Catch-Up Post: To FL and NW on to GA

We've been offline for almost a whole week, mostly because we were visiting my parents and that activity requires our focus. But we do have some catching up to do on the day before and day after that visit.

Last Monday: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (and the rest of the Islands of Adventure at Universal Studios). We had a (pardon the pun) charmed day. Arrived just as the gates opened, left just as they closed, and we had very good luck in timing the rides such that we got to ride the 3 HP rides each twice, have lunch at the Hogs Head tavern/Three Broomsticks before the rush,

and have the entire RV parking lot to ourselves. Goodness, off season travel is fun. Plus, the county park where we stayed was so very close (about 4 miles) to Universal (and only $16/night) that the quick visit was just a joy. Much better than the Disney shenanigans we did last year, with the $100/night camping and the miles and miles of Orlando travel.

We only took in our iPhones (and mine has gone wonky), so the photos aren't great, but the little videos we took (but I can't upload) of the Hogsmeade shops are rather fun. There was a mandrake crying in one, and a Quidditch quaffle and bludgers trying to break out of their cases. I'd say the WWOHP part of the park was definitely worth a visit, but I sure wouldn't have wanted to make a multi-day resort vacation out of it.

The "town" part (shops, post office, restaurant/pub, wand store), Hogsmeade:

Platform 9 3/4 with the Hogwart's Express:

Hagrid's Hut at the Flight of the Hippogriff

The towers of Hogwart's Castle (really cool ride in there, based around the TriWizard's Tournament):

Lisa, picking out some of Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans at Honeyduke's Candy Store. (I've had a few; there are some doozies.)

I didn't get a picture of the Dragon Challenge--the twin racer coaster that we actually rode two times in a row. We felt just like 7th graders, running off the ride and around for a second time. Had to ride each of the 2 trains.... But that did my tummy in for a few hours, so we explored other, non-HP parts of the park--Spider Man (great ride), Jurassic Park, and of course, Dr. Seuss.

Thing 1 or 2?

Then it was down to St. Augustine and our "regular" RV park for the rest of the week. The RV highlight of this visit was finally getting to meet Sharon and Mohammed (but unfortunately not Mello, their yellow lab) from the V/N list. It's been a running joke how every time we're in St. Augustine--their home town--they're somewhere else. Once they were even in OUR home town in CA when we were in FL. Great people and Sharon was even kind enough to bring some home-baked pumpkin muffins for us to enjoy that day and as we travel down the road. Yum! But, doggone it, I forgot to get a picture of them....

After treating Dad to his birthday lunch (it's #88 this month), we headed north and then made our big turn back west. We stayed at a ho-hum I-75 RV park because it was just getting too dark to get to the state park we were headed for, but that was just fine. We were able to cruise into Atlanta by noon on Sunday on a gorgeous fall day and pull right up to Fat Matt's Rib Shack 5 minutes before they opened. We were only about 6 people back in the line of hungry people waiting for the doors to open. My, oh my, we now understand why the nice Atlanta couple we met in Charleston, SC told us to go here. Melt in your mouth pork ribs, with a sauce that seems to combine the nice peppery vinegar of the Carolinas to the east with the tomato base found just to the north in Memphis.

Then we headed just 4 miles away to the Carter Center and Presidential Library. He was only 56 when he left office in 1980; his accomplishments post-POTUS are really impressive. And the $10 million renovation of the museum completed last year was quite impressive.


And the required Oval Office shot. Very Georgia-peachy.

A statue called "Hope" in the rose garden:

Our mission tonight was to stay in a COE campground (of which there are tons around here), but we noticed at the last minute that most are closed for the season. So, we're at a commercial campground, a little early, enjoying the wifi and cable TV as we are both still fighting colds. Best to be off the road when you're tired (and it's raining). Gotta get rested up for our fun week heading north, via the Natchez Trace, Nashville, Mammoth Cave, and who knows what other scenic KY/TN hamlets we might find on our way to Indianapolis. (Suggestions welcome!)

