Maiden Voyage - Barnwell State Park
September 6–7, 2025
The Life of Simon — A dog’s-eye view of life on the road
Ready…..set…..GO!!!!!
The plan was to depart for Barnwell on September 6th. But, as you will come to learn with us, a plan is usually more of a vague idea and what actually happens is often quite different. We could say a plan is more like a “figment” of the imagination.
So as it was, our RV was in the shop for inspection until late in the afternoon the day before our planned departure, and despite a whole lot of planning it was 1:45 in the afternoon by the time everything was packed, beds made, and snacks stowed.
We drove to town to get propane and gas, and of course we had to stop and pick up some burgers since the humans remembered them that they hadn’t eaten. Eating in the camper felt like a celebration, even though we hadn’t actually gone anywhere yet. Prudence and I got a few bites - small price for keeping morale high.
By the time the last fry was gone, it was nearly 4:00 p.m. Richard and Beth looked at each other, looked at the sky and then back at us. Everyone looked a little tired and the campground was hours away. Not wanting our first night on the road to begin in the dark, we made the best decision of the day: we went back home, parked Figment in the driveway, and called it a practice run.
On the morning of September 7th, we finally pulled out for real. The air was crisp, the camper was humming, and there was a buzz of excitement as the road stretched ahead for our first true destination - Barnwell State Park in the middle of South Carolina
The drive was long enough for two naps (mine) and a couple of “are we there yet?” looks from Prudence. When we finally rolled into the campground the tall trees felt like they’d been waiting just for us. Richard backed Figment into our spot like he’d been doing it for years. Beth opened the door, and Prudence and I leapt down to explore.
The air smelled of pine and leaves, and the ground was soft beneath our paws. Our first real campsite. Our first night in Figment. It wasn’t perfect — but it was ours, and it was the beginning.
