This was just our drive down to Charleston.
We decided not to attempt any attractions on the road (other than a
compulsory Wal*Mart and fast food meals). Once we'd checked in to the
hotel, we did venture out for dinner in the downtown historic district.
On our first day in Charleston, we
programmed enough activities to kill a middle-aged adult. We didn't
bargain on the intensity of the Maritime Museum. Fortunately we did
leave the whole afternoon for it so we didn't completely kill ourselves, but
by the time we returned from the boat ride back and forth to Fort Sumter, we
were very happy to retreat to the Market district in Charleston for a
seafood dinner!
I always try to include some Geocaching as
a part of the trips we take. Since we primarily want to see the
areas we visit and experience special attractions or sights, I confine the
caches I will attempt to those in close proximity to our primary
destinations. On this day we managed a cache in picturesque Isle of
Palms. But the highlight (for us adults anyway) was the Boone Hall
Plantation. The kids liked the beach a lot better!
We thought Tuesday was packed! On the
third full day in town, We aimed for a walk down Meeting Street ending at
White Point, then a drive out to the 1400-year-old oak tree (Angel Oak),
followed by a drive to Kiawah Island. With Kiawah Island closed to the
public, we re-vectored to Folly Beach, Morris Island Light. By the end
of the day we had two tired kids and two wiped-out parents!
Time to go home. Lots of fuel and
fast-food stops. We really set a course for home and avoided any
unnecessary stops!
What a trip! We saw quite a few
important landmarks in U.S. History, and saw Charleston, SC during perhaps
the best time of year - spring, when the weather is warm but not hot, the
flowers are in bloom, and the major summer tourism season has not hit!
We loved our visit and recommend it highly!
The Gear
It bears mention that we used a fair amount
of gear to support these trips. I'd say we stood out from most of the
people we saw at the various attractions by virtue of the fact that we were
outfitted more for a day hike that a typical tourist walking through an
attraction. I saw perhaps one or two people in the hundreds we
encountered that appeared to be prepared for the day. The vast
majority of people were wearing summer clothes and had perhaps a camera and
a water bottle.
At times I was a little self-conscious; at
other times very self-assured; all the while comfortable that we would not
get lost, had the ability to communicate over long distances with all
members of the family; had food and water for the day; first aid, and had a
place to put everything we might buy while keeping both hands free.
And I had a camera to record our adventures.
Each of us carries a
GMRS radio and
mapping GPS. The boys and I wore day packs that contain water,
food, GPS, radio and "stuff" we buy along the way. I carry the gear
associated with the camera, as well as
the camera. For parts of this trip we used
hiking poles.
Sunglasses, hats, snacks, etc.
I guess my attitude is that no matter what
the activity, if we expect to walk several miles, we probably need to be
just as well prepared as if we were in the woods. With as many threats
to family safety as we face in this crowded, sometimes impersonal world, I
just don't feel comfortable letting the kids loose without some way for them
to reach us, and some way to get back to a known starting point.
As I look around at the large crowds of
people who appear not to be prepared for anything more than a cash purchase
of the next meal, I wonder what they'd do if things suddenly got really
challenging. Am I paranoid? No. I just like the feeling of
being able to communicate, navigate, eat and drink without depending on
anyone. Because in a strange city, with the car quite far away, what
do we really have if something goes wrong?
The number of times we use the GMRS is
actually quite often. The kids got loose on the ships and from time to
time went around a corner and out of sight. It was no big deal because
we could talk if need be. On the carrier, we split up a couple times.
It was easy because we could continue to communicate, and when the time
came, regroup without ambiguity. If nothing less, it's a real
liberator and time saver. No more "meet me at the such-and-such" at xx
o'clock. No more worrying that if one of the kids gets lost and out of
radio range (not likely), they can follow their GPS track back to someplace
they've been.
At night I like to listen to music.
If you travel much you know that the hotel clock radio and TV leave a lot to
be desired. I bring my iPod. It
was a great comfort to be able to listen to my selection of music at the end
of a long day. I don't leave home without it!
Throughout the entire trip, I ran my GPS
track log and have a nice record of the places we went, the times we were
there, and of course, no instances of being "lost". We made all our
connections between destinations nearly flawlessly, and with pre-determined
routes. Nothing ruins a trip faster than bad navigation. I must
admit that the
Commander GPS
works well in urban environments and gave us a "second opinion" during the
trip.
The
roof box was
indispensable for putting all our luggage away out of the passenger cabin.
This left the rear cargo area free for things we wanted during our drive.
It works brilliantly.
Power
And for all these electronic devices, the
rechargeable batteries and chargers. Each night the batteries got
charged, camera, GMRS radios, cell phones and GPS. I had every plug in
the hotel room occupied with one charger or another. At Patriots
Point, I ran all the camera batteries dry. While waiting for the tour
boat to take us to Fort Sumter, I found an AC outlet and charged the camera
batteries! If I had not brought along the camera charger, that would
have been the end of pictures for that day. When we got back in the
car, I switched over to the power inverter and continued to charge the
camera while we drove. That was because I went through all three spare
batteries! I had lots of spare batteries for the GPS units, and kept
them charged each night.
Oh, did I mention the computer...
Gotta get email, dump the GPS data from the day, make some notes and get the
weather for the next day...
