Days 61-64

Mebane, North Carolina to Chapin, South Carolina

As we left Mebane and headed west we started to see evidence of how devastating Hurricane Helene had been to western North Carolina. A dam had failed, flooding out a section of Interstate 40 and wiping out an entire town. As of this writing 215 people are confirmed dead with over 1000 still missing. In North Carolina it is the flooding that is causing all the damage. As we turned south and headed towards South Carolina we could see less evidence of flooding, but more evidence of wind damage. Lots of down trees, power poles and power lines. This continued as we made our way to Mark & Loni's house in Chapin, South Carolina. Mark and I worked together for many years in San Jose, and then they retired to beautiful Lake Murray where they have a house right on the lake. We stayed in their driveway for four fun-filled days.

We reunited with Rita & Christine who, along with Mark & Loni, joined us on our trip to Europe last year. We got to see how thier home on the lake has come along.

Tomorrow we will say our farewells and head further south to the Savannah, Georgia area. Our map is starting to fill up!

Their power returned on the third day after the hurricane. It still remained out at many of their neighbors' and friends' for even longer. Mark and Loni were busy making meals for their neighbors and making sure they were all ok. The only damage they endured was a large tree that had fallen in their yard.

But after things calmed down, the fun began! We played cards!