay at but we have noticed in the last couple of years that most campgrounds are raising their rates. We don’t mind paying a little more if the campground is nice but some charge the higher rates but do nothing to earn it. 

This was the warmest day we have had this year so we got a chance to run the air conditioners but will probably have the heat on by Wednesday based on the weather forecast. But that gives us a chance to test them out. 

We did get a Check and Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) to come on in the dash about 20 miles into the trip. I pulled into a parking lot to check the Fault Codes in the dash computer but there were none listed. So we went on to the campground. About 20 miles down the road the Check light went out but the MIL stayed on. The lights were amber in color not red so it was okay to continue to drive. I hope it was just a fluke since the motorhome has been setting since January 21st. 

We got our lawn chairs out and set outside for a few hours and read on our iPads. Sure seems good to be outside in nice temperatures. 

Day 2 Tuesday April 2, 2024

We decided to do some exploring today. When we go to the mountains we drive through some small towns after we exit I95 such as Angier and Lillington NC. We have never stopped since we can’t find anywhere to park the motorhome. We have seen some murals in Angier and wanted to photograph them. We try to take as many mural photographs as we can on our travels. 

After checking Google Maps we found a coffee shop in Angier named “thanks a latte”. When we were traveling through Arizona in 2022 on the way to Alaska we stayed near a small town name Camp Verde and there was a really good coffee shop there named Thanks a Latte. We decided to try the one in Angier this morning. They make a good Latte and the Coffee Cake was also good. It is in one end of a large brick building. It is rather large compared to most coffee shops and for a small town on a Tuesday it was very busy. 

After enjoying our coffee we walked around town and took some photos. This is a small town or at least the older downtown part is small but highway 210 runs through the downtown section and there is an unbelievable amount of traffic coming through town.

The farm land between I40 near McGees Crossroads and Angier onto Lillington is being gobbled up for housing projects and apartments at an amazing rate. We have been taking this route from I40 over to Highway 421 at Lillington to bypass Raleigh to get back on I40 in Greensboro on our way to Stone Mountain State Park for about 9 years and there has been a major transformation of the landscape. 

We left Angier and drove past Lillington to checkout Raven Rock State Park. We have seen the road sign for the park as we travel highway 421 but not had a chance to checkout the park. We knew it had a campground but was not sure if it had large enough campsites for our motorhome. We were a little surprised to find out that they have 24 campsites and everyone one of them could handle two motorhomes the size of ours. But only 9 have full hookups (water, sewer and 50/30amp electric). All were level with gravel surface, large tent pad, picnic table and firepit. They also have 6 cabins that can be reserved. There is a baththouse but we were surprised there is not a dump station. Normally there is a dump station in state park campgrounds. If anyone with an RV  reserves the sites that don’t have hookups they have nowhere to dump their holding tanks. I think the planners for this campground messed up with that decision. They have a sewage system because 9 sites are full hookup plus there is a bathhouse so why not have a dump station. 

We checked out the Visitor Center which was really nice and then drove through some of the country roads before returning to Angier to eat at Ed’s Family Restaurant. We pass by it every trip through Angier and we thought it probably had good “comfort food”. And we were correct. The place was bussing with people and the cooks and waitresses were hopping. I got baked turkey with mashed potatoes and cucumbers/tomatoes. The plate had four large 1/4” thick slices of really tender turkey. I couldn’t eat but two of them so I got a takeout box. Lena got a large piece of meatloaf with blackeyed peas and coleslaw. She said it was delicious. Then we returned to the campground for the day. 

Day 3 Wednesday April 3, 2024

We ventured into Selma this morning to visit Coffee on Raiford.  We discovered this coffee shop in 2021 when we were camping near Selma and we have visited it several times since. 

As we were leaving our campsite this morning I noticed a rabbit(s) had visited our site and left some “bunny honey” in two piles on the grass. I guess it didn’t read the rules about cleaning up any droppings. 

A brother and sister team opened Coffee on Raiford after doing a major renovation on their part of the building in the old downtown section of Selma. It is just down the street from The Rudy Theater that has a variety of entertainers throughout the year. Jimmy Fortune will be here two nights later this month. And also the Malpass Brothers. 

