Of all of the states I've ridden through so far (Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina, I have to say that I like Delaware and South Carolina the best. To be fair, most of them I only saw from major highways, which is no way to see a state, and Delaware bribed me with free gas on the side of the road, and North Carolina was on fire when I went through, but really I like it here. A lot. I could see myself living here in South Carolina, maybe retiring in some little brick ranch by the side of the highway, riding my old beat up harley into town to the local bar.
There are touristy areas and poor rural areas, but there's a sort of dignity to both that you don't often find many places. I like that.
Shortly after leaving the Richmond area this morning I ran into a smoky smog, settled over everything. It got thicker and thicker as I approached the North Carolina border, to the point where visbility wass reduced to a few hundred feet and my eyes and nose stung. Apparently there are wildfires in North Carolina, a bit inland from Rte 95. Just over the border I headed east to the shore, and was able to escape the smoke, which made it much more comfortable to ride.
The North Carolina shore was boring, but soon after getting into South Carolina things picked up. It's just a really nice state - beautiful to look at, palm trees mixed with evergreens, and everyone seems to really take pride in their land, even if their houses are falling down (in a weird way).
I detoured to see the USS Carolina, and then detoured again to drive through Myrtle Beach instead of around it, as I'd never been. Looks like a great beach vacation destination - I'll have to plan a vacation there sometime.
Around 7 I got to my hotel in Charleston. I walked into the lobby just as a wedding reception was arriving, and I think I gave the bride's mother a heart attack, walking in covered with brake dust and tattoos, sunburned, with a bandana and sunglasses on. The receptionist put me in the room furthest away from the lobby - I'd have to call a taxi to eat in the in-house restaurant.
I'm going to head out to find some nightlife, having showered the filth of the road (and the smoke smell) off.
Tomorrow, Orlando!
