Happy 50th Birthday!
After a beautiful week with friends and several productive days with my oldest son, I felt ready to hit the road. It was exciting and bittersweet to say goodbye to my friends and a familiar place, but it was time to head out on my own. Being on the East Coast means camping mostly in campgrounds. While Lucy is set up for boondocking with her solar panels, Lithium batteries and DC powered devices, I didn’t feel quite ready for that big of an adventure. I figured starting at a campground was the best way to go.
On a side note, I have been holding off on posting these few weeks of adventures due to the effects of Hurricane Helene. My time spent in the mountains near Asheville, NC was amazing, but posting about those experiences didn’t feel right in the midst of the devestation the people there were experiencing. As a native Floridian, I am no stranger to Hurricanes and their aftermath, so I felt like waiting was the most respectful option. Most of the campgrounds I stayed at are up and running again. So, I am doing my best to highlight them in hopes supporting their businesses.
My first stop was Moonshine Creek Campground in Sylva, North Carolina. Click here to read more about this beautiful campground. The drive to the location was definitely a test of my newly confident driving skills. The winding roads were breathtaking but challenging. Once I arrived, I was greeted with amazing staff that were so helpful in getting me set up in my spot. If you remember my dismal parking experience in Ohio this experience was the polar opposite. The camp host lead me to my spot and then stood next to my window and gave me explicit instructions on how to turn my wheel to get in best area of my spot. HE WAS AMAZING! I told him he was in fact my hero. He also gave me an excellent tip to mark my wheel spot in the camping space with leveling blocks so I could back in to the same spot each time. Genius!
During my stay at Moonshine Creek I enjoyed exploring and hiking through the campground. There were endless paths and hiking spots to keep me busy and get my Florida flat land legs accustomed to the hills. In addition to hiking and relaxing, I had one big goal for my stay in Sylva and that was to get my Starlink internet up and running. After multiple problem solving attempts on my own, with my son, and with the support team at Starlink I came to the conclusion that my dish was faulty. Starlink immediately scheduled to send me a replacement, but that meant waiting for internet. Thankfully I am an avid reader so entertainment was covered. Work would mean heading into town and using public internet for a few days, but that’s just part of van life.
My Lovely Lucy. The best gift I have ever given myself.
Toward the end of my stay in Sylva I had a very big birthday 50! My oldest son came to the campground to visit me and brought me chocolate cake, my middle son messaged me at midnight to be the first to wish me a happy day, and countless other friends and family called and messaged with good wishes. It was a great day and every time I look at Lucy I am so excited about the gift of this new life that I gave to myself. Some of you know my story and some don’t, but sufficite it to say much of my life has been really hard. I’ve experienced loss of relationships, loss of loved ones far too soon, and countless other personal challenges. My losses have at times felt overwhelming, but I am a tough cookie. I don’t believe in surrendering to the difficult. I do believe in therapy, self-love, and hard work. I know in the very realist sense that none of us are guarenteed tommorrow and that means taking all the risks even if they terrify you. So, for my 50th Birthday, I took a risk on myself. I changed my entire life in search of the things that make just me happy. The risk is big, but the reward will be even bigger. At least that’s my hope. Stay tuned to see….