After enjoying our coffee we departed and went to the Carolina Pottery in the local outlet center. We got a few items, checked a shoe store for a pair of shoes I am looking for and then drove on through Smithfield. Many years ago I drove through Smithfield every Friday and Sunday night on my way to and from home from Raleigh where I worked at a drug wholesale supply company. I40 was not built at that time so I traveled highway 70 from Raleigh to Goldsboro and then onto home from there. 

I was surprised to see a grill still in business in town on the main road through town that was there when I was going through Smithfield in 1967. I don’t know if the old mobile home they use now is the same as was used then but someone is still running a busy grill there. It is called Cricket’s Grill not sure if that is the original name. No inside dining, you just walk up to the window and place your order and eat standing up, sitting on one of the two benches or in your vehicle. 

To give you an idea how times has changed when I worked at the drug wholesale company I was paid a small fee to deliver drug orders to drug stores in Wallace and Rose Hill when I went home for the weekend. I could leave the orders outside the drug store doors on Saturday morning. Sure wouldn’t be allowed to do that now. 

It was getting close to lunch time and we wanted to checkout The Red Neck BBQ Lab near McGees Crossroads we had heard so much about. I order the 1/4 lb pulled pork and Lena ordered the 1/4 lb brisket. It lived up to all the good comments we had heard. Their pulled pork is really pulled pork not chopped by a machine like so many BBQ places. To me that ruins BBQ pork. 

After stuffing ourselves we took the backroads back to the campground. 

Day 4 Thursday 4/4/24

Lena wanted to try the new coffee shop, Bon Voyage Coffee Company, in the small town of Four Oaks this morning.  They had good reviews but for us it is another “one and done”.  

We have ridden by the Bentonville Battlefield turnoff on highway 701 past Newton Grove many times and never took the time to check it out until this morning. It was very interesting. The guide was just starting a tour of the Harper House when we got there. The Harper House was used by the Union Army as a field hospital during the battle. Over 500 wounded Union soldiers were treated at the house plus 45 Confederate Soldiers. The Harper family moved upstairs while their house was occupied by the Union Army as a hospital. The guide said it is rare to have an original building like this still standing that was used during the Civil War. He explained the triage that was used to treat the soldiers and showed us the medical instruments they used to do the amputations that was used to save as many lives as they could. The medical expertise during the Civil War was primitive compared to today. Basically if a soldier got a bad gunshot wound to an arm or leg the surgeons just amputated it and threw it out the window in a pile of other arms and legs. After being treated the patient was taken outside and placed on the ground to recuperate unless he was an officer then they were placed on the floor in one of the rooms of the house. 

Witness Tree

Surgeons table

Blood stains that would not come up

Officers recovery room 

The Harper House

After the house tour, we toured the Visitor’s Center and watched a film about the Bentonville Battle. Then we followed the route of the driving tour that covers several miles. Most of the battlefields are on private land but there are pullovers and markers to mark the important areas. 

After finishing the driving tour we went to Newton Grove and had a good lunch before returning to the campground. 

Day 5 Friday April 5, 2024

We had a cooler night as predicted the first of the week. But the sun is out bright today which seems good. We didn’t do any exploring today, did a few minor things around the motorhome and just relaxed before heading home tomorrow. 

Day 6 Saturday April 6, 2024

Cool again this morning. We got everything ready and departed the campground at 10AM and got home at 11:30AM. It was good to get away for a few days. We still have the MIL light on the dash. I will be looking for the cause in the next few days. 

Red Bay AL - St. Augustine FL. 1/14/2024 to 1/21/2024

 Day 14  1/14/2024   Sunday 

After studying the tourist information we had last night we had planned to buy a two day pass on the Old Town Trolley Tour in St. Augustine. But this morning after looking at the weather forecast we decided to just buy a one day pass and see how things progressed today. Rain is in the forecast for the next two days. After touring the town today we are glad we only bought the one day pass. 

We drove to St. Augustine and parked at the Old Town Trolley Tour parking lot which is free if you are taking the trolley tour. The parking at the town parking garage is $20 and anywhere on the street is paid parking also. The trolley tour for both of us was almost $80 with a $1 off coupon for each ticket. The total route for the trolley is 8.5. miles and if you just ride and don’t get off, it takes 1.5 hours. They make several stops along the way and you can get off and on as many times as you like. It is an open air trolley and with it being 48 degrees and overcast when we got on at 9AM it was rather chilly. 

We got off and on several times at the places we thought we would enjoy the most. Many of the buildings required an entrance fee to tour them. We could have gotten a combined ticket at the trolley ticket office but we knew we didn’t want to pay for admission for places we didn’t want to tour. 

