Rainy Weather Headed This Way

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Geo: 32.7812, -79.9316

Driving from Aiken was easy today. We arrived and checked in at The Spectator by 3 p.m. When we first drove up to the entrance to the hotel, four young men came out to welcome us and help us unload the car. One of them took it to their secure parking for the night. We didn't plan to drive to dinner tonight.

Our room wasn't ready yet, so armed with a walking map of the area, we set out to find the Confederate Museum. It is just a few blocks from the hotel. Unfortunately, we arrived about five minutes before their scheduled closing time of 3:30. Seemed an odd time for a museum to close, but that's what they do. One of the employees was leaving the museum just as we were reading the hours sign. She said that they would be closed tomorrow because of the hurricane, but expected to open Saturday as usual. We walked back to the hotel after stopping in a few shops. I went to the market, but Phil went back to the hotel.

I changed our dinner reservations after we arrived. We had planned on walking about ten minutes to Magnolia's Restaurant, but saw the Oyster House on Market right across the street from the hotel. It has good reviews and looked like a similar menu with low country cuisine that I wanted to have. The sky looks like it will open up with a downpour at any moment so it seemed good to have a closer restaurant. Turned out to be a fine choice. I had the she-crab soup (a Charleston creation) and shrimp & grits (that originated on the south Atlantic coast somewhere). Phil had calamari as a starter and salmon for dinner. Both were delicious.

We can't decide what to do about Hurricane Hermine tonight. She is making landfall in Florida and sending lots of weather this way. We planned on leaving here tomorrow and driving up to the Outer Banks of North Carolina, but that doesn't look like a very good idea now. The eye of the storm should be here early afternoon tomorrow. It is tracking up the coast right in the path that we want to take. We will decide what to do in the morning.

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