Day 47 - All day in Charleston, South Carolina

We didn't have high hopes for today. It rained hard all night long and it was still raining when we woke up this morning. We figured if we wanted to leave the RV today we might have to hire a boat. This outlook was not improved when I peered out the window this morning and found that there was a giant pool of water right outside our door. (Can you tell how drowned the RV is at right?)

But things have a way of changing pretty quick in the south. Before we had finished breakfast we could tell that the sun was trying valiantly to poke its head out through the overcast. The rays weren't having much luck, but it gave us hope.

The rain had stopped and as the clock ticked down toward our departure time of 9:00 a.m., we began to take heart that maybe we'd be able to go into Charleston and not have to wear a full suit of fisherman's foul-weather gear to stay dry.

We had originally picked this park because they offered a shuttle into Charleston. Though not free -- the cost was $10.00 each for round trip -- it seemed like a better deal than having to call a cab. Even though the park was closest to the city, it was still some miles to the oldest part of town where all the attractions were located and would have been an expensive cab ride.

So, 9:00 o'clock arrived and we were quickly installed aboard a snug little shuttle bus and were off across the Ashley River to the Charleston Peninsula. Moments later we had been deposited at the downtown visitor center, had been furnished with the necessary maps, and were off on our next adventure.

Charleston is perhaps the first city that we have visited that handles the tourism business right. Yes, other cities welcome visitors with open arms, but they most often charge you for that welcome. Here in Charleston, all the downtown, hop-on/hop-off trolleys are FREE! Yes, that's right. You can ride any one of three routes that pretty much cover the historic section and you spend not one dime.

Therefore, rather than buy one of those expensive narrated tours, we just hopped aboard the trolley and, with our free map in hand, headed downtown to one of the marked attractions for our first adventure of the day. Our first stop turned out to be the Old Exchange and Provost Dungeon, which was built by the British in 1771.

I believe our guide (that's him on the right) said it was the last building built by the British in America before the revolution. The Exchange part of the name comes from the fact that the first floor of this two-story building is where traders came to buy and sell goods in the 18th century. Things like Indigo, rice, and cotton were commonly traded at the exchange.

The dungeon part of the name comes from the fact that the British used the basement of the building for a prison in the years 1780-1782. Three signers of the Declaration of Independence were once held in this damp and dimly-lit space.

Our guide said that other prisoners ran the gamut from pirates and other bad guys, to British deserters and runaway slaves. These former inmates, along with any and all revolutionaries the British could lay hands on, spent months and even years cooped up in the dungeon's brick-lined caverns.

Our ultimate aim today was to take the ferry ride out to Fort Sumter, which had been a destination goal of mine for the past fifty odd years or so. When the hour approached for our departure, we made our way -- again via free trolley -- to the wharf area to meet the ferry. About twenty minutes later we were headed downriver towards the famous fort.

Fort Sumter is located, more or less, in the bay formed by the confluence of the Ashley and Cooper Rivers. It's not the only fort in the bay, there are several others. All the various islands had fortifications at some point in history. However Fort Sumter was the only one we had time to visit today.

When we went aboard the ferry boat we chanced to sit with a charming traveler with whom we naturally started chatting. Turns out this lady hales from northern California, not far from where we live, and is traveling the country by herself in a fifteen foot van. She started her trip just about a week ahead of our March 5th departure and has covered almost the same territory as we. One of the best things about traveling is the folks you meet along the way. Just ordinary people out seeing the country, and, like us, just in awe of everything there is to see.

Though we had hoped for a bit of sun today, the skies remained cloudy and gray almost the entire day. Still, we really enjoyed the trip to Fort Sumter. A bit of sun would have been nice for better photos, but as the famous philosopher, Forest Gump, once said, "life is like a box of chocolates....." Once on the island we climbed around the battlements, took in the museum, and shot photos of canons and crenelated battlements and stuff. I didn't know that the top couple of stories of the fort had been reduced to rubble by action in the Civil War, mostly by Union gunboats. Basically now you have just the first level that contains some gun ports.

As impressive military fortifications go, Sumpter is not high on anyone's list. Still, I was nearly euphoric that I was finally getting to see the place that I'd wanted to visit since I was a new seventh-grader at Eliot Junior High School in Pasadena, California, and was perhaps the youngest member of a Civil War roundtable group composed largely of adults. I remember my math teacher, Mr. Schilling, sponsored me and another student, and we had great fun going to the meetings -- probably chauffeured by my mother -- and seeing all the vintage weapons the members would bring for show and tell.

When we were once more back on the mainland, Concetta and I grabbed a trolley and headed back to the trolley depot where we hoped to find a nearby restaurant since we hadn't eaten anything but a small yogurt since breakfast. The time was 2:30 p.m. We knew our shuttle was going call at the depot at 4:00 o'clock sharp to pick us up and take us back to the RV park. It was a tall order, but thanks to a bunch of skateboarders who gave us directions to the nearby restaurant district, we walked the necessary two blocks, dropped into a local bistro called "Joe Pasta's," and were back to the pickup point well within the allotted time frame. I even had time, in the interim, to buy a Charleston T-shirt for my collection.

The food at Joe Pasta's was not only good, but, in my opinion, was quite excellent. We started with the shrimp and artichoke antipasti with bread. After that, Concetta ordered the scampi with linguini, and I had the spinach lasagne. Naturally, though our time was swiftly running out, I couldn't resist the bread pudding with peaches. What the heck? We hadn't eaten all day.

Now we're in for the day, feeling pretty darn full, but happy with yet another exciting day on our whirlwind vacation. Concetta doesn't have to cook, so she's comfy in bed reading her book. I have plenty of time for the blog, it's not even dark yet!

Now no one in their right mind would devote only a single day to Charleston. We didn't even scratch the surface of what there is to see here. I'm sure we could spend a week just touring the museums, mansions, and Civil War-related sites.

But we can't stay. The open road is calling and tomorrow we'll be headed north up the coast. A couple of women on the shuttle today told us we just HAVE to do the Shenandoah Valley and other exciting places in Virginia. Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, Monticello, and Appomattox Court House. The list is long. So off we go and we won't look back. There's just too much to see in these wonderful United States.

Stay tuned.