With everyone feeling the budget crunch, one Lowcountry family wonders if the big-time gas guzzlers are going to hit the brakes for good. And they have reason to be concerned, since they're in the campground business, where they depend on campers and motor-homes to head their way.
At Hardeeville RV Park, campers are taking a one way road, giving themselves little option of turning back. They know the place promotes the simplest way of living and they're willing to pay for it, so cutting corners will take place outside of theirs.
Park worker Leonard Thomas has his clientele pretty much nailed down.
"They love getting away. They love getting away from things,” Thomas said.
So, he's not too surprised to see his lot is fairly full in the midst of soaring gas prices and the ones handling the big tanks only have a new topic of conversation.
"The big comment is, “I can't believe how high gas prices are,” and it pretty much just ends at that,” Thomas said.
But the steady business could be all about location. Instead of making South Carolina a pit stop, they're making it the finish line.
"A lot of people are saying they don't want to drive all the way to Florida,” Thomas said. “We have so many people come from the northeast region that instead of going all the way to Florida, they say Savannah is a great area, Hilton Head's a great area and they say well this is a good half-point."
But even with geography and the tradition of this crowd on his side, Thomas still wonders how long they’ll stay loyal.
"They find a way to do it, even on a fixed income. But eventually it will get to a point where people just won't want to travel,” said Thomas.
Thomas added that he keeps an eye out for big construction jobs in the area because that's where a lot of his traffic comes from as well. So as long as people are building and welding, he expects the crowd to come.
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