Starting in January, 2017, our blog name has changed. Since we no longer have Smokey with us, Abe gets the center spotlight. Please go to abeadventures.blogspot.com
Tuesday, February 7, 2017
Sunday, January 8, 2017
South Carolina and Alabama in December
We left Wilmington, NC, on
December 7, bound for Myrtle Beach, SC. This
was a short drive south and soon we were settled in a small RV park on the
Intracostal Waterway. We didn’t see many
boats cruising the waterway, but I did catch this sailboat headed south. At one point in time, we thought we might do
this too!
We explored Myrtle Beach,
but for some reason just couldn’t “get into it”. Perhaps it was the touristy feel or perhaps
it was the cool temperatures and the non-beachy ambience. Most of the shops were closed along the
boardwalk and the few that were open were blaring music at us.
We did have a lovely walk along the beach and
found this message in the sand. !
After 2 nights in the
Myrtle Beach area we moved on to a campground near Charleston, SC. We had heard so much about this old southern
city and we were eager to explore. We
spent one day walking all over the old part of town and then hopped on a ferry
to explore Fort Sumter.
Fort Sumter, a sea fort
in the Charleston
harbor, was a survivor of two battles of the Civil War. It
was one of a number of special forts planned after the War of 1812, combining
high walls and heavy masonry. Work started in 1829, but was incomplete by 1860,
when South Carolina seceded from the Union.
It was from here that the first shots of the Civil War were fired. During the Civil War it had been reduced to
rubble, but had been restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the
1930’s. Now it is a national monument
and well worth the visit.
After 6 miles of walking
around Charleston, it was time for dinner and we were starving! With our trusty Yelp app on our phones we
found “Craftsman Kitchen and Tap House” in old Charleston. Here we found an amazing list of local brews
and wonderful sandwiches. My favorite
was the Kentucky Ryed Chiquen. Kinda
funny ordering a beer called Chicken!
As Jerry usually does, he
wore a “U of I” sweatshirt. A young man
came up to our table to say hello and tell us he, too, was a U of I
alumnus. He had graduated with a Masters
in Psychology in the early 2000’s and had worked in Chicago for several
years. Now he lived in Charleston and
worked in IT for the Navy. Wow! Those U of I grads are everywhere!
On Sunday, December 11, we
were looking forward to worshipping at St. John’s Lutheran in downtown
Charleston, the oldest Lutheran church in South Carolina. We confirmed on the church’s website that the
service began at 11 and even arrived about 15 minutes early, to find he sermon
had just finished! Once a year in
December this congregation had one service at 1000, to allow for their annual
meeting, and, of course, that single service was the Sunday we chose! We still were seated in a pew box….I don’t
know what else to call them….and took communion and sang the final hymn.
The St. John’s
congregation dated its origins to the 1742 arrival of Dr. Henry Melchior
Muhlenberg, the father of the Lutheran Church in America. The church was devastated during the Civil
War but had been lovingly rebuilt. On two sides of the
church was a centuries old graveyard. We
were amazed at the ages of the early headstones…1806 on the one on the right in
the photo. The church recently received
a grant to restore the cemetery and recondition the headstones, many of which
were in sad shape. Lots of history
here! Little did we know that we were
just getting started on the history of South Carolina
Permanently parked in
Charleston harbor was the USS Yorktown, a World War II vintage aircraft
carrier. USS Yorktown was one of 24 Essex-class
aircraft
carriers built during World War II for the United States Navy,
Yorktown was commissioned in April 1943, and participated in several campaigns
in the Pacific
Theater of Operations, earning
11 battle stars and the Presidential
Unit Citation. The Yorktown
was decommissioned in 1970 and in 1975 became a museum ship at Patriot's Point, Mount
Pleasant, South Carolina.
This ship was well worth the tour. The self-guided tour took all over the ship
from the helm station to the engine room.
The sheer size of the ship was very impressive and the static display of
Navy aircraft on the deck kept us looking.
Monday, December 12, had
us on the move again, but just a short trip down the road to Camp Lake Jasper
and closer to Savannah, SC. We had had
cool weather in Charleston, but this afternoon we had temperatures in the low
70’s! Yay! We actually sat outside and visited with the
neighbors.
