Update 49: Charleston, NC

Update 49: Charleston, NC  December 12-19

The KOA Park greeted us with this darling little trailer where Santa pops in and out the door, while reindeer look out the windows.  This also the first time we received the Alligator Warning which is posted next to the office entry so no one can miss it. It reminds visitors to not feed them, keep pets on a leash, alligators can move fast, don't throw rocks or anything in the water because alligators think it's food.

The Mt.Pleasant/Charleston KOA gave us a site looking at the lake. What a joy to watch the birds and ducks. 

The Little Blue Heron was shy and I only got this blurry shot of it in flight heading for a safer marshy edge of the lake. Two Great Egrets hung out in nearby trees.

Watching them fly close to the rig and pass in front of our windows felt breathtaking. 

Flocks of  ducks bobbed around the lake in small groups. Every time a vulture flew over the group, they in unison stuck their heads into the water and their tails up in the air, like they couldn't be seen. 

One day a couple of Double Crested Cormorants stopped by. They walked up the bank right in front of us to dry their wings. 

Killdeer birds with their shrill call visited also. I hope you can see them. They blend so well with the ground.

 Besides our feathered critters, I watched one of the many squirrels dig for goodies just outside our door. Then he chose to run up the water pipe and enjoy his morsel.  Of course seagulls were common visitors and one day a few crows dropped in.

Mt. Pleasant/Charleston reigns as the land of Palmetto trees, white Great Egrets, Blue Herons and acres of marshes.   Four good size rivers, the Intracoastal Waterway, and numerous streams flow toward Charleston and into the harbor.  The waters cut through the land creating irregular shaped fingers of land and islands that resemble puzzle pieces. Grass laden marshes fringe all of the usable land. Bridges and causeways move people over the marshland to the inhabited bits of land.

The Mt. Pleasant peninsula sits about 12 miles northeast of Charleston. A beautiful bridge connects the two communities.

We began our visit to Charleston at the Battery located on the tip of the Charleston peninsula and in the historic district of the city. The Battery and park shows statues and cannons important to "the war of northern aggression", the proper, name in these parts for the Civil War, as told to us by our friend a North Carolina native. The seawall offers a great view of the harbor from the boardwalk along the wall,while providing a little exercise too.

We drove up and down the streets of the historical district amazed by the size and architecture of the home.  Some were even connected to create a row of houses. Rainbow Row paints their homes in many different pastel colors.

The grand houses stood close together.The houses that stood alone, most often or not had the side of the house next to the street.  The front entry with veranda faced the house next door.

Sometimes only a strip of land to accommodate a carriage (or a car) separated the veranda from the house it looked toward. 

Sometimes the house included more land, so that a small courtyard or garden occupied the space between the veranda and the driveway.  Many home are gated.  The grandeur of the neighborhood sparked thoughts of life in the late 1800's. 

Several houses have ivy growing on the step risers or around gate posts and fences.

We did spot a narrow "alley" that allows people to pass between the wide blocks.

We bumped over several rock streets.What a ride!

These homes caught my eye.

We popped in and out of the Rainbow Market near the docks. 

What used to be an auction house for slaves, now serves as The City Market.  We put on our warm head bands to protect our ears, donned gloves and warm coats to walk the several blocks of the market.

Several vendors sell sweetgrass baskets.  The coiled basket making came across from Africa with the slaves. It appeared in the late 17th century. Then bulrush and palms were common basket materials. The baskets were used in rice collection.  After 1890 the baskets gained popularity for use inside with household items. The materials used to create the beautiful works of art are sweetgrass, long  leaf pine needles and palmetto.

In 1997 a portion of Highway 17, north of Mt. Pleasant, became designated as the Sweetgrass Basket Makers Highway.  Along the portion primitive stands made of slats nailed to a skeleton frame sit off to the edge of the road.

In good weather, baskets hang from the slats and wait for passersby to stop and purchase them from their Gullah basket maker.  Sometimes groups of stands huddle together. We did stop and purchase a sweetgrass basket.

The Gullah are African-Americans who live in the lowcountry of South Carolina and Georgia, along the coastal plain and Sea Islands. At one time the Gullah regions stretched from Cape Fear, SC to south of Jacksonville FL along the coast. The Gullah are known for preserving more of their African linguistic and cultural heritage than other African-American communities in the country. Their language is based on English and Creole with a strong influence from West and Central Africa. It is related to Jamaican Creole and a Sierra Leone language.

Isle of Palms, directly east of Mt. Pleasant, looked like many of the island communities we have explored previously. In one area Hurricane Hugo destroyed the palms along the road and the community planted them again. A couple of gated communities restrict local traffic from passing by their homes.

The houses sit up on high stilts of wood or concrete block. Palms surround most homes and line the highway. 

You too could live here, this one is for sale.

We spent some time in the RV waiting for a couple of local RV repairmen to fix our loose window wiper. However, a replacement part proved unavailable so they had to replace the old part with a new washer. So far, so good.  We also stayed home because of high winds one day and a torrential rainstorm on another day.

The Festival of Lights on St. James Island set up in the county park. The boat was set up in a real lake. The star was on a tree near the lake.

 A three mile drive took us around a variety of animated displays.

Some areas included themes of lights: Sea land, Toyland, Dinosaurs, Space, etc. These are some I liked that I thought would show up well.

We didn't stop at "The Village" which claimed to have life size cards, marshmallow roasting, caroling, Santa, a gift shop, etc.  We did go around the loop twice and enjoyed our visit to the Festival of Lights.

Also out of Mt. Pleasant and south of Isle of Palms is Sullivan's Island. Near the tip of the island Fort Moultrie stands a National Park.  This fort's history includes the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Civil War, WWI and WWII.    

Originally the fort was constructed of Palmetto trees laid in horizontal row and notched like log cabins. The area between the walls was filled with sand. The spongy nature of the Palmetto absorbed the hits by the British gun boats and repelled the attack.

The film and exhibits tell of the changes in warfare over the years. The rifled cannon, one that can send out a twisting pointed projectile ended the era of this kind of fort. The fort was rebuilt at least three times. The last time from brick and covered with sod.

The museum exhibits are divided by whose flag flew over the fort at what time. Examples of uniforms from each era stand in plastic cases.

The gun batteries look just like the ones at Forts Casey, Flagler and Warden, built around the turn of the century to protect Puget Sound.  Moultrie, Sumter and Johnson forts were built to protect Charleston.

Mines and submarine nets were used to defend the harbor also.

While walking the grounds we also spotted a couple of Ibis hanging around the signal tower.

Just down the block from the Moultrie Visitor Center is Stella Maris Church. The structure looks very old.

On Sullivan Island we found this lighthouse and this gazebo in the park.

The retail areas of Mt. Pleasant hide behind curtains of trees. Low decorative signs announce the main stores.

Tree lined lanes provide the entry. But whatever stores are included in the mall setting are not visible from the main road. Sometime a peek through the trees will show a glimpse of a building. We decided you really have to know where the stores you want are located.

Mt. Pleasant/Charleston offered may sights to see. However the stormy cold weather and wiper part kept us from venturing out.   I did like Charleston!

Next: Savannah, Georgia