10/26/2021
Our Tiny Home Adventure (so far):
Well we finally started our tiny home adventure after our 6 month build! We stopped at my uncles in midlothian Virginia. On our way up 495 we ducked under our first over pass. Note to self: measure tiny home before your first adventure 😬😅 we made it safely and continued south to Wilmington, NC where we stayed at Carolina Beach State Park! This park was very clean, pretty, affordable, and right at the beach. I finally saw the ocean for the first time in over a year! We then continued south and have landed in Charleston, SC. We tried to stay at Santee Coastal Reserve and let me tell you… when the google review says the bugs could chase off an army… they’re not joking! As we pulled through the road covered with the beautiful trees covered in Spanish moss, you could hear and see the mosquitos tapping on the truck windows! We made a fast u-turn and kept heading south. The first two days we weren’t allowed in any of the campgrounds since they do not accept tiny homes. They were rv only campgrounds. The ones that would accept us, wanted $70+ a night, and at that point, I would just rent a hotel room. We stayed two nights at the Francis Marion National Forrest and boy do I have some stories! Luckily we found a nice place to park the THOW right outside of Charleston. So far I like it, but the bugs are on a whole other level!! Mosquitos are about an inch big here and have weight to them. We will just have to get some citronella candles and more spray.
Things we forgot or didn’t even know we needed:
- door mat/rug
- exterior light
- towels (duh 🤦♀️)
- paper towels
Things I’m happy about:
- we use power only when we need it (probably for about 2-3 hours). We have everything plugged in, and it’s usually only on -the generator-during meal time.
- we produce significantly less waste. Since we have to dispose of our trash ourselves we have been keeping it to a minimum. I keep thinking about the average American household and how many Amazon boxes, hello fresh, subscriptions, mail, daily shopping, etc, they receive each day. It amounts to so much waste. I would love to have a general store where everything was in bulk and you fill up mason jars. I don’t know if that’s a weird concept but I would love it!
- water consumption - we’ve kept this to a minimum as well, we have a case of water for drinking/the gym, and we bought the 5 gallon water cans that we have been filling to put into our 35 gallon tank. This has also been an eye opener to how much water does one really need?
Things were still trying to figure out:
- remote workspace: ideally, I would just work on my mobile hotspot in the TH but since we are cutting out power usage to minimal, I’m worried my batteries won’t last as long.
- the nearest Starbucks is located on a guarded island?
- the local library doesn’t open until 9am
- the nearest local coffee place is a wholesaler/distribution facility 🤦♀️
- Where do we want to stay long term? I personally loved the Wilmington area - being by the beach, the smell of pine trees, coupled with the beautiful weather, really nailed it for me. I like Charleston but after my experience in the Forrest and our explorations around the city, I’m not sure if this place is for me. I feel like it’s a modernized django society - ick! Maybe it’s just the area that I’m in but I definitely see a blatant division and I just don’t like it. My first experience with that was in Louisville, KY, and this area kind of reminds me of that.
Well if you read through all of this nonsense, congratulations! I’m surprised! Thank you! 😂
I may end up writing a weekly post on my travel blog (I started one last year) to keep those who are interested, updated on my adventures!
Have a great week!
- Diana
