Spent most of the day in downtown Charleston wandering the streets and looking at all the old houses, churches and other neat buildings. My feet kind of hurt tonight! Lots of interesting things to look at down there and I took lots of pictures, so I'll post some of them at some point. But first I need to get them all sorted out and cleaned up and that always takes some time.

   Also took an hour and a half harbor tour with one of the companies down there on the tourist docks. Turns out that it was really worth the $19 it cost to go.  They went down the water front side and on out toward the harbor entrance first, thereby passing the lower end of Charleston, Battery Park and the docks along the way. We went out to Ft Sumter and went by that only a hundred yards or so off the island. All through this the captain was on the PA system giving us a running history of the area, the Revolutionary War, then the Civil War and then when we finally passed the aircraft carrier Yorktown, WW II. He also talked about pirates using the area at one time including the infamous Black Beard. I won a free soda by knowing that his real name was Edward Teach. Not sure about the spelling of that name though.

   Also spent a bit more than an hour having a late lunch at a bay side restaurant a friend had suggested. Of course now that I'm trying to think of the name, it has totally slipped my mind, but then it is nearly 1:00 in the morning. Had this wonderful bowl full of 'Shrimp and Grits', which also had some andouli sausage in it and came with a big hunk of corn bread. Yum!!!! That and a cold glass of beer was a nice way to spend some time in the sun.

    Seems like this week has gone by more quickly than usual. Tomorrow is already the end of the week and the beginning of the next contra dance. Looking forward to dancing to some good calling and music and with some nice women. I should know quite a few people at this dance already, so that will be a lot of fun to see some of them, but it is also nice to meet a few new ones along the way. Need to get some sleep in order for that to happen though.... so goodnight.

    Ended up being a very uneventful day today. Woke up earlier than usual with a huge sinus headache, itchy eyes, scratchy throat, the whole allergic symptoms thing. Thought it was from the campfire in the site next to mine, as they have had one most nights and mornings for the past few days. But it turns out that it was some fire of unknown size and cause farther to the west of here that was drifting over the campground. The end effect was the same though and it felt like I hadn't had a very good night of sleep and probably snored a lot during the night, cus that is often what happens when I'm all plugged up.

   Anyway; got up, popped a allergy pill, ate some breakfast, read the comics and then went back to bed for a couple more hours. Was finally back up and going around 9:30 but really didn't feel like going into town and doing a whole bunch of sightseeing. So I didn't, went for a nice walk on the beach instead, ate a bit of lunch and then took another nice hike this afternoon. Otherwise it was a nice day to hang around, read a book and just take it easy. Tomorrow is early enough to think about doing another day of hanging out in the city.

   Spent nearly 6 hrs touring the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens this afternoon. Originally founded in the late 1800's by the Drayton Family, it has remained in their family down through the years. Through all the early years the family made their fortune by growing rice in fields/ponds cleared by slave labor. This proved to be very profitable for them and they soon became one of the richest families in the area.

   The original house was two stories tall and built of brick and native stone, a classic style of plantation home. It was hit by lightning at some point and pretty much burned to the ground. Even the foundation was unusable so they ended up rebuilding their second home where the house is today. This house was also a large, typical, rich plantation owner home. This home remainded standing throughout the Civil War, but was finally burned down as the Union Troops left the area after the city of Charleston was captured.

   So the third house was built on the bones of the 2nd house. It's a very nice two story, wood framed home with huge porches all the way around supported by rows of large white columns. This may be because the family fortune at this point after the Civil War was nearly gone, so it is a very nice house all in all. The plantations life as a rice producer was pretty much over with the end of the Civil War. Facing hard times the owner at that time sold about 1500 acres and leased the mineral rights to most of the rest to a mining company that was after a 2'-3' layer of ore that could be crushed and used as a source of fertilizer. Thus becoming one of, if not the original, strip mine in the USA. When the owner saw the damage being done to the land he managed to get most of the mining stopped and decided to open the house and grounds up as a get-away place for well to be patrons of Charleston instead.

