The warm days of May rolled around and it was time for a little more roadtrip experience.  We had tentatively planned on a 5 day trip to the Outer Banks, but a few days out switched our plans to the “oldie but goodie” – James Island Campground.  With a weather system bringing unseasonably cool weather to the OBX we were glad to have made the trip to Charleston instead.

We were very fortunate to find an available site at James Island – with the only catch that we couldn’t check in on Friday, but had to wait until Saturday instead.  We took the opportunity to try out our very first Harvest Hosts experience and visit the Enoree River Winery.

We weren’t quite sure what to expect at first that Friday evening – we have visited our fair share of wineries and farms, and Harvest Hosts seemed a great fit for foodie locavore enthusiasts like us.  We knew that these businesses don’t accommodate RVers as their primary focus so came prepared to quietly find a spot and take a low profile.

Tip #1 – be darned sure you are going to arrive during regular business hours.  Thankfully we did with 30 minutes to spare, with our family’s tendency towards the random setback we had turned a “let’s get there about 2 hours early” into another “wow we just made it – again!”

We were greeted by a wonderful lady running the “shop” and she directed us to a general area where they put visiting RVs.  There wasn’t a drive around the building but we were able to park just fine with our 36′ motorhome.  (In the morning I had to make a multi-point turn to get aligned with the exit and then hook up the toad).  We made a few purchases in the store and settled down for a quiet evening listening to the rain showers and tree frogs.  We didn’t need to run the generator for anything and I’m glad we didn’t because it would have been such a shame to disturb the silence

That morning the Vineyard owner stopped by to say hello and I thanked him for the opportunity to camp for the evening.  Nice folks!

Just a few hours down the road we arrived at one of our favorites, James Island Campground, part of the Charleston County Parks system.  I’ve lost count how many times we’ve been here.  I do remember that since we first visited, the “Office” has been replaced with a much bigger building.  I think the old structure is now for storage!

After a quick setup of the motorhome we hopped in the toad and drove up to North Charleston where our BikeLaw friends were hosting a racing criterium near Park Circle.  I couldn’t tell if a race weekend turned into a street party or the other way around; but either way it was a fun event!  We caught the Men’s Pro 1/2 race and it was exciting to watch the field change lap after lap.

Watching Zack Kratche take the win I couldn’t help but think back how easy he made it look!  It was like he raced hiding in the middle of the pack until the very end and then left everyone behind…

Later that evening we walked around the campground and had a fun game of chess – until the mosquitoes sent us inside at dusk!

The next day we spent most of the day at the Splash Zone waterpark.  Nothing like slides, swimming, a lazy river and spray play to wear the kids out!  Unfortunately a rarity for me – I got no pictures of the water park.  It is one of the better ones I’ve been to.

The next morning the kids enjoyed playground time and getting wet (again) at the splash pad.  Couldn’t get enough from the day before I guess!

That afternoon we played “Charleston tourists” and visited the Fort Sumter National Monument.  This was the year we decided to start seeing as many National Park Service locations as we could – so why not finally visit Fort Sumter now that the kids were old enough to appreciate it.

Visiting the fort is split into two parts – the Visitor Center at Liberty Square, near the Charleston Aquarium, and then a Ferry boat to the Fort itself out towards the Charleston Inlet.

Entering the Visitor’s Center you are greeted by a number of exhibits focusing on the events leading to the Civil War.  In fact, Fort Sumter is most famous for being the site of the first shots of the Civil War.  I appreciated the work the NPS put into these displays and that the historical account shown did not stray into Union vs. Confederacy talk.  Instead I walked away reminded that it was a time of great internal strife for our United States, and while we were yet fighting each other, we had a deep desire to be united once again.

We’d had just enough time to visit each display and answer most of the Junior Ranger questions together, when we heard the boarding announcement for the ferry.

The ferry offered plenty of outdoor and indoor (air-conditioned) seating, and of course a bar and snack offerings if you’ve decided it’s “5 o’ clock somewhere.”  The ferry ride also doubles as a short tour of Charleston from the water, and one or two hosts take turns over the loudspeakers to describe what we see from “port” or “starboard.”  (Well not exactly.  They used landlubber terms and stuck to “left” and “right”.  But it was fun to imagine).

On your way to the Fort, the tour guides point out Castle Pinckney – which has been reduced to nothing more than a footnote in Civil War history.  It’s been part of the NPS system, then demoted, tossed between the COE and NPS and finally abolished as a National Monument.  Finally it was entered into the National Register of Historic Places.  For me it serves as a reminder that for all the NPS does to preserve our historical and natural places, in some ways what they do is show us “where to start” when exploring our nation.  There are many more nuggets of history and discovery underneath the standard tours.

The crew on the ferry made quick work of “docking” and we had disembarked in no time.  This short ferry ride was a certain contrast to the relative isolation of the people living and working at this Fort when it was in full operation.

Entering the Fort at the lower level one can see how the Fort is somewhat a shadow of its former self.  The one visible “story” was actually many stories high with multiple levels of gun emplacements.  It is still a formidable structure, but it must have been quite impressive at full size.

Astute observers will note that the large black “Battery Huger” was not part of the original construction, but was added in 1898-99.  The stairs above lead to the top of the Battery where there are views of the Inlet, a number of displays and of course, a gift shop 🙂

Just next door to the gift shop is the excellent Fort Sumter Museum which covers (in even more detail than the Visitor Center) history of the Fort – from construction to events leading up to secession and post-war history of the Fort.  My only regret was not having spent enough time to read all of the displays.  The ferry boat “layover” leaves you just enough time to see everything but not enough to contemplate a number of these exhibits.  Take lots of photos to be able to read the text later – there is a lot of good information here.

Contemplating Civil War history on the ferry ride back, we caught a better view of the USS Yorktown and saw a cruise ship starting its journey.

Time for dinner and a campfire!

 

The next day the kids and I explored the park trails (one of the major attractions for us) … these kids are growing up fast.  Just last year a one mile bike ride was tiring – now they go for miles!

Later that evening we took “Rocket” – our Boykin Spaniel – to Folly Beach for some beach time.  For dinner, we got take out from our new favorite for “I just want a pile of seafood for dinner” – Roadside Seafood.  If you don’t want fancy, just good food, this is the place.

Headed home – where is our next adventure?