Days 187-188 Myrtle Beach, SC-Mount Pleasant, SC-Charleston, SC (Sweet as Grits)

I have noticed a quiet sweetness about the folks in South Carolina, paired with a fierceness right under the surface waiting for you to step out of line.

I also spent a fair amount of yesterday on US-17 (The Sweetgrass Highway) where you see stall after stall along the side of the road. It wasn’t till I happened upon one that was open that I realized what they were for-Sweetgrass Baskets. A tradition that goes back to the 17th Century in South Carolina and farther when you trace it back to West Africa.

I also observed how terrible they drive, and yes I mean everybody. The past few day have been a mental chess match as I have been riding on the highway. I only have a few more days till my big break while I work out my visa and entry to Cuba so I don’t want to drop my guard now. Tomorrow will be a long day to Savannah, and will bring a hope for a larger shoulder and more consideration for cyclists.

Regardless of the treatment on the road, the treatment off the road has been stellar. Everybody has been very nice and welcoming. The sweet tea is not too bad either. If you’ve never been to the South before when I say sweet tea I don’t mean a spoon of sugar in your cup, I mean a cup of sugar in your cup. This stuff keeps dentists and dialysis hospitals in business just by itself. But it’s delicious so as they say “When in Rome…”