January 16, 2014 U.S. 17 South from Myrtle Beach N.C. to Charleston, S.C. Easy ride, straight and flat. The scenery in many areas made me sad. The poverty was obvious. People live in Shanty’s. There were many, many roadside stands with people selling handmade sweet grass baskets.
*****We arrive at The Campground at James Island County Park in Charleston, site #91. They provide a shuttle service to downtown and Folly Beach Fishing Pier ($10). we didn’t need it, because we have Half Pint, but I thought it was a nice feature.
We are here to pick Richie up at the Airport and spend the weekend with him. Richie is a marathon runner with a goal of running a marathon in every state. This will be Richie’s 15th State completed. For almost three days we have fun with Richie. The marathon is very involved from the packet pick up to the finish line celebration. We all try Shrimp and Grits … I say “YUCK”. Richie says “Different”. David says O.K. until he hears I paid $7 for a small bowl, then he says “not so good”.
***** We took a boat ride to Fort Sumter and toured the Fort ($18) and walked around the museum (free).
***** We took a Palmetto Carriage Tour ($22)of Historic Downtown. Charleston, is known as the Holy City for it’s abundance of Churches. It has survived hurricane’s fires, earthquakes and two fires. Lots and lots of history here.
***** Richie treated us to dinner at Tommy Condon’s Irish Pub in downtown Charleston. We shared an appetizer of Fried Green Tomatoes. I’m hooked … on Fried Green Tomatoes and Charleston.
Richie finished the 26.2 miles in an impressive 3 hours and 27 minutes. I love watching him run. We were able to catch him at several spots along the route. He always gives this awesome smile when he spots us. This was the first time, in I don’t know when, that I had Richie all to my self (away from his wife and children). This was a special time.
The only thing that wasn’t perfect about the weekend was the weather. It was cold and windy. I had expected it to be warmer this far south, but it is January.
After we take Richie to the airport we are on the road again. Destination Jekyll Island, Georgia