We spent three days in
and around Savannah and really enjoyed this old city. The elegant old buildings along the waterfront took us back to the slavery days of the south. Today Savannah is the fourth busiest seaport in the US! We often saw huge tankers coming into port, under this very tall bridge in the background.
Savannah had two historic Civil War era
forts…Jackson and Pulaski. We toured
Pulaski first and saw a well-restored fort with lots of displays and
knowledgeable docents. The fort was
built after the War of 1812, as part of President James Madison’s plan for
coastal fortifications. Wooden pilings
were sunk up to 70 feet into the mud to support an estimated 25,000,000 bricks
for the walls! The walls were eleven
feet thick, thought to be impenetrable except by only the largest land
artillery-, which at the time were smooth bore cannon. These cannons had a
range of only around a half-mile, and the nearest land (Tybee island) was much
further away than that. It was assumed
that the Fort would be invincible to enemy attack. However, using 36 guns, including the new James Rifled
Cannon and Parrott
rifles, Union troops began the long sustained bombardment
of Fort Pulaski in April, 1862. The rifled projectiles could be accurately
fired farther (4–5 miles) than the larger and heavier smoothbore cannonballs.
Within 30 hours, the new rifled cannon had breached one of the fort's corner
walls. Shells now passed through the fort dangerously close to the main powder
magazine and the fort was surrendered to the Union troops. The advancement in projectile technology
changed the whole notion of how a fort should be constructed. Brick walls were no longer invincible. Technology won!
Fort Jackson was quite a
contrast…smaller, less well-restored, and privately owned. We got a clearer
picture of what these coastal forts looked like. In fact, a young man, delivering a re-enactment
of firing a civil war cannon, brought it all home…the hard work and the danger
of firing these behemoths. The “boom”
was deafening! We saw a lot of activity
around this old fort and learned it was being “converted” to a prison, for the
movie, Lisa. Interesting! One little piece of trivia about both these
forts that surprised…they both had moats and drawbridges as part of their
defenses.
Savannah was on of this
country’s first planned communities. It was
laid out in 1733 around four open squares, each surrounded by four residential
blocks and four civic blocks. The
original plan (now known as the Oglethorpe
Plan) was part of a larger regional plan that included gardens,
farms, and "out-lying villages."
We toured through many of these beautiful squares and the surrounding
historic neighbor-hoods. Most of the squares had statues (John Wesley,
Kasimir Pulaski, James Oglethorpe) and beautiful old trees. Beautiful spots for relaxing and people
watching. The statue above commemorates the Revolutionary soldiers from Haiti, largest contingent of those of African descent who fought in the war.
At the foot of the statue were bricks purchased by many who supported this statue, including this unfortunate one!
Sunday, December 18, we
drove about 20 miles NE to Beaufort, SC, to attend services at Sea Island
Presbyterian Church. Dale and Sharon
Norton, friends from Visalia, have a lovely retirement home on Fripp Island,
near here, and attend this church. The organist
at this church was amazing!! I spoke
with him afterward and learned he was from Seattle and one of his organ
students used to play at the Presbyterian Church in Anacortes. Small world indeed!
Dale and I worked
together at College of the Sequoias for 20 + years and it was great to see him
and Sharon again. We got the royal tour
of Fripp Island on Sunday afternoon, including this visit to the resident
alligator…obviously a statue! Fripp
Island was considered to be a barrier island, and was the most seaward of the
Sea Islands. Located halfway between Charleston,
South Carolina and Savannah, Georgia, Fripp
had approximately three miles of beachfront along the Atlantic, and our
afternoon stroll was peaceful. No one
else around!
Monday, December 19,
Dale and Sharon gave us a driving tour of the Beaufort area. This elegant old southern city, while not as
big as Charleston or Savannah, had many fine antebellum homes and a feel of the
Old South. The huge old live oaks that we saw on Fripp Island,
as well as in Savannah were quite impressive.
In the middle of Beuafort is this national cemetery prettily decorated for the holidays.
