Thursday, May 11, 2023 - We drove from the Barnyard RV Park in Columbia, South Carolina to the Pine Ridge RV Park near Roebuck, South Carolina. We started late (12:00pm) and the drive took about two hours and the weather was great. We could not check in at Pine Ridge until 2:00 pm. There was construction on about 25 miles of Highway 26 that made me pay close attention to my driving.  This is a very nice RV park that is off the main road and looked a little intimidation to access. As it turned out, it was pretty easy to get in and get set up. We have a lovely site with no next to us on one side, so the view of the trees is great. We decided to just stay around the RV and get accustomed to the new location. We took a walk.

Friday, May 12, 2023 - We drove to Greenville, SC to take a ride on The Swamp Rabbitt Trail. This is a 24 mile trail that starts just north of Travelers Rest, SC (2.5 miles farther north) and then travels about 12 miles to Greenville and through town then to the south about seven more miles. It is a great trail that is all paved and smooth. There is a lot of use of the trail, so we had to watch for other bikes, runners, and lots of "southern belles" pushing strollers with infants containing little babies. Not too bad though. We were able to get a decent workout with 35 miles of distance. We wanted to check out this trail since we had made plans to ride this trail with Chris and Mitzi Williams tomorrow. The trail was "confusing" in places, but we were able to get through it. Once you left town to the north, your could crank up the speed somewhat. Lisa and I had lunch in Travelers Rest at a very nice restaurant right on the bike path. She had a great turkey sandwich and I devoured their meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes and green beans. Yum. Yum.

Saturday, May 13, 2023 - We drove to Travelers Rest to meet Chris and Mitzi. They had to drive for about two hours to get there and we had a drive of just over one hour. It was sure great to see them. Both Chris and Mitzi are out-going, fun-loving people with lots of energy. They like to ride distance and are so much fun to be around. We got to Travelers Rest at about 10:00 am, and decided to ride the 2.5 miles of the trail to the north to "loosen up." This would five us nearly five miles and we would be right back where we started. We then began the ride into Greenville. There were more people on the bike path today (Saturday) due to the weekend and also because Greenville was sponsoring a huge art festival called "The Artisphere." Main Street in Greenville was lined on both sides with "push ups" and hundreds of art exhibitors. There were street performers and singers, and lots of food venues. The street was packed with pedestrians. We were lucky that there was a free "bicycle valet" service where we could leave our bikes at a safe place. We walked up and down the streets, then, after buying some ice cream, we walked over a bridge that crosses the Reedy River where there is a large, beautiful waterfall. We took tons of photos and videos, so be sure to see the photo gallery. We had a great time before continuing our ride to the south for about another four miles. We then turned around and re-traced our steps through town and back out into the country. We rode to a "Country Store and Cafe" where we were able to get sandwiches and soft drinks. The roast beef was great and Lisa and I shared it. Good thing; it was pretty large. After lunch, we returned to the trucks and packed up for our rides to our respective RVs. We hope to cross paths with Chris and Mitzi again in the near future. We are both trying to figure out where we are going next so that we join up.

Sunday, May 14, 2023 - Lisa and I depart at 9:30 am for the Joe Nall Model Aircraft Fly-In at the Triple Tree Aerodrome near Woodruff, South Carolina. This is one of, if not, the largest model aircraft flying event in the country with six flying sites at one location and including a lake for float flying and a control line site for general flying and combat. It really lived up to its reputation. We paid the $15 dollar entry for spectators and then decided to walk to the flying sites for exercise. Later on we began taking the shuttle that runs from the entry to the farthest flying site. This event caters to any type of flying that you can imagine. There are helicopters, jets, large scale aircraft, float planes, RC boats, control line aircraft, and much more. This event runs for 12 days and most people camp at the side. There are actual RV parking sites with full service or you can just find a place to pull off the road and set up your rig. Lots of tents too. They provide a ton of rental golf carts, but the majority of flyers bring their own. There are also many electric bikes, electric wheels, and electric scooters too. The distance between flying sites is pretty far, so you need to have transport or take the shuttle. There is also a large area with food vendors and model airplane/equipment vendors. It would be very easy to spend thousands of dollars on a new airplane here. The event prices are a little less than what you would pay by going directly to the vendor online.

Airplanes, airplanes, airplanes!! They are everywhere. Many are for sale and sometimes you can get a good deal. You really need to know what you are looking for though. for me, the site where the larger planes were flying "3D" was the most fun. "3D" is where you fly aerobatic aircraft that have huge control surfaces that move at tremendous angles, and are terribly over-powered in attitudes that no real aircraft could withstand. Flips and rolls and stalls, and just about anything that you can imagine are done with these planes. On top of that, all of these maneuvers are done just inches above the ground! The opportunity for disaster is always there. We managed to watch a young man named Jasse Dusia fly. He is likely the #1 3D flyer in the world. How the plane survived, we don't know, but he always seems to be in control. It is hard to explain "3D," so I will put together a video of some of Jasse' flights. Pretty amazing. The day was perfect with virtually no wind, so the flying was great for everyone. Be sure to see the photos in the photo gallery and the video once I get around to creating it.

It is Mothers Day, so we got a chance to call Ann DeWeber in Walla Walla, Washington to wish her a happy Mothers Day. It is always great fun to talk to her. Her son, Bill, and his wife, Gina, were there, so we got to say "Hi!" to them too. Also, Ann's daughter, Charlotte, was there with her derelict husband, Bob, so we got to visit with Charlotte on the phone call too. That was very nice. We also visited with Bob too; he is an "okay" guy who is slowly being "civilized" by Charlotte. We hope to have Bob and Charlotte come travel with us this fall in New England.

Monday, May 15, 2023 - Today, we decided to make reservations for our next stay. We called an RV park near "Waynesville," North Carolina and made reservations for a seven-day stay. We will be close to Asheville, North Carolina and the Smoky Mountain National Park. Lots to do there and not sure if a week will be enough time. Today, we also decided to dedicate some time to the blog and doing chores around the RV. We have been busy over the last three days with a 35-mile ride on the Swamp Rabbit Trail, followed by a 31-mile ride on the same trail, and then a full day at the Joe Nall Fun-Fly. We needed a break. I am at Starbuck's right now using their Wi-Fi to upload photos to the blog. Almost done and ready to go to the RV to tackle some videos?? We are doing more things than I have time to adequately record on the blog. Videos take a lot of time, and I am way behind at creating them. The RV park where we are staying is having their road into the park paved over the next three days. Going to be a little "chaotic" for a while. I may have to use four-wheel drive to get out of the park since there is a pretty steep hill that will be a dirt road when we leave. All of our riding gear is dirty so we are doing laundry and interior cleaning of the trailer. We are having a great time and a lot of fun.

Tuesday, May 16, 2023 - Our last day in the Spartanburg, SC area, so we plan to go back to the Joe Nall Fun Fly. They are supposed to have some demonstrations throughout the day.