POST #4 of 4 / 2026 RV Road Trip ~ Cross Country Loop

SAVANNAH ~ CHARLESTON SOUTH CAROLINA ~ HUNTSVILLE ROCKET AND SPACE CENTER ~ PIECES OF ROUTE 66

Savannah, Georgia

There’s only one way to see the beauty of Savannah, and that’s riding one of the many trolleys. Not only is it easier than walking, you also get the benefit of a live tour guide/bus driver. Ours for the day was obviously a local with considerable knowledge of the city’s history. We started to question some of his tall tales as he claimed to have a relative or friend associated with most of the landmarks.

But, only one trolley service is dog friendly. After some confusion where we booked with the wrong “ white” trolley service (no refunds!) we were finally set for the day.

The City Squares

When James Oglethorpe founded Savannah in 1733, he had a master plan. The city would be built around a series of public squares. The squares would be used for community kitchens, markets, and military drills. Private homes, businesses, government buildings, and churches would be built around the squares.

Four squares were initially laid out in 1733 with the city’s founding – Johnson Square, Wright Square, Ellis Square, and Telfair Square. However, Oglethorpe’s plan called for six squares, so Reynolds Square and Oglethorpe Square were soon added.

An additional nine were added in 1796. By 1856, twenty-four squares were laid throughout the city – but by 1985, only twenty-two remained.

The squares are beautiful. Chippewa Square is where the “Forrest Gump” bench scenes were filmed while he waited for the bus. We couldn’t jump off the trolley to get the pic, but there is a steady flow of tourists there.

Most squares are named after someone famous and there are commemorative statues representing people or important battles.

It’s nice to see that these squares have survived and the city enjoys so much park space.

The old oak trees are the real stars of Savannah. But the architecture and iron work are amazing.

Bananas!

On our way to Whole Foods we stumbled by accident upon the Savannah Bananas stadium. If you know, you know.

Welcome to South Carolina

Charleston ~ Liberty Square ~ Fort Sumpter

Fort Sumter is an sea fort at the mouth of the Charleston Harbor, South Carolina where the battle that sparked the American Civil War took place. Built on an artificial island in 1829 in response to the War of 1812, which had exposed the inadequacy of American coastal defenses, it remained unfinished on April 12, 1861, when attacked by Confederate forces and greatly damaged. Efforts at rebuilding after the Civil War never completed the fort’s original plan, but since the middle of the 20th century it has been open to the public and operated by the National Park Service.

I stole this image off of the internet. We did not take the ferry ride to the fort. No dogs allowed.

We were able to hang out in Liberty Square at the visitor center and ferry docks.

Dogs ARE ALLOWED on the horse drawn carriages!

The barns were fun. It was nice to hang out and watch the horses getting ready for the day. We could tell that they are very well cared for. And dogs were allowed in the barns!

The carriage driver managed to give a pretty good narrative tour while trying to mange the horse in heavy traffic. Not as informative as the tour in Savannah, but the city is equally historical and beautiful. And dog friendly!

I love the mansions that have their own private garden courtyard.

Taking a selfie! We forgot to take formal pics of our group in the buggy.

Georgia Peaches!

We lucked out with the Harvest Hosts CJ Orchards. There were hundreds of acres of peaches and pecans. It was too early for the harvest, but we were able to purchase some preserves and jars of peaches from last year.

We love, love, love the Harvest Host App! There are so many of these little farms along the way to choose from. This was one of the best ever for us.

Lotti regularly sits on the fridge/freezer to see outside. She’s hoping for squirrels.

On the road to Atlanta

Weird but beautifully terraced cemetery.

Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and the Chattahoochee River National Recreation Area…… two quick stops at monuments listed in my parks Passport book.

I got the stamps, but must admit we didn’t even try to experience these parks. These two had absolutely no workable RV parking.

There’s a lot of history here. According to Google there was an important Civil War battle or two….

Chattahoochee River

The parking lot from hell. We never made it to the river.

Yikes. This shot was taken after the hair raising turn around. This parking lot WAS NOT RV friendly. No warning!??? This could have been a disaster, but David has some mad RV backup and turn around skills.

…….. the tiniest of parking lots, with low hanging tree branches no less.

Big sigh of relief and moving on….

Harvest Host for two nights ~

Piper and Leaf Tea Company. They’re a great Harvest Host, and have a booming online tea business.

They offered to move the equipment, but no need. We had plenty of room, and 30/50 amp electrical hookups. plenty of frisbee fields and goats!

Huntsville Alabama Rocket and Space Center

Huntsville’s original claim to fame was as the Watercress Capital of the World. That was before 1950, when the U.S Government brought Wernher von Braun and his team of German rocket scientists to Huntsville to work on aeronautical research — designing the Saturn V rocket that sent astronauts to the moon.

Today, Huntsville remains an aerospatial/technology hub, employing one of the highest concentrations of scientists and engineers in the country. Employers include Marshall Space Flight Center (NASA), Boeing, Redstone Arsenal, and the HudsonAlpha Institute.

With all of the excitement of The Artimus 2 moon launch, this was a fun time to be visiting the space centers.

Where anyone can be an astronaut for the day!

Unbelievable, how little memory these old “computer systems” had

The IMAX Theater ~ James Webb Space Telescope

This new telescope is letting us see millions, or was it billions miles deeper into space. IMAX is definitely a fascinating way to see what’s new in our old galaxy and beyond.

new stars, already billions of years old

The James Webb Space Telescope has captured new imagery of supernova remnant Cassiopeia A. It is 11,000 light-years away in the Cassiopeia constellation.

Definitely worth the side trip to Huntsville.

We’re pointed west, time to go home!

This entire trip we’ve tried to stay off of major highways, and no more than 250 miles on travel days. That’s the only way to truly see small town America which we love. You know the trip is nearing the end when we’re headed for Memphis and the I40, and 400+ miles per day.

One more National Monument…

Fort Smith National Historic Site is a National Historic Site located along the Arkansas River. The first fort at this site was established by the United States in 1817, before this area was established as part of Indian Territory. It was later replaced and the second fort was operated by the US until 1871. The fort was an early site of the United States District Court for the Western District of Arkansas, which had jurisdiction over western Arkansas and all of Indian Territory.

The courthouse is beautiful.

I’ve got to get better at selfies. David and Lotti are not traveling alone.

Meanwhile, Artimus II is somewhere in space…. we’re entering Oklahoma

Entering oil country

We see a lot of old Route 66 remnants as it is intertwined with the I40 headed west.

We were really looking forward to this Harvest Host, the Route 66 Diner and their famous burgers and shakes. Dang! They’re only open Thursday through Saturday. Oh well, thanks for the free overnight stay.

We settled for leftovers and another movie night….

When you haul your bikes inside, it makes the trailer a little cramped.

Catching up on Outlander, with some Lonesome Dove later

Cadillac Ranch, there’s always a crowd. “Anyone want to stop? Nah, not today.”

There’s a Cadillac Ranch RV Park. Maybe some other time

We’ve been following the Artimus II Moon flight. We were just a couple of days off and missed the liftoff when we were in Cape Canaveral. We watched the splashdown on our little TV. What a great site.

Huge nice clean park, but very windy as usual for Albuquerque

Final night at the Route 66 Casino RV extra nice RV park. We also had a personal shuttle up to the Casino for eat in or take out dinner. Casinos do have great food options. (Had to pass on the $100 per person crab buffet.)