Week in the Life of a Working Vacation
The Work
I’ve had thousands of assignments through the years. NONE were as fun as my week at Hester’s Bottoms Campground. Not many campgrounds have Wi-Fi service. Hester’s does. Ironically, WC Fiber is the company providing service to Hester’s and Gordon’s home office. In a normal week, I work remotely from my home, preparing our Augusta Business Daily publications. I’ll take this view any day of the week!
Excuse my 5 o’clock shadow (and beyond). Part of my job this week was gathering photos and video with my wife, Melissa, of Studio Gordon, LLC. It often began with a ride on one of Hester’s golf cart rentals. Melissa took a photo of each campsite for future use on the Hester’s website along with pictures of other activities.
We covered several hundred acres on the property in Mount Carmel, South Carolina, between McCormick and Abbeville, South Carolina, along Strom Thurmond Lake.
I’m also writing blogs based on my observations and the great people I met during the week.
I’m also producing (2) video vignettes, which I’ll share in an upcoming ABD newsletter. We hired Brad Budd, a licensed drone operator. Hester’s got approval from the Army Corps of Engineers. Safety first.
He captured the majestic beauty of the lake surrounding the 40-plus campsites at Hester’s.
Brad covered the action by air and “sea.” I was the ground videographer with Melissa. This included images from the campsites and on the lake with boaters, kayakers, canoers, tubers, and young folks fishing. In all, we took well over 1,000 images and pieces of video during the week.
First-class accommodations from Southeast Camp and Travel
Southeast Camp and Travel provided the Gordon with “Boss Hogg.” It’s basically a 2-bedroom, 2 bath condo on wheels—with an upstairs loft.
The husband-and-wife team of Carson and Cohen took their love of camping and turned it into a part-time business, now leasing (5) campers each week to outdoorsy customers from (13) states and (2) countries. Besides Boss Hogg, camper names include Bo Duke, Luke Duke, Uncle Jesse, and Cletus. Yes, named after the classic “Dukes of Hazzard” TV program!
It’s also their ministry as they leave a bible in each camper to provide their customers a subtle roadmap of life.
Carson was available for questions all week from my wife—camper-related — and from me, blog-related —. She told me via phone; we were in the right place all week.
“We love Hester’s. It’s spread out and roomy. If my kids need some downtime, we love taking them to the country store, the playground, and their beach. We always recommend Hester’s,” she said.
Our 11-year-old daughter Lyndee (on bike) and her friend Linley enjoyed 4 days and 3 nights of fun together playing games in the loft in a slumber party-like setting for private, tween conversations.
They spent most of their other time– off of their electronics— and on bikes, floats, paddleboats, kayaks, golf carts, and so much more in this beautiful atmosphere at Hesters.
Melissa made a hot breakfast every day, and we switched off on other meals, and I binge-watched two seasons of “Sullivan’s Crossing,” a Netflix series based on a fictional Canadian town, ironically set at a campground! I didn’t feel guilty.
Recharging work batteries at the lake
Melissa’s been trying to get me to spend time at the lake for nearly 20 years. She grew up going to Strom Thurmond Lake with her deceased father, David Brinson Sr., learning to fish, pitch a tent, and listen—really listen—to nature calling.
She was struck by the peace and simplicity of the existence of some of her subjects.
She photographed butterflies, blue herons, eagles, turtles, other wildlife, and the memories made by Lyndee and Linley.
I slept with my camper window open right next to the bed and let the sounds of wildlife and water drift in—it made me feel closer to my dad and sounded just like the nights in that green canvas tent our family camped in,” said Melissa. “He taught us how to read nature, how to respect it and the water, to watch for wildlife, and the different conditions of the water. Those lessons are buried in my heart forever, and I see them living through my brother, David (Jr.), to this day, as he is at his best surrounded by nature at his home near the lake.
One of the highlights for me as a dad was watching my daughter and her friend fearlessly navigate the lake like it was their J-O-B! Hester’s Bottoms Campgrounds provides an opportunity to rent canoes and kayaks.
The Gordons loved the beach and safe, roped-off areas generally out to six feet of lake water.
Other Outdoor Activities
Yours truly got to play cornhole, ping pong, and wiffle ball from the Peanuts Activity Park. In another blog, we’ll explore the meaning behind the various names of attractions and roads at Hester’s.
During the year, they organize fun events over Halloween, Christmas, and other holidays, plus special events like Karaoke night and Chili-Cookoffs.
The mining sand is available at the adjacent country store, so your children can get messy and make gemstone memories.
Hester’s Campsite Traditions
Each of the spacious areas has ample room for a provided grill, picnic table, wood-burning fire pit, and of course your tents, campers, cars, etc.
The burgers and the s’mores seemed to taste better 50+ miles from home, and yes – your pets are welcome!
Outside of Hesters
Hester’s Country Store is stocked with all the necessities and priced far better than your typical convenience store. We also ventured “into town” to eat a few times at the Mt. Carmel Café, a five-year-old gem of country food delicacies featuring BBQ smoked in the front yard!
The Gordons also took a ten-minute ride to Calhoun Falls, South Carolina, to get gas and to visit the Dollar General Market, which is across the street from two competitors, Family Dollar and Dollar Tree.
Our trip to Hester’s was memorable.
There are different-sized campsites and rates depending on a few factors, like weekday or weekend, and length of stay. You can bring your own golf cart, boats, and other “water toys.” They do rent golf carts, canoes, and kayaks, and sell firewood. Life Jackets and Fishing Gear are also available.
Cassandra is the live-in manager on site, and she keeps the park looking great and is there to answer any customer questions.
The owner is Lindsey, and she bought Hester’s three years ago. We’ll explore her “why” in another blog post.
Call 864-391-2267 or click below to book your campsite.
