We learned that the name "live oak" refers to the fact that these trees are evergreen. They actually do shed their leaves but the new ones are coming in continuously so the tree is always green. And the Spanish moss that hangs from the branches is not a parasite and does not harm the trees. I'm happy to hear that because it's so beautiful.
After we left Boone Plantation we went on to downtown Charleston and walked through the Market. Later we stumbled across a welcome sight in front of Mac's Place bar:
So of course we had to stop in for a drink to see if this was really a Chicago bar. We spotted a guy in a Bears cap and joined him and his wife at the bar. They were Dave and Kathy who were from Palatine but had moved to Charlotte 13 years earlier. We spent a great afternoon with them - meeting new people everywhere is one of my favorite parts of this adventure.
On Tuesday we left Charleston and drove just about 100 miles down to Savannah, staying at Savannah Oaks RV Park just off I-95. Our next door neighbors here are from British Colombia, and like us they are on an extended road trip so it was interesting exchanging war stories. They've had more time than us to accumulate those, but we know they're out there! On another note, I have to give a shout out here to the power of Facebook - and the Parrot Head network - in keeping us in contact with everyone and enabling new connections. I had asked my friend Kelly back home for recommendations of "can't miss" stuff in Savannah since she and Bob travel here often. She put me in contact with her friends Wendy and Sean who are local. Wendy and I exchanged FB messages yesterday morning and agreed to meet up for dinner. I told her we were planning to drive out to Tybee Island and she told me to stop in Stingrays and ask Shannon the bartender there for one of her special margaritas. So while driving through Tybee we happened upon the very place, met Shannon and followed Wendy's advice. Margaritas were awesome and Shannon was great and lots of fun to hang out with. While out Tybee-way we also toured Ft. Pulaski, which factored significantly in the civil war. Lots of history in Savannah.
Later on, we went into town and we did meet up with Wendy and Sean at the Cotton Exchange restaurant on old River Street. We had a great evening and made great new friends. Thanks Kelly!
Wednesday evening, same day:
Today we went back into downtown Savannah and did the trolley tour. Yes, I know it's touristy but we wanted an overview of the entire city and that's exactly what we got. This is an amazing city - there are 200 and 300 year old building everywhere. My favorite place was the river walk - just getting there was an adventure. The only access is by ramps from the main drag down to River Street. The ramps are very steep and constructed of rough cobblestones, which don't even seem like a road we should be driving on. But once you get to the bottom you're at the river and the road straightens out, although it's still cobblestones. There are shops and restaurants and bars lining the river walk - such a fun place. No Wal-Marts or McDonalds anywhere!
After the trolley tour we headed back out to Tybee Island and visited the lighthouse.
Yup, we climbed it. The view from the top:
There is a museum that surrounds the lighthouse. Fascinating pictures and stories of the families that lived there over the last couple of hundred years. There were gale force winds up at the top so we didn't stay long. It was a little scary but so cool.
After that we headed to the beach - hello, there was a beach - where else would we go?
There is a beach bar and you can bring your drinks down to the beach with you in a go-cup. Perfect!
Tomorrow we head for Tampa, where we'll be for a while - except for a minor detour to a place called Key West! The moho will stay in Tampa since we'll be staying in town with friends. More on Tampa when we get there.
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