Road Trip

Almost Half Bad Day

I hope after 458 geocaches we are as good at finding them as we are Post Offices. The Beaufort and St. Helena Island POs were crossed off the list in short order, but neither of the caches I picked out in Beaufort for us to find were found. I know we found the correct spots from the descriptions and or titles, but locating the actual item we were looking for didn’t happen.

What kept us slightly above the 50% find rate today was a second look at finding the cache in Hopeland Gardens right in Aiken. This time, like the first attempt, we zeroed in on where the cache was and even though we both had ideas where it might be hidden and now knew exactly what the cache looked like (thanks to looking at the online comments) we still couldn’t locate it. That was until I decided to check the underside of a small birdhouse, the cache wasn’t there, but while leaning down to look I noticed that the hole didn’t actually go through the wood, it wasn’t a bird house, it was a cache house. The side panel was hinged. Ingenious.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 140

Wild Wild West

We are planning a two week vacation this year and heading west to do a giant road trip. We are flying and renting a car, so we can get further west than Dallas, which was the last two week Miata driving vacation we took (to go to Miata World 99.)

We are landing in Denver on a Saturday in April and heading north. The first week is pretty much planned out – Mato Tipila, Big Heads, Carhenge, Garden of the Gods and then four days in New Mexico (two here and then two here.) The second week is still up in the air, possible places we might go range from Roswell to Four Corners to the Bonneville Salt Flats (where I want to see just how fast our rental car can go.)

Started down, went up, back down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 119

Opened The Box

I looked up that second Mount Pleasant location on the net last night and neither one of yesterday’s places were, as I suspected, the official PO. The actual CPU was about a mile down the road in another shopping center. Amendment 1 to the Post Office Photo Safari Constitution was created today. It reads: While still in the area of an unlocatable Post Office from the Big List, it is perfectly acceptable to search the USPS web site to find the updated Post Office and subsequentially photograph it. So first thing this morning we went back over the Cooper River Bridge, and like yesterday it was just as the sun was coming up. With only a slight bit of drama we found the Mount Pleasant CPU tucked inside a place called Smoker Friendly.

A ten mile dash on I-526 led us to North Charleston where our first originally scheduled Post Office of the day caused a real problem. 1050 E Montague Avenue had a regular blue box outside, along with a blue distribution box, but zero outward signs of actually being a Post Office. The sign hanging off the front and the gold painted letters on the window both proclaimed this was Aunt Bea’s Restaurant. I took a photo anyway, then we circled the block just in case, but no other evidence of postal activity was found.

The next Post Office, according to my Google map, was not too far away at the point where E Montague met up with US52, AKA Rivers Ave. When we got to there though the address numbers were in the low four thousands. Ack. We headed north in the hopes that the blocks were short, they weren’t, after about 5 miles we found the Post Office. Trouble was we now had to back track all that way because there was still one more PO in North Charleston to get. After that we needed to go back north further than that pesky North Charleston PO to get the ones in Goose Creek, Charleston Southern University and Ladson.

Once through with Post Offices the weather had warmed enough that we could drive home with the top down. About 15 miles from home I added Amendment 2 to the Post Office Photo Safari Constitution, to wit: It is acceptable to shoot a new Post Office not on the Big List when it was created several years ago or to retake a Post Office photo if it has been updated or replaced since the Big List was created, only if said Post Office is plainly visible from the driver’s seat while traveling the roads of South Carolina and as long as that travel wasn’t specifically for the purpose of taking a photo of said Post Office.

Almost exactly 5 years ago when we started this adventure, the town of Windsor was using a trailer for their Post Office, in the intervening years the trailer was replaced by a regular building.

Started up, went down, still down.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 111

Missed It By That Much

We were up before the sun to hunt the wily Post Office. First stop was the Citadel in the dim light of the pre-dawn sky. We didn’t see any building that might fit, so we looped in around the parade ground and back out vowing to return later.

We then snagged the 2 others in “downtown” and headed to the city marina where there was supposed to be a neat place to have breakfast. Only trouble was there was no place to park if you didn’t have a sticker or $12, so over the Cooper River (Arthur Ravenel Jr) Bridge to Mount Pleasant vowing to find another place to eat.

The first Mount Pleasant Post Office was an easy find, followed by Isle of Palms and Sullivans Island, but on the final leg of the loop the second Mount Pleasant PO proved elusive. We had an address, 401 W Coleman Blvd, Suite A and as we traveled along watching the numbers go down some sort of space warping occurred and there was 400 numbers on the odd side of the street (which we wanted) and 600 numbers on the even side. We pulled a u-turn and slowly cruised looking for a Post Office. we found a strip shopping center with an address of 409 but then there was construction and the numbers were back in the 600’s. One more u-turn and further down the street with both sides having 400 numbers we found 401 in a small strip. Suite A was a nail salon with a blue mail box outside. I looked inside and could see no other evidence of postal activity and figured the PO had probably moved on, but I took some photos anyway.

Breakfast was at a small place that I’m sure has been a restaurant of some sort since the place was built in the 60s. There was a local crowd, the service was great and the food was adequate. When I pulled out of the restaurant to head back towards Charleston I passed a place that had small signs by the road for UPS, FedEx, etc. Thinking that maybe that is where the PO had moved to I pulled in and seeing a small USPS sticker on the door took some photos vowing to check on the interweb when we got back in for the day.

