Wal-Mart - a port in a storm
An extract from a travel journal about a 5000 mile round trip from Arizona to Maine to Arizona - with many places en route including some unscheduled stops.  Running away from hurricanes ...

By Allie 

On again to Myrtle Beach, SC. Wow – finally at the ocean. Love the smell of the air and walking on the beach – so infatuated with it I wanted to move there – but the thrill wore off after we learned that hurricane Gaston was coming and that the tides will rise and there will be heavy rain.

We went to the Bluegrass concert in the camp (Ocean Lakes) and when we got out – around 11 PM, the weather started acting-up and people were packing up and leaving. There was talk of evacuation and finally we decided to go too. 

We found ourselves on higher ground – two hours later – after driving in the rain, at a Wal-mart of course. Make all the jokes you want about Wal-mart – but they serve a purpose beyond the mundane – they are a rescue mission for tired and lost luxury Motorhomes (even ordinary RV’s too).

Anyway – two hours of sleep and then a thunder clap – and then we checked with the weather channel (the satellite to the rescue) and Tom said we had to get moving again – this time to Florence, SC. Off we go and when we get there – more weather watching and Tom said that we had to go to Columbia, SC to keep out of the path of the storm – and finally in Camden, near Columbia we set-up camp – again at a Wal-mart of course. Went in – bought some food and stuff, asked the manager if we could stay – and settled in to doze, and watch the pattern of the storm.

The next morning we set out for Savannah, GA – (actually Tybee Island). That is where we are now, Aug 31 – planning to visit Savannah today and come back before the tide rises and the roads are flooded and impassable. Ha – cannot get away from the rain!!! Drove to a campground in Atlanta where they reassured me on the phone that we could get satellite reception. Well almost no – moved around until a spot worked and decided to leave the next morning, checking-out the city (Atlanta) on the way through and out.

Thunderstorms all the way. Tom convinced me to head for a Wal-mart ( so that we wouldn’t have to fuss with campground lies and besides we needed food and stuff) in Hopkinsville, Kentucky. It was on the way – now that we were fleeing north and west, as fast as we can to avoid the effects of the hurricane named Frances which was promising to be fierce and heading for Florida and points north – east/west? Overnite in Hopkinsville – got permission – it was very quiet and we slept well. We spent about $100 for food and stuff so we feel we paid for our stay.

Left the next morning – for a place in Kentucky called Paducah. On the highway, we saw beautiful fields of what we thought at first was corn – but then we saw that they hung them up upside down on racks – funny way to harvest and store corn…of course! It was tobacco!!. Then we noticed that they had drying barns where you could see the tobacco leaves hung above the ground – to dry. How awful. We complain about countries growing poppies and we have a huge tobacco farm industry.

Wal-Mart - overnighting with your RV
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