I’m telling you, it seems that airlines just keep getting better & better at sucking the fun right out of flying. Lou is 6’3” tall & never has much leg room but in the Delta Airlines 737 he literally could not put his knees straight ahead in the seat. After the miserable short flight to Atlanta he grabbed the last available exit row seat – in the middle that didn’t recline – while I sat five rows back on our cross country flight home.
And speaking of Atlanta, I have never seen an airport that busy. We literally could not walk through the terminal without pushing our way through mobs & tripping over roller bags. I was sure we were trying to exit ARCO Arena after a sold out game, not catch a flight! Does anyone else remember when it used to be such a great adventure to fly???
Okay, my rant is over – on to our wonderful trip to North & South Carolina. North Carolina with its Outer Banks & lighthouses and South Carolina with Charleston & its southern charm were near the top on our respective travel bucket lists. They didn't disappoint.
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| The North Carolina coast near Buxton on the Outer Banks. |
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| The Battery - an area of stately old mansions along the Charleston, South Carolina, waterfront. |
We filled ten days with National Park sites, climbing lighthouses, visiting state capitols, traveling on car ferries, exploring big cities & small beach towns, watching the Kings beat the Charlotte Bobcats AND seeing the Beach Boys (Lou’s favorite band as a kid) in Raleigh. It was the second stop on their 50th Anniversary Tour. Unbelievably, in two states & over 1500 miles, we couldn’t find even one Frank Lloyd Wright building near our route!
Rather than use my normal chronological order of events, I’ve decided to group our activities into various categories to share the highlights & photos with you.
NASCAR
Anyone who knows me knows that I am a HUGE NASCAR fan. We visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame in Charlotte & the nearby Hendrick Motorsports garage who employs my favorite driver, Jeff Gordon. The Hall of Fame has tons of interactive exhibits. We both tried our hand at changing a tire but rest assured the pit crews aren’t calling us anytime soon. J
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| Lou getting ready to change a tire in record time - it's harder than it looks on TV. |
The highlight of my visit was finishing 2nd out of 11 drivers in the race simulator! You sit in an actual car that shifts, accelerates & brakes at your control. The screen in front of you makes it appear as if you are on the track racing. It was exhilarating to say the least! The intensity picked up as I white-knuckled it to the finish the last few laps trying to stay out of trouble. Lots of fun!!!
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| These are full-size cars in the Race Day simulator - I was in the 99 car. |
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| This is the car that Tony Stewart won the 2011 Sprint Cup Championship with last year. |
South Carolina’s capitol in Columbia was beautiful, inside & out. Sometimes it was hard to believe we were in a state house rather than an elegant country club.
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| The South Carolina State House in Columbia. |
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| The interior of the South Carolina State House. |
From there we made a quick side trip to Shaw Air Force Base where Lou was stationed 37 years ago. He received a bit of a rude awakening when nothing was the same. The “chow hall” was rebuilt in a different location & the barracks were all torn down with new single room quarters in their place. Only one or two things seemed somewhat familiar to him.
Unfortunately, North Carolina’s capitol building was lacking in both the wow factor & anything first, best or highest. It seems that all capitols have some claim to fame, but we didn’t find it in Raleigh. Oh, well, it was still interesting.
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| North Carolina's Capitol building in Raleigh. |
LIGHTHOUSES
Lou & I are fascinated by lighthouses. Most are really picturesque & both Carolinas have their fair share of scenic lighthouses. The problem is that some are difficult to get to requiring ferry rides or hikes along the beach. Cape Hatteras is probably the most famous & it didn’t disappoint. We were able to climb the 247 steps to the top for an awesome view. Later that afternoon we also climbed Currituck Beach Lighthouse’s 214 steps for a grand total of 461 steps! Needless to say, I felt it for the next couple of days. Our only disappointment was being unable to take the ferry to Cape Lookout Lighthouse with its unique diamond shaped pattern due to high winds on the seas.
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| Ocracoke Lighthouse on Ocracoke Island. We took a two hour car ferry to reach the island. |
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| Cape Hatteras Lighthouse on North Carolina's Outer Banks. |
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| The red brick Currituck Beach Lighthouse near Corolla Village looks like a picture postcard. |
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| The Morris Island Lighthouse in Folly Beach, South Carolina stands about 300 yards offshore. |
NATIONAL PARK SITES
One of the benefits of traveling with Lou is that I see things I would never see on my own – battlefields & somewhat obscure National Park sites being a few of them. Quite often they become a blur & all blend together for me, but on this trip two stood out to me for odd reasons. King’s Mountain, the scene of a major Revolutionary War battle, was lost when a Loyalist leader was sold out by one of the TWO mistresses he kept with him in the fields (what a jerk!). She told the Patriots he was wearing a checkered shirt & they let her pass unharmed – then killed him.
