Letter 7: SC coast
Wednesday April 8 we left the RV park and drove through Charleston and Mount Pleasant, where we saw many roadside sheds of sweet grass basket vendors, to a Forest Camp on Bulls Bay called
Buck Hall. This campground was a real surprise as it had water and electricity as well as being pretty. It is right on the Intercoastal canal and our neighbors told us they had seen two sailboats going north. Just like snowbirds in RV’s there are snowbirds in sailboats. The downside of the campground is it is reserved! And by site! So we had to leave after one night. Several snowbirds here were staying two weeks waiting on weather in Maine and Ontario and points north to clear. Renee and Jack, this would be a nice park to host.After parking we went sight seeing to the
Hampton Plantation State Historic Site. Today is it quiet and serene but in the 18th and 19th centuries it was a working rice plantation.It came as quite a surprise to us to learn that rice, or “Carolina gold” played such a promenate role in early America. When we hear plantation, we think of cotton, but wealth of many men was made from the rice grown in tidal areas. For example the Hampton Plantation cultivated over 400 acres of rice with an average annual yield of over 250,000 pounds. The second surprise was the next most valuable crop—indigo. Indigo was in great demand by England as a dye and an incentive was placed on the production of Indigo. It grew well at Hampton Plantation. Both crops were exported from the Americas.
In fact,at Hampton Plantation an emphasis was placed on finding slaves with a knowledge of African rice cultivation. Rice had been grown in parts of Africa for hundreds if not thousands of years. The English weren’t well versed in the growing of rice.
The mansion is an architectural monument to the labor of enslaved Africans and the social prominence of the Horry, Pinckney and Rutledge families. The colossal Adam style portico at the entrance
to the mansion is one of the finest and earliest examples of its kind in North America.We thought of Brenda when we saw
the Monarch butterfly in the azalea bush.Outside there were enormous live oaks, magnolias,
dogwoods, 
azalea and 
camellia gardens.Archibald Rutledge the last family owner was also the first Poet Laureate of South Carolina and last of his line to live at Hampton. The nicest part of visiting this plantation was it is state owned and free to walk among the dogwoods, azaleas, and camellias. Tours of the house were only $4.00, but we missed the last tour. In Charleston and other privately owned plantations and gardens the entrance fees are quite pricey, so this was a refreshing surprise. The main reason we decide to see this plantation was the fact that it wasn’t renovated and manicured. It was very close to the condition when last occupied, except for the absence of furniture. The one ranger, who was Jill of all trades, gave the tours and ran the gift shop, was very enthusiastic about the plantation and Mr. Rutledge. We could tell she loved her job.
We were amazed at the size of the trees especially
this magnolia.Thursday April 9 after being homeless from the Buck Hall camp ground we moved to Honey Hill forest camp seven miles north of Hwy 17 where we found free camping. We also found people from Montreal, northern Quebec and Nova Scotia next to us. They speak French and some English. We went back to Hampton Plantation to take the tour and this time a very knowledgeable volunteer gave the tour. It took an hour to go through the
house and learn about the family and construction of the house.Mr. Rutledge planted all the flowers and lined the drive with
Holly trees. . The house has heart wood flooring planks running the length of every room and the 
ball room was 35’ long. There were no splices!All early plantations used the waterways for transportation. Hampton place dates to the 1600s and is near the Santee river. In the rear is a sizable creek. Beyond the creek is the Santee river. In between is an “island” of over 400 acres. In the beginning the island was forested with pine, hardwood and cypress. The slaves cleared the entire island of trees, including stumps. After the land was cleared, it was leveled. Then a system of canals and retaining levees was used to allow the flooding of the rice areas. I believe this process took place over several years.
During the American revolution, many of their slaves were captured by the British and sold elsewhere, but they still had near 400 after the revolution. So their slaves holdings were very large.
Unlike rice farming further inland, this tidal area was able to used the tidal rise (5 feet) to replenish the nutrients of the soil. So several years of crops didn’t wear-out the soil. They were able grow rice year after year with very good results. The overall design was quite an engineering feat.
The nearby town is McClellanville.
No connection with Union general. 