At the St. George Street stop we got off because it had several old buildings and lots of them had little businesses in them. We were kind of chilly when we got off and when we spotted a nice looking coffee shop we couldn’t resist. So we got a Latte and a dessert and sat down at their only indoor table to warm up. Naturally the prices were higher than a normal coffee shop by about 30% but they made a really good latte and the desserts were good also. 

We also got off at the Old House which is the oldest remaining residential house in Florida. It was built between 1702 and 1727. It was originally a one story two room house but later a second floor was added. We paid the entry fee which included the 3 museum buildings and a guided tour of the house. It is not used now as a residence, only for historical tours. The guide did a good job of explaining the history of the house. 

One of the last streets the trolley took before returning to the starting point was Magnolia Street. There isn’t a single Magnolia tree on the street but there are lots of Oaks along the street. Go figure. 

When we got back to the Trolley station we took the tour of the Old City Jail and the museum which were included in our trolley ticket price. The jail guide Walter did a really good job. Those prisoners were housed in very crude conditions. Probably would be considered inhumane by today’s standards. There were 8 recorded hangings done at the jail. Note “recorded” hangings. 

Henry Flagler help fund the construction of the jail and it was built in the style of a hotel in the Romanesque Revival style and painted in an unassuming color to avoid discouraging his fat cat friends from investing in the city, so he decided to disguise it. The company that built the jail would go on to build the infamous Alcatraz Prison. 

On the way back to the campground we stopped at a car wash to get the Jeep washed as it was a mess after driving in rain all day Friday. I washed the windows this morning so I could see how to drive. The car wash didn’t do a very good job but it is a little better than it was. Then we stopped at Wendy’s. I got their chili and Lena got their chicken apple salad. I like their chili normally but I should have returned what I got today. I found two small pieces of meat in it. It was mostly beans and juice. Normally it is vey meaty. 

 We were kind of tired when we got back to the motorhome. We had walked over 1.5 miles during our tour and being rather chilly didn’t help either. About the time we got to the motorhome the sun came out nice and bright. 

Day 15 1/15/2024   Monday 

We slept in a little late this morning because we were expecting rain to keep us inside today.  But it didn’t rain but just a few sprinkles so we ate a good breakfast then late in the morning we decided to drive the 18 miles to explore the small town of Palatka FL. 

We passed several large farms along the way. The land is as flat as a pancake here and I have read the land is very fertile for farming. They grow hundred of acres of vegetables like cabbage, potatoes, broccoli, kale and we believe we also saw collards. Some of the cabbage fields were being harvested. It looked like a dozen or so people were walking along cutting the cabbage and tossing it onto a conveyor belt then the cabbage would drop into a large farm wagon being pulled by a large John Deere tractor. We met several of these large wagons headed to the packing buildings. 

We had planned to go to a small state park just outside Palatka but all the roads to it were closed. Probably doing renovations during the off season. We began to see murals on the buildings in the historic part of town so we began to search them out and found a lot of them. 

They have a nice waterfront park with beautiful views across the St. John’s River. Some of the old historic buildings have been renovated and converted to restaurants, etc. There were others that hadn’t been but should be while they are still viable. We saw one that would probably make a great place for a two story apartment building with first floor restaurant or businesses. 

Would make a nice apartment building 

By 1:30 we were ready for some nutrition so we went to Angels, which is Florida’s Oldest Diner. It open in September 1932 and has been open ever since. We thought by getting there at 1:30 the lunch crowd would be gone but we were wrong. They have several picnic tables outside under a shelter, which they call  Curb Service but we found one open table inside. I got fried chicken liver after I verified from the waitress how they were cooked. Many years ago I had a bad experience ordering them at a restaurant in Raleigh N.C. They were cooked perfectly as was Lena’s mushroom swiss burger. When we left about 2:30 the place was still very packed. 

Day 16 1/16/2024  Tuesday 

As predicted we got lots of rain today so we didn’t do any exploring today, instead Lena did laundry and I did some odds and ends and watched it rain. During a break in the rain I walked over to drop our trash in the trash bin and talked to one of the campground staff about their plans to add additional campsites to the campground. This campground was built in 2018 and it is laid out nicely and about half are pull through sites. 

