28 AUG 2010

Today we enjoyed a cooler morning when we got out of bed. We have become much more relaxed about our days start so it is often not until 8 or later that we actually start to move. This KOC has a kitchen in the Rec room which includes a toaster, so we started the day with making toast and having coffee. Very civilized I would say dear Watson!!!


Our first goal today was to visit a plantation. What was recommended to us was the Magnolia Plantation about 25 miles from Charleston. This plantation has been in the same family since it was created in the mid 1676. The Plantation owners, the Drayton family, still own the plantation but in 1976 moved out of the manor house to a newer place on the property and turned the manor house over for tours. Much of the furniture in the house is family heirlooms or period pieces.

Although the current house is not original, it is just the third and has been in place since the American Revolution ended. (Although since that time there have been 3 major additions and renovations). Our first hour was to tour the manor house but since no pictures are allowed, I have nothing but visual memories. The plantation made the family very wealthy in the first generations with its rice crops (did you know that one of South Carolina’s primary agriculture crop was rice?) and indigo.

Just prior to the American Revolution Pastor John Drayton inherited from his older brother who was killed in a hunting accident. As was traditional the eldest son inherited and the 2nd became clergy, so in this unique situation the plantation owner was also a church Minister. However at the end of the American Revolution he had lost his wealth and his house was burned down by the union army. To save the plantation, Pastor John sold much of the land (keeping just over 500 acres I believe) and with his business skills was able to save the plantation but never regained his wealth. His daughter married into money and she inherited eventually.

With the stress of saving, rebuilding and maintaining the plantation along with his responsibilities as a Pastor, his health started to fail. His doctor ordered that he needed to relax and do some gardening, thus the gardens of today were started as therapy. They are beautiful and cover 60 acres but unfortunately for us we could see the potential but the timing was bad with few blossoms. Still it took us 1 ½ hours to walk around the gardens.  One of the things that I enjoyed seeing was the maze created with hedges.  It was fun to wander through and I would gauge it to be moderately difficult.  Top right photo on collage below.

From here we headed off to Savannah, Georgia. We arranged for a KOC campsite ahead of time in Richmond Hill since this is a weekend and we have learned that this is a busy season for weekends. Weekdays are ok.

So we get to Savannah with the goal to find a tour bus/tram/trolley to get a overview of the city. We arrive at the information center to learn there were at least 4 to choose from. Now you have to know that we are finding making choices more difficult all the time. The fast pace we have for travel gives us little time to investigate. The first one we talked to offered to reduce the fair from 25 to 20 and pay for our parking. Good deal.

Then the unthinkable happened...it started to rain. Suddenly without warning drops landed that splattered to the size of quarters. By the time I got into the trolley I felt very wet. It only lasted about 10 minutes but what a down pour. Wes was over the the information building and had to run even further than I did, but we did not melt.

At any rate, the rest of the tour was great as we were shown around the city that was one of the first city to have a fully designed play with 24 ‘parks’. It is a bit complicated but made good sense when I heard it. If you are interested you should google Savannah, Georgia. The tour included all the historical areas of the city and we had a chance to see the variety of house designs and hear history. I should point out that the history spans more than 300 years from being the capital of the Colony of Georgia to it current position as a sea port. We are learning that the best way to get to see a city is to use the tour guides. It saves finding your way around an unfamiliar city, finding parking and dealing with all the traffic. Once you finish the tour, then you feel more prepared to go to the locations of most interest, if you have the time.

From here we headed to Richmond Hill to set up the tent and organize the night. We arrived to another deluge of rain. Fortunately we are able to upgrade to a one room Kabin at the KOC for $18.00 more than the tent site. What a deal and we took it.  Outside our cabin is a small lake and these pictures were taken from the deck.  The one picture below is a small island on the lake with trees, and the tree is literally full of birds roosting.  Each white dot is a bird.

I prefer to try to find local places to eat rather than big chains. So when we asked a suggestion was to go to a local cafe that served Southern Buffet. The full buffet, and I mean a full buffet) cost us only $9.99 each. And the food was great. What may you ask was different to make it a Southern Buffet? Well that is a good question, and I asked the owner. The way the food is prepared, chicken, fish cakes, beef patties, the way the potatos were served and the salads. He was right, there was a difference.

What surprises us is that as we drive around in this area there are hotels advertising rooms for as low as $29.95 single. We have not checked but I suspect that the double is closer to $50 but still a bargain for August. Must be a bit slow here but the KOC is packed (except for tenters).