For the record, neither place is the Post Office, the second Mount Pleasant PO is now in a different location altogether, which we passed, but didn’t see. There is some internal debate as to whether to go back and take a picture of it. For one it is against a rule made in the beginning to create a list and follow it, no fair updating it, or it might be like painting the Golden Gate Bridge, once you are done it is time to start over and two it would mean yet another trip over the Cooper River Bridge which beside crossing back and forth to get these 4 Post Offices, we made a second trip with the top down for the express purpose of me taking pictures.

Then we made a third round trip to go over and find the terminal of the Charleston Water Taxi at Patriot’s Point so we could take a cheap boat trip, $8 per for a round trip, and get some photos of the Charleston waterfront sights, i.e. aircraft carrier, that bridge, cruise ship, aquarium, etc. Wouldn’t you know it, but the Water Taxi is closed for the season, opens next weekend. We got in the car to drive for lunch, but the fine print on the bottom of the card of the Mediterranean restaurant Donna had picked out was closed on Saturday. We ended up at a seafood place on Shem Creek that was very good, but I still think we would have preferred a gyro.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 110

Business Trip

In the off-season when there aren’t any kids around at the pool of this condo complex on the oceanfront of Folly Beach, the seagulls have a good time.

The original plan was to wait until after dinner and going out to take a couple Post Office photos, but everything when awry when I suggested stopping and taking one or two because we were going to pass right by them. Seven Post Offices later we arrived at the hotel in Charleston.

That wasn’t the first time our plans strayed either. We had picked a couple places where we were going to go for a nice long walk in the woods, the first being Givhans Ferry State Park, where there was a 5 mile loop trail around the perimeter. When we opened the trunk at the park Donna asked, “Where’s my hiking boots?” “Oops.” I was wearing mine and somehow forgot to pack hers. All she had was a cheap pair of sneakers to walk in and after calling me a knucklehead, she gamely started on the hike with me. It took us a bit to find the beginning of the shorter loop trail, which according to the map off the net, led to the longer loop. We never did find a connection and after talking to the ranger it turns out it wasn’t a great loss, because that big loop wasn’t really a trail, it just followed an old forest service road.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 108

Home

Breakfast was in Stuart, Florida with Donna’s sister, her husband and his mother. Their traditional Saturday morning breakfast is eaten out at a cool little place called the Sunset Diner. We got them to deviate from normal today, first by eating with us and secondly by doing it an hour earlier so we could start our trip back. Felt a little weird ordering the Sunset Breakfast, but I managed to eat the two pancakes, two eggs and two sausage links (I gave Donna the two bacon strips.)

If you tell Google Maps you want to go from Stuart, FL to Aiken, SC it will tell you that it is 505 miles following a route of I-95 until you get just inside South Carolina, then take US321 to US278 and it should take you less than 8-1/2 hours (that is kinda the way we went down, but for some reason it took us almost 2 days.) We despise I-95 because it is usually very busy (it is the shortest way north to south) and are willing to go to great lengths to avoid it. We took the Florida Turnpike diagonally northwest towards Ocala, joined up with I-75 to Lake City where we had lunch. We split 3 Krystals, 3 Krystal Chicks and a side salad.

Just north of I-10 we got off the Interstate and Donna guided us on a mixture of county roads, state highways and US highways to home. Through White Springs & Benton, Florida. Through Fargo, Homerville, Argyle, Waycross, Blackshear, Surrency, Glennville and Claxton (fruitcake anyone?) before we stopped in Statesboro, GA for dinner at JaMaN Caribbean Cafe for dinner. I had the Jerk Pork with Black Beans and Rice, Donna had the Chick Pea Soup.

From Statesboro we kept north on US301 through Sylvania and into South Carolina. From there we took the ol’ familiar route home of SC3 to SC125 through the bomb plant and up Whiskey Road. If you plot the way we went using Google maps it will tell you it is a little over 600 miles and should take 12 and a half hours. I didn’t keep track of the miles, but the clock was dead on as we left Florida around 9:00 AM and we pulled into our driveway about twenty after nine at night.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 68

Rain Dodging

Red sky at night, sailor’s delight. Red sky in morning, sailor’s take warning. This picture of the sunrise behind the south causeway bridge in New Smyrna Beach foretold the storms that traveled across Florida today. On our drive down to Palm City we managed to stay ahead of the heavy rains and even got to drive the first 30 or so miles with the top down.

We did get wet pretty good this afternoon after we got to Donna’s sister’s place. To kill a couple hours Sandy took us for a drive around to see some local sights. When we walked out to the beach near the Hutchinson Island Marriott Resort? (where this picture was taken) and stood for a few seconds admiring the surf, the rain started to come down. We were less than 50 yards from the car and by the time we got back in it we were pretty wet. My back seat companion, Desdemona, decided to dry herself off by rubbing her face along the side and back of my shirt while I sat there. Don’t worry, my wife was in the front seat and thought it was fine, Desi is Sandy’s dog.

Started up, went down, back up, still up.
Miata Top Transitions since 10/24/08: 64