MISSISSIPPI BLUES MUSEUMS | RV REVIEW: TRAVEL LITE 840RS | EXCITING NEW BENEFITS
TO
CoastResorts.com
FALL 2016
Texas’ Big Bend Explore the Wild and Rugged National Park
Southern Charmer Pat Conroy’s Charleston
FALL RETREATS Wilderness Presidential Resort Spotsylvania, Virginia
KQ Ranch Resort Julian, California Bee’s RV Resort Clermont, Florida
COAST TO COAST FALL 2016 3
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Tours operated by Travel Impressions, Ltd. Rate is land only, per person, and based on double occupancy. †Resort Coupons are per room, per stay. $200 in resort coupons are broken down as follows: Two coupons of $40 and one coupon of $20 in Spa treatments, $60 for one romantic dinner perstaywithonecouponof$40andonecouponof$20,$40 forbottlesofwineatany restaurantwith four coupons of $10. Resort coupons are not redeemable for cash and are non-transferable. Coupons must be presented at time of service request. Blackout, weekend, holiday and peak season surcharges apply. Rate and promotion are accurate at time of publication and are subject to changes, exceptions, cancellation charges and restrictions. All advertised savings are reflected in price. Rate is subject to change based on currency fluctuations. Not responsible for errors or omissions in the publication of this information. Additional higher priced packages available. Valid for new bookings only. All Dedicated Vacation flights purchased through Travel Impressions are operated by Apple Vacations, LLC. ©2016 Travel Impressions, Ltd.
Cruise from prices are in U.S. dollars, per person (cruise only), based on double occupancy and do not include airfare, taxes or government charges unless otherwise noted. All prices and dates are subject to availability. All Onboard Credit (onboard spending money) amounts are for selected dates, sailings, cabin categories, subject to availability, and are capacity controlled. All prices and dates may not be available at time of booking. NCL reserves the right to charge a fuel supplement without prior notice should the closing price of West Texas Intermediate Fuel increase above $65 per barrel on the NYMEX (New York Mercantile Exchange Index). In the event a fuel supplement is charged, NCL will have sole discretion to apply the supplementary charge to both existing and new bookings, regardless of whether such bookings have been paid in full. Such supplementary charges are not included in the cruise fare. The fuel supplement charge will not exceed $10.00 per passenger per day. Additional restrictions may apply. Ships’ Registry: Bahamas & USA.
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2 COAST TO COAST FALL 2016 Visit us at: CoastResorts.MembersOnVacation.com
CONTENTS
TRAVEL 8 The Big Bend
GOOD SAM AND CAMPING WORLD CHAIRMAN AND CEO Marcus Lemonis MarcusVIP@goodsamfamily.com COAST TO COAST PRESIDENT Bruce Hoster CCRPresident@coastresorts.com
Explore one of the last remaining wild corners of the United States. STORY AND PHOTOS BY EMILY AND MARK FAGAN 14 Pat Conroy’s Charleston
8
MEMBER SERVICES 64 Inverness Drive E. Englewood, Colorado 80112 800-368-5721 info@coastresorts.com COAST TO COAST WEBSITE CoastResorts.com COAST TO COAST FACEBOOK Facebook.com/CoastResorts EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Dee Whited ART DIRECTOR Nicole Wilson
Exploring the author’s childhood South Carolina city. STORY BY DEE LITTEN WHITED
19 Follow the Blues Trail
Museums bring music and musicians of the Mississippi Delta to life. STORY BY NEALA MCCARTEN
DEPARTMENTS 4 From the President 5 Member Matters 5 Resort Updates 21 RV Review
RESORTS 6 Wilderness Presidential Resort Spotsylvania, Virginia 7 KQ Ranch Resort Julian, California 23 Bee’s RV Resort Clermont, Florida
Volume 35, Number 4. Coast to Coast (ISSN 1093-3581) is published quarterly for $14 per year as part of annual membership fees, by Coast to Coast Resorts, 64 Inverness Drive E., Englewood, Colorado 80112. Periodical postage paid at Englewood, Colorado, and additional mailing offices. Registration Number 558028. Publications Mail Agreement Number 40012332. Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to P.O. Box 875, Station A, Windsor, Ontario N92 6P2. U.S. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Coast to Coast Resorts, P.O. Box 7028, Englewood, CO 80155-7028. Coast to Coast Resorts assumes no responsibil- ity for unsolicited manuscripts or artwork. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced by any method without prior written consent of the publisher. ©2016 Camp Coast to Coast, LLC. Coast wing logo is a registered trademark of Camp Coast to Coast, LLC. The GOOD SAM ICON, and Dream. Plan. Go. are registered trademarks of Good Sam Enterprises, LLC and used with permission. Unauthorized use of Coast’s or Good Sam’s trade- marks is expressly prohibited. All rights reserved. PRINTED IN THE USA. COVER PHOTO BY Emily and Mark Fagan CTC50931 - 0816
14
COAST TO COAST FALL 2016 3
FROM THE PRESIDENT PUTTING MEMBERS FIRST
• Bed & Breakfast, Inn, or Guesthouse Vacations: Hopaway Holiday will now book getaways for members who want to stay in B&Bs, Inns, or Guesthouses. These unique lodgings offer a first-class alternative to hotels and provide members with that “home away from home” experience. Destinations include the U.S., Canada, Costa Rica, Cuba, Mexico, Jamaica, St. Lucia, Belize, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. • Houseboat Vacations: Houseboat Vacations are now just a phone call away for members thanks to this new benefit from Hopaway Holiday. Members can rent a luxury houseboat for a once-in-a-lifetime vacation and choose from select lakes across the U.S. and Canada. • Glamping Vacations: Glamping, or glamorous camping, has become a hot trend in outdoor recreation. Hopaway Holiday can now book glamping vacations for Coast members including options such as safari-style tents, yurts, teepees, and even tree houses. These unique glamping options offer luxurious accommodations that allow members to enjoy the great outdoors without sacrificing one bit of comfort. You can read about these new benefits by logging onto CoastResorts.com, scrolling over the Benefits tab at the top of the page, and clicking on Hopaway Holiday in the dropdown menu. Deluxe and Premier members can book any of these new getaways simply by calling Hopaway Holiday at 800-380-8939. Additional inventory for all four of these new benefits will be added regularly to the Hopaway Holiday website. In other news, please remember to register to receive digital editions of Coast Magazine. Beginning in 2017 the spring, summer, and fall issues will be published as digital-only editions. See the information card between pages 6/7 of this issue for instructions on how to register to automatically receive future digital editions. The annual directory issue will still be printed and mailed to all active members at the beginning of each year. Best wishes for the upcoming holiday season, and look for the 2017 Coast to Coast Annual Resort Directory in the new year.
