The original plan for the seemingly annual autumn roadtrip was to drive out to the Carolina coast, then up the Outer banks. Hurricane Dorian changed all that. Some of the barrier islands had reopened by the time I left. However, the roads through Ocracoke Island were heavily damaged and still impassable. Thus, Plan B.
A funny thing happens when you pull out the maps with fresh eyes. Suddenly, there are a whole lot of new options. That’s where this trip started coming together.
Day 1
Friday, October 18
Considering the usual Friday morning mayhem on the interstates, the choice was simple, get up and out ridiculously early, or leave at nine and hope for the best. Considering I was working the evening shift the previous day, I slept in.
My one goal for the day was South Carolina’s capital city of Columbia. The plan was to poke around the city and spend a full day hitting the trails in Congaree National Park. That never happened. But, that’s a tale for tomorrow.
Interstate 20 passes outside Columbia. I chose Route 1 into town. On the edge of downtown, there are small municipal parks along the Gervais St.(Rt 1) Bridge where it crosses the Congaree River. Well worth a stop for the bridge.
Seen while waiting for a red light to change...
Gervaise Street is also where you’ll find the South Carolina Statehouse. I’ve always found them interesting, even to just walk around. The loose change in my pocket gave me twenty-eight minutes in the meter. Plenty of time.
Standing at the base of the Capital steps is a statue of President George Washington. When Gen. Sherman’s Union forces captured Columbia in February of 1865, some of the men set about vandalizing the statue, and managed to break his cane. It still remains broken in reminder of the Federal occupation.
About ten block away, in the area of the city they call Five Points, sits a curious little street called Hootie and the Blowfish Boulevard. If you’re not familiar with the name, Click here:
The band formed in Columbia in the late 80's and hit it big in 1994 with their album, “Cracked Rear View.” The album was certified platinum twenty-one times and is currently the nineteenth highest selling album of all time.
By the way, the boulevard is little more of an alley. But, that’s not all. They also have this sculpture paying tribute to the band. Worth a stop.
There was one more stop to make before moving on. In 1975, local artist Blue Sky painted a mural at the corner of Taylor and Marion Streets. He aptly named the mural Tunnel Vision.
The mural was such a hit, the city commissioned him to build a sculpture in the same area for the it’s twenty-fifth anniversary. He agreed. The unveiling(untarping?) was held with great fanfare. At forty feet tall, it’s the world’s biggest fire hydrant. Sky gave it an angle as it a giant truck had bumped it.
Today was supposed to be light, with a full day in Congaree National Park the next day. Instead, I kept checking the track for Tropical Storm Nestor. It had recently formed in the Gulf of Mexico, off the Florida panhandle. The storm started to look like it would take the same route through South Carolina that I would. Joy.
There was nothing I could really do about it. But, I did reorganize my bags so I would have minimal unpacking the next day. The less to haul into the next motel in the rain, the better. Some days the weather gods smile on you. Sometimes, not so much.
However, the storm did provide stunning sunsets throughout the southeast.
Coming Up,
Nestor Comes Calling
Nestor Comes Calling
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