Fred loved it. It was about the size of Duncanville in 1950—less than 1,000 people. We enjoyed seeing the unique town, 
big oaks with Spanish Moss. We bought shrimp caught in this area from the harbor shop and had a delicious supper featuring boiled shrimp.Friday, April 10, one month out! It has been nice traveling and we are glad the cold rain in gone, we hope. We decided to scout the sights between us and Myrtle Beach and also see if we could find a place in that area for the next stop. We drove through Georgetown to Pawley’s Island. This was a summer retreat for the plantation owners, similar to McClellanville. It is one of the oldest seaside resorts on the East Coast. It was established in the mid 1700’s originally inhabited by rice planters who owned plantations on the Waccamaw and Pee Dee rivers. The island preserves its reputation as a subtly sophisticated destination. One lady told us it was “elegant shabby.” This island is wide enough for a road, house and
beach. It is about 3 miles long. We learned the woven rope swing was invented here when a riverboat pilot needed a more comfortable bed on his vessel. His lumpy mattress was too hot for the steamy low country summers so he wove pieces of rope together and strung them up, hoping to maximize the benefit of the tidal breeze. The result was so comfortable that the hammock is still enjoyed in the same form today.We found a neat little
restaurant in McClellanville called T.W. Graham’s and enjoyed a late lunch. Olivia had a fried soft shell crab on a salad of fresh greens, with pineapple, strawberries, cucumbers and tomatoes. Fred enjoyed fried shrimp and he counted 15. Very good! It just happened we sat next to some of the owner’s out of state family. They were there to participate in a family reunion. Part of the family from Florida and some from Delaware. They were a fun bunch and we enjoyed their company.We saw this ONE
vine of Wisteria at the museum. Olivia has been enamored with all the wild wisteria. It makes her think of her Senior prom when the girls gym classes made 
crepe paper wisteria for the southern theme dance. Saturday, April 11 we just played lazy at the campground. We enjoyed the Canadians and they were so helpful to tell us where to go in Canada. It appears there are lots of “free” camping there. Any gravel pit or church parking lot is available for overnighters. Some even have water and a dump. We will see when we get there. Sounds nice and convenient. One couple invited us to their summer home near DeGelis, Quebec. She did not speak English, but told us she understands us because we speak so slow.
Another told us about all the free places in the US, especially in Florida, if we ever go there.
This Honey Hill campground had about 10 tables scattered through the park. Each had a faintly marked graveled parking place.
We parked in the last spot and assumed other late arriving campers would move on, but we were wrong. By the end of the weekend they were parked anywhere they could get their vehicles. Most were tents and small campers, but there were at least 3 motor homes and a few trailers like ours parked in non marked spaces. They didn’t care if it was a real spot or not. One ranger told us if there wasn’t a disturbance among the campers, they looked the other way.
they came! One man 
Jean Paul from Montreal camped in a motor home,(The tye-dyed shirts came from a boondocker in Florida who made and sold these garments for his livelihood); a couple , (Scottie & Elaine) 
from Nova Scotia, 
in a motor home; an 85 year young man 
Ed from Allentown, PA in a small motor home, entertained us with his harmonica; and a young lady (Lela) from upper New York State in a tent. This was a very diverse group that all enjoyed boondocking, That means free! And all were comedians. It was fun to listen to their dialects of French accents, compare stories and have a good time. Scottie and Jean Paul had met before in other campgrounds in Florida. Visa regulation allow only a 6 months stay in the US, so they were on their way home for the summer. Ed has only a very small income, so his daughter bought the motor home for him. As he travels, he collects and sells cans. He has to live as a boondocker. The young lady is an artist and travels to get ideas. She is also a massage therapist, so when she needs money she finds a job for a few months, then travels some more. She is very brave to travel alone.
To those of you who think we have so many friends and family “everywhere”, our secret is we make “new” friends easily such as this group! We had lots of smiles and laughs as we compared camping trips, tips and stories.
On Easter Sunday we drove in to McClellanville to the
small First United Methodist Church we had spotted several days ago. The McClellan family donated the land and descendants are still members of the church. This Easter Sunday more than half of the attendees were visitors including another couple from our campground. We were welcomed enthusiastically. The minister is a circuit rider with three churches. McClellanville was hit by the eye of Hurricane Hugo in the 80’s and the tidal surge filled this church 8’ deep. Fortunately the windows stayed in tact. The floors and pews had to be refinished. Money came from Methodist Churches all over to help restore this church.