Exciting NEW Benefits for Coast Deluxe &
Premier Members Coast to Coast is pleased to announce that we have added some exciting new benefits to our Deluxe and Premier memberships. Current Deluxe and Premier members automatically receive access to these new benefits, which are provided by our partner Hopaway Holiday. The new benefits are:
• Outdoor Resort Rentals through Hopaway Holiday: To enhance the rental inventory already available through Coast to Coast, Hopaway Holidays has expanded our rental collection by adding new rentals at parks and resorts across North America. We have focused on adding high quality parks and resorts in prime locations with choice resort rentals. Rental inventory will include cabins, cottages, park models, and even yurts. All Hopaway Holiday rentals are on a weekly basis, and a booking fee may be charged at time of booking.
MARCUS LEMONIS Chairman and CEO
BRUCE HOSTER President Coast to Coast Resorts bhoster@goodsam.com
Camping World & Good Sam marcusvip@goodsamfamily.com
4 COAST TO COAST FALL 2016
MEMBER matters
WASHINGTON Cascade Peaks, Randle (page 181); email: cascadepeaks@lewiscounty.com COAST CLASSIC UPDATES OHIO Leisure Lake, Diamond , (page 146); Reservation phone: 330-953-9314
GOOD NEIGHBOR PARKS GOOD NEIGHBOR NEW CALIFORNIA
RESORT UPDATES ADDITIONS AND CHANGES TO THE 2016 DIRECTORY The 2016 Coast to Coast Resort Directory is packed with everything you need to navigate the network of Coast to Coast Resorts and Coast Good Neighbor Parks. To keep members up-to-date, each issue of Coast magazine includes any updates that have occurred since the last issue. In the new year, look for your new 2017 Coast to Coast Annual Resort Directory. It’s jam packed with all you need to know about Coast to Coast resorts and important information to help you navigate your Coast to Coast membership. Kalamazoo Resort - Outdoor Adventures, Kalamazoo (page 127); formerly Spring Lake Resort - American Campgrounds; phone: 989-671-112 email: info@outdooradventuresinc.com, URL: outdooradventuresinc.com NEW YORK Bass Lake Resort - Travel Resorts of America, Parish (page 142); phone: 315-728-9437 COAST DELUXE UPDATES KANSAS Linn Valley Lakes, Linn Valley (page 122); URL: linnvalleylakes.com, email: office@linnvalleylakes.com MICHIGAN Timberlake Resort & RV Club, Mears (page 128); URL: timeberlakervresort.com VIRGINIA North Fork Resort, Front Royal (page 168); email: reservations@nfra.com Wilderness/Presidential Resorts, Spotsylvania (page 171); phone: 540-972-7433, reservation phone: 540-972-7433, email: reservations@wpresort.com COAST TO COAST RESORTS COAST PREMIER UPDATES MICHIGAN
Wine Country RV Resort - Sun RV Resorts, 2500 Airport Rd, Paso Robles, 93446; resort phone: 805-238-4560, res- ervation phone: 248-234-6027, fax: 805-239-9912, URL: sunrvresorts.com. Wine Country RV is surrounded by award winning Paso Robles wineries and other local attractions. The amenity package includes an adult spa and gas fire pit, planned activities, and wine related events like tastings and winery tours. Directions: From Hwy 46 E: L on Airport Rd. From Hwy 46 W: R on Airport Rd. Latitude: 35.6481, Lon- gitude: -120.6408, check-in: 2 p.m.; check-out: noon, max RV length 45 feet. Amenities: Recreation hall, activity cen- ter, billiards, fitness center, hot tub, outdoor pavilion, ping pong, playgrounds, pool table, convenience store, outdoor pool. Open: year-round. GOOD NEIGHBOR UPDATES NEVADA Winnemucca RV Park, Winnemucca; URL: winnemuccarvpark.biz CANADA Enclosure Campground Resort Inc., Derby Junction; phone: 844-609-9660 ONTARIO Lakefield Campground, Lakefield; email: cindyloumac@outlook.com GOOD NEIGHBOR PARK TERMINATIONS TEXAS Alsatian RV Resort, Castroville Raintree RV Park, Rockport YOU’RE THE EXPERTS INSIDE INFORMATION FROM COAST TO COAST MEMBERS SHARE YOUR RV KNOW-HOW You’re the experts on RV travel, and we’d like to hear from you. Please email your tips and accompanying photos or sketches to editor@CoastResorts.com. Make sure to include your name, the name of your Coast to Coast home resort and your mailing address. If your tip is selected for publication, you’ll receive $25.
