Week 41 - South Carolina - 05-27-2007

Sunny Salutations from South Carolina,

We spent Sunday night at Lake Aire RV Park in Hollywood, South Carolina where Pete wanted to settle in for the week and get some work done. Ellen felt a little crowded there, so after one night we moved on to Charleston, South Carolina and happened upon a beautiful and accommodating Elks Lodge, where we spent Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday nights. This area is rich in history and we will have to come back to see it all. "The Battery" along the Charleston Harbor, where pivotal battles of the Revolutionary and Civil Wars made history in buildings that still stand; Fort Sumter, which is renown as the site of the first shot of the Civil War; The Citadel which was established in 1842 and is one of the last two military state colleges in the nation; beautiful mansions left from the wealthy days of the early rice and cotton barons, and the Historic downtown section. Too much to see in one short visit.

After bidding goodbye to our new friends at the Elks, we headed toward Myrtle Beach. As we began our search for campgrounds, we realized it was Memorial day weekend, and we were told we did not want to be in Myrtle beach as they were having a huge motorcycle rally. So we stopped 30 miles short of there at Pawleys Island Elks Lodge and are happily waiting out the weekend. We plan to arrive in Myrtle Beach on Tuesday. When Pete finishes work, we spend our days biking around Pawleys Island and Murrels Inlet. Beautiful weather and beautiful beaches.

South Carolina has replaced plantations with golf courses and they are everywhere.

Charleston, SC Elks Lodge site.

The diamond tower designed Arthur Ravenel Jr. Bridge in Charleston is also called the new Cooper River Bridge, which connects the city of Charleston and the town of Mount Pleasant along Highway 17. The bridge opened to traffic July 16, 2005.

Historic Downtown Charleston, SC

The Battery park.

Houses along The Battery

Murrel's Inlet

South Carolina Beaches are not much different from California beaches, except the water is warm.

Seems like every house has a waterway with a dock like this one.

Here we are in Georgetown at the Harbor Walk

The Brookgreen Gardens covers 9,000 acres that was once four different southern plantations. In 1931 Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington bought the four plantations and created the gardens to display the southern flora and fauna. Anna also displayed her sculptures as well as the sculptures of hundreds of other American artists.

On Sunday we attended the Pawley's Island Community Church. As we travel across the USA and go to a variety of churches, it has been amazing to feel so at home at every one. The Lord is really blessing our adventure.

Love to you all. Next week we continue up the coast.

Pete and Ellen

Photos from May 2007