May 4th, Thursday, we left the Asheepoo River after a very restful night. I had woke at midnight completely rested thinking that morning was upon us; potty break then back to bed! This day I made a total of 38km. At the end of my ride - I had by this time learned of a large storm front with high winds and tornado watches - so I scouted for good strong wind breaks. I had asked a local business with acres of frontage property to make camp for the night with no luck. I camped across the street at an abandoned and boarded up residence. The storm missed us.
This night, I had called all major news stations as well as sent e-mails explaining our mission for "Veterans and Their Pets(SM)"
May 5th, Friday, I got a late start for my tent took forever to dry from the evening and morning rains. I got 25.8km in for the day. Today I would meet Chris Bell of "WCBD News 2" for an interview. Afterwards I splurged (in celebration of cínco de Mayo) at "The Green Goat". And finally, I would meet my hosts for the next two evenings.
I met with Ethan Fugate and Allison Hull, their three dogs, a cat, 6 chickens and a nest of bees. Yes, "bee" plural. :-). These folks welcomed us to make camp in their backyard for our brief visit to Charleston South Carolina.
Ethan is an avid cyclist and commutes daily to and from work on his trusty well rode bike. He has also done a cross country ride along the northern tier in a 50 day trip back in 2006. Smokin' fast. A typical day for him was 75 miles (with only 4 days rest). We spent quite an enjoyable time trading stories, both, it seemed, in awe of eachothers experiences. One thing we definitely shared in common, for our two cross country's differed, was the depression at the conclusion of our journeys.
More than anything, I am most grateful for (if any part of their generosity must be ranked) was the freedom they allowed me to take off on Saturday for a solo outing to explore, capture, and document my time in Charleston. I have tons of photos to share at www.facebook.com/groups/tourdepaclantic all courtesy of this wonderful family and others whom have contributed along the way. Thank you all!!!
May 6th, Saturday, after a lovely and hearty, and most importantly wonderfully spiced (chili's of every conceivable type!) breakfast, I packed up for a visit to the historic Fort Sumter. I made 24km on the day, riding through town like a madman, snapping pix and racing for a tour pass at a reasonable hour. With no trailer, and only my front bag, the mileage was effortless. It would be the mileage on my shoes and the rush to capture all the sights possible that would wipe me out at days end.
I purchased a ticket, hopped on the ferry, and visited Fort Sumter. After the ferry arrived back, I decided I would splurge on another tour of Patriots Point. I took a taxi/ferry across the river, purchased my pass to the park (no veterans discount) and started my "speed" tour.
I visited the USS Yorktown (CV-10) and all the planes aboard her, then hit the Vietnam "experience/exhibit" where they have a land based mock-up of a forward fire base. From there, I ran to the USS Laffey (DD-724), destroyer that had, near the end of world war II, had taken 6 kamikaze hits, as well as 4 bomb hits...and survived.
From the destroyer, I ran the entire circumference of the dock to capture photos of the Nina and Pinta, sister ships of the famed Mayflower.
I ran back, again the entire circumference of the docks to the Submarine exhibit, USS Clamagore (SS-343), a 322 foot diesel sub.
All in all, this day was a 12 hour rush to take all this history in.
May 7th, Sunday, we took selfies, said farewells, and made promises to stay in touch. Keep in mind that so much more than this very brief account took place. After goodbyes, I made 41.6km on the day, to where I am camped now. This included my stop at WalMart, back track to the local VFW to make a donation (see Facebook) and onward again.
Camp is, in this case, "stealth camp" as Ethan accurately describes what I've been doing rather frequently over the course of two tours. Lol
May 8th, Monday, I'm no longer stealth camping for I made my presence known. I took the day off today. Tomorrow we ride again!
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