May 12th Update

Update from Jim, sent on May 12th:

Hi.  Slept till 8:30.  Passed up the ibuprophen in
favor of using my muscles and joints for other
purposes.  Breakfast was at the door.  Took a photo,
but the library system blocks them.  I'll try later at
the College of Charleston.

Dinner last night at a joint I mistook for a local.
Turned out to be Jennine's Kitchen, a Charleston
landmark.  I was early, but by the time I left, the
tourists were lined up for my table.  As you might have
guessed in these reports, I don't consider myself a
tourist (read pompous ass) so I search out locals and
local places.  Discovered "Rice Paddy's" in
Georgetown.  I know I'm throwing Ian's chronology off.

Met a local at the bar.  Intended to have my first
beer since Atlantic City and ended up having two and a
half and a very good, very expensive dinner.
 
Well, last night's dinner at Jennine's Kitchen beat
it by yards.  Seared catfish with a chopped tomato
sauce (Tomatoes, basil, oil, vinegar, salt, pepper and
horseradish).  They threw in several tomato slices at
the last minute to wilt and served all with collards
and lumpy mashed potatoes.  The best restaurant dinner
I've had in a year.  Oh, yes, also the best pecan pie
with icecream.
 
Route 17 through SC was uneventful.  Stopped for
nutrition every 10 to 15 miles.  Pretty warm.  It's
hot this morning in Charleston.  Virtually nothing to
see between Georgetown and Mount leasant, but
strangely there are AME churches scattered every
several miles.  South Carolina has no helmet laws and
virtually no shoulders. As I entered Mount Pleasant
just before the Charleston bridge, traffic got nasty
and I found myself buzzed several times.  I decided to
"take" the right lane and force the traffic into the
left.  Got only one nasty horn and shout and a lot
more feeling of safety.  Wait till you see pics of
this bridge.  The longest I pedaled this tour.
 
Charleston is a tourist Mecca.  Mule-drawn tour
carts, walking tours, and lots of visitor help.  When
you see the two houses I photographed you'll smile at
this story.  Someone (Jimmy, I think) told me that in
the 17th and 18th centuries, the town fathers set up the
tax structure to rate people's homes based on their
street frontage length.  Sooo, they built all their
houses sideways to minimize taxes.
 
More later.  Going to be hot today.

Love,
J