COAST TO COAST FALL 2016 5
MEMBER matters
RESORT TYPE Coast Deluxe LOCATION Spotsylvania, Virginia SEASON Year-Round WEBSITE wpresort.com
Wilderness Presidential Resort Feel like a rock star when you work out at the new Adventure Park
Retrace some of the history of the Civil War at four battlefields near Spotsylvania. There are guided walking tours of the battlefields and nearby museums and historic homes, but you don’t have to love history. Make your own while staying at the Wilderness/Presidential Resort in Spotsylvania, Virginia. This privately owned, family- oriented retreat rests on 600 acres of beautiful forests and waterways. In addition to spacious RV sites, RV rentals, and fully stocked cabins, guests enjoy fun weekly planned activities. Wilderness has new exciting things happening every day. If you like all things water, the resort has two outdoor pools and an indoor aquatics center. The outdoor pools include slides, diving board, water volleyball area, and a mushroom fountain. Paulson Pool, indoors, is a heated lap pool and is open year-round. Water aerobics classes are available. Take your body through its paces at the new Adventure Park. “It’s family fun for everyone,” says Eric Sylvester,
Director of Operations. “We added the Adventure Park last year to complement our other amenities.” Bring your fishing equipment and fish in two man-made lakes stocked with largemouth bass, catfish, bluegill, crappie, pickerel, and other sunfish. Jon boat rentals are available year-round. Paddle boat rentals are available from April through October. The gym has a full-size basketball court, ping pong tables, pool table, and an air-hockey table. Upstairs relax in the lounge that has a large screen TV, couches, tables, and chairs. There’s also a fitness center that has a variety of exercise equipment. Meet new friends and old friends at the 18-hole mini golf course and Frisbee golf course. Spotsylvania is located near Fredricksburg and contains more than 350 buildings and homes dating back to the 18th and 19th centuries. The historic district is the site of crucial Civil War battles.
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RESORT TYPE Coast Deluxe LOCATION Julian, California SEASON Year-Round WEBSITE coloradoriveradventures.com
KQ Ranch Resort A perfect resort for RV, equestrian, and nature enthusiasts
The access to the Pacific Crest and California riding and hiking trails make KQ Ranch Resort in Julian, California, the perfect home-away-from-home for so many types of RVers. Imagine, those of you who are equestrians, pulling into your full-hookup site that has an adjoining horse corral. Other sites, without corrals, are just as enticing. Accommodation has also beenmade for those traveling without an RV. Trailer cabins are fully equipped with bathrooms and kitchenettes. Once inside the gates, which provide 24-hour security, you’ll find many amenities. The spacious clubhouse hosts scheduled activities, movies, pancake breakfasts, steak dinners, and games. Outside, enjoy the amphitheater, complete with fire pit. Splash in the heated swimming pool or relax with a soothing soak in the oversized Jacuzzi. “It’s always fun taking someone to the resort for the first time,” says Randy Wright, Research and Development for CRA Resorts. “It’s only in the last 12miles where they see the mountain-type setting with large pine trees and big oaks.”
And don’t forget your fishing equipment because the “big one” awaits you in the lake. There’s also a miniature golf course ready for your family’s golfers big and small. Meet new and old friends at the horseshoe pits or at the volleyball, tennis, and basketball courts. Bring your children and/or your grandchildren and allow the Kids Club at KQ Ranch Resort keep them entertained. If you forget the salt, shop at the country store that also includes a variety of RV supplies. If you’ve never been to Julian, you’re in for a big surprise. The town offers great views of the Southern California countryside, within 40 miles of San Diego. Most Southern Californians know Julian for its apples, which were first planted in the 1870s. Save room for a variety of sumptuous deserts made from the local apples and sold in many of the Julian shops.