Okay, we have a quiz for you Texas fresh water fishermen. In this area of SC along the Cooper and Santee rivers, two man made lakes (Marion and Moultrie) were impounded after WW II. Thousands of a particular ocean fish were trapped behind the dam. They had, as they had done for millennia, gone up the river to spawn and were trapped. Later, to everyone's surprise, this sea fish thrived in fresh water. They quickly grew to sizes rivaling large older catfish. They reproduced. They were big and fun to catch. As the word spread, fishermen flocked to SC to catch them. Soon Texas biologists experimented with them in local fresh waters. It was a success so they were introduced in Texas waters. What is this fish?
It’s the striped bass or striper. In the Atlantic they are called striped sea bass.
Monday, April 13 we said good bye, and auvouir to our new friends and hope to see them again someday. They will certainly be in our fondest memories. We headed north on Hwy 17 to Myrtle Beach. About 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach we were in one city after another. Each with it’s own string of stores. We were actually on a narrow island about 10 miles wide and 30-40 miles long. TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC! Not only regular stores but amusement parks, Dolly Parton show, and seafood buffets. We found our reserved RV park and managed to get into it from the six lane very busy highway. This was quite an extreme from the laid back, no hook up campground to the Briarcliffe RV Resort. Believe us if we didn’t have Passport America half price card, we would never have entered their gates. They are a membership RV Resort. Members are allowed a maximum 15 consecutive nights, go out for 6 nights before retuming. They also have park models, clubhouse, large pool and activities. Members have access to around 300 affiliate resorts under the same terms. The daily member fee is $10 per night. Briarcliffe memberships are available for only $2,500, plus annual dues of $440.
The streets are paved, so are the pads, we have water, sewer and electricity, Cable TV (if we had a cord to connect), phone connections and place to park a golf cart. The pads are about 10’ apart. We are paying $26.20 a night. Somehow we don’t figure how they get off charging those big bucks to be a member. Without a calculator it doesn’t seem like a good deal. But this place is full, so go figure, everyone to his own desires. If you lived here, it would be cheaper to pay all that, but for moving like we do, not! We feel like the Hartgraves did when they went to Arizona and parked in a fancy place with their 15’ trailer.
Tuesday, April 14, we installed a new microwave (at great pains, since the trim kit didn’t match), did the wash and charged the batteries. We will move on to North Carolina tomorrow. Hopefully to another forest camp. We have one spotted that has water, electricity and no reservations.
Elaine and Sonny, we recorded your address and phone number, but lost the note before we entered your email. We hope you are reading this and will send us a note. We really enjoyed meeting you and hope your trip to Alaska is fantastic. Please let us hear from you.
Another told us about all the free places in the US, especially in Florida, if we ever go there.
This Honey Hill campground had about 10 tables scattered through the park. Each had a faintly marked graveled parking place.
We parked in the last spot and assumed other late arriving campers would move on, but we were wrong. By the end of the weekend they were parked anywhere they could get their vehicles. Most were tents and small campers, but there were at least 3 motor homes and a few trailers like ours parked in non marked spaces. They didn’t care if it was a real spot or not. One ranger told us if there wasn’t a disturbance among the campers, they looked the other way.This National Forest is called the Frances Marion Forest, named for the “Swamp Fox.” Frances Marion is a true American hero. As with all of these coastal areas, there are many low spots filled with water—swamps. Some are less than an acre, some cover hundreds of acres. We learned the movie, Patriot, was not true to the “Swamp Fox” story. Unlike the movie, he had no children.. He waged a guerrilla war against the British is SC, disrupting their supply lines and launching surprise raids against their detachments from his bases in the PeeDee and Santee swamps. This campground was not far from the Santee River. Also not far away was Snow’s Island (Marion’s retreat). It’s almost as inaccessible today as it was then. It can only be reached by boat from the PeeDee River. The McClellanville museum volunteer told us a lot about him. Marion was an inspiring leader, his men would die for him. After independence, most of his men named their children after him. It is considered a high honor to be descended from one of his men. In fact many early Americans named their children Francis or Marion or both honoring this amazing patriot. For some families the given names have passed through many generations. Think about it. It’s possible you know someone with such a family history.
