He planned to stay a couple nights at the Mt. Pleasant/Charleston KOA campground since a South Carolina Welcome Center staff member told him they offer a shuttle service into the historic district, but when he got there he found out they didn't. He called around for a hotel in the historic district for Friday and Saturday nights, but there was nothing available unless he wanted to spend over $300/night. He stayed at the KOA on the 17th, after completing 72 miles, and then headed to the Charleston Welcome Center on the 18th.
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| Breast Cancer Awareness |
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| Daughters of the Confederacy |
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| Lost in Time |
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| USS Hunley, a Civil War Submarine |
He walked in and said he needed help finding a place to stay that would allow him to have easy access to the historic district. The lady who assisted him found him a Courtyard by Marriott that was $150/night. Although it wasn't in the historic district, it was on the trolley route to the historic district. He was pleased with the results of asking for help and avoiding the $300/night charge.
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| View from the hotel lobby. |
His ride was short that day. From the KOA, to the Welcome Center, and then the Marriott was just 16 miles. The bridge portion of his ride had a really nice bike lane, he was told, but he never saw it because he wasn't able to access it from the route he took. He took the bridge with cars passing at about 50 mph and deep ridges in the road that made Dad very nervous. He ended up having to get off his bike and walk down the other side of bridge. He thought he was shaky from the stressful situation, so he took a moment to stop and collect himself and realized that the semi-trucks on the bridge were making the bridge vibrate and it wasn't him shaking after all. Needless to say, it took a long time getting off the bridge.
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| Largest suspension bridge in U.S. |
In Charleston, Dad enjoyed sightseeing. He took the trolley and learned all sorts of things about colonial history and the area. He didn't realize the trolley was not just for tourist. Many locals take the trolley for transportation to go shopping, to work, or even to their Saturday morning soccer matches. All the wealthy homes are south of Broad Street. If you live there, you are a S.O.B. (South of Broad). If you live north of Broad Street, you are a S.N.O.B. (Slightly North of Broad Street).
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| Plantation Owner's Summer Home |
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| Big homes. |
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| The South shall rise again. |
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| They say the tax rate is based on the number of windows on the street Thus, many houses look similar to this one. |
In early U.S. history, Charleston was the wealthiest city in the United States; far more than Boston or New York, due to its economic success in cotton, rice, and indigo dye. Also, Charleston was hedonistic with its dancing and drinking being one of the seeds to the Civil War from the differing philosophies between the aristocratic south enjoying life and the fundamental Puritans in the north.
In Charleston, if a restaurant says there is a 45 minute wait, you can go the bar and order dinner immediately. This was important to Dad, so that he could catch the trolley back to the hotel before it stopped service. By having dinner at the bar, he met a couple who were celebrating a 40th birthday. They recommended he visit Waterboro. The woman was from there and went on about how wonderful it was.
So, on Sunday, the 20th, Dad started toward Waterboro. He was back on US 17 and it felt like a back road with lots of construction. It was another failed shortcut. He thought he was going the wrong way, so he stopped at a fire station to ask for directions, which was a good thing because a mile up the road there was a T-intersection with no signs and Dad wouldn't have had any idea about which way to go. They told him he was supposed to take US17A and by doing so he found himself with a tailwind making good time and completing 35 miles by lunch.
After lunch, Dad was talking to the owner of a gas station and went outside to fiddle with his bike before getting on his way. A friend of the owner came out and said that Waterboro was really out of the way if his intentions were to get to Savannah. He instructed him to go another 35 miles to a KOA campground in Point South, which was on the way to Savannah. So, like the wind, he changed directions and headed for Point South.
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| South Carolina Low Country |
On the 21st, Dad rode 21 miles to Savannah. The owner of the Point South KOA was concerned about Dad riding on the new bridge due to the winds and incline. Dad wasn't worried about that, but was concerned he would find himself bumping over deep ridges again. The owner suggested he take Route 170, which had a drawbridge and took him through the Savannah Wildlife Reserve. Heading that way, Dad assumed he would be on a quiet two-lane road through the marshes. It was a two-lane road through the marshes, but it didn't have much of a shoulder and was used extensively by semi-trucks heading to port at 50 mph. The drivers were all courteous, but it was still scary to have the big trucks pass so closely and so fast. Savannah is the 3rd largest container port in the U.S. Dad was amazed by the number of containers he saw, realizing what a major operation it is.
Coming into Savannah, Dad was faced with lots of truck traffic, merging lanes, and confusing road signs. He didn't have enough time to read the signs with trucks blocking his line of sight and had to make last minute decisions about which way to go. He didn't want to get hit or cause an accident. Also, the roads were uneven and it started to rain, so he decided to stop and ask for directions before getting lost.
Dad toured Savannah on the 22nd. The trolley tour was 90 minutes, but he could get on and off whenever he wanted, making for a full day of sightseeing. Actors who served as guides came on board to share about Savannah. He was visited by Forest Gump and passed scenes from the film. He learned that Savannah was a buffer between the Spanish in Florida and the rich in South Carolina. The city was arranged like an English city with many squares (22 in the historic district). In the 60s, Savannah's historic district was considered a slum and they are still working to revitalize it.
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| Welcome to Savannah |
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| Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin, which contributed to the economic viability of slavery. |
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| English Fountain |
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| Johnny Mercer greeting the trolley riders. |
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| Johnny Mercer's Home. He wrote many popular songs including Moon River. |
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| Note the steps covered in grass. |
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| Victorian Homes |
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| No beard. Too itchy. Mom will be happy. |
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| Pirate House |
Dad figures he is about 4 days ahead of schedule since he stayed on US 17, which kept him close to the coast. If he followed the Adventure Cycling route, he would have taken time to go inland and then back toward the coast. He will pick up the Adventure Cycling route again just north of Jacksonville.
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