Gaffney, SC
We left Washington, D.C. Saturday morning for a trip of a little under 500 miles to Gaffney, SC. Now 500 miles is much too long a drive for any sane person, so we stopped for the night in Salem, VA. We have stayed in the Wal-Mart there many times and know that it is quiet, there is a nice Applebee’s across the street, and (you guessed it) a Starbucks is withing walking distance.
With the time change that night, we were up extra early the next morning and on the road a bit after 7:00 AM! The leaves are just ending their most colorful phase in this area, so the drive down the interstate presented some nice views as we drove through Virginia and North Carolina.
We pulled into the Freightliner Service Center in Gaffney around noon and quickly set up for the night. Many motorhomes similar to ours are built on the same chassis, made by Freightliner at their plant here in Gaffney. Since they build them here, it seems sensible to come here to have any service completed at their service facility here.

Our home at Freighliner RV Resort
Behind the service facility Freighliner provides overnight parking with electricity. When we arrived the lot was fairly empty, but by dark it was almost full as coaches scheduled for service the next day pulled in.

A contented customer waiting for service on a sunny SC afternoon
Today our coach goes into the spa for a full body treatment. Besides a massage and facial (John did that yesterday with a waterless cleaner) she’ll have all fluids changed (engine and generator), the alignment checked, and a few other adjustments. When your home is in the garage it means that you need to find something to do for the day. We’ve been here in Gaffney a few times before, so we’ve seen most of the sights (Limestone College, the Revolutionary War battlefield at Cowpens, etc.) so we’ll spend the day doing some shopping in nearby Spartanburg, and of course, visiting the local Starbucks.
Unless they find something on the motorhome requiring another day in the garage, we’ll be off first thing tomorrow to Myrtle Beach for some time in the sun (hopefully) and a visit with motorhome friends Dave and Sue and Mona Liza and Steve. Both couples are staying in the same park as us.
More on that later . . .
Have you toured the BMW factory?
Yes, we toured the BMW plant on one of our other visits to the area. Thanks for the suggestion. It was a fun time.
7am on the road! Impressive!
How great that you’ve got a meet up coming up. Fingers crossed you’re in and out of Freightliner without too big of a dent in the pocketbook.
As you well know that is like the middle of the night for me! But with the extra hour sleep and hitting the sack early we were up and around at 6:00. That was one of the first sun rises I’ve seen!! Haha!
You are going to have a blast in “Murder” Beach! Hope the weather is pleasant and you all don’t get into too much trouble! Tell everyone the Taylor’s said hello!
Why do you have to keep throwing it in our face that you will be with Dave and Sue? WHY? WHY? WHY?
Hope you have a great time 😉
Lilac St # 163
You appear to be well-seasoned Freightliner patrons. I can’t offer any ideas on things to do in Gaffney, having never been there before. I have my fingers crossed for you that there are no additional repairs needed. . . .
Sounds like a fun time ahead in Myrtle Beach. We are in Hilton Head Island for the next week–although you would never know that from reading our blog as I am continually playing catch-up. Let me know where you are heading after Myrtle Beach–maybe our paths will cross on the way to Florida!
I’ve been telling Michael he was insane to drive over 500 miles in one day, now you have confirmed it!! :))
500 miles is wicked, but I started imagining the more other views on the road. I can only dream as I don’t own a vehicle while here in a foreign land. And boy, how I long to be the passenger for a change so I can take pictures of the road as well without pulling over. 😀
Hopefully you can get on the road again quickly. I am looking forward to hearing more about your adventures with Mona and Steve.