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Originally Posted by Total Bliss
Haven't read anything on the forum. Does anyone have any info on the outcome.
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Yvonne and I hosted the rally for F.R.O.G. Bob and Cindy. 53 FROGS gathered for registration on Sunday afternoon, followed by a delicious catered bar-be-cue dinner at the campground's activity center. After dinner, shuttle buses were available to drive us through the AMAZING light display at the 25th annual Holiday Festival of Lights. James Island County Park was decked out in its holiday best. The entrance to the campground actually sits right across from the "walking" part of the festival, the Christmas train and the 50-ton sand sculpture.
On Monday morning, following breakfast (which was prepared and served each morning by the camp hosts, who volunteer to help out with the festival) we boarded a tour bus to go to downtown Charleston for a carriage tour of the historic sections of the city and an opportunity to browse and shop at the Old City Market. Monday afternoon we were scheduled to take a 30-minute boat ride across Charleston Harbor to visit Ft. Sumter. High winds, the possibility of rain and tornado warnings cancelled that plan, and instead, the FROGS visited Patriot's Point, where we toured the WWII aircraft carrier USS Yorktown and the Congressional Medal of Honor Museum, located on her hanger deck. Also at Patriot's Point is a WWII destroyer, the USS Laffey and a diesel submarine, the USS Clamagore, commissioned right after WWII. She served for 30 years during the Cold War and is the only GUPPY III-class submarine preserved in the United States. Patriot's Point also features a true-to-scale replica of a Vietnam Navy Support Base, including a Mark I River Patrol Boat and several helicopters including a Huey gunship, a UH-1H Medivac, a UH-34 Seahorse and a AH-1J Sea Cobra. The FROGS agreed that it was a wonderful addition to the tour and agreed that re-scheduling the Ft. Sumter visit for later in the week was a good plan, considering the weather.
Tuesday and Wednesday were free days. FROGS spread out throughout the Low Country and visited the quaint towns of Georgetown (60 miles north) or Beaufort (70 miles south). Others went back to Charleston for another look at the city, or toured one of several plantations on the Ashley River, or visited the tea plantation or the Angel Oak, believed to be the oldest living thing east of the Mississippi River. In the evenings, both a driving or a walking tour of the lights were on many people's agenda. Wednesday evening, despite the cold (we had several nights of below-freezing temperatures) some of us gathered around a roaring campfire.
Thursday morning dawned bright and sunny, but cool. A sparkling harbor greeted us as we boarded a boat at Liberty Square to go to Ft. Sumter. A 20-minute orientation by one of the National Park Rangers gave us the details of the fort and the bombardment that began at 4:30 am on April 12, 1861, the first shots fired in the Civil War. Following the orientation talk, we had about 45 minutes to tour the fort, including its museum.
Back on the boat, across the harbor, back on the bus and across the Cooper River Bridge we went, to Boone Hall Plantation, the most-photographed plantation in the US. A tour of the original slave quarters included a talk by a woman whose ancestors were slaves in the Charleston area. She gave a very interesting talk on the Gullah culture and language, a Creole-like language which was created in the Charleston area by slaves from West Africa who spoke different dialects, as a common language so they could communicate with one another. The plantation visit also included a tour of the main home. The 10,000 square foot home was built in 1936 by a Canadian diplomat who bought the plantation, and it replaced a series of farm houses that had occupied the plantation since it was established by John Boone.
As the sun sank low in the west, we re-boarded the bus and were treated to a specular sunset as we crossed the inter-costal waterway, traversed the Isle of Palms and re-crossed the Cooper River back into Charleston. A seafood dinner at Hyman's Seafood Restaurant in downtown Charleston capped off another wonderful day.
On Friday morning, the FROGS gathered for a final hot breakfast (thanks to the camp hosts - everything was great, all week) and farewells before we hooked up and pulled out, ending the "Southern Nights, Southern Lights" rally for this year.
If FROG holds this rally again next year - and I'm pretty confident Bob and Cindy will do so - I highly recommend joining them for a wonderful adventure.
Best loved friend ever!!! (greatly missed)
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