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TH splendid Explore one o
solation,
BIG BEND the last remaining wild corners of the United States
Story and Photos by EMILY AND MARK FAGAN
Big Bend Texas is as rugged and wild and free as the Lone Star State itself. Our recent RV trip there was an adventure that ranged from heart-pounding hikes in pine forest mountains to fun scrambles amid red rock hoodoos to quiet time spent along the lazy Rio Grande River, and it culminated in a brief sojourn to a small village in Mexico, which is a short walk over the border. Nestled along the southern border of Texas, Big Bend National Park is so large that it takes an hour to drive across it (the 45 mph speed limit is strictly enforced), and there are five visitor centers. The weather is as changeable as the terrain, and we found we could choose our daily activities to suit the conditions of the moment. The Chisos Mountains tower over the center of the park and offer cool respite from the heat of the desert floor surrounding them, but when the temperatures suddenly turned icy, we were glad to stay down in the lower and warmer elevations of the Rio Grande Valley. Hiking, biking, nature walks, and photography are wonderful activities to enjoy in Big Bend National Park. We hiked the beautiful five-mile round-trip Window Trail Hike from the heart of the Chisos Mountains to a wide doorway-like opening in the cliffs overlooking the valley. As we hiked downhill from the visitor center through scrub brush, the scruffy trees soon gave way to rock walls that slowly began to loom around us. The National Park Service has carved a series of stairways into the rock to make the hike down across the smooth stone flooring a little easier. Before long we found ourselves deep in the shadows of the sheer rocks with The Window beckoning us in the distance to come and savor the view. In contrast, another hike in the Chisos Mountains, the Lost Trail Hike, took us on an uphill climb to a vista that soared above the park and offered views of the craggy mountain tops and smooth rolling hills in the range. Birds singing in the trees and chipmunks at our feet encouraged us as we hiked up and up and up. Turning around now and then, we watched the view across the narrow valleys behind us grow ever larger. At the summit, we found boulders of all shapes and sizes and wonderfully gnarled trees that clung to the mountain with claw-like roots. We had started the Lost Trail Hike late in the day and needed to get back down before dark, but this would be a fabulous place to bring a picnic and enjoy lunch with a view. The rest of Big Bend National Park surrounds the Chisos Mountains with a vast desert plain, and the desert Grapevine Hills Hike took us through terrain that felt more like Utah or Arizona than the southern reaches of Texas. Trekking across the valley floor on a dusty trail, rock hoodoos began to appear on either side of us, and soon we were surrounded by odd rock formations that oozed personality and quirky charm. The hike ascended a steep hill, making constant, tight switchbacks, and the rock hoodoos accompanied us the entire way, closing ranks
Big Bend’s sunsets are breathtakingly colorful.
The Desert Valley hike to a balancing rock formation was worth the effort.
around us as we neared the top. Then, suddenly, we saw a huge balancing rock in front of us. Two massive stone pillars stood on either side of the trail and a third enormous boulder formed a lintel across the top. We scrambled around the many boulders that encircle this unusual formation and marveled at the powerful forces of nature that created such a fantastic rock configuration. The hike had been hot and dry to this point, but this peak was open to a chilly wind, and we were grateful for the light windbreakers we had brought in our packs. On another day, we drove the 43-mile-long Ross Maxwell Scenic Drive from the center of the park to the southwest corner. This took us on a winding tour past beautiful rocky hills and delivered us to the banks of the Rio Grande River. At this point in its journey between the U.S. and Mexico, the Rio Grande meanders at a slow pace. Families played in the mirror-like water on the shoreline. A few folks had laid out beach blankets and were soaking up the sunshine or relaxing with a book. We ventured up the Santa Elena Canyon Hiking Trail and soon found ourselves huffing and puffing once again on a very steep trail. Hikers coming down the path assured us that the views along the trail and especially at the end
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It’s not just RVers who enjoy the ever-changing scenery in Big Bend.
Hiking in the Chisos Mountains is difficult and these steps helped.
The Rio Grande River in Santa Elena Canyon is an opportunity to cool off.
Adobe ruins in the ghost town of Terlingua.
were well worth the effort to see, and in no time we were hiking along the ridges of the vertical canyon walls peering over the edge at the river far below. The trail finally began to descend and brought us to a cool, pretty grotto filled with huge gray boulders that marched out into the Rio Grande from the shore. Scrambling out onto some of these immense stepping stones, we had a stunning view of the river where it took a turn and disappeared between two towering cliff walls that glowed orange in the setting sun.
Big Bend offers far more than just rigorous hikes into raw, wild land, however. Just outside the far western edge of the park, the ghost town of Terlingua breathes life into the spirits of Mexican miners from a century ago. A cinnabar mining operation brought many miners from Mexico to this area, and their adobe homes still stand in various stages of decay. Wandering through these small, unique dwellings elicits images of a primitive life lived far from the luxuries of civilization.
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Cinnabar, a bright red and toxic ore of mercury that was once used as a pigment, was extracted from Big Bend until 1946. The Mexican laborers had a vibrant community whose most tangible evidence today is found in the town cemetery. Small Mexican shrines, simple wooden crosses and faded plastic flowers adorn the graves. It’s said that on November 1st each year, Mexico's Day of the Dead, the graveside festivities in this cemetery are quite a sight. Outside the cemetery, many of the ruined adobe buildings have been used as foundations for modern structures. The town of Terlingua is largelymade up of adobe buildings that have fantastic modern wings and second stories built onto them. Along with the unusual architecture that is based in these ruins, there is a funky flare to this remote little outpost. La Posada Milagro is a small Mexican rooming house and restaurant with a wonderful deck and fabulous Mexican food. It’s a gathering place where the locals come for coffee each morning, and backpacking and cycling tourists of all kinds enjoy a stopover of a night or two. Around town, artists with a flair for whimsy have erected metal sculptures of bugs and motorcycles, and one resident has remodeled his home to resemble a three-masted ship bearing the name "Passing Wind." At the opposite end of Big Bend National Park, on the far eastern side, the Rio Grande Village RV Park is nearly adjacent to a U.S./Mexico border crossing that takes visitors into another culture and another world south—or technically east—of the border. With passports in hand, we nodded to the U.S. border patrol agent as we slipped through the very modern building at the border and emerged on a dirt trail on the other side. Following the trail downhill a short distance, we soon caught sight of the Rio Grande to our left. The Rio Grande River is known to Mexicans as the Rio Bravo, and when we walked down to its banks we could see a few men standing on a bluff on the other side. We noticed a man shoving a row boat off of the opposite shore, and in no time he was landing his boat right next to us. He motioned for us to get in, and we realized that this was the ferry that takes visitors from one side of the river—and border—to the other. We hopped in, and as we snapped photos of our unique transportation and courier, the rich, deep sounds of a man singing Mexican folk songs from up on the bluff echoed off the Sierra del Carmen mountains. What a classic and warm Mexican welcome! Our ferry operator took us to a folding table where we paid $5 for our round-trip boat ride and were given a Mexican guide to take us to town. We were offered the use of a burro, and although that looked like fun, we opted instead to walk to the village alongside our guide, Fermín, and converse with him in Spanish as best we could. He oversaw our customs and immigration procedures in a small trailer in town where a friendly Mexican customs official in uniform reviewed our passports. Then we were released into the sleepy village to wander at will.