The Palmetto State

What a surprise South Carolina was to us this time. What with the unflattering (to put it mildly) politicians and history of often deplorable politics, we were not sure what we were in for. But we had heard over and over that Charleston was not to be missed. All we can say now is that we must come back. Two days is just not enough. We've got to go to Fort Sumter, Middleton Plantation, and more of the house museums.

What a gorgeous city. We also found such parallels with our recent South African trip that it was downright eerie. The history of slavery and oppression, mixed with the contemporary scenery and lively guides--not to mention the French Huguenots that both places took in during the 1600s--kept ringing bells for us.

Without further adieu, here is the Holy City (so named for its abundance of church steeples towering over this low-rise city).






And you have to love the "progressive and inclusive since 1681" motto!

A very small sampling of the gorgeous architecture:

My favorite new architectural feature is the doorway onto the "piazza" (what they call the "porch" here):

When we came around the corner to see this view, I immediately snapped a picture and then burst out laughing.

The entire parking lot facing this view was crammed with plein air painters. I guess I didn't discover the angle, eh?

I have soooo many doorway and window box photos. I shan't bore you with them all here, but I am thinking of doing a collage of some sort for our home decor ;-)



We loved the way that the shopping street (King St.) forced national retailers to adapt to the Charleston architecture, rather than the usual vice versa.

The fun of walking is in discovering the little details. In front of this store:
was this sidewalk:

Back in the day, this was a model home. It's not in use, but it's a hoot....


We capped off our visit with a Gullah Tour, which is really where we were reminded how similar the U.S. and South Africa are in terms of racial history. The tour guide was marvelous--very entertaining, funny, and up on his historical facts.


He had a particular emphasis on Philip Simmons, a Charleston folk artist with whom we were not familiar until today, but whose work is found all over the world, including in the Smithsonian. He showed us many of the wrought iron masterpieces Mr. Simmons (who died last year at age 97) has installed all over Charleston, and then we visited his home and forge:
Photos of Mr. Simmons gorgeous gates. The care he took is evidenced by the tight, tight curls he made in his iron plus the fact that he even handmade each of his tools. Sometimes it took him longer to make the tool than the work of art. But, as we all know, the right tool for the job makes all of the difference.

Now, for artistry of another kind: the unbelievable food. This reminded me, especially of our South Africa trip, because after just a few days of such amazing victuals, I had to have plain crackers for dinner. Too rich! But boy, it was all tasty. Here's a quick tour:

The take-out bag from Hyman's; we ate less food than we took home!


But we were glad we visited. So many famous folks have eaten here that there is a brass plaque on each place setting honoring the many famous visitors--politicians, sports stars, actors, musicians.
Shrimp and grits, which Lisa says is perhaps her new favorite Southern dish:

Fried green tomatoes (of course, given that movie's great significance to us):

The best place of all the restaurants we've been to so far: The Hominy Grill (also a NYT and famous folk hangout).



Lisa had eggs and grits (which she said were wonderful), along with the day's special, homemade duck sausage with fried apples. I had to have the dish called "The Big Nasty," well, because..... Here it is.
The most tender biscuit surrounding a small piece of fried chicken smothered in cheddar sausage gravy. Out of this world. And not such a big portion as to make you want to crawl into a corner to sleep it off, either. This fortified us for over 5 hours (and many, many miles) of walking. Good thing, too....
And finally today we had less than an hour before our campground shuttle was to pick us up, so we ducked into a French bistro for some moules (nothing fried!) and a glass of wine to soothe our sore feet, after two days of walking:

Now, on the WAY to Charleston, it was cruddy weather. We had nothing to do, really, except drive AND find some 'que. We decided to have 2 lunches--one dish at each. That turned into splitting one lunch at B's but having to order 2 meals at Wilber's...just to cover the bases. Lots of leftovers.

