The Quarantined Couple

When social distancing measures go into effect, run to the woods!

With the Coronavirus threat ramping up, Rose was sent to work from home. They didn't mention which home, so we decided to run away and spend a week in our home on wheels parked out in the woods. For our spur-of-the-moment quarantine trip, we decided to head to Little Pee Dee State Park down in South Carolina. What could be better for self-isolation than a week in the forest?

Because of the virus, the campground was mostly empty. From the layout of the sites, it didn't seem like that would be a problem even when it was busy! You can see how close our nearest neighbor was from the picture above. The sites had tons of space in all directions. It was like the entire park was built for social distancing. 

The sites were also massive. We had a huge open site surrounded by woods that led down to the lake. The only downside was that the entire site was sand, which is basically my least favorite substance on Earth. It just gets everywhere! Luna apparently didn't mind and enjoyed rolling and laying on the ground instead of her lovely bed we bought her.  Pro tip: If you're ever camping with a dog, especially when there's sand, pack a shop vac!

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Since we were staying for an entire week, we did have to work a little bit. We set up the mobile hotspot and participated in video calls, wrote articles, and organized spreadsheets from our mobile, outdoor office. Aside from the few days that it rained, it was really a cool experience. Now that we know it can be done, maybe our trips need to start being a little bit longer...

I promise I don't ALWAYS look miserable when I'm working...

But the week wasn't entirely spent "in the office". We had plenty of free time to go on walks, lay in the hammocks, and explore the park. We did bring the canoe and the bikes, but they never left the truck. We figured the bikes would be messy in the sand — not to mention hard to ride— and the lake was pretty small. It was a relaxing week nonetheless.

Surprisingly, even staying a week, we didn't venture out of the park very often. I think we only left once for groceries (and pizza). The rest of the time was spent cooking and relaxing at the campsite.

The park also had tons of hiking trails weaving through the woods. If you've never been to Eastern(ish) South Carolina, it's quite flat. The trails were definitely my and Luna's speed: no hills and easy walking. Some of them weren't marked very well. We got lost a couple times, but didn't mind wandering through the woods.

Luna has really come to like beer and frequently tries to steal sips when we're not looking.

Toward the end of the week, we got a knock on the trailer door. A park ranger was coming by the campsites telling everyone that all South Carolina State Parks were being shut down because of the Coronavirus. We were allowed to stay through the end of our reservation (which was only one more day anyway), but they weren't accepting any new campers. I understand that some things should be shut down, but we're more isolated in a state park than we are at our house in the populated Charlotte area. It didn't make much sense, but it looked like our dreams of quarantine on the road weren't going to happen.

We finished out our relaxing week away and headed back home to quarantine like everyone else. If we learned anything from this trip, it's that working remotely from the road is easier than we thought. Perhaps it'll lead to more adventures (perhaps permanent ones...) in the future. Here's to hoping!

We hope everyone is staying safe and having wonderful indoor adventures until we're allowed to go out again.