Drove up to the DC area, camping at Lake Fairfax County Park. A nice place to be located for planned outings.....but why were we the only ones at the campground? First (and we knew this before arrival), no water nor bathrooms - to be completed in 10 days. Second, driving north, took us out of the Spring weather...........woke up to SNOW! So a change in plans: Drive BIW to the Air & Space museum, skip our plans to bike, and skip our plans to spend a day at the Great Falls on the Potomac.
Parked at the Air & Space museum (RV freindly), and spent all day at this incredible collection of aircraft and spacecraft. Took a 2 hour guided tour, and learned the many stories of the men behind the metal and machinery. Saw the Discovery space shuttle, one of their newest arrivals -- it's big when you stand alongside. Other incredible aircrafts included the SR71 Blackbird spyplane, and many spacecrafts including manned and unmanned satellites. Also of interest were all of the WW1, WW2, and Vietnam planes and jets. We could have spend a few days walking among the all of the machines.
Included in our visit was a trip to watch an IMAX movie on the Hubble telescope and the 2009 space shuttle mission to repair and refurbish. Spectacular photography of our universe from Hubble, and quite a story to upgrade Hubble for the next 20 years.
With snow having changed to rain, but still in the 30s, we headed home to New Jersey. Arrived by 10pm and planned the cleaning and prep work to put BIW in storage for some Summer trips. Five months on the road this Fall/Winter season. More great trips planned in this year.
We headed up US-17 across the border to NC. Having enjoyed the camping and the sights last year, we went back to Huntington Beach State Park. Took a campsight just on the other side of the ocean dunes.
Biked across the highway to Brookgreen Gardens where the many bronze and aluminum cast sculptures are beautifully surrounded by gardens of flowers, plants, and trees. We spent all day walking the pathways and occasionally took some bench time with some of the staff.
The week's almost over and we haven't been swamped by the ocean. What a great campsite only feet from high tide. Tonight we plan to have a bonfire while watching the stars come out over the waves. 
Have watched numerous sunrises over the Atlantic and have taken beach walks through the beach tree debris. Used our bikes to check out the nature center and the many trails through the pines, palmettos, and palms. We even took a craft class and made dream catchers for better sleep!
Drove into Beaufort, which before the civil war was a wealthy town from king cotton . It is here in Beaufort that the confederacy was born at the "secession" house. Took an excellent walking tour lead by Jon Sharp through the town. Considering the wars, the fires, and the hurricanes, many of the antebellum summer homes are still intact and quite magnificent. Have you seen "The Big Chill"? Filmed here along with many other movies.