B's was our favorite for BBQ chicken in the most heavenly eastern NC mopping sauce--just vinegar, black pepper, and red chile pepper flakes. And Lisa did a heroic job pulling a U-turn on a tiny country road to get us a shoulder parking spot for this gem of a place:



Now, Wilber's was very good for its mac and cheese side dish and its vinegar-y BBQ pork. But really...the sweet potato pie, which we split, was the crown jewel. We had been driving all day past cotton and sweet potato fields, so it just seemed apropos....
Yup, those are collard greens. Yum!

And Lisa really liked the Brunswick stew, which we learned can be made with all kinds of different meat, including squirrel. (My dad was even moved to tell me that he used to hunt squirrel for the dinner table as a child. I had no idea!)

Then there's the pie.


This is one slice that was halved by the cute waitress, whom we apparently intimidated when we ordered the pie "a la mode." She came back and shyly said, "Now, y'all want that pie with vanilla ice cream, right?" Yes, ma'am, we do. So she brought two plates, with the slice split. (One 1/2 slice would've been enough to share!)

Also on the way to Charleston we did the 2.4-mile boardwalk trail through the swamp at


where it was raining steadily. That kept the mosquitos down, thank goodness.


In the below-normal temps (low 39, high barely 60) I still got bites. I'd hate to be here when it's a 4 or higher!

Off we go to Florida....

Eastern Shore of MD and VA

A quick post, as I discovered that my moment of guilty pleasure (downloading the Halloween episode of Glee) ate up most of our month's data allotment on AT&T. Yikes! Need that data for bill paying and blogging. Guess we'll be more vigilant about seeking out wifi after tonight--probably our last night in a state/national park CG.

Left DC after morning rush hour--no problem on the Beltway--and headed for rural Maryland. Found a Roadfood restaurant that we set our course on, only to discover that it was closed on Mondays. Happily, I found a place using Yelp that sounded VERY Roadfood-y and we had the most amazing lunch at Crabs to Go, a seafood market that will also make your lunch from scratch to carry out. We split a seafood platter and a "crab fluff," which we thought would be a little crabcake dipped in tempura batter. Well, it was a bit bigger than that. Our lunch also provided dinner!


This whole eat out fun lunch (but eat in healthy breakfast and dinner) is a nice plan....


We then set our course for the coast, dipping into Delaware a bit (lots of Christine O'Donnell signs) just so we could put a sticker on the map.

We arrived in early afternoon at Assateague Island National Seashore, home to the wild ponies.


After posting one pony picture on Facebook, I discovered that this place is on so many people's bucket list. We are so grateful to have experienced it.

We took walks the afternoon we arrived and the next morning, covering the dunes habitat, the forest habitat, and the marsh habitat. (See the clams growing at the base of the marsh grass? Made us hungry....)

On foot, we never ran into the ponies (thank goodness, because we were warned with quite graphic pictures that they bite), but evidence of them is just everywhere.

We even found fresh piles in the morning around our RV. I thought I heard something in the night....

We then headed south to Virginia, stopping at a recently reviewed Roadfood place (we heard it on an October Splendid Table podcast) on the skinny little piece of Virginia that's surrounded by water. An amazing find. Handmade signs line the highway.

Everything is cooked to order and delicious. I had a crabcake sandwich for $5 and Lisa had the oysters (out of this world) and shrimp platter for a big $12. So fresh and sweet. Another take-out place, but since we travel with our table...no problem.

We then arrived at First Landing State Park in Virginia Beach and had the delightful surprise of meeting some fellow (former) View/Navion owners and fellow blog followers, Linda and Dave in their new, bigger ride:

Such a small world. Gotta love it. And here's D&L's much better blog post about the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.

Since I'm still fighting my head cold and the big-time sleepies from running the propane furnace last night boondocking (low: 37!), it's an early evening. But, there's BBQ on the menu tomorrow....

***Update***
The morning dawned (sort of) but we headed out for our beach walk on a very gloomy day. But as we walked about 2 miles along the beach, we were accompanied off-shore by a pod of dolphins. Quite a lovely experience, really, to be kept pace by such graceful creatures.

Then, as we were leaving the beach, Lisa discovered a nice driftwood sculpture: