Willow Tree RV Resort (Longs, SC)

Longs, SC
Willow Tree Resort site #8

Willow Tree is a beautiful park that was built about 8 years ago.  It was done right.  All the sites are wide and long with paved parking and concrete patios.  Most of them are pull-throughs.  I’m glad we got the rally rate for 7 nights.  In the 1980’s, the lake was actually a quarry so the water is very clear and cool since it’s about 35-40 feet deep.  They quarried coquina which is a type of limestone rock.  They have a very nice paved path around the lake with a nature trail in the woods.  They also have several birdhouses for bluebirds and swallows.  There is a resident pair of Canada Geese here.  Yep, that’s Wanda the MH in the background.


Apparently they can’t read too good.


We finished up Sunday by going to a campfire at Howard and Linda’s along with the rest of the dreamers that were left in the park.  Denny played his guitar and sang a few songs for everyone and we all enjoyed talking and dreaming.


Monday we slept late and enjoyed the kayaks on the water.  It is amazingly clear and a beautiful blue hue.  It has been some chamber of commerce weather the whole week.  Gin enjoyed fishing even if they didn’t bite.  After a while, I paddled toward her so we could chat.  The front point of my yak knocked her rod out of the holder and we watched the rod drift down away from us through that clear blue water.  What cha gonna do.  :(  These pics were taken by Paul, another rv dreamer that left Tuesday morning.



We finished off Monday night with a campfire at Gene and Jinny’s.  It was nice to be able to just chat with them for a while.  They are from New York and are getting ready for the road in the future also.  They seem like a good match for each other as are most rvers.  When you live in close quarters, it’s a good thing to be able to get along with your mate.

Tuesday was another beautiful day and I took some time to take some photos around the park.  There is a kildeer sitting on her four eggs and it’s interesting to watch her.  She protects them by running away from the nest and acting injured.


There are also a few loons that like it on the lake.  Every time I tried to get a photo with one of them in it, they would go under for a fish.  This is a shot of the four cottages that are across from us…


and the office complex where the swimming pool, laundry, and exercise rooms are.


There is some nice landscaping around also.  We like this park and maybe we can stay here a month in the off season to get the good rates.  It’s close enough to North Myrtle Beach but still very remote.



We enjoyed a late lunch in Calabash, NC at Ella's and took a nap after we got back.  We noticed a nice boat landing on the way there into the black water of the Waccamaw River.  It was calling for us.  :)  We visited a bit with Lee and Martha, the only other rv dreamers still here.  We are leaving on Wednesday while they are leaving on Thursday.  We did the usual packing of the outside stuff to get ready for the road in the morning.  It always saddens us and this time is even harder because we had so much fun with some wonderful people.

As Gin as been known to say, stay focused on what’s ahead and the rest will follow.

More Rally

Longs, SC
Willow Tree Resort site #8

It’s just been so busy in a good way.  Friday was a full day at the rvdreams rally.  We went to the morning seminars by Howard on buying an rv, boondocking, and working on the road.  At some point in time when we finally full-time, we plan on doing some type of volunteering for a campsite.  We may not need the money, but it would be nice to give back.  Gin stayed at the rig in the afternoon to fix the ham for the potluck while I went to the Picasa seminar put on by the Geeks on Tour.  It sounds so easy but it would take me a while to get used to it.  We enjoyed a delicious meal and a hilariously funny game of rv family feud afterwards.

Gin was a little sluggish Saturday morning so she skipped the first class on rv weight safety put on by Walter Cannon of RVSEF.  He also did a class on tire safety and Howard finished the morning with a class on choosing campgrounds.  We also got a handout about packing your rv for full-timing.  We had a quick lunch and came back to another class by the Geeks on Tour about setting up a blog.  Yes the hardest thing about it is coming up with something to say.  :)  Then it was open rig walk-through.  It was kinda like speed-dating or scavenger hunting because you wanted to see as many rigs as you could and talk with the people.  We ended the day with a nice catered meal of steak and shrimp and a sock hop.  Yep almost everyone shook their booty…even us.  Gin even danced right out of her leg brace.  It must have been at least 15 years since we danced like that.  And of course, we never remember to take the camera.

This morning there was an early farewell breakfast.  We made it and I was surprised that most of the dancers were there too.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here and we learned a few things at the seminars and talking with the other dreamers.  The main thing was indeed the people.  Everyone is so very friendly.  I took Smudge for a nice long walk and the park is much emptier but many are here for a day or two longer.  It will be a long 16 months until retirement but having something to look forward to will make it go by real fast.
We did take the camera to the breakfast so here’s a shot of Howard and Linda during the farewell song.



It was a nice banquet hall with just the right amount of people at the rally to have fun.  Maybe we can come back to another one before long.  Full-timing will come around sooner than we think.  A campfire at H&L’s is planned for those of us still here.

Rally Day 2

Longs, SC
Willow Tree Resort site #8

So we hit the ground running this morning.  We're not used to seeing the sunrise when we are rving but we had a beautiful one this morning.  I stepped out the door to take Smudge for a stroll and it was glowing through the clouds over the small lake.  This is a nice CG and I'm glad we got the rally rate of 30 bucks a night.  The place is full but it's not just rv-dreamers.

We went to the morning seminars on the emotional aspects of full-timing, selecting a home base and insurance considerations, and the cost of full-timing.  Since the afternoon seminars were about tv options and high speed internet, we didn't go.  Gin certainly has us covered on those topics.  We took the afternoon to spend a little time relaxing, walking the dog, and fixing the Google Chili for the chili cook-off tonight.  I went ahead and made some brownies for Friday's potluck.

It was once again a fun evening.  There were 16 crock-pots of chili and fixins and it was all gone by the end of the evening.  My cheeks hurt and my belly is sore so I know I did my share of laughing.  The rv gadget that we shared was the flowbee hair cutting system.  Another couple there was already familiar with it.  Dan has been cutting his hair with it for 20 years also.  Tomorrow will be some more informative classes and socializing afterward with a potluck dinner.