Yesterday,
I left the inn in Leland, N.C. at 10:10 a.m. The odometer read 14268.0; it was
41 degrees under pale blue skies with a faint overcast. It had rained a little
during the night, but I still think I have the dirtiest vehicle around. (Yeah,
I know I should stop at a car wash.) I entered South Carolina at 11:55 a.m.
with the odometer at 14310.8 and the temperature had risen six degrees.
I
was the only visitor, so all three ladies behind the desk chatted with me. A
reservation at the Holiday Inn Riverview in Charleston was made for me. It
offers free shuttle service to the historic district which I thought would be
good as it cost to park. Plus, I feel the need to not have to drive in traffic
for a day. One thing I’ve discovered about these welcome centers is that the
people, as friendly and as helpful as anyone could want, they are very close
lipped when commenting on neighboring states. I made comments on my trip down
and they were like, “Hmmm, yes, well, we can’t really comment on that.”
I
left with a bunch of brochures on places I want to visit. At least I was given
a bag this time for them. Back on Rte. 17S, the drive this day was tedious,
55-60 mph and uneventful. Myrtle Beach was stop and go with 45-55 mph between
lights and this was the straight through, not Ocean Blvd. The Welcome Lady had
said that would be even slower. This is a shopping mecca; miles and miles of
stores, shops, and places to eat. It was a little overwhelming with south and
north bound three lanes wide. I mostly stayed in the middle. The senses were
assailed with sign after sign, some too small to read until right up close. By
then, if I’d wanted to stop, I would have been going by.
Past
Myrtle Beach, I began watching for signs for Murrell Inlet where I planned to
make my first stop. I took the left exit then realizing I did not see a sign
for Brookgreen Gardens. This just ended up being a loop and I came back out on
Rte. 17. A short time later, I did see the sign I was looking for and it was a
right hand turn.
Brookgreen
Gardens, Murrell Inlet, S.C.
Brookgreen
Gardens is an amazing place to visit. It cost $14 to get in to just the
gardens. (There’s a zoo and other attractions that I didn’t even consider.) I
spent a little over an hour wandering around and I’m not even sure I saw half
of it. One of the most touted aspects are the sculptures which are everywhere
often the focal point in gardens and some are even housed in galleries. I wasn’t
there for that, though they were amazing. I was interested in the gardens.
How
nice it was, after the dull colors of winter, to see pansies, daffodils, and
narcissus starting to bloom. What were most impressive were the H-U-G-E trees
sporting that moss. I’m not sure three or four men putting their arms around
these massive giants could touch fingers. The lady at the welcome center had
been hesitant when I’d asked about the trees on which the moss grew. She gave
me the answer of oaks, but the trees in these gardens were not oak. These trees
had kind of a rhododendron-look leaf. I looked for little info signs, but for
the longest time, the only ones explained about the sculptures. After finally
seeing a couple little signs, I think these are magnolias.
Do
magnolias grow that big and have such massive trunks? Some of the limbs were as
wide as I or wider! Some were held up with cable and many had long strands of
moss dripping from them. That’s what it reminded me of; like when water freezes
while dripping from rocks, like stalactites, like the tattered rags hanging off
zombies.
Another
familiar, but not quite the same, plant had red, yellow, or pink hibiscus type
flowers, but the leaves again looked like the rhododendron family. I saw a sign
that said camellia. Most of these flowers were just about gone by. Many
blossoms had already dropped to the ground.
There
were palm trees, more than one variety and lots of saw palmetto. Those leaves
remind me of many fingered hands.
Then
I came across a barkless, leafless tree with that moss on it. Was that weird!
It looked naked. A little sign identified it as a crepe myrtle.
Beyond
the Labyrinth
Beyond
the Labyrinth
waters
run a muddy color
like
coffee with cream that has set too long
gray
ghost skeletons
seem
to creep from the swamps
their
raggedy moss tattered garments
drip
from crooked limbs
in
a haunted scene from months’ past
After
days of freezing cold
it’s
nice to feel the sun’s warmth
silent,
meditative, and restful
like
this lazy river
Cardinal
red adds bright spots
against
brown leaves and dead grass
wind
whispers through saw grass
breathe
in… breathe out…
Listen…
liii..stennnn…
After
days of freezing cold
it’s
nice to feel the sun’s warmth.
There
was much more to see and many paths to further travel, but it was getting late
and I wanted to make Charleston by 4 p.m. My body was also beginning to ache
and I’d not eaten since having a banana at 9 a.m. The welcome lady had also
told me that there wasn’t anything past Georgetown. She was right, but I
eventually came to an entire section called Sweet Grass Alley. This consisted
of miles of periodic side of the road skeleton set ups that held baskets and
other things made with sweet grass. I was tempted to stop. I didn’t. Then came
a section where new sidewalks had been installed and I wondered, on a highway
with a speed limit of 55-60, where were customers supposed to pull over to buy
any of these products? How sad for the vendors in this section. I supposed each
vendor probably had their own space claimed.
Coming
into Charleston was about crossing massive expanses of water. Oh, my, here we
go again. I feel like screaming when going over these bridges. The road
narrows, it’s cement with cement railings on both sides and the vehicle tires
take on a higher toned whine and thump, thump, thump as each section is
traversed. Up, up and over and then really going up and over. Aieeeee!!! But
look at the VIEWS! Wait, I can’t look at the views, too much traffic and turns…
bridges that curve and have off ramps and have other bridges and roadways that
cross over and under. Aaargghh, freaky!
Talk
about heart pounding and feeling intimidated and scared. Hey, I’m a country
gal. I don’t even like driving through Manchester, N.H. and I would never go to
Boston, yet here I am in a far away state and taking on situations that scare
the daylights out of me. No wonder I have to hole up for a few days and rest.
Coming
down from the bridges, my brain was about fried. Stop and go through Charleston
the three lanes north and south ran. Those south and north bound lanes split
again before the one final bridge before the hotel and I’ve already talked
about trying to find that turn-off. These areas are made more confusing when I
can’t tell when I need to take a left or right turn to get to my destination.
So,
I’m here for one more night. Then I’ll decide if I want to move to a cheaper
hotel. I do want to spend a few days here in Charleston. So far, I’ve stayed at
Days Inn, Comfort Inns, Comfort Suites Hotels, and now this Holiday Inn. I like
the Comfort Suites, but this hotel I can’t compare with its fifteenth floor
restaurant, roundness, and spectacular views.
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