Day 17 1/17/2024  Wednesday 

After breakfast we got out in the nippy 41 degree temperature to do some exploring of the area. We drove out towards the ocean and got on highway A1A which runs parallel to the beach. 

We stopped at Fort Matanzas National Monument. There are some really interesting southern live oaks trees in the park. Some of the limbs grow so close to the ground we had to duck down to walk under them on the parking lot sidewalk. There is a free ferry boat ride over to the fort ruins but there were several people in line to take the ferry and it was still in the low 40’s so we decided to pass the ride up. 

About 11AM we stopped at Parlor Doughnuts when we got in the  St Augustine area for a treat. Then it was onto Anastasia State Park. The park is right on the shore line of the Atlantic Ocean. We wanted to check out their campground and as we expected there was just a handful of the 139 sites that would be large enough for our motorhome plus the streets were rather narrow with large oak trees close to the street so it would not work for us if we were to come back to this area. Most of the sites were occupied and I imagine in the Summer they are very popular with all the shade at the sites. Plus it is a fairly short walk to the beach. 

We did a little hiking on the Ancient Dunes Trail but with all the recent rains it got too muddy before we got to see the ancient dunes so we turned around. There were several of the southern live oak trees along the trail, along with a variety of other trees. 

Our next stop was the St Augustine Light Station and Keepers house. It was built between 1871-1874. The keepers house was a beautiful large two story house. We have seen a number of lighthouse/stations but this site by far had the best Keepers house. There are several buildings on the grounds plus the light station. We went into the visitors center to check on tickets. I offered to buy Lena one if she would climb the 219 steps to the top of the light station but for some reason she backed out. 

Actually there was a bus load of adults and kids waiting their turn to take the guided tour. So we decided to find a restaurant and get some seafood. The first place we picked was closed for renovation so we picked another called O’Steen’s which we found out opened in 1965. We had to put our name on a list and wait outside for a table. While we were waiting we talked to another couple that was waiting. The lady (with some really fancy painted fingernails and toenails) said they drive once a week from Jacksonville FL to eat here. She said the shrimp were great. 

She was correct the shrimp were excellent. Actually Lena said the shrimp was the best she has ever had. She doesn’t normally order shrimp. The clam chowder was also good, not New England clam chowder I normally get, but still really good. They appeared to be the large shrimp that had been split open and very lightly battered before frying them. Even the hushpuppies were good. We don’t normally get good hushpuppies outside our area of North Carolina. 

Before returning to the campground we made a stop at Publix grocery store for a few items. The sun came out today and it turned out to be a good day to explore. 

Day 18 1/18/2024  Thursday 

We went exploring again today. Our first stop was Washington Oaks Gardens State Park. We had to pay a $5 toll to go over bridge a few miles from the park and then another $5 to get into the park. It sits on the banks of the Matanzas River. 

We parked and walked out to the river and then down the trail that follows along the river to the gardens behind the visitors center. We find the live oaks to be so interesting with their strange twisted shapes.  There was a very large one in the gardens that one of the staff told us was approximately 260 years old. 

The land was once a plantation and has gone through many owners. In 1936 Mr. & Mrs. Owen Young from Van Homesville NY bought the property and had a Winter home built. After her husband died in 1964, Mrs. Young gave the property to the state of Florida with the requirement that the land, flowers, trees and plants be preserved as a park. 

Then we went to Bulow Creek State Park to see The Fairchild Oak. Another huge live oak that is over 70’ tall and has limbs that spread out about 300’. It is estimated to be between 400-600 years old. We started to walk part of the walking trail but we had not gone far when the mosquitos began to feed on us for lunch so we turned around and left. The trail was beside a thick marsh area so I guess it was a good breeding ground for them. 

By this time we had walked over 1.5 miles today and were getting hungry also so we drove along the beach road South of Flagler Beach to Alfies Restaurant. We noticed the beach here is much more narrow than what we are accustomed to in North Carolina and no sand dunes, just a sand bullhead to stop the waves during a storm. 

The food here was good also. I got a shrimp basket and was surprised to see clam chowder as one of the options for a side. It was the New England style. Lena just ordered clam chowder and fried ice cream. I think her eyes bugged out when the waitress brought out the fried ice cream. It was HUGE. There was enough for four people but with my help she managed to eat it. 

We returned to the campground just as we got some light rain showers. 

Day 19  1/19/2024  Friday 

The weather prediction for today looked good so we decided to go back to old St. Augustine to tour the Governors House. We missed it Sunday when we did the trolley tour and the literature we have makes it sound interesting. 

