Day 61 - Cape Fear Ain't So Scary

Author - Grant
From – Wilmington (In the Cape Fear district of North Carolina)
To – Charleston (South Carolina)
Via – Myrtle Beach (SC)
Miles Driven - 172

Today’s Photos - http://www.flickr.com/photos/32017704@N03/sets/72157612176244582/

There’s a lot to get through today so stick the kettle on, take the phone off the hook and get comfy as this could take some time. I guess this extra energy is a result of the “new us” that Kate referred to in yesterday’s blog - don’t worry, it won’t last longer than a week when we’ll be back to waking up hungover at midday and doing nothing more than driving each day.

Not today though – today we did lots. For a start we walked “The Loop” in Wilmington (actually it was Wrightsville Beach which is one of the little peninsulas) and spent the majority of it drooling at the waterfront houses with their huge shiny boats moored out back, trying to work out if we can afford one. In summary, we can’t. A good indication of the affluence of this area (and how over paid real estate brokers are) was the parking lot of the local realty office which was paved with oyster shells rather pebbles. We didn’t go in but I’m assuming the ceiling was by Michelangelo and that the toilet paper was pure gold leaf. It’s a shame that Wilmington’s downtown wasn’t quite as nice or lively but, then again, it was a Sunday morning and we haven’t seen one of those for a while.

Time to hit the road south in search of South Carolina’s biggest metropolis and birthplace of funny dancing, Charleston. We have got to the stage where it is now implied that I will drive whenever we get in the car because I am a horrific combination of being a control freak and the world’s worst passenger. Still, we’ve covered a lot of ground over the past few days and, quite frankly, I was getting a bit bored of it (and Kate is getting pissed off with me texting whilst driving) so, after we had stopped for a not-so-healthy lunch of burgers at a local joint, I cautiously relinquished control. I enjoyed the passenger seat for the next couple of hours and, once the rules had been laid down (I was not aloud to make a single comment about driving style and had to help with directions with the same opinion-free coldness as the Tom Tom) I think it went well. Mother nature, however, wasn’t quite so happy as she unleashed all hell on us with a downpour that severely hampered visibility even with the wipers on overdrive. That should be enough to help me regain the captain’s seat on the next big drive…fingers crossed.

Tomorrow we’re going to explore Charleston’s downtown properly but, on first inspection, it is extraordinary. In fact, the circumstances of our first viewing of the city are so idyllic, you may struggle to keep your breakfast down. As part of the “new us”, and to negate the effects of the burgers for lunch, we went for a jog along the boardwalk. I’m no poet but put together a setting sun through the late afternoon haze in the deep south with dolphins sporadically appearing in the bay and you’ve got yourself the backdrop for one of the most pleasant runs I’ve ever endured. It was so nice, I might do it again sometime.

Now what comes after a run? Reward. Usually an edible one. Ideally battered and deep fried. Luckily we’re in the deep south where a glass of water comes battered and deep fried and Mac & Cheese is considered a salad item. A bit of research unveiled that Jestine’s Kitchen was the place to be. In summary, the green beans are poor and absolutely everything else is incredible. Seriously incredible. We nailed crispy Fried Green Tomatoes with a tangy pepper relish before diving headfirst into our huge mains. Kate went for the classic Fried Chicken (think southern fried chicken but as we’re in the south they don’t bother pointing out the obvious – much as Greek food is known simply as food in Zakynthos) with mashed potatoes and green beans whilst I opted for the Pecan Whiting (the batter was subtly pecan based) with sides of fried okra and Mac & Cheese. The chicken was juicy, the whiting was flaky, the okra was sublime and the batter on all of them was crisp down to the last bite. I’m not sure if it’s the done thing but I discarded my cutlery in favour of fingers within a few bites and unashamedly ate my own dinner and most of Kate’s. The place is equally famous for its desserts so Kate demolished a Peach & Blueberry Cobbler whilst I devoured a Coconut Cream Pie. They were both extraordinary. We caught the restaurant on the last day before it closes for a week which is lucky as I would seriously struggle to try anywhere else in town knowing that this place was open. The irony of all this is that the founder and namesake of this restaurant lived to the ripe old age of 112. I’m assuming she didn’t practice what she preached.

In addition to exploring downtown Charleston, tomorrow is a fixing day. Bridget needs an oil change and Molly has a recurring limp which we’re going to get checked out. We’ve bathed her tonight so we don’t have to be ashamed that she stinks as well as being ashamed that we took so long to get her leg seen to. If we ever have kids, we’ll do the decent thing and stick them on e-Bay.