A short
drive outside of Beaufort, SC, took us to the Sheldon Church, originally known
as Prince William's Parish Church. The church was built between 1745 and 1753
and was burned by the British in 1779 during the Revolutionary War. In 1865 the inside of the church was
apparently gutted to reuse materials to rebuild homes burnt by Sherman's army. It was overcast and gloomy the morning we were there. The live oaks that populated the church grounds and graveyard added to the dreariness. It was all
delightfully creepy!
We had with
Dale and Sharon lunch in downtown Beaufort at a bar close to the waterfront. I had yummy shrimp and
grits! I had not tried this before and
I’d definitely have it again. Grits
covered with gravy and BBQed shrimp on top. What's not to like? We had a wonderful visit with the Norton’s and were sad to leave them
and lovely Fripp Island, but it was time to move on down the road!
December
20 and December 21 we were travelled west to Gulf Shores, AL, where we would
spend 2 weeks. Our overnight stops
weren’t remarkable but we did finally have warm weather and sunshine
again. Nothing like a 70-degree
afternoon to improve our spirits. The
forecast for Christmas weekend looked very promising!
Bella
Terra of Gulf Shores was the name of the RV park where we settled. It was quite a place. The address was in Foley, AL, about 5 miles
north of the beach at Gulf Shores, AL. Originally,
this RV park was to be a housing developmnet but for some reason that did not
happen. However, the infrastructure was
in place so the new developers created this lovely park, complete with pool,
hot tub, clubhouse and 2 lakes. The
sites are quite large by RV standards…50 X 120 or so and can be purchased and
customized to the owners’ desires. Many
have screened rooms, casitas, firepits, outdoor kitchens, and a little garage
for a golf cart.
We found the only ELCA
Lutheran Church on the gulf coast about 15 minutes away in Gulf Shores. Grace Lutheran Church was quite connected to
the snowbird community. We learned that
in the summer, 15 to 20 are in worship on Sunday, but during the winter, their
worship attendance swells to 400+! During
the busy winter season, they may hold 4 or 5 worship services on Saturday and
Sunday! Over coffee, after Christmas Day
service, we learned that the altar furniture was built by a snowbirder over
several years. He would build a piece or
two in his woodworking shop in Wisconsin.
When he came to Gulf Shores in the winter, he would load up the pieces
he had room to transport.
We were not far from
Gulf Shores State Park and the Hugh Branyon Backcountry Trail. This trail was great for biking and we took
many rides along the black-topped trails, through the woods and along the
swamp. We even saw one of the resident
alligators! Yes, this one was real...but napping! We didn't jump the fence to test that theory, though.
We spent an afternoon
touring the National Naval Aviation Museum at NAS Pensacola. Quite a place! The collection included over 150 beautifully restored aircraft,
including rare and one-of-a-kind flying machines such as the NC-4 (first to cross the Atlantic by air), SBD Dauntless
Bureau Number 2106 (a veteran of the Battle of Midway), the Que Sera Sera
(first aircraft to land at the South Pole), the last combat F-14D Tomcat, and
many, many more. We took the docent-led
tour and listened to 3 hours of naval aviation history. We even sat through a carrier flight deck
landing simulation! Whew! What a job! The Blue Angels home was near here at Forrest Sherman Field.
Christmas Day, after church
we joined with 50 or so RVers at the park’s clubhouse for a Christmas potluck. Although it wasn’t like being with family, we
had a delightful afternoon with some new-found friends and plenty to eat!
New Year’s weekend was
overcast and rainy. We didn’t do much
“wahoo” celebrating, but watched football and stayed dry. January 2 it was still raining! And then it was thundering and
lightning! And then it was absolutely
pouring! Of course,
that was about the time we decided to run a couple of errands. It poured on us. I’ve never seen such rain! It finally subsided about 9 PM. The entire storm dumped about 4 inches of
rain and produced a small tornado in Gulf Shores, just south of here. We barely had any wind!
Where did the days
go? We explored the nearby towns,
visited with the neighbors, and rode our bikes.
This photo was the biker crowd on our last ride through the park. 14 miles!
We had one more fort to
visit. This time we drove to Fort Morgan
located on Mobile Point on a narrow spit of land west of Gulf Shores. This was
another of the third system masonry forts built between 1819 and 1833 by James
Madison. Indentured persons were contracted
to the federal government and made 30 million bricks to construct the fort,
built in a pentagon like others we had seen.
