The trip down didn't go exactly as I planned. I spent one night in Corbin, Ky and planned on spending the weekend (3 nights) near Spartanburg. They lost my reservation somehow, but I got one night and didn't have to drive elsewhere to spend the night. The folks at Aiken were able to let me arrive early so it worked out. I think I've settled on a travel routine. Try not to drive more than 250 miles on any day, try to arrive with plenty of daylight to get set up. Spend at least 2 nights. Can't always do that, but making sure I have time to explore the area a bit seems to work for me.