Comfort Inn Riverview Charleston

The Best Western Promenade hotel in Savannah was the best hotel accommodations so far on this trip and last night I realized why. They were compensating for something and that something translated into trucks driving by at all hours of the night. It sounded as if I'd pulled my mattress onto the freeway, waving cars and trucks by me dutifully (which I think was how my dreams went). Oh well, it was a nice stay overall and fantastic proximity for walking ...

... lots of rolling hills and in North Carolina we noticed the green pines. Further south more and more palms.We spent the night in Charleston and spent the next day exploring "Old Town". The lovely market area with mostly the usual cheap tourists trinkets but also a few ...

WOW .... Just loving everything about this city... For sure well worth lazing away a week in this glorious place!! What a treat ... Will be sure to get back here for a longer soak in the Southern charm!!

Hilton head ... Not soo much: if you are not heading here to golf then well worth passing I'm afraid!!

Moving right along ... next on the map: Savannah!!

... with significant effort having gone into the preservation of the district. Originally a hub for mercantile activities, the area is now home to fine residences, boutique galleries and foodies retreats. While we only had a brief visit the relaxing vibe and coastal views soaked into us.

The Old City Market provided us with another wandering point it had ...

... Then we picked up a bottle of wine to drink on our anniversary, and went back to the hotel room.
Our hotel was in Charleston's Historical District. It was really beautiful, and our sixth floor balcony gave us an amazing view of the city.

... meant another overnight 16hour bus trip but would save money and i could get a good hostel there no probs. So by the time i had booked this up and had a shower etc it was 9:30am and my bus was to leave at 3:30pm, so i left my bag at reception and got the bus back into town for some more exploring. It was red hot in Charleston compaired to Washington, i would guess 32ish but so humid as well i was pouring with sweat. Grabbed a bagel and headed over to the opposite site of town where ...

... afternoon, we drove through miles of oak tree arches and were successful if finding the famous Angel Oak tree. What a specimen! Many of the trees are quite large, but this one was spectacular. The spread of the tree would be about the size of half a hockey rink. Time for some household stuff - groceries and laundry. We haven't used a coin wash in 40 years - another first in our list of experiences on this trip!

... is 6 years old and I must say, I was a little timid at first. When the guide told us we could put our heads on her belly and listen to her purr - we declined. After all, it was our first cheetah. Then, as if this could not get better, Gay took us to a lion park. The lions are there to basically breed and get released into the wild. Randy, you asked me to pet a lion and I couldn't leave Africa without doing that for you. Rick and I got to hold 2 1/2 month old lion cubs. You may ...

... We could get into Port Royal Sound outside of Hilton Head about 0500 in the morning. It was about 1pm now and that would mean a long overnight passage 5-10 miles off shore. So as we came around to the "fork in the road" we said....why not..its a nice day. So we headed out to sea and coughed a 3 knot favorable current out the inlet. First Forty hit 10kts over the ground and before we knew it, we were out to the ...

... where the real story is that the american companies were the ones who specified the materials and production. the Chinese companies just did what their american buyers told them to do!! Wierd thing is that so many commentators and writers to newspapers seem to understand all these issues including the fact that americans are consuming more than they are earning - but their government seems paralysed about doing anything about it.