Standing guard where the bay met the Gulf of Mexico, the fort played a
significant role in the Battle of Mobile Bay in August 1864. It was here that Admiral David Farragut said,
“Damn the torpedoes (mines were called torpedoes), full speed ahead!” After the Battle of Mobile Bay, Farragut was
promoted to Vice Admiral by President Lincoln.
Used intermittently through the Spanish
American War, World War I and World War II, the fort was eventually turned over
to the state of Alabama. We were glad we
had toured other similar forts in the Carolinas, since this one was flooded and
we couldn’t go inside the walls.
Although the fort didn’t have a moat and drawbridge like others, it did
have this ditch that had flooded after the recent deluge.
This is the last blog of
2016 and I will change things up a little bit in 2017. Since we no longer have Smokey, (Smokey and Bus Bandits won’t work
anymore!) I will change the blog name to Abe’s
Adventures. Surely you remember that
“Abe” is our bus’s name! The first blog
2017 will be coming soon. Stay tuned!
Tuesday, December 13, 2016
North Carolina, y'all! November and December, 2016
After we
left Red Bay, Alabama, on November 15, we headed for North Carolina. We made one overnight stop just north of
Atlanta, and arrived at Glenview Acres RV Park, Concord, NC, next to the Charlotte Motor
Speedway on November 16. The area
offered lots to explore as well as being reasonably close to our Thanksgiving
destination, Martinsburg, WV.
One of
the first things we did was to tour the Charlotte Motor Speedway, actually located
in Concord, NC, on the northeast side of the city. Although neither of us were NASCAR fans, we
just couldn’t miss the opportunity to see this huge complex.
The motor
speedway included 8 racetracks, not just the 1.5-mile NASCAR oval. Our tour guide took us everywhere! We even drove
down the drag track, ran the oval at maximum van speed, and saw the fancy boxes
from which the folks with lots of money viewed the race. We learned that the speedway has several
educational programs. They provided
training to equip young drivers with skills to be safe in inclement
weather. They had a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
program for schools in the area. They
even had a huge ballroom for weddings, receptions, and banquets. Quite a place!
One funny little fact about the speedway: The seats in the grandstand were painted various random colors so that from a distance it appeared that all the seats are filled. Very clever.
Friday, November
18, we took the trolley to “uptown” Charlotte to take in the sights.
We walked
by the Bank of America stadium where the Carolina Panthers play. We found lunch at "Valhalla" not far from the stadium. Our waitress, a very chatty young lady, told us that we had just missed seeing Cam Newton, the Carolina quarterback, walk by. Apparently he was condo shopping the area! You just never know...!
Sunday,
November 20, we went to church at Family of Faith Lutheran Church, just down
the road. This was another very small
congregation…about 25 in worship…but so friendly. They were in the process of becoming a
mission church, due to their decreasing size.
Two folks we met there particularly stood out. Their interim pastor, a delightful lady, was
the first black lady pastor we had encountered.
What a message she delivered!
The
second person who was quite impressive was the pianist who accompanied the
service…on oxygen! I talked with her
afterward and said I was really
impressed with her spunkiness…she just
laughed!
After
church we made our way to Newton, NC, west of Charlotte in the foothills of the
Smoky Mountains. My cousin Anita (our
mothers were sisters) and her husband David lived there and had invited us for
Sunday dinner. I had not seen Anita in
years and it was amazing that we had so much to talk about! We had never met David, but it’s like we had
known him all our lives. Anita was a
professor at Lenoir Rhyne University and taught in the Occupational Therapy
department.
Monday, November
21, we continued on our reunion journey.
We drove to Laurinburg, NC, about 1.5 hours SE of Charlotte, to visit
with Andy and Patsy Foshay. Andy and I
were classmates all through grade school and high school. It was great fun reminiscing about all those
people we knew in London Mills 50 years ago!
Andy and Patsy have a construction business in Laurinburg, “Precision
Contractors, Inc.”. We got the nickel
tour of Andy’s projects, including a church he was building. He said he had become the favorite of the
black churches, because the ladies love his beautiful white hair! Andy and Patsy had a beautiful home on a lake
and a golf course outside Laurinburg.
