New Old

Destination: Charleston, SC
Total Miles: 520
Cost: $75

Before I tell you about my road trip, I must first clarify three facts for you.

1. I am NOT a beach-kind-of-person.
2. I like to look at the ocean.        Period.
3. I LOVE history.

Those being stated, let me commence with my tale.

Growing up in the South, one learns a great many facts (some biased) about the role of Charleston throughout the history of the United States of America. Charleston was the main port in South Carolina during the colonization of America. It also played important roles in both the Revolutionary War and the War of Northern Aggression (I mean, the Civil War). :)

In the past few years, I have come to take advantage of the fact that I live roughly 3 1/2 hours from this fascinating, historical city. While I tend to do many of the same things each time I go, I also enjoy finding something or some place which is new to me. In the true spirit of road trips, I have discovered various places the past 3 years in Charleston such as: Morris Island Lighthouse (which stands in the water), Sunset Point, Harbor View Road (an excellent area to meander), the Spice Tea Exchange, and a pink house in the French Quarter (just to name a few).

This trip, I invited a friend who had never been to Charleston (and, having grown up in the North, did now know much about this amazing Southern city). Robert is a friend I met in nursing school...he works in the OR at my hospital and has a somewhat more normal schedule than mine. We coordinated a day off, and Tuesday was selected.

After rising much earlier than I normally do (aka 7 a.m.), I set off to his place to pick him up. We were on the road just after 8 a.m. Our first (and most important, we decided) stop was in Columbia at a Starbucks I usually stop by on my way down.

It was the perfect day to visit Charleston. The sky was mostly clear, with the occasional perfect cloud. Since Robert had never been to Charleston (and it being close to lunch by the time we got there), we parked along the Battery. The salty smell pleasantly assaulted our olfactory nerves. We walked down Meeting Street, up through the Market, and doubled back for lunch at Bubba Gumps. Then we wandered around some of the shops, smelling spices, taste-testing nuts, and enjoying the sights and sounds. We walked down King Street, back to the Battery where we picked up Mr. Darcy and headed towards Folly Beach.

The leisurely drive around Folly is always worth a go...but my favorite part would have to be going as far as the road lets you, parking, walking up the beach, and rounding the corner to find Morris Island Lighthouse.

This walk up the beach was interesting in that we came across several beached jellyfish. Robert, having never been on a beach this far south, let alone seeing a real jellyfish, prodded a few of them...picked them up (because as we all know from Finding Nemo: "The tops don't sting you!") by the top and threw them back into the waves. This was also the part where I think we got burnt the most (at least I did).

After our stroll around the beach (and over some rocks), we found the lighthouse.

It was well worth the walk, jellyfish, hot sand, and all. I have always been fascinated by lighthouses. They are about the only thing I can draw...I love the colors surrounding them (the blues and greens of the sea and sky, both calm and stormy)...if they were worked properly, they could save hundreds of lives during storms.

But the one thing I really wanted to see this trip was something a FB friend had recommended. The Angel Oak. A massive tree, that (to be quite honest) is hard to describe and best seen in person. Something completely new to me, yet it is thought to be among the oldest trees left standing in America. It was probably not quite 30 minutes from Folly Beach, and I would have to say, definitely worth the drive.

After walking around the oak...almost overcome by the sheer size of it, we headed slowly back. First Starbucks we came across was located inside a Piggly Wiggly. Being another Southern fixture, Robert had never been in one (not even sure if he'd heard of it), so we stopped in for a few minutes (for those of you who have no clue what a Piggly Wiggly is, it is a chain of grocery stores).

All in all, another successful, enjoyable road trip. Charleston is one of those classic cities that I think I shall never tire of visiting.