Well hello again from the road. After what seems like a forever hiatus, for my knee surgery, we are traveling again. My total right knee replacement was a tough and painful procedure. The therapy following surgery gave me new definitions of the word pain. I now have more respect for folks (and there are many) who share with me that they too have had knee replacements. Mine happened on March 3rd and I am just now feeling like tackling the world (albeit in smaller pieces). But one thing is for sure, my leg certainly works better than it did pre-surgery, and I can’t say enough good about the medical team that made it happen for me. Thanks to Dr. David Martin and Crew at Wake Forest Baptist Hospital.
Today finds us at Hilton Head SC ensconced in a lovely 3-bedroom condo on the 4th tee of one of the many golf courses here. Previous to this we had only ever spent 1 night on Hilton Head Island, and really didn’t understand too much about it. We are guests of our frequent traveling partners, Brenda and Jerry Williams. You may recall from past musings, Jerry and Brenda are Miller (nowadays MillerCoors) retirees like Vickie and myself. We all worked at the same plant for almost 30 years, so have much in common. In addition, Jerry and I are both ex-Yankees, while Vickie and Brenda both grew up in Danville VA. The condo is one of the bazillions on Hilton Head nestled in amongst the pine trees, creeks, golf courses, swimming pools, alligators, and private homes. We were talking yesterday; this development really is a mature endeavor. Jerry remembers coming here on a sales pitch tour, over 30 years ago and some of the earliest development started in the early 50’s. Thanks to wise and carefully planned development, however, the island recognizes over 35,000 permanent residents, and has become a year round resort destination for millions.
We drove down from Martinsville on Sunday via Charlotte NC and Columbia SC. Jerry and Brenda stuck to the Interstates and Vickie and I drove the Vette via Rt. 321 through the SC back country. It was a beautiful day and we all arrived safely. Vickie and I had an interesting trip, especially south of Columbia SC on Rt. 321. Rt. 321 must have been a main route prior to the Interstates. It reminded us often of the little town “Radiator Springs” in the movie “Cars”. There were old strip motels, old Stuckies buildings, and old gas stations most of which were abandoned or closed. We left Columbia around 11:30 am. Vickie suggested we might want to get something to eat, as there might not be anything soon along the way. I thought it was a little early for lunch so pressed on. Turns out she was very right. We ended up not finding anything to eat till 12 miles from Hilton Head on the route we took.
Along the way on our trip (about 380 miles) from Ridgeway to Hilton Head, we had a few interesting moments. First happened on I-85 near Charlotte: out of nowhere a tractor-trailer tried to pass me in the right lane whilst both of us were doing about 73-75 mph. In front of him was a white van that was going about 65. He was determined to pass me, and had I not slackened speed, I guess he would have run me off the road or rammed the white van. It was a scary moment. He then proceeded on to tailgate one of his brother truckers at about 80 mph. The next came as we used the Interstate System to by-pass Columbia SC. We came in on Rt. 321, and had to head west on I-20 (briefly) then cut south on I-26 (briefly) then turn off again on Rt. 321. This particular grouping of roads makes for some harrowing lane changes and abrupt off ramps. Oftimes stellar braking or light speed acceleration was required to accomplish the desired trajectories. Further down Rt. 321 we were riding along, heading south and approached the town of North. Off in the distance we could see what appeared to be a huge airliner, but it was way too low and was banked at a very great angle. I commented to Vickie that it looked like the plane was going to crash. We lost sight of the plane, but as we passed through North (South Carolina) we once again caught sight of the plane, and there appeared to be not one but 2 planes. This time I recognized that they weren’t airliners, but very large military transports. It appeared as if they were on some type of maneuvers, but were flying awfully low. Vickie studied the map to see if a military base was near, but the closest was the Department of Energy installation at Savanna River. A little while later when we were crossing the Edisto River south of North, all of a sudden this giant plane crossed over the road directly above us nearly at tree top height. It was very loud and exciting. A few more interesting items of the day were as we left Neeses, the road sign read Norway 5 miles Denmark 15 miles so on we went. Later in Fairfax SC we found out we had missed “The Cooter Fest” by just one day. Wonder if Ben Jones (the original Cooter from the Dukes of Hazard) was there? Google tells me he even has a book out.
We arrived in the vicinity of Hilton Head and made contact with Jerry and Brenda on the cell. Turns out they were about 45 minutes behind us so we looked for something to eat. Ended up at O’Rileys Irish Pub, where they were advertising Mother’s Day specials on Mimosas and Bloody Marys. I had a nice 3 salad plate with chicken, tuna, and egg salads on a bed of lettuce, and Vickie had some potatoe skin appetizers that were loaded with cheese and fresh bacon. The food and drink was great, and the very nice owner, (a yankee according to Vickie) spent a considerable amount of time locating the whereabouts of our destination. Hilton Head is a veritable rabbit warren of lanes, culs de sac, and dead end resort only roads. Mapquest and his brothers know little about exact locations on the island. With directions in hand, we reunited with our companions at the check in office. After check in, several wrong turns and dead ends later, we arrived at 335 Carolina Club. The place is beautiful, and we are glad to be here. The heated outdoor pool is just 400 yards away, and the beach is a 5-minute bike ride. Brenda and Vickie took the Vette (top down) to the fresh market, and picked up a few necessities. Jerry brought lasagna he had previously made and frozen for our dinner, the bar is open, and we are camped for the night.
More later,
Wes
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