What a treat it was to stay with them!
Tuesday, November 22, we drove from Laurinburg back to Charlotte, repacked our suitcase and headed to Martinsburg, WV, where Don and Dorothy Peterson lived. Dorothy is Jerry’s aunt, although 8 months younger than Jerry. We were invited for the Thanksgiving weekend along with Jerry’s brother Don and his wife Sally. The four Woodall’s were in addition to the Peterson’s usual Thanksgiving crowd, so there were 14 of us at the table, with an age spread from 19 to 90. We had a wonderful day and a delicious meal.
We
decided to stay with Don and Dorothy until Monday, to avoid traffic headed
south. We had some wonderful hikes to
work off that big meal. Don was an avid
bicycler and enjoyed riding along the C & O canal. It was too chilly and windy for bikes but we
did have a good walk. Have you ever seen
a bluer sky? This is a shot of Dorothy
as we made our away around the cliff face.
C&O
Canal occasionally called the "Grand Old Ditch” operated from 1831 until
1924 along the Potomac River
from Washington, D.C., to Cumberland,
Maryland. The canal's
principal cargo was coal from the Allegheny
Mountains. Rising and falling over an elevation change of
605 feet, it required the construction of 74 canal locks,
11 aqueducts
to cross major streams, more than 240 culverts to cross smaller streams, and
the 3,118 ft. Paw Paw Tunnel. The canal way was now maintained as the Chesapeake
and Ohio Canal National Historical Park, with a trail that followed the
old towpath.
Tuesday,
November 29, we left Charlotte and made our way to Williamston, NC. This sweet little town, about 60 miles from
the outer banks was a perfect stop to explore the east coast of North Carolina. Williamston was another small town that had
lost lots of businesses. We drove down
Main Street and saw lots of closed stores and empty storefronts. Of course, Wal-Mart was strongly present, as
well as Dollar General. We weren’t sure
which came first…those ever-present cut-rate stores or the loss of local businesses. Sad.
We did
find a lovely little restaurant for dinner…”The Red Heron Café.” Yelp was our go-to app to find a
well-reviewed restaurant and this one got rave reviews. We arrived a little early and were the only
patrons for a while. That provided us
with the opportunity to have delightful conversations with our waitress,
Shatura and Chef Mike. We learned that
Shatura was involved with Bull Riding and Monster Trucks. She did the advance work for truck shows
internationally and had just come back from Sweden! What was she doing waitressing in
Williamston? Well, I don’t know! We did have the best pork chops we’ve ever
eaten and left knowing we had made two new friends.
Wednesday,
November 30, we drove to the Outer Banks and stopped at Fort Raleigh National
Monument on Roanoke Island. It was here
that Virginia Dare was born in 1587, the first child of English parents born in
America. The colony disappeared 3 years later
and the mystery of their disappearance has yet to be solved. It was incredible to us that 450 years ago
settlers were on these shores! As we
crossed the inlet, we were halted as the bridge swung open to accommodate a
sailboat headed down the Intracostal Waterway!
In the
northern Outer Banks our favorite stop was at Kitty Hawk. In these sand dunes Wilbur and Orville Wright were the first to achieve powered flight in 1903.
Aviation has certainly come a long way.
We walked, looked, and talked about what it must have been like 113
years ago to make this happen. The
Wright Brothers’ support was the crew from the local lifeguard station. When the Wrights were ready for a test
flight, they ran a bed sheet up the flagpole so anyone available came in a
hurry!
Wednesday
had been overcast, rainy, and chilly, but Thursday, December 1 was sunny, warm
and beautiful. We drove to Swan Quarter,
NC, to catch the ferry to Ocracoke Island.
It was a delightful trip…even though it surprised us that it took
2.5
hours! We sat outside the whole time and
watched the sea birds fish in the ferry’s wake.
We’ve had some ferry experience in the Pacific Northwest, and this ferry
reminded us of one of the smaller ones…perhaps like the one that ran from
Anacortes to Guemes Island in Washington
Visiting
the Outer Banks meant seeing lighthouses.
We saw this one at Ocracoke. It
was still functioning but closed to tourists.
The pretty red-roofed house on the right was originally the
lightkeeper’s home, but now was a private residence.