The other was a battle at Moore’s Creek in which the Patriots removed boards from a bridge to stop the Loyalists AND for good measure they coated the rails with lard so they would slip into the water as they tried to make their way across. I thought that was quite clever.
Congaree National Park preserves some of the last remaining swamp areas in South Carolina. They have built a 2-1/2 mile boardwalk so that visitors can literally walk a few feet above the swamp. It was truly a unique experience to be “in it” but not really “in it”.
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| The Cypress trees reflecting in Congaree swamp taken from the boardwalk. |
In all we visited nine National Park system sites that included forts, homes, seashores, battlefields, swamps & the locations of the Wright Brothers first flight. I couldn't wait to use my new lifetime Senior National Parks Pass (only $10 and I can get Lou in, too!!) BUT it was National Parks Week so every site offered free admission.....damn.
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| The battle of Fort Sumter on an island off the coast of Charleston started the Civil War. |
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| Fort Moultrie on Sullivan's Island across the water from Fort Sumter. I liked the contrast of the church between the cannons. |
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| The home of Charles Pinckney, a signer of the Declaration of Independence. |
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| A reconstructed farmhouse near the battle of Guilford's Courthouse. |
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| The Wright Brothers Memorial - the large white boulder on the left is their takeoff point. The smaller white markers show the distance of their four flights, the first three around 100-120 feet & the fourth was 852 feet! |
CHARLOTTE
Charlotte was a beautiful city with a gorgeous new downtown arena (did you hear that Sacramento???). Unfortunately for them, their NBA team sucks & the Kings beat them easily, but we were treated nicer than we’ve ever been by the fans of an opposing team when we entered enemy territory.
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| Time Warner Cable Arena in downtown Charlotte. |
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| Us wearing our Kings jerseys at the Sacramento Kings vs. Charlotte Bobcats game. |
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| An interesting refection in a skyscraper in Charlotte. |
Charleston is the heart of the Old South & Low Country. It is the epitome of southern charm with its stately mansions & horse drawn carriages – the local accent has a distinct dialect to it that is different than most other southern states.
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| A horse drawn carriage tour passes by some historic homes in Charleston. |
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| One of the numerous old mansions that are everywhere in Charleston. |
For me, Sullivan’s Island was a treat. I’ve been reading books by Dorothea Benton Frank, an author from the Low Country, who bases her books in that area. We saw Folly Beach, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island – all places that felt familiar to me after absorbing the characters & stories she creates. I made sure that I had one of her books on my Kindle for the trip!
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| I just love these tranquil beach scenes that were everywhere - at least until June when hurricane season starts. |
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| Driftwood, rocks & seashore - a photographer's dream! |
THE OUTER BANKS
The Outer Banks, North Carolina’s long, narrow strip of land off the coast, held a strong allure for both of us. Even though it is only a few miles off the mainland, it was almost like stepping back in time a little & could easily be mistaken for another era. It holds a strong romantic appeal for me & I could literally stare at the shoreline for hours.
The northern part of the Outer Banks near Kitty Hawk is the most built up & accessible area. Farther south near Cape Hatteras, it is much more remote with only a few motels & restaurants.
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| A scenic pier that looks as if it wouldn't survive even a minor hurricane. |
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| These drive through liquor stores were everywhere on the Outer Banks - what a concept! |
CREATURES & FLOWERS
You know that I can’t resist at least a few photos of interesting flowers & assorted creatures so here are some of the North & South Carolina versions.
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| I loved these flowers in a garden in Charleston. |
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| This lizard posed for me for quite some time - looks like the gecko on the insurance commercials. |
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| Lou snapped these two seagulls walking on Folly Beach. |
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| Some more interesting flowers blooming in Charleston. |
THE BEACH BOYS
We had talked about seeing the Beach Boys in Reno in July when their 50th Anniversary Tour came near Sacramento. But when Lou found out they were playing in Raleigh much earlier, he suggested we see them there “in case they have a fight & cancel the tour or someone dies.” Given their history, both are definite possibilities. They were great! They sounded good, sang all their hits & got the audience involved! Not at all bad for a bunch of old guys – Mike Love is 71 years old & Brian Wilson, the only surviving Wilson, will soon be 69.
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| I may be an old one now, but I'm still a California Girl, born & raised! |