This afternoon was very interesting. We invited several neighbors for happy hour and
This afternoon was very interesting. We invited several neighbors for happy hour and
they came! One man Jean Paul from Montreal camped in a motor home,(The tye-dyed shirts came from a boondocker in Florida who made and sold these garments for his livelihood); a couple , (Scottie & Elaine) from Nova Scotia, in a motor home; an 85 year young man Ed from Allentown, PA in a small motor home, entertained us with his harmonica; and a young lady (Lela) from upper New York State in a tent. This was a very diverse group that all enjoyed boondocking, That means free! And all were comedians. It was fun to listen to their dialects of French accents, compare stories and have a good time. Scottie and Jean Paul had met before in other campgrounds in Florida. Visa regulation allow only a 6 months stay in the US, so they were on their way home for the summer. Ed has only a very small income, so his daughter bought the motor home for him. As he travels, he collects and sells cans. He has to live as a boondocker. The young lady is an artist and travels to get ideas. She is also a massage therapist, so when she needs money she finds a job for a few months, then travels some more. She is very brave to travel alone.To those of you who think we have so many friends and family “everywhere”, our secret is we make “new” friends easily such as this group! We had lots of smiles and laughs as we compared camping trips, tips and stories.
On Easter Sunday we drove in to McClellanville to the
small First United Methodist Church we had spotted several days ago. The McClellan family donated the land and descendants are still members of the church. This Easter Sunday more than half of the attendees were visitors including another couple from our campground. We were welcomed enthusiastically. The minister is a circuit rider with three churches. McClellanville was hit by the eye of Hurricane Hugo in the 80’s and the tidal surge filled this church 8’ deep. Fortunately the windows stayed in tact. The floors and pews had to be refinished. Money came from Methodist Churches all over to help restore this church.Okay, we have a quiz for you Texas fresh water fishermen. In this area of SC along the Cooper and Santee rivers, two man made lakes (Marion and Moultrie) were impounded after WW II. Thousands of a particular ocean fish were trapped behind the dam. They had, as they had done for millennia, gone up the river to spawn and were trapped. Later, to everyone's surprise, this sea fish thrived in fresh water. They quickly grew to sizes rivaling large older catfish. They reproduced. They were big and fun to catch. As the word spread, fishermen flocked to SC to catch them. Soon Texas biologists experimented with them in local fresh waters. It was a success so they were introduced in Texas waters. What is this fish?
It’s the striped bass or striper. In the Atlantic they are called striped sea bass.
Monday, April 13 we said good bye, and auvouir to our new friends and hope to see them again someday. They will certainly be in our fondest memories. We headed north on Hwy 17 to Myrtle Beach. About 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach we were in one city after another. Each with it’s own string of stores. We were actually on a narrow island about 10 miles wide and 30-40 miles long. TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC! TRAFFIC! Not only regular stores but amusement parks, Dolly Parton show, and seafood buffets. We found our reserved RV park and managed to get into it from the six lane very busy highway. This was quite an extreme from the laid back, no hook up campground to the Briarcliffe RV Resort. Believe us if we didn’t have Passport America half price card, we would never have entered their gates. They are a membership RV Resort. Members are allowed a maximum 15 consecutive nights, go out for 6 nights before retuming. They also have park models, clubhouse, large pool and activities. Members have access to around 300 affiliate resorts under the same terms. The daily member fee is $10 per night. Briarcliffe memberships are available for only $2,500, plus annual dues of $440.
The streets are paved, so are the pads, we have water, sewer and electricity, Cable TV (if we had a cord to connect), phone connections and place to park a golf cart. The pads are about 10’ apart. We are paying $26.20 a night. Somehow we don’t figure how they get off charging those big bucks to be a member. Without a calculator it doesn’t seem like a good deal. But this place is full, so go figure, everyone to his own desires. If you lived here, it would be cheaper to pay all that, but for moving like we do, not! We feel like the Hartgraves did when they went to Arizona and parked in a fancy place with their 15’ trailer.Tuesday, April 14, we installed a new microwave (at great pains, since the trim kit didn’t match), did the wash and charged the batteries. We will move on to North Carolina tomorrow. Hopefully to another forest camp. We have one spotted that has water, electricity and no reservations.
Elaine and Sonny, we recorded your address and phone number, but lost the note before we entered your email. We hope you are reading this and will send us a note. We really enjoyed meeting you and hope your trip to Alaska is fantastic. Please let us hear from you.
Love to all,
Fred & Olivia
