Spring Break on the Savannah River

The Spanish Moss draped Oak trees lining the Savannah River provided the setting for our first RV trip. Our friends, Stan and Cheryl Jones invited us down to their riverside community to spend the second half of our Spring Break week. We couldn't have chosen a better spot for a "shake-down" trip aboard Memory Maker.

Our trip began with about a two hour drive from our home in Thomson to Stoney Bluff South, a river community in the lower end of Burke County. We knew that we were headed to a great spot when we turned off the main road and the trees began to create a canopy draped with moss over the road. The narrow paved road soon turned to a winding one lane dirt road that wound its way along the river leading us to Stoney Bluff.

We arrived around 4:00 and went to work setting up camp for the first time. Our set up went smoothly and we quickly realized that the months of YouTube videos and preparation were a good idea. Everything we needed to level the RV and connect the power and water was where it should be and made for an easy job. With the awning pulled down and our chairs set up, we took a stroll around the community with Stan and Cheryl and began to meet the people who would be our neighbors for the next few nights.

The community of Stoney Bluff South was created by Mr. Tom Mobley and his wife Mary Alice. In the early 1970's, they divided a piece of river front property they owned into small lots and sold them to people who wanted a weekend getaway. The river camp is made up of a combination of older model single-wide mobile homes and small cabins. Mr. Tom has two trailers at the far end of the property that he rents by the month. Many of the cabins were built by their owners. Due to the threat of the river overflowing its banks, all of the structures are built on stilts to reduce any chance of water damage. Several of the original owners have further divided their lots among family and friends, helping to increase the number of cabins at the community. The divided lots also means that the houses are very close to each other, providing the added benefit of a very close knit community. You'll often see neighbors stopping to help someone working on their boat or lawnmower or simply cruising from neighbor
to neighbor on their golf carts. When the sun goes down, people can normally be found gathered outside of Raymond's house, which serves as a central gathering spot for the community.

The community is bordered on one side by the Savannah river, and on the other side by a man-made pond. The pond is fed by a free-flowing well. The well water creates a pond with crystal clear water. The pond is stocked with fish and the residents often replenish the supply by releasing smaller fish into the pond that were caught in the river.

After an afternoon of becoming acquainted with the community, settling into our RV, and dinner with Stan and Cheryl, Debra and I got ready for our first night of sleep in our motor home. I quickly realized that I was about to learn my first lesson in the RV lifestyle. Just outside our bedroom was a security light. While the light didn't really keep Debra from getting to sleep, I tossed and turned for a couple of hours before I gave up on the bed and went to the couch in search of darkness. When the sun came up, I went out and looked closer at the security light and realized that it was wired to a light switch on the other side of Stan and Cheryl's trailer. They had left the light on for us in case we needed it. Needless to say, the light was switched off at night for the rest of our stay and I slept much better! Lesson learned, however; never park near a security light!


Friday was spent fishing with Stan and Cheryl. The Savannah provides great fishing for bream, bass, crappie, and catfish. "How many fish did you catch today," is the favorite greeting by many of the residents of Stony Bluff. Some stay up most of the night fishing and running catfish lines. We got kind of a late start on a warm day so our fishing trip only resulted in five fish, but Stan and Cheryl caught about 25 the day before. Dinner Friday night was at Raymond's. We enjoyed an evening of good food, new friends, and listening to river stories before calling it a night.

Saturday was spent exploring the river. Stan was our captain for the day as he showed us the sights and gave us a little history of the Savannah River. For years, the Savannah River was the main trade route between Savannah and Augusta. Many of the old-timers in Stoney Bluff can remember the barges hauling fuel and other supplies up from Savannah and returning with bricks and cotton from Augusta. Just north of Stoney Bluff South is the remains of the wreck of an old barge that sunk in the river. The wreck is in shallow water at the entrance of a cut that was formed when the river broke through a bend and actually changed course slightly.

From there, we headed north. The river forms the border of Georgia

and South Carolina and for a stretch is bordered by both Plant Vogtle on the Georgia side and Savannah River Site on the South Carolina side. Both are Nuclear facilities. Plant Vogtle is owned by Georgia Power and is currently adding two new reactors to the two that are already in operation. While we had seen them from a distance on the road, the sight of the cooling towers from the river was impressive.

The property on the South Carolina side is owned by the Savannah River Site, a U.S. Department of Energy facility. SRS is also called "The Bomb Plant" by many in the Augusta area. For years, the main mission for SRS was the refinement of plutonium for nuclear weapons. Although none of the sites reactors are currently operating, its tritium facilities are the nation's only source of tritium. The site is also in the process of building a facility for the conversion of weapons-grade plutonium into fuel suitable for commercial power reactors. As you can imagine, security is tight along this stretch of the river. No trespassing signs are posted on both sides of the river and sightings of patrol helicopters are frequent. Skiffs with water monitoring equipment can also be seen every few miles.

Saturday night brought another dinner and gathering at Raymond's. On the menu was fresh, river caught fish and alligator, hush puppies, and fries. The evening was another great opportunity to meet new friends and enjoy some good eating before packing up and heading back to the real world and another week of work. The trip to the river proved to be a great first RV trip for Debra and I. We are both already looking forward to our next trip to Stoney Bluff South. We are hoping to make it back next month before we leave on our cross country trip. Our new friend, Raymond, left his mark on Memory Maker by giving us our first sticker to add to the collection above the rear bumper. Looking forward to adding many more!!