Boats like this ferry visitors across the Rio Grande between the U.S. and Mexico.
Our guide stayed in the background as we strolled down the dusty streets, and we watched wide eyed as two men on horseback rode into town, stirring up the dust around them, as if arriving right out of a movie. We chatted with a little girl and boy who ran barefoot in the street and talked briefly with an 85-year-old man in a wheel chair who played us a few tunes on his guitar in exchange for a tip in his hat on the ground. After taking us past the health care center and the pretty village church and showing us the solar power system that brings electricity to this remote Mexican settlement, Fermín brought us back into the heart of town. We stopped in a small gift shop and then took a table on the deck of the José Falcón Restaurant, a cute little bistro that was an ideal spot for a delicious Mexican lunch with Coronas while looking out across the Rio Grande. Boquillas del Carmen has been a popular destination for visitors to Big Bend National Park for eons, but the once casual border crossing was closed after 9/11 and reopened only in the last few years. The locals depend on the small income they derive from tourists who cross the border to visit their town for a day, and the owner of José Falcón spoke warmly of the packed house his restaurant had enjoyed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
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Wooden crosses dot this cemetery in the village of Terlingua.
Horseback riders are a common site in Boquillas del Carmen.
An unexpected ice storm covered desert plants in Big Bend.
For splendid isolation and awesome scenery, RV into the Big Bend.
We returned to the customs and immigration trailer to complete our exit procedures with the uniformed Mexican official, tipped Fermín for his time spent guiding us around town, and then walked back to Big Bend National Park. What a lovely day we'd had abroad in Mexico! Big Bend is a lively area that has a wide variety of activities and adventures, and our RV trip to the southernmost part of the Lone Star State was richly rewarding. If you have a
chance to take your RV far off the beaten path to southern Texas, Big Bend is a fabulous destination for a road trip!
FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit nps.gov/bibe/index.htm
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Sunset over Folly Beach. Photo by L. Michael Whited
Overview of the historic district with Ravenel Bridge in the distance.
A pier on Charleston’s waterfront.
PAT CONROY’S CHARLESTON Exploring The Author’s Childhood South Carolina City By Dee Litten Whited
If you’re lucky, you may discover one of Charleston’s secret gardens.
Mules pull carriages packed with visitors throughout the city. Photo by L. Michael Whited
An aerial view of Fort Sumpter. Photo by Charleston Area CVB
"As a boy, in my own backyard I could catch a basket of blue crabs, a string of flounder, a dozen redfish, or a net full of white shrimp,” wrote the late Pat Conroy in a prologue to his Charleston-based book South of Broad. “All this I could do in a city enchanting enough to charm cobras out of baskets, one so corniced and filigreed and elaborate that it leaves strangers awed and natives self-satisfied. In its shadows you can find metalwork as delicate as lace and spiral staircases as elaborate as yachts. In the secrecy of its gardens you can discover jasmine and camellias and hundreds of other plants that look embroidered and stolen from the Garden of Eden for the sheer love of richness and the joy of stealing from the gods."
Conroy’s musical words created images of Charleston that beckoned me to visit its historic streets, peer into centuries-old mansions, and feast on bounty from the nearby sea. For years I’d been reading Conroy’s books, which poetically detail living in South Carolina’s low country. These include The Boo (his first published book), The Prince of Tides, Beach Music, The Water is Wide: A Memoir, and South of Broad. The tantalizing descriptions transported me to the region—well, almost. Being there was going to be a geographic feat because I’d devoured his books in a variety of locales far removed from South Carolina. Fortunately for me, the Internet changed all that. In August 2014, I reconnected with a classmate from college. Michael and I were on the college tumbling team and performed a doubles balancing act. There were some sparks but no real fire. Fifty years later—he in South Carolina and I in Phoenix—began corresponding … we married in Gaffney, South Carolina, on January 7, 2015. Within a month, we headed south to Charleston. I’m not sure what South of Broad was like when Conroy was a child, but today it’s considered one of Charleston’s most storied neighborhoods. The South of Broad walking tour begins on Charleston’s southeastern tip, at the intersection of East Battery Street and Murray. From this panoramic vantage point, overlooking historic Charleston Harbor on one side and beautiful gardens and rows of palatial antebellum mansions on the other, moving in any direction may take some will power. It was from this spot that cannons roared with the opening salvos of the Civil War and where great fleets of war ships and merchant vessels have passed for centuries. This elevated waterfront walking promenade, surrounded by great oaks, brilliant azaleas, and dazzling oleanders is one of Charleston’s favorite observation points. Onlookers can see the barrier islands that ring the city, as well as historic fortifications at Fort Sumter and Castle Pinckney that rise from sandbars and islets in the harbor. This same view undoubtedly inspired Conroy to write some of his most beautiful prose. So here we were and had much to explore. One of our must visits was to the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition, SEWE, held at Charleston Place, because my hubby is a very talentedwatercolorist and had oftenmade a pilgrimage to this three-day showcase of everything about wildlife and nature. Through an incredible lineup of events—from fine art exhibits, conservation education, and sporting demonstrations—SEWE helps visitors explore their “wild” side and pay tribute to their naturally beautiful world. In addition to oohing and aahing about the wide variety of paintings and sculptures, a few blocks away in Marion Square, we were treated to thrilling fly-bys of captive raptors. Cameras poised, we both tried to capture each one in flight—a feat in itself.
