Update on our Land Based Tour

Hello all.  Time for an update.

Last week we rented a car and investigated several places in South Carolina.  Began in Myrtle Beach at the northernmost part of South Carolina. We picked up the mail that was waiting for us and drove around.  Tourist area par excellence with every type of amusement you can imagine.  Mary would say "Cheap and cheerful". 

Next, we drove south down the coast to the little town of Georgetown.  It was billed as a great place with lots of history and architecture but we were disappointed.  We blew out of there, went to Charleston and slept at a decent hotel.  We had planned to take a ferry to see Fort Sumter but it happened to be Charleston Sailboat RaceWeek and the ferry service was limited due to the racing.  It turned out that the wind was blowing so strong that the races were postponed.  Instead we did the following tourist things:  

1. Toured the Submarine Clamagore- 1940's sub...not for claustrophobics.
2. Toured USS Yorktown - Aircraft carrier that served right after WW2 and picked up space capsules during the Apollo missions.  Airplanes, ships and museum displays galore.
3. Bus tour of all the sights in Charleston.  Very cool city and we decided we need to come back here someday and spend a good week getting into the city.

After driving further south we stopped at Beaufort for the night.  It is pronounced BEWfort according to the bartender I asked.  After a restful night, we drove to the historic area.  Beaufort was captured early in the Civil War and held until the end of the war so the town was saved from destruction.   It's a small town but it has block after block of beautiful antebellum homes and ancient live oak trees shrouded in Spanish moss.  We were blown away by the historic district and the waterfront area.  What an unexpected treasure...we were unaware of this place.

Hilton Head Island was our next stop.  Very nice but crowded because of the upcoming Heritage Golf Tournament.  We tried to get into Sea Pines but we were too cheap to pay $5.00 just to gawk.  However, we were not to be discouraged...we went to the beach instead.  Enjoyed sandy beaches, warm sunny weather, watching sand volleyball games and adult beverages in the shade.  

We were glad to get back to the Southern Belle after enjoying a successful side trip.

Now we are ready to leave Isle of Hope after a wonderful 'time out'.  We met lots of fellow Loopers and we will probably see some of them again along the way north. 

Our favorite dock hand here at the marina was Kim.  She made us very welcome and it was great to get to know her.  Here's her picture with Warren-

Kim and Warren

We are planning to leave early tomorrow morning and I'll be sure to turn on the SPOT so you can spy on us!!

Happy Easter to all-
Christie