Day 5 – October 28, 2017

We decided to get an early start with Charleston as our destination for the day. We were up at 6 am facing a dark and cold morning in North Carolina. Some extra time in bed would have been nice, but Charleston called.

It was a beautiful morning and our ride to the KOA just outside Charleston was uneventful. Uneventful has become the goal while driving. We made great time and were at the campground by 10:30. The minute we pulled in we knew we had hit the odd KOA that is not clean, comfortable and attractive. Immediately when you pull in you face a mobile home park and the home in front is reminder of Sanford and Sons. I could hear my friend and former colleague Tracy Youngberg singing the theme song.

The roads and sites were right on top of each other. Our guide, a very nice young man, recognized once he began to guide us into the site, that it was too small for a 38 foot fifth wheel. I was halfway into the site as he made this observation. I was faced with the specter of backing up for the second time in three days. He called and got us another site. I assured him that I could back it out and continue on to the new site. I took my time and felt very comfortable backing the unit back onto the road despite being within two feet of the vehicle to the right of us.  He guided us to a new site which was only slightly bigger but big enough to spend the night.

We apparently arrived in their busiest Saturday of year. There is a fair going on in the area and the park is packed. It is only for one night. We will survive.  Read the reviews of the Jacksonville/St. Mary’s KOA for tomorrow (which is actually in Georgia) and its sounds like the Taj Mahal of KOAs. We will see.  If so looking forward to it.

We set up and took a trip into Charleston which was very easy to access and only 15 miles away. We parked at the visitor’s center on Meeting St. We were going to take a walking tour but a two-hour walk seemed a bit daunting and we would have had to wait an hour to do it. We took a walk down Meeting St. and happened upon a park a few blocks down. There was a craft fair and farmers market going on with a band and activities for the kids.

The Craft Fair and Farmer’s Market

Murphy was the star of the walk. Everyone wanted to meet him and talk to him. He played it up and enjoyed all of the attention. If they only knew the Murphy we know.  The park had a large statue of John C. Calhoun who ironically is the same Calhoun whose name was just removed from a school at Yale. Calhoun was the 7^th Vice President under John Adams and then Andrew Jackson. There was a recent rally to remove the statue, but it obviously still stands.

John C. Calhoun Statue – Obviously held in high regard ( Sorry. Couldn’t resist. )

Instead of the walking tour we decided to walk to the Aquarium area where there is also a Fort Sumter Museum. It was a longer walk than we anticipated. In the end we probably should have done the walking tour. The museum was interesting. I found the language of the displays very interesting. Ideas connected to slavery and succession were stated in very neutral terms with an obvious attempt to walk the fence and avoid offending either native Southerners or those with a Northern sensibility.

Eileen , Bill and the Star of the Show – Murphy

Fort Sumter – A dot on the horizon

As I went out to the observation deck I was expecting to see the remains of Fort Sumter. Unfortunately, it is a dot about a mile out into the bay.

I have to say I was a bit disappointed with Charleston. The Visitor’s Center is right at the edge of a run-down and depressed section of town. I am sure had we taken the walking tour we would have enjoyed sections of Charleston with more classic architecture, restaurants, theaters and the rest. I guess that will have to wait when we have more time to explore.