We parked right beside the building and after fiddling with the parking meter to pay for on street parking we finally got it to take my credit card. When we went inside we quickly realized that the second floor was closed off and there was not much to see on the part of the first floor that was open. We were kind of bummed out but at least we didn’t have to pay to get in the building like most interesting buildings in the old town. 

We walked down the street and spotted a donut shop called Peace Love and Little Donuts of St. Augustine so with a name like that we decided to check it out. They had a large selection of donuts with various toppings and they were about half the size of a regular donut. 

Then we walked down St. George Street where most of the shops are located before returning to our car. We had paid for two hours parking and our time was running out. 

I follow some RVers that have YouTube channels and one couple, or at least the man, is always bragging about the hamburger chain based in Texas named Whataburger. There are some in Florida and Georgia. I checked and there was one about two miles from us so we drove to it only to discover it is still under construction. The next nearest one was about 44 minutes away so we decided to wait until another time to check them out. 

We returned to the campground just as the sun came out the nicest it has since we have been here. We have not had great weather here but SO much better than Red Bay Alabama where we were the first of the month getting our motorhome serviced. They have had several days/night of way below freezing weather, freezing rain, ice and snow. Tiffin motorhome is shut down until Monday and many of the other repair shops are shut down due to dangerous road conditions so they will be way behind with their schedules. Most of the motorhome owners scheduled their repairs several months ago so they probably didn’t leave when the bad weather forecast was reported. Red Bay does not normally get that much snow and ice and extended days of below freezing so it probably caught many off guard. 

Day 20  1/20/2024  Saturday 

It is time to head home so we departed about 9AM and headed South on I95. Traffic was not too bad except maybe through Jacksonville FL. I have never liked to ride beside an 18 wheeler because they take up most of their lane and so do we and that does not leave much space between us. If they sway just a bit in our direction it really gets close and today we had at least two 18 wheelers that the right rear tire came across the white lane into our lane. I try to ease over to the right side of my lane when I know one is coming up on my left to allow for any sway on their part. 

We saw something a little unusual beside the interstate today in Georgia. There was at least a half dozen wild pigs grazing on the grass beside the interstate. Didn’t have time to get a photo. 

We arrived at our stop for tonight near Walterboro SC at New Green Acres Campground and checked into site 26. It looks like it is going to be about 21 degrees for a low tonight. This might be the lowest temperature we have been in while traveling in the motorhome. I didn’t connect to the campground water except to add some more to our fresh water holding tank and then disconnect it to prevent it from freezing. 

Day 21 1/21/2024  Sunday

Well today is day 21 of this trip and the last day of this trip and the 21st day of the month and it was 21 degrees when we got up this morning. How is that for several 21’s in one sentence. 

We were a little slow getting ready to leave this morning and finally departed about 10AM. We stopped in Dillon SC to fuel up after 760 miles since the last fill up. We got a little annoyed with the trucker that was sitting at the pump in the line I pulled into and so was the trucker that pulled into the lane beside us with the trucker sitting at the pumps in that line. This fuel stop only had 4 lanes and all had a truck sitting at the pumps. 

The “golden rule“ of curtesy (and stated on a sign approaching the pumps) is you fill up and then pull forward to a line painted on the payment which leaves room for the next truck/big rig to get to the pump. Then go inside the store if you need to buy snacks, etc. 

The trucker beside us that was waiting laid down on his air horns and in a few minutes both drivers came out of the store. The one in our line THEN began pumping his fuel, UGG.  Then he pulled forward to the line and went back inside the store. I pumped 92 gallons and the trucker still had not come back to his truck. There was just enough room for me to squeeze by his truck and leave, UGG. If he needed a lot of extra time in the store there was a dozen or so open truck parking spots in the parking lot. But for some people it is all about them. 

We saw a lot of vehicles yesterday and today coming from the North and headed South on I95 covered in snow/salt crud. Our motorhome is dirty from the day we drove in the rain but nothing like what these vehicles have. We saw a number of 18 wheelers hauling new vehicles that looked awful with all the crud on the new cars. 

We stopped later for a quick lunch and got home just after 3 PM. Thankful for another safe trip of 1,900 miles and glad to be home. We enjoy traveling but always glad to be back home safe. This trip had some of the coldest temperatures we have ever used our RV and we were very comfortable.