Charleston Place is the venue for many events, including the annual Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.
Charleston City Market is the place to find souvenirs of your visit.
The Charleston Battery is a fortified seawall at the tip of the Charleston peninsula and lined with historic antebellum homes. Photo by Doug Hickok
Even if you’re not a wildlife artist, the flora and fauna around Charleston is bountiful—especially the feathered kind. Mild winters and a large variety of habitats, (beaches, barrier islands, tidal creeks, saltwater marsh, swamps, pine forests, hardwood bottoms, and freshwater lakes and ponds) make the Charleston area a premier birding destination any time of the year. According to Wikipedia, approximately 427 bird species are found in South Carolina—all but a few can be found in the low country.
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This tree-lined driveway leads to Boone Hall Plantation and Gardens, just one of many plantations in the city. Photo by L. Michael Whited
Broad Street, the venue for many of Conroy’s memories.
A must-have souvenir—locally made sweetgrass baskets.
In April of 1861, Confederate soldiers fired on the Union-occupied Fort Sumter in Charleston Harbor, thus signaling the beginning of the Civil War. Charleston was slow to recover from the devastation of the war. However, its pace of recovery became the foundation of the city’s greatest asset—its vast inventory of historically significant architecture. Short on capital after the war, Charleston was forced to repair its existing damaged buildings instead of replacing them.
To find prime birding areas, check CharlestonAudubon.org.
To really understand Charleston, learn a little about its history. Founded in 1670 by English colonists, Charleston grew from a colonial seaport to a wealthy city by the mid- eighteenth century. This was due in part to the cultivation of rice, cotton, and indigo thanks to savvy plantation owners and hard-working slaves.
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lovely afternoon strolling alongside the coast on a bright February day, sharing the walk with dozens of shore birds, and enjoying the antics of squadrons of pelicans. Pick one or visit all five beach towns: Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, Folly Beach, Kiawah Island, and Seabrook Island. It’s easy to work up an appetite in this Southern city and it’s even easier to have your hunger sated. One evening we dined at Hyman’s Seafood. The restaurant, used to long lines, provides benches out front and those waiting are often treated to freshly made hush puppies. The wait was worth it and I especially enjoyed “building my own platter.” You don’t have to like seafood to enjoy the menu because there are many vegetarian a la carte offerings. There’s a reason the family has been serving customers since 1890. Since it was a honeymoon of sorts, we didn’t bring any of our children or grandchildren, but we did note that Charleston is tailor made for little ones. Depending on age and interest there are many great choices that range from making a big splash in a water park, to interacting with the exhibits at one of the city’s finest museums, to having fun in one of the area’s parks. Get wet at Charleston’s Splash Zone or Splash Island Waterpark. Go back in time with a trip to Middleton Place, an 18-century plantation that boasts one of the country’s oldest formal gardens. Whet your children’s appetites for all things art at Gibbes Museum of Art—an adventure for the whole family. There are special art presentations and classes and art that dates back to the 16th century. In an altogether different type of museum, visit the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry. A highlight is an interactive exhibit that features shrimping, which is an unquestionably favorite dish in the lowcountry. Seek adventure on Capers Island and hike its recreation trail. Hike amid live oak, magnolia, cedar, and palmetto trees. You’re may also encounter raccoons, snakes, and even alligators. Or if you prefer being up close to wildlife that’s behind glass, tour the South Carolina Aquarium. Young visitors will feel right at home in Toddler Cove while the older kids and mom and dad will love the 4-D theater experience. If you’re visiting in October, plan to attend the annual Children’s Day Festival at a local park. Enjoy carnival rides, enormous inflatable slides, live entertainment, wall climbing, face painting, and many other activities, and it’s free. Too soon our “honeymoon” came to an end, but memories linger on. There’s no doubt we’ll fall under Charleston’s charm again and again in the future.
The most photographed fountain in Charleston is the Pineapple Fountain.
