Touring The Carolina's

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One of the main reasons for travelling through the Carolina’s were the abundant golf courses (NO, you say!). Gerry had been keen to get back here and see the courses again, as this was one of his favourite “guy” holidays (3 times over!). He booked 4 courses in 5 days, before I could blink. We could have spent the entire winter here and not golfed the same course twice. Loved the courses, except for the loss of balls in the ponds - no way was I going fetching when I noticed my first alligator, sunning himself beside one of them!

There are three main sights in Mrytle Beach - huge miniature golf courses that are very elaborate, adorned with dinosaurs, ships, airplanes, waterfalls; huge beach stores, which basically sell bathing suits and t-shirts; and of course the 100’s of golf courses. Not much else.

We spent one day cycling a small strip of land that was almost like an island, the southern most tip being another fort – Fort Fisher, NC. It started off with a very foggy ferry ride, where we got a chuckle over the “fog watch” – 2 ferry workers stood at the front of the ferry and manually pointed out buoys and other boats as they came into view. So, we are now well versed on what to do on a foggy sail with Craig & Laurie! The most interesting thing to see along this stretch of island and beach were the colourful summer houses built on stilts, lining the streets for miles. There again, not much else. So if golf is your holiday, this is the place, but can’t say it was my favourite sight-seeing destination so far.

Now Charleston was a different story. What a fabulous city to walk around in. Most unique were the Charleston Single Houses. These homes are very narrow and long (only one room wide), with two-story verandas that stretch down the long side. The front door actually accesses the verandas, not the interior of the house, which provided privacy to the much used verandas in the hot summer weather. This style is thought to have provided good cross-ventilation in the hot weather, a shaded seating area with view to the side court-yard/gardens. It is also thought the narrow homes were charged lower property taxes, as less frontage on the street.

Visiting a plantation in Charleston is also a must in my books. The solitude and quiet charm of the gardens, marshes and ponds is mesmerizing. Spanish moss hanging from almost every tree lends an eerie but tranquil atmosphere.

We ended our stay here cycling through 10 miles of trails at a wildlife refuge. Was a nice leisurely ride along dikes and trails, observing mostly birds and ducks, though we were rewarded with 2 alligators sunning themselves along one of the dikes. As long as they remained on the other side, we felt quite comfortable observing them.

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Comments

[Penny]

Love the blog!
Oh, Marcy, we are so jealous. You can't imagine the weather here - well, of course you can! Gales, cold, snow, wet ...... Anyway, love your Blog. Have always wanted to visit Charleston and it looks just beautiful. Fog watch sounds fun! With love, Penny and Rick (PS Rick had a shot in his knee today - hoping for a new man - six weeks the surgeon said!)

[Mallory and Warren]

Carolinas
The Carolinas sounds like a great place to visit. The golf courses sound wonderful except for the alligator in the water traps!! Too funny. Continue to enjoy. We got back from Hawaii on Tuesday. We had a fantastic vacation. It couldn't have been better. Before we know it, it will be Christmas!!