   The gardens around the place became the central focus of many of the visitors and are one of the oldest gardens in the States. Nearly 300 different kinds of azalea's, numerous types of tree's and shrubs. All tied together with path's and ponds and beautiful views of the river.

   I took one 45 min tram tour of the grounds narrated by a very knowledgeable guy who could talk about any subject related to the house and grounds. He was very good at spotting birds, alligators and turtles and knew all their scientific names as well as their common names. It was well worth the few bucks it cost to go on it.

   Got home at sundown so there was no time for a forest walk this evening. Will get enough walking in tomorrow to make up for it if I can drag myself out of bed and get going early enough in the morning. Want to go into Charleston tomorrow and wander the streets of old town and see some of the old houses and other buildings. We'll see in the morning.

   Finally; It's been really interesting to me to write this blog and send it out there.  Have gotten some positive feedback from a few of my friends who have emailed me directly, otherwise I'm not sure what any one's impression of it is, as there have been no comment's logged so far. It appears that there are a few people who are logging on and taking a look though, of real interest to me is that there are 13 people in Russia and 3 in Germany who have logged on at least once. That is in addition to the 73 from the US so far. To all of you, whoever you may be, thanks for checking in, hope it has been of some interest to you and I hope you continue to look once in awhile and feel free to pass the site along to others if you think anyone else would be interested. Thanks.

Photo's from the trip to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens:

A small bridge over one of several ponds in the garden area.

One of my favorite types of flower, a very pretty purple iris.

There were several peacocks and lots of peahens on the place. This one decided it was time to try and impress the ladies. What is interesting to me, and of course a picture can't capture it, is that they vibrate their tail feathers at a high rate while they are all fanned out. (It makes a lot of noise). Of course lots of people trying to get a good picture of this while it was happening. One of them evidently made the mistake of getting in between this guy and the hen he was trying to impress... a screech, a fast lunge and the guy was doing a very fast retreat.

The plantation was located on the Ashely River just west of Charleston. For very many years the river was the only real way to get back ond forth between home and town. All of the supplies came in by boat and all of the products the plantation produced went out by barge.

Another nice iris, this one white.

They have a small petting zoo kind of set up at the plantation with lots of chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats and such. This guy is like the perfect rooster when I think about what they should look like. He was busy strutting his stuff up on a fence rail and crowing nearly non stop. None of the hens, that I could see, were even paying attention to him. Lots of people taking pictures of him too so I just had to outwait all of them.

Another view of the Ashely River.

    Drove into Charleston this morning and found the building where the contra dance will be this weekend. From trailer to the dance was a little more than an hour. A bit longer than I'd like, but it was my first time through so it should be a little less as the route becomes more known to me.

   Wanted to go see the 'Hunley' next since it was pretty close to where the dance was. Alas, the museum is located along the waterfront and as such, the roads are all mixed up, or have even been changed since my GPS was last updated. Needless to say, it was soon lost, trying to make me go down roads that had security gates across them, or just weren't there anymore. Still managed to find it though, just using some common sense and an old fashioned map. To bad the place wasn't open when I got there, it's only open on Saturday and Sunday. The H.L. Hunley, by the way, was the first real submarine ever made. It sunk with all hands on board, I think 21 men, after sinking an anchored northern warship during the Civil War. May have to come back and visit it again if I don't make it this time.

    Headed for the Charleston Aquarium next because it was the next closest site and it was on my list. Found it without to much problem and discovered that the Ft Sumter boat dock was in the same area. Went and toured the park building and read all the display info inside. Didn't do the boat ride out to the fort thinking that I'll do a harbor tour later in the week and get a good view of the island at that time.