The plantation economy depended heavily upon slaves as a source of labor and the busy seaport accommodated many slave ships. In 1859, the Slave Mart on Chalmers Street— today on one of the few remaining cobblestone streets— began public auctions of slaves. The City of Charleston and the South Carolina African AmericanHeritage Commission restored the Old Slave Mart in the late 1990s. The museum now interprets the history of the city's slave trade. To get up close to Charleston’s past, invest in one of the many organized tours: minibus, walking, ghost cruise, private driving tour, harbor history tour, and horse-drawn carriage tour. Through these tours you’ll see more than 300 years of history, including antebellummansions, churches, and gardens. Charleston is rich in celebrated buildings. Some notables not to be missed include the Old Exchange building, one of the most historic buildings in America, which was finished in 1771 and was the last building constructed by the British before the Revolutionary War. Visit Rainbow Row, the longest contiguous row of pre-revolutionary buildings left in America. Save your allowance for a stopover at Charleston City Market, one of the nation’s oldest public markets. I doubt you can resist purchasing a handcrafted sweetgrass basket—one of the oldest handcrafts of African origin in the United States. Of course, you’ll discover other tantalizing treasures that will surely find a place in your suitcase. If you miss a chance to purchase a sweetgrass basket at the market, don’t worry, you’ll have an opportunity at the many vendors alongside the roads in and out of the city. Because Charleston has been dubbed “The Holy City” due to the many church steeples that grace its skyline, you’ll delight in the beauty of these buildings. Some allow you to peruse their grounds, which may also hold historic cemeteries—always with lush plantings and flowering shrubs, such as the native rhododendron. The city is more than just one of the country’s most beloved cities, it is home to five beautifully distinct beach towns, which are an open invitation to slow down, sit back, and savor a life that’s just a little bit sweeter. We spent a
FOR MORE INFORMATION Visit charlestoncvb.com
18 COAST TO COAST FALL 2016
Story by Neala McCarten
Gateway to the Blues Museum. Photo by Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau
FOLLOWTHE BLUES TRAIL Museums bringmusic andmusicians of theMississippi Delta to life
Next, head about an hour south to the Delta Blues Museum in Clarksdale. While you’re there, stop in for real Blues at Ground Zero (co-owned by Morgan Freeman). Finally, go one hour further south to the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center in King’s hometown of Indianola. Tunica The Gateway to the Blues Museum opened in 2015. It has become a must-stop for anyone interested in this uniquely American music, providing a thoughtful introduction to the music and the men and women who sang it. It isn’t large, only 3,500 square feet, but it is visually exciting and packed with information, memorabilia, and with music. Don’t miss the videos from local historian Willy Beardon and blues singer/musicians Preston Shannon and Eden Brent who explain, play, and sing the Blues at the interactive kiosks. Visitors come away with a deeper understanding of the problems faced by the early musicians, including the Chitlin’ Circuit, the clubs throughout the south where black performers could entertain. You’ll also learn why W. C. Handy is considered the Father of the Blues. He wasn’t the first to play it, but he certainly nurtured it. Don’t miss their extensive guitar collection, or the chance to compose your own blues.
The Blues was born in the rich soil of the Mississippi Delta, growing like the crops tended by field hands. The music reflected their lives, their hopes, and their sorrows, but it was also transformed by the men and women it inspired. The Blues became the mother of folk and of rock and roll. Or, as Muddy Waters sang it, "The Blues had a baby and they named him Rock 'N' Roll." In 2006 Mississippi created the Blues Trail, a series of markers placed at historic Blues-related sites throughout the state. Their website, msbluestrail.org/, lists the markers and includes downloadable maps and apps. The markers are fascinating, but there are three Mississippi museums that focus on the sorrowful music and its Bluesmen and Blueswomen. You can’t know the Delta and the Blues without visiting these state-of-the-music museums. Start with the Gateway to the Blues Museum, located in an 1895 train depot in Tunica at the northern end of Mississippi on the road known as the Blues Highway, Route 61. It was the major route out of Mississippi and the one used by the music and the people as they migrated north. As with many roads, there’s a new version of Highway 61, but the original still exists in bits and pieces as Old Highway 61.
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B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center. Photo by Mississippi Delta Tourism Association
Clarksdale With blues clubs, blues festivals, and music history, Clarksdale is the heart and home of the Blues. The town's former Illinois Central train depot has been transformed into the Delta Blues Museum. Many of the exhibits rotate, but the new wing with their Muddy Waters exhibit draws visitors who want to pay their respects to the great Bluesman. Born McKinley Morganfield, Waters spent several years as a sharecropper on the Stovall Plantation outside of Clarksdale. Part of that cabin was relocated to be the centerpiece of the new wing of the Delta Blues Museum, the result in part of the efforts of the rock group ZZ Top. The other highlight is their collection of guitars. Of course, there is one of the stream of Lucilles played by B.B. King, but there are also the guitars of other Blues greats in the museum. Their rich program of exhibits, particularly photography and memorabilia, make return visits even more likely. Indianola and BB King Born in Berclair, Mississippi, but raised in Indianola, B.B. King is one of the best known and perhaps one of best loved Blues musicians in the history of that music form. The B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center is dedicated to telling the story of the man who went from picking cotton to picking guitar strings and changing and challenging the world of music in the process. His life unfolds through photographs, videos, and exhibits. Don’t miss the theater with the videos describing the reality of life on the road and the obstacles King faced as a black musician in the highly
View the kiosks with information about a variety of blues musicians at the Gateway to the Blues Museum. Photo by Tunica Convention and Visitors Bureau
Learn more about the various instruments played by other Blues greats in the Delta Blues Museum. Photo by Mississippi Delta Tourism Association
segregated south. There’s fun as well. A plaque explains why King named all his guitars Lucille (yes, there was a real Lucille, but the naming of the guitar is a cautionary tale not a tribute). From the challenges he surmounted to the acclaim he received, the museum tells his story, and it will enthrall you.
