Since we were so close to Charleston we got there by mid day. On the way you could see all the traffic on the water, ferries going to the forts, huge container ships and cruise ships, and the newish bridge. The main span of 1546 feet is the third longest for a cable stayed bridge in the western hemisphere.
Getting closer to town you can see the effect of building ordinances on the skyline. No building is allowed to be taller than the church steeples.
I didn't realize at the time just how good a job Heather had done docking in the swift current at the dock. I thought we were coming into the slip pretty hot after having made our turn. Apparently she had it in reverse the whole time, slowing us down.
Since we arrived in Charleston so early in the day Heather had the idea to shuttle the car that afternoon and free up the following day. This turned out to be a good thing. On our way up to Fayetteville we got hungry and I started searching for a nice spot around Florence. As we approached it seemed very familiar. We had stopped here at Julia Belle's Restaurant on our first tour of the southeast more than a decade ago, long before everyone had a computer in their pocket. I must have found this place then in one of our guide books (remember those?).
Well, it looked the same inside and out, and I once again had their signature pork chop sandwich. It was more of a novelty the first time, but still one of the best.
This time I did notice that their electrician perhaps left a little to be desired.
It's good we had freed up the next day because it went fast. After a long day I was too tired to take the car to the airport that night, so I decided to do it early in the morning. When I left it was almost high tide and anything that wasn't floating was getting wet. When I got back maybe 90 minutes later the old fixed dock was almost completely underwater and creeping well into the parking lot.
On my way to the airport I stopped at a great little bagel place on the east side for some bagel sandwiches, spare sliced bagels, and more coffee. When I say small I mean it. There was barely enough room for three people to stand, which was awkward because I was in between the uniformed cop and the clearly freaked out long haired musician who reeked of pot. Everyone played nice, took their bagels and went their separate ways. On the corner this building was in the process of being moved.
Once I was back on the boat we got out of there as soon as possible before the current switched.
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