   Did go and do the Aquarium of course. It is a very nice place to visit being one of the newer types that is multi leveled. This one starts on the second floor and starts in the high mountains to the west with mountain streams and the fish and animals that go along with it. They had a pair of very energetic river otters that played in the water and chased over the rocks and logs of their exhibit the whole time I was there.

   The exhibits spiral down going on into the Piedmont area and then the lower river system. From there it was on to the salt marsh area and then of course on to the ocean. Very nicely done all along, but really I think the aquarium in Chattanooga, TN is still the best one I've seen to date. One interesting exhibit was outdoors and showed an area of salt marsh like you would find along much of the coast here. Along with all the fish, turtles and alligators they also had several birds that I was able to get some good pictures of. They also had a American Bald Eagle in one of their exhibits. Evidently it had been hurt in the wild, had been found and rehabbed, but was never going to be well enough to live in the wild again. So I also got a few nice pictures of it as well as some of the other birds.

   I got back to the trailer early enough this afternoon to take a nice hike along a couple of the trails here in the State Park. It was really beautiful out there as the sun was beginning to go down. The only downside to it all was that the mosquito's really started to come out. It was fine as long as you kept moving... so I kept moving. Did see some really pretty views while out on the trail and a couple photo's of that follow also.

    Talked to a couple friends and family on the phone this afternoon and evening. Isn't the modern cell phone a wonderful invention? Even the cheap ass one that I have works well enough most of the time. Am going to go tour a Plantation House west of Charleston tomorrow. It will be interesting to see how the really wealthy cotton and rice plantation owners, their families and their slaves lived during the heydays just before the start of the Civil War.   

While at the Aquarium they had one outdoor exhibit that focused on the salt marsh environment. Along with other swamp-marsh animals were several birds including this Little Blue Heron.

Another bird was this Snowy Egret.

They had this eagle as part of their teaching curriculum. He was still a very regal bird even if he could no longer fly well enough to be returned to the wild.

That is one amazing beak.

This Great Blue Heron just seemed to want to be left alone so he could get on with his afternoon nap.

Getting back to the campground early this afternoon there was time to take a hike for a couple of miles. One of the trails crossed this little section of a tidal marsh and stream. The shadows in the trees and the reflections in the water really caught my eye.

A view looking the other way. Looked like a good place for snakes, but the only thing I saw was a small armadillo.

   Took my time doing the last 90 miles into the campground this morning. Was up early enough, it's not hard when the Big Rigs keep pulling in next to you and leaving their diesels running while they run in to pee. I stayed put long enough to make and eat some breakfast and read the Sunday comics. Plenty of traffic on the highway this morning as I imagine lots of families were on their way to have dinner or hunt Easter eggs at Grandma's house. I finished up eating my own chocolate bunny this morning, they really don't taste all that good anymore as far as chocolate goes, so it must be some traditional thing going on instead. Sort-a like eating those chocolate covered cherries they come out with every Christmas.

   Pulled into the campground here at Edisto State Park around 3:30 and was glad that I had made reservations for my site many months ago. Usually by this time on a Sunday afternoon the campground has cleared out, but there must be some school breaks going on this week as there are plenty of kids running around the campground this evening.  Surprised myself by backing into my spot without to much difficulty. My particular spot was nearly a 90 degree turn off the outside loop road and the site entrance, as well as the loop road are at most 18'-20' wide with trees and brush on either side. Snuck it right in though and the site opened up pretty wide once past it's mouth. Got the electric and water hooked up and the scissor jacks lowered and locked in place. No sewer hook up here unfortunately and there may not even be a dump station available. That would be a bit of a bummer.

   Once set up it was time for a much delayed lunch before heading out for a little exploring. Hiked around the campground a little bit and found where some interesting trails start off from, but what I really wanted to do was go see the ocean again. Unfortunately there are no trails from here to the ocean part of the park so I climbed back into the truck and drove the couple of miles over to where it is. Nice to be back on the beach again and be able to see the waves rolling in and the birds dodging among the seaweed. Walked a couple miles along the shore and found tons of shells to look at and throw back into the water, (beach reclamation duty), even saved a couple to keep in the trailer to remind me of the sea when I'm back in Colorado.

