Springtime in the Carolina's, nothin' finer

Hunting Island is a very popular campground so we had to move to another one if we wanted to tour Beaufort so we found this nice campground called Tuck n da Woods which gives private campgrounds a good name in our view. We were only going to spend one night but some people camping near us asked us to play music for them so we said sure and plus we wanted to spend more time with Bill and tour more of downtown Beaufort. We had a great time playing music and thought we were leaving the next day but Mariah made a friend that was her age and the family just adopted us and fed us and we all went bike riding the next day. We thought, okay we will leave tomorrow but that was not to be as the family, (Kenny, Kerri, Kolton and Kurtis) had a brother who came with a boat and Mariah went out with them the next day and participated in water sports such as tubing and knee boarding (like water skiing on your knees). Kerri was a great cook and insisted we eat with them so we didn’t argue. A great time was had by all. They are from Homestead Fl and we traded tales of our travels till wee hours in the morning. We are finally off to Charleston today.

Charleston is the zenith of southern elegance and charm. The houses in the historic district are well preserved, lovely to admire and easy to navigate. We spent the afternoon wandering around after dropping off the silver queen at a lovely park called James Island County park which is ten minutes from downtown. The beauty is hard to describe and the feeling of old timeyness is evident all around. You can see Ft Sumter from the waterfront and almost hear the ghosts of civil war participants in the walkways. On our meanderings we wandered down Zig Zag Alley which seemed irresistible if in just it’s name. At the end we ran into a home owner who was taking care of his small but meticulous garden and he recommended a place called Slightly North of Broadway and he was right on the money, it was very good. I have been spoiled lately with Kerri fixing us meals and then going out to eat but I am cooking again. We have been to Patriots Point where we toured the USS Yorktown, bloody big ship. It it like a miniature town with everything from kitchens, shoe repair shops, to barber shops and movie theatres. Mark went on and did the submarine tour but the kids and I experienced that claustrophobia when we were in AU. I really enjoyed the re-creation of the Vietnam American army camp. It made me think of all my heroes at home : ).

Today was tea plantation tour day. We went to the only tea plantation in the US south of Charleston where they grow, process and package their own tea. The man who owns it, is a 3rd generation English tea taster and obviously has a passion for it.

Having a passion for tea myself, I purchased some tea made on the plantation itself and though it was good, I myself prefer the tea from Australia. The tea made at the plantation had a American characteristic that you taste in the ice teas here. It is obviously made for that market.
Into the interior of South Carolina we go. The countryside is covered in the beauty that only spring can produce. We are in the midst of a freak cold snap now and it is affecting the flowering plants but at least we got to see them for a moment. The dogwoods are dropping their petals quickly and with the cold it looks like a light snowfall of big flakes everywhere.

Talk about a surprise that surprised us. We were at a South Carolina campground near the small town of Sumter when a truck with camper pulled up and asked us if we could help them get into a spot. I looked at the woman and realized it was Kerry from Tuck in the Woods. I was so surprised and happy. They spent the next 3 days with us and we made food and went exploring and just had a great time. Mariah got to hang out with someone her own age so she was happy. The game Apples to Apples came in handy and we played for hours. Nearby was a an Air force gunnery range so we were serenaded by the sound of A-14’s shooting gatilin gun bursts off and on all day. Everytime I heard it, I thought, sure glad they are on our side.
After a tearful goodbye to our new friends from Homestead, we headed off to Columbia and they to Tampa. They were having a good joke at our expense because Columbia is maybe 40 miles away and Tampa is 300 miles but we both had to start out early. It is true, we don’t make it very far in a day.
Columbia is the capital of South Carolina and has a regal state house where many remember the controversy of the confederate flag having a home there. We visited the state museum where we learned such interesting tidbits as the difference between the lowland and uplands and how they grew different cotton and why the capital was moved from Charleston to Columbia. We also have enjoyed seeing wall sized pictures of the latest Hubble telescope images. We enjoyed it so much we are here in Columbia today to visit again so we can spend a few more hours looking at their collection of Civil War relics.

That’s all the news fit to print for now. On the road and doing well, hope everyone is doing well too! To all those who’s birthday’s I missed Happy Birthday!