After the short introduction in the last Legacy magazine, we’d like to tell you a little bit more about ourselves. We are Jim & Carla Jean Miller. We met while we were both in the U.S. Army at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri and have been together for 45 years, and married for 43 this coming June. We have two sons, Christopher and Nicholas, and Jim has four daughters from a previous marriage, Dianna, Theresa, Amaryillis, and Faith Lajoy. So far, we have been blessed with 15 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren.
When we returned to the United States after a three-year tour in Germany in 1982, we bought our first travel trailer, a 19-foot Prowler. We upgraded to a 28-foot Resort in 1983 which was relocated with us from Ft Polk, Louisiana, to Indianapolis, Indiana and then to Columbia, South Carolina. Living in the trailer for four months with two little boys was an adventure. The boys became involved with other activities, and we did not use the trailer so sold it in 1998. As we approached retirement, we began talking about a vacation home but could not decide whether to buy in North Dakota (where Carla is from), Myrtle Beach or Florida. So instead, we decided to get an RV, and Jim began researching. He found out the Newmar is the top of the line and decided on a class A diesel pusher. He found our first one, a 2007 Mountain Aire, at Independence RV in Winter Haven, Florida. We took the train to Independence in August of 2015 and drove her home. We joined NKK and then joined the Palmetto Pals, with Jim attending the April luncheon in 2016. We traveled to Wyoming and North Dakota on our first trip out in July 2016. Jim had his CDL, and he told Carla that this RV was an equal opportunity RV, and she would be getting her class F license. We trained at the testing site in Irmo, and she passed everything on her first time. We have attended the Tampa Super Show and NKK Internationals rallies in Gillette, Sedalia, Syracuse and Lewisburg, as well as every South Carolina/North Carolina Christmas at the Beach Rally since joining. In March 2018, we traveled to Kansas City, Missouri to trade our Mountain Aire for a 2014 Essex. We love taking the grandsons to the beach to give their parents some time off.
Jim is serving as President and Carla is serving as Secretary/Treasurer of the Palmetto Pals since June 2021. Jim’s hobby is his physical fitness, and Carla likes to read and do crafts.
We had a wonderful time at the International Rally in Lewisburg, West Virginia and were joined by nine other Newmar owners from South Carolina. Several of them were first timers and were extremely happy with their experience of fellowship, entertainment and services provided by the Newmar Service Technicians.
When we departed from West Virginia, we traveled on our own to Kentucky and met Carl & Gayle Webber at the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum. If you haven’t been to these locations, you need to add them to your bucket list, as they are absolutely amazing. Gayle and I even rode on camels!
Our travels then took us to PlaMor Campground in Bremen, Indiana. We had all of our coach issues taken care of at the rally, so the stop was not for the “mothership,” but to attend a professional tractor pull at the Goshen County Fair. This fair is the largest county fair in the US. One word of advice is to make sure to take ear plugs as the sounds are LOUD!
Leaving Indiana, we traveled to Iowa and saw the “Field of Dreams” and Buddy Holly’s memorial site. Needless to say, the experiences were humbling. Our travels next took us to Rapid City, South Dakota (before the bike rally in Sturgis) although the bikes were still in abundance. We revisited Crazy Horse Memorial to see progress from four years ago. It is a slow process, but we were able to see the difference. The next stop was in Medora, North Dakota to partake in the pitchfork steak fondue and the Medora Musical. A beautiful tribute to Theodore Roosevelt and Carla’s home state. A driving tour through the National Park was breathtaking, and I think we saw all 350 buffalos in the park as well as wild horses and prairie dogs.
The last stop, so far is in Williston, North Dakota to visit family and where Jim is helping our brother-in-law harvest his durum (used in the making of pasta). You can’t take the farmer out of him (wink wink). Plans are to stay around and help with the sugar beets harvest too, that is if we can take the cold!
We are excited to again co-host the Christams at the Beach rally with North Carolina Tarheel Kountry Klub President and Secretary, Ray & Kathy Dyer. The rally is scheduled for 7–10 December, at the Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Check the Klub Calendar for more information.
We wish everyone safe travels! “Keep it between the lines and be safe!” We can be reached at Beanbag40@aol.com.
James & Carla Miller (21279)
South Carolina Palmetto Pals – Presidents