   Have been doing some checking on things to do in the area and it doesn't look like I'll run out of interesting things to do and to see. Will start in Charleston tomorrow just cuz it's so easy. Just from the map you can find Ft Sumter, the Magnolia Plantation and Gardens and the SC Aquarium. Most important will be seeing how long it takes to get into the dance site. My GPS says it's only about 30-45 miles into town, but the lady who checked me in said it would take a good hour to get there. Based on the narrow two lane roads I came in on that my be faster than reality. I'll check it out, but may find myself taking a couple changes of clothing in with me on Friday and Saturday. That way if the dance goes on too late I can find a cheap hotel somewhere and avoid trying to come back on those roads late at night. No reason to end up sleeping with the alligators if you don't have to.

   Finally: took a couple photo's while I was out walking on the beach. They aren't great, but I kind of liked them.

My book says this is a Herrmanns Gull, so that's what I'm going with.

Tons of shells on the beach, windrows of them in fact. Most were broken in some way, but with the light from a late setting sun even they can be quite pretty.

   Didn't go all that far today.    I didn't need to go very far as there is only 100 or so miles left to do before getting to the State Park tomorrow, and I should be able to do them easily in the morning. So I pulled off this afternoon and found a local library near the town of Orangeburg, SC. Nice little library, quiet, not very many patrons today. Caught up on a bunch of magazines I haven't read lately and checked out some music CD's I haven't heard before. I've been looking for a copy of any old Joan Baez albums that have the song 'Diamonds and Rust' on it. For some reason it has been stuck in my mind, only off and on luckily, for several months now. Haven't been able to find it in any of the stores I've been to. Guess I could just order it off of Amazon, but is it to much to ask to actually want to hold something real in your hand and even read the liner notes, such as they are on CD's. Will find a copy of it one of these days.

   In the meantime I also stopped off at a local grocery store on my way back to the highway. Ran out of milk and bananas this morning and I found these cute little crinkle cut carrots all packaged up and ready to go. Most of the time I'd just as soon peel and chop all my own veggies and fruit, but these things are going to be great for soup and stir-fries. They would also be handy for dips too. Already had a handful of them with dinner tonight cuz I also picked up one of those store roasted chickens and a loaf of sour dough bread. Maybe one of my favorite meals on the road. Hot roast chicken tonight and then maybe chicken enchiladas for dinner tomorrow night.

    Thought I'd post the last of the Biltmore photo's tonight and then I can be done with that part of the trip. It was a marvelous place to visit and I would highly recommend it to anyone who has even a bit of interest in history, old buildings, wine or that era in time.

Another spot of intense color, this time a fiery red azalea.

Down at the 'Bass Pond'. In this case I think the fish were actually some type of sunfish or crappie, but it didn't matter to all the kids who just thought they were neat.

A nice example of an expeliar'd tree, this one might be an apple. There were a lot of these scattered about the grounds and the process has always intrigued me.

One neat thing was to round a corner on one of the garden paths and suddenly have a view of some part of the house pop up above the trees and bushes.



A view of the south end of the house.

An closer view of the south facade showing the steps down to the south terrace. In the lower left corner of the house was the music room. Interesting in that this room was unfinished, closed off and locked until 1976 when it was finally opened up and finished as the music room it is today. I wonder what went on in there? To the right, behind the wisteria vines was George Vanderbilt's private library. Nearly two stories tall, it contained over 23,000 leather bound books in 5 languages and covering any number of subjects. The room was finished in oak and walnut with leather furniture. It would of been my favorite room in the house. On the second floor were 4 bedrooms used to house guests when they stayed. Called the Louis XV suite each room was decorated with different wall and floor coverings as well as furniture. The room in the upper left corner was known as the Damask room because of the red and gold silk damask fabric wallpaper that covered the walls. It was both elegant and stunning to see.

