Day 22

Maybe it was that I was so anxious to get to Charleston, but this was one of the most difficult rides yet. It was blazing hot, and about 200% humidity. I was doing my best not to push myself, but I really wanted to get to Charleston before 11:00am. It was a miserable ride.

I started off the day in rural SC. I can't even remember what the town was called. I woke up at about 5 to the sounds of coyotes. They sounded like monkeys which freaked me out initially - I wasn't sure if I was still dreaming. I quickly packed my stuff up but had to let my tent dry for a little due to the intense morning dew. around 7:30, I hit the road.

It was interesting how I went from being in rural SC to an area filled with housing developments in no-time -flat.

There is just something about Spanish moss hanging over cemeteries that I think is totally cool.



After a few agonizing hours, I finally made it to the famous bridge. It's the longest suspension bridge in North America. Pretty cool that I got to bike over it!



Here is a view of my destination from the peak of the bridge.




The first sight I saw when getting off the bridge was the industrial district. For being an industrial district, it was quite clean. I also really enjoyed the architecture of some of the buildings.



Once away from the industrial scene, the beautiful houses started to litter the side of the road. I took a lot of pictures of the houses because I absolutely love the architecture of the area.



The Customs House:



Some grand building:



Water on the left, extravagant houses o the right.






At the very tip of Charleston is a park. I sat here for a while hoping someone would offer me lunch or a place to stay.



Nobody even went out of their way to ask me what I was doing with such a large bicycle. I looked up the cheapest hotel (a Days Inn smack in the middle of the Historic District), and made my way towards the hotel.



It was only 11:30 at this time, and my room wouldn't be ready until 4. They were nice enough to let me change in the common bathroom and keep my bike in an office so I could wander town - the reason I wanted to get a room in the first place. So I set out on foot to take a bite out of beautiful Charleston. Here is a fraction of what I saw:







Everything was so beautiful. This was even the door to the Subway (the sandwich place!).



There were a ton of kids playing in this water.



And it looked like a cruise was about to depart. Charleston is a pretty big port city.



Back on the street, I tried to snap as many pictures of what I saw...but often I felt that the pictures I could take with my phone would not justify the true beauty of this city.

3:30 rolled by so I decided to make my way back to the hotel to actually get in my room and shower. I looked up the local happy hours and found a nice deal at this place called Juanita Greenbergs. $2 PBR pints and $1.50 tacos. What more could I ask for??? The bar tender there was so nice. She treated me to about 10 rounds of beer and 3 tacos. It was her way of donating to my cause. at 7, she recommended that walk across the street to this place called Coast. It was a hidden treasure around there that only the locals knew about. She told me they had amazing fish tacos and live music. What else could I ask for?



I arrived and ordered my beer and a fish taco. I met a group of people that were originally from Philly. We chatted for about an hour and a half. I really enjoyed their company, but when they got called to sit for dinner, I decided it was time to return to Juanita's. After two more beers, courtesy of the guy sitting next to me, and some encouragement, I stepped out and started to make my way around town to find some of the best bars. I'm not sure how I successfully made it around town. I was 14 beers deep and running into just about everything.



They had recommended that I try out a Saloon that had girls dancing on the bar. I was warned that if they were charging a cover, it wouldn't be worth it. They were so I didn't go. From there I made my way to the best rooftop bar in town. The view was breathtaking and I met some amazing people up there. This one guy George looked just like my best friend Mike. Maybe 6 years alder, but just like him. He even acted exactly the same. It was bizarre. After staying with them for a while, I decided 11:00 was time to retire. I called my brother to see what he was up to on my way back to the hotel. When I arrived at my room, I fell asleep within moments. It had been quite a day.



Off to Walterboro tomorrow!

Total mileage for the day: 38