A great sense of anticipation was in the air this morning as we readied ourselves for the beginning of the great trip. We loaded up War Eagle with food, clothes and the last of our gear, had a teary farewell to Mama and Grandpa and headed off into the great unknown. We had a wonderfully uneventful drive to beautiful Lake Hartwell State Park just over the border in South Carolina. This was going to be our first real backing-in experience and with walkie-talkies in hand, Tim managed to fit War Eagle into our first camping spot like a glove (on the 4th attempt). It was idyllic. Right on the lake, Gigi jumped straight into her swimsuit and this is when Karen realized that she had left all her underwear, swimsuits and shorts back at her parents house. A quick call to Mom and Dad's to get them to FedEx the crucial summer clothes to our next destination, and Karen and Gigi were in the warm water splashing around. 

Tim cooked up chicken and corn on the cob on Eagle's outdoor grill and as we sat there, beer in hand looking out over the lake we relaxed with utter satisfaction knowing that all our hard work had finally paid off. We were here.