A closer look at the wisteria vines and the stairs down to the terrace.



The view from the house to the west. This was why the house was sited on the top of this particular hill. The designer actually had a tower built prior to the walls going up so that he could make sure that each floor elevation was at the right height for the best views. In the distance is Mount Pisagah, one of the local mountain peaks.

The west facade. In the top of the far tower was Mr Vanderbilt's personnel bedroom and beyond in the next tower was Mrs Vanderbilt's bedroom with a very nice, very large, sitting room in between. Closest to the camera and on the bottom floor was the two lane bowling alley that had been installed complete with it's own pin setter, (one of the household staff), and metal and wood ball returns. Next door were 10-12 private dressing rooms for guests to change into gym attire or the latest swimming suit for a dip in the 70,000 gallon heated indoor swimming pool. In an age were very few people had access to electricity, let alone electric lights, this pool had it's own underwater lighting system. Next door, if you still had any energy left, you could use the weight machines or parallel bars to work up a sweat, after which you could shower in one of two special 'needle showers' that were installed. These showers were ones that had water jets coming out the side as well as from overhead. While most of the population of the country was still taking a trip to the outhouse because of the lack of indoor plumbing, this house had a full 43 bathrooms and hot and cold running water to all the sinks. Interestingly, none of the bathrooms had sinks in them only a toilet and tub, instead you rang the bell/buzzer and one of the staff would bring up a pitcher of hot water and a basin to your room.

Not sure if this has already been posted or not, but I still like the way the wisteria vine overhung this window in the library.

Okay... had these all annotated and ready to go and the dang web site froze up on me. Guess I'm lucky I didn't lose it all. To tired to do it all over again tonight so I'll work on it later. Think I'll go watch a movie from my stash. 'Shrek' is sounding pretty good to me tonight for some reason. Fantasy with a touch of romance and humor sounds good. (Done!)

    So the life of a Gypsy, dancing or otherwise, isn't always so romantic as it sounds. For instance; I'm currently parked in a rest area parking lot just west of Columbia, SC. Me and about a dozen big rigs are sharing this huge parking area set up so the truckers can pull in and get some sleep instead of running down the highway half asleep killing people and small furry animals. I've parked like this dozens of times when moving from one place to another would take more than one day of travel, so it's no big deal. It's often more difficult or time consuming to try and find an RV park to pull in to for the night. Plus it was always my intention to be able to do this exact thing if need be. I just find any more that it is really quite convenient even though the ambiance sometimes leaves something to be desired. As long as no one pulls in right next to me during the night and then leaves their diesel running for the whole time, I'll be thankful.

    Left Asheville this morning in the midst of a rain shower. What a bummer to have to pack up everything in the wet and the cold. But I was out of there by 9:30, pretty good timing for me, and on the road to the east. No real hurry to get anywhere, my reservation at the State Park near Charleston doesn't start until Sunday afternoon. Timing is one of those difficult things anymore when you are planning 3 months out. Got the reservations for the park that long ago, but made plans for some of the other shorter stays as I went along. Once in awhile I either miscount the days or they don't have room for me for the whole period I want. So it pays to be a bit flexible at times.

   Had a good discussion this morning with some friends in Colorado over what a 'Blog' really is. Growing up there was your basic diary, which of course no boy would ever cop to writing in as that was just for girls with cooties. No for us guys it was that more romantic form of writing right out of the west, 'The Journal'. So what is it, now that I'm a bit older, diary, journal, Blog... who the hell cares! It will just be what it is and that is good enough for me.

   Was going to finish up posting the last of the Biltmore photo's tonight, but I see that my computer battery is fast using up the last of it's power. Will need to get that spare one next time a Best Buy comes into view. Perhaps tomorrow... until then.... goodnight!