Le Grand Depart: Welcome to Denmark

Yesterday we took the ferry out to Fort Sumpter, the site of the first shots in the civil war, and helped the Rangers raise the American flag (no, not that other one, although there are still plenty of those in evidence). The fort was interesting and serves to reinforce how complicated the history of this area is, as shown by the fact that there are still repercussions today. Not to trivialize the current issues in any way, but I also could not help thinking about how serious and deep the divide was at that time in comparision. It makes me optimistic that having made it through that, the nation should be able to weather the current storm.

After that we drove out to Sullivan's Island and posed ourselves for the ceremonial Atlantic wheel dip. The Pacific seems far away but I think I'd rather ride than swim.

No salt water in the drivetrain please

After a great dinner and a good night's sleep it was time for the grand departure. We kissed our wives and we were off just before 8AM.

The first challenge was the bridge on US17 over the Ashley River. It's a fairly busy road so we elected to use the narrow sidewalk rather than the lane. Just as I was crossing the center steel drawbridge section, I heard something fall off and hit the road. Sure enough my taill light had popped off an was lying in the middle of US 17 dutifully flashing away.

After a successful recovery we continued on SC 61 north. The route had heavy traffic until we got to Summerville, then thinned out into a nice country road. As we crossed I-95 I realized that I had been in that spot a few times in my life, on road trips from New York to Florida. Never would I have imagined that someday I would be riding over the interstate on a trip like this.

The rest of the ride was uneventful. It got pretty hot after about noon. (A quick check says it's currently 95. As I write this I'm sitting as close as possible to the air conditioner, which is struggling to keep up.)

Finally we arrived in the little village of Denmark. Our motel, the Carolina Lodge, is, let's say... "Quaint?" "Eclectic?" They don't have shampoo (and we are not carrying it) but they do have Wi-Fi.

Checking for Bedbugs

Another cyclist from Denmark

84 miles today; 99 tomorrow to Lincolnton, just past Augusta. It's supposed to be hot again so it will be a tough day.

Thanks for reading!