By Barry Zander, Edited by Monique Zander, the Never-Bored RVers
The Reedy River Falls are a center of beauty and relaxation for Greenville residents and visitors
Ain’t no grass growing under our feet, but I’m happy to say there are flowers blossoming on the bushes and trees that line the highways and byways we have traversed over the past two weeks.
The pace of our travels has limited my computer time, but now there’s time to catch up, which I’ll do with this series of “Micro-Blogs,” a few impressions on the past two weeks in the Eastern Time Zone, published in series form.
The story of the Mouse on Main
“Mice on Main” seems to fit in well with the character of dynamic Greenville, South Carolina. Our journeys have taken us through so many towns that put heart, soul and dollars into re-invigorating their downtown areas, only to see their efforts sputter and die — Greenville is a glorious exception.
In a grand effort that began about 40 years ago, the once decaying Main Street is booming, with beautiful and historic buildings shining in
Shady Main Street contrasts with the historic and modern buildings along the boulevard
the sunlight. People line up for lunch and dinner in more than 50 restaurants along the tree-shaded boulevard. International corporations have move into town, bringing energy and sophistication to this once sleepy southern town.
Gardens at the base of the falls outline the park under the suspension bridge
The suspension bridge overlooking Reedy Falls is an attraction we’ve not seen in any of the hundreds of towns we have visited.
Oh, and the Mice on Main? An idea created by a schoolboy, there are eight tiny brass mice hidden along the avenue, on sidewalks, fountains, gardens and who knows where.
We’re not big on cities as RVing destinations, but this one is an exception.
TOMORROW: Wilmington, North Carolina.
From the “Never-Bored RVers,” We’ll see you on down the road.
COMMENTS TO PREVIOUS BLOGS
From Steve Willis about bad situations — Heading “West” one summer with a 4-year-old Grandson following my parents in their Class C with us in a Class C with our Toad, I learned a valuable lesson. As we began the approach to the Eisenhower Tunnel [west of Denver, Colorado], my Dad radios me to ” be sure to pull over just as you come out of the tunnel. There’s a rest area there and we can have lunch.” I say “OK” as I slowly pass him going up the long grade in second gear. My Dad didn’t take to kindly to me passing him as he was the “Wagon Master.” But that was OK; he got over it pretty quickly. As we slowly chugged up the hill, my Grandson was just as happy as he could be. He had his snacks and life was good.
We finally reached the tunnel with an 18-wheeler right on my bumper as we came out the other side. I quickly glanced to my right and saw the “Rest Area.” It was a dirt pull off where 18-wheelers were pulled over with drivers checking their tires, brakes and loads. With one trucker dead on my rear end, it was a quick glance. That’s when I made the almost fatal mistake of shifting up into 3rd gear.
From this point on (down a very steep grade) for what seemed endless, I was white-knuckled, pumping the brakes to try to keep my speed down to at least 50mph. I never could get slowed down enough to slip back into 2nd gear. As soon as I released the brakes, it would quickly accelerate up to 60mph. This scenario repeated over and over as we passed an 18-wheeler with his right rear tires putting out a stream of white smoke. I guess this was his brakes. All the while, my Grandson was still just as happy as before, never knowing the danger we were in.
When we finally got to the bottom, there was an official pullover with a sign that described the beautiful lake we were now looking at after seeing (not feeling) how hot my front brakes were. By the way, when we got home, both rotors and calipers had to be replaced.
Moral of the story: Whatever gear you go up a hill in, use the same gear to come down.
From me about proper use of language – A neighboring camper hit my hot button one morning when he said he traded his trailer for an RV. Since travel trailers are recreational vehicles, they are RVs. Since motorhomes, a.k.a. motor coaches, can be used for recreation, they also can be considered RVs.
Because of the numerous Spam comments on this site, the comments section has been deactivated. We welcome your emails at [email protected] and I will pass along your comments.