Working on the turf outside the mobile home officeWe’re in Paynes Creek Campground, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-built park in Hartwell, Ga. And one thing is clear: Those army engineers know how to build and maintain a campground.

And I reckon that come tomorrow morning, it’ll make a pretty good virtual office, too.

The sites are big, spacious and relatively secluded, and almost all have a view of the rather diminished Lake Hartwell (though we seem to have brought with us to Georgia four days of intermittent rain it hasn’t put a dent in the long-time drought the Peachtree State has suffered).

Since it’s a corps park, that means reservations are handled by the U.S. Park Service’s Reservations.gov tool. If you plan to camp, remember this site.

After five whirlwind days on the road, we’ve decided to settle in for two nights. That will make Friday a “casual Friday” for Home Office Highway. I’m actually looking forward to a morning of work, and an afternoon of exploration in this secluded place.

A few observations from the road:

– No matter how beautiful the scenery, having a DVD player in the vehicle is a magnet that keeps the kids’ eyes focused myopically on the close, rendering them effectively blind to all outside. They missed cabins and farmhouses and barns generations old, full of history and tales and stories from untold — especially if you don’t look. They missed a deer sprinting across a country road. Sad.

– Dwight D. Eisenhower’s vision of the U.S. interstate highway system linking the nation (putting 90% of the population within 10 miles of the some stretch of highway) killed any chance for the masses to discover small-town America. There’s so much out there that most cars pass by at 70 mph, and stopping at some TA Travel Center, Exxon-Mobil or some fast-food joint just doesn’t count as “seeing America.” To get to Paynes Creek, we drive 15 miles of back-country road (albeit well maintained). We discovered that Hartwell is blue when it comes to hard liquor. But the deli counter at Ingle’s Grocery store had strawberry fluff salad and watergate salad and orange treat salad — and ambrosia. These are Southern treats I haven’t had in years. Zoe fell in love immediately.

– A ping on the Dare means email has arrived — and the broadband access card will work, even from deep in the sticks. Very cool indeed.

– A well-connected RV makes a wonderful home office. It’s an inspiring, fun and empowering place. I’m really liking this experience. I really am…