We rode
another ferry to get to Hatteras and that light. Once again, we were surprised at the length
of the ferry ride. The Outer Banks are
basically big sand dunes and they were moving southwest. An inlet (channel between two dune-islands)
was occasionally created by a hurricane, moving the sand around. The ferry to Hatteras used to be a 30-minute
trip but now lasted an hour due to the sand moving in the path of the ferry
route. Still good…a pretty ride.
The iconic
Cape Hatteras light was closed to visitors on Columbus Day, so we couldn’t climb
the 13 zillion stairs…Rats!
December
2 we got some great advice from the RV park owner and headed to Edenton. This sweet little town on the Roanoke River
is full of old homes and history. Our
walking tour of the town started at the Roanoke River lighthouse. It was
moved here in 1955 from further upriver and has been restored. It was the last known square-sided, screwpile
lighthouse on the east coast.
We did a
walking tour of the old homes around town and were enchanted by the whimsical
homes…some 200 years old. Revolutionary war history was everywhere. The town was
getting ready for their Christmas tree lighting in the square and everything
felt very festive.
We got a
little lost on our walking tour and mistakenly walked past this old home. An older lady and an older man (across the
street neighbors) were visiting in his front yard and spotted us walking by. “Hey, Illinois,” the lady, having spotted
Jerry in his U of I sweatshirt, hollered at us.
We soon learned that both of these folks were U of I grads…a few years
ahead of Jerry! Pete had played baseball
at the U of I and in the minors after he graduated. He had even played with Ron Santos! He shared his Christmas card with us, which
had a photo of him and his wife in their Cubs shirts in front of a big blue W
banner hanging from the balcony. He
readily shared his Cubs enthusiasm and reminiscences of his days at the U of
I.
December
3 we moved to Wilmington, NC, and our first Elks Lodge RV parking. I cannot believe I didn’t take a photo! We parked behind the Elks Lodge building and
had 30-amp power and water but no sewer hookup.
So…not ideal but at $25/night it was ok. Of course, the lodge was located right in the
middle of the city. Wilmington, a city
of about 110,000, on the Cape Fear River was a major seaport for North
Carolina.
Our first
exploration in Wilmington was the battleship USS North Carolina, permanently
moored in the Cape Fear River. This ship
participated in every major operation in the Pacific during World War II and
was decorated with 15 battle stars.
Jerry was standing forward of some of the big guns. The ship was equipped with nine 16"
guns; twenty 5" guns; sixteen 1.1" machine guns; twelve .50-cal
machine guns. Whew!
Sunday
found us at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in downtown Wilmington. This beautiful old church was in the process
of being built in 1863 when Union troops camped in St. Paul's churchyard. The
troops stabled their horses in the unfinished church and took wooden
furnishings to use as firewood. The smoke from the campfires blackened the
steeple and the exterior of the church.
The war ended, the church recovered, and now it was a growing
congregation. Jerry was standing below
the balcony in the sanctuary. We had not
seen trumpets, as part of the organ pipes before. The organist gave us a demo…amazing!
December
5 we were off on a driving tour of the barrier islands off of southern North
Carolina, including another ferry ride from Fort Fisher to Southport. We loved Southport! This was another old town, full of history
and charm. Many of the shops and
restaurants were closed for the season, but we did find “Fishy, Fishy”, a local
seafood place that served delicious seafood chowder.
We drove
to Oak Island, primarily to see this lighthouse. The unique paint pattern helped ships at sea
identify which light they saw, so they knew where they were. This one was closed to tourists as well. Yep, we missed another opportunity to climb a
gazillion steps!
Our final
day in Wilmington was spent visiting unique city spots. We had heard about “Bitty and Beau’s” on a
PBS show about North Carolina and had to go there! This coffee shop was started by a family with
two children with Down’s Syndrome. Their
idea was to provide employment and reward for people with intellectual and
developmental disabilities. A quote from
their website says it all:
“Bitty & Beau's Coffee creates a culture
where diversity is not just appreciated, it's celebrated.” Pretty cool!
Not only did we have a great cup of coffee, but we met some delightful
people!
Our next
stop was Myrtle Beach, SC, but that’s a story for another time!
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