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RV REVIEW
By Howard J. Elmer
Travel Lite 840RS Designed for a rough-country getaway or the desire to go where others don’t
Truck campers have been around for over a hundred years. Photos of units that date to pre-World War I can be found easily on the Internet. These are often homemade, but some did come out of factories. Look for photos of Henry Ford and Thomas Edison on camping trips with Model T's rigged up with custom campers. These very early RVs were the products of those men with inventive minds who immediately grasped the potential of a ready-made rolling platform to build on. Today the product is very different, but the purpose and point are the same. Mobility and comfort are the hallmarks of the truck camper—in fact for “certain” camping situations there really is no substitute. Travel Lite of Indiana builds campers that fit just about every version of pickups offered by truck companies today. Long box, short box, HD pickups right down to the new mid- size offerings. If you have a truck, they probably have the appropriate camper for it. In my case I have been testing the new Titan XD pickup
from Nissan. This is a full-size crew cab pickup with a 6.5- foot bed. This is the all-new truck with the 5L Cummins diesel in it. Having already towed a variety of things with it I figured dropping something on its back was the next step. That’s where the Travel Lite came in. With a dry weight of 1,965 pounds it really didn’t stress the truck that much. The frame is more than beefy enough and the engine puts out 310 hp; but the number that is eye-brow raising is the 555 lb-ft of torque that comes on at a low 1,600 rpm. So, much like a hermit crab and its shell, I doubt the truck even felt the camper on its back. While having the camper on the truck is the “point” of this RV—it has to be explained that this arrangement accommodates two very different, yet important aspects of the RV experience. The first is the rough-country getaway. Hunting, fishing, exploring, motorized recreation—or just the desire to go where others don’t—falls into the prime uses of the truck camper.
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Across from the shower is the built-in 5-cubic-foot refrigerator, you can reach it from the galley in one step. The kitchen itself is relatively large with some counterspace (however, turn around and the dinette table can also be used for food prep) set between the decent sized sink and the twin built-in cooktop burners. There is also a range hood with exhaust and a small microwave above. Cabinets in the kitchen and throughout are hard-wood faced and ample. In fact there are storage spaces crammed into every possible nook of the camper. The dinette table is ideal for two and it’s removable to free up floor space. The dinette seating is also the couch which is also a foldout lay-flat bed space. In a pinch you could sleep four in this unit—but in this space I’d be kicking them out early. Up front the model I tested had an extra long overhang for the bed space. Taking advantage of the fact that half of all new trucks are crew-cabs Trail-Lite offers longer bed space in a stretched frame. This space makes for a large airy queen bed with even enough room for storage lockers on either side. Side windows open and will provide a cross-breeze. Right above is a crank-up roof vent. There are also individual reading lights and easy access. So while breezy, I suspect that sometimes it will be just too hot in that bunk. In that case (as in my tester) a roof- mounted AC unit will tame that beast. Of course heating and cooling is only as good as the insulation in a unit. Travel Lite uses 2x2 wall construction with R7 insulation in the walls and an insulated double plywood floor. Outside the camper uses a combination of moulded gel coat over fibreglass, metal siding, and aluminum rails and edges. Access panels for plug-ins, water inlets (and an outside shower port) and electrical hookups (30 amps) are all lockable, labeled, and easily reached. In fact the grey and black water drains are also handy right at the rear of the unit. I noted that overall it was pretty easy to load and unload the unit. I removed the tailgate from the truck (one plug-in and two safety snaps) and backed under the unit. The camper sits on four support legs. Some units may have powered legs, but mine had manual jacks. The alternative to cranking these up and down by hand is a cordless powerdrill. The techs at McPhails showed me that with the proper attachment in the drill we could load and unload in less than five minutes. The truck was great, the camper looked and felt good too. This was one of those tests where the sun was shining and I wished I didn’t have to go back to dealer—maybe next time I’ll just keep driving for a while.
Driving up mountain trails, or abandoned logging and mining roads, may not be everyone’s cup of tea; however, if you attempted it while towing a trailer—well that probably wouldn’t end well. This is where the truck camper has the advantage. It does not increase the length of the combination; it’s not low to the ground; and riding up on a four-wheel drive truck lets the truck cover virtually the same ground it would if it were empty. Also, with the weight of the camper over the drive wheels (rather than behind it) traction actually increases. The other advantage is that having the RV onboard the truck leaves the hitch free—so it can still tow a trailer. In fact that’s why truck campers are quite popular with horse owners who always trailer to events. However, boats, race trailers— whatever you’d normally tow—is still available to you with an extended hitch receiver. And back to the torque—this truck is rated to tow 12,000 pounds—so while the “sky is not the limit” it’s certainly up there. While I was sitting inside the Trail-Lite I imagined myself coming in from a long day in the bush—happy, but tired and dirty. Looking around I see that every inch of the available space in here is about caring for my weary body. First the full wet bath. With a hard door, it’s a proper toilet, and with a lowered floor pan is also the shower. Full bath means fully covered in plastic panels, so everything can get wet.
TRAVEL LITE 840RS
GREY WATER: 8 gallons BLACK WATER: 5 gallons LPG: 20 pounds FURNACE: 18,000 Btu
DRY WEIGHT: 1,965 pounds FLOOR LENGTH: 8 feet 4 inches FLOOR WIDTH: 47 inches
EXT. WIDTH: 92 inches FRESHWATER: 25 gallons
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