Wednesday

On Wednesday, we wake up early with the goal to be out of Savannah by 8. The hotel we are staying in is incredibly historic with nice updated rooms and a decent continental breakfast. The hotel was built int 1881, though there was a smaller inn on the same spot since 1850. The current hotel retains its charm, is centrally located to the City Market area, and adjacent to the historic and riverfront districts. We loved it.

On this particular day, as it was the night before, it is still raining. We head out of Savannah about 8.20am, which is close enough. We were originally planning on staying somewhere in North Carolina or Virginia but decided to push through to Washington DC in one day. The reason being that we are staying with Staci's uncle's brother who is leaving the country on Thursday. He offered his place in his absence, which we are taking advantage of, but Staci wanted to see him so we hit the road for a long day of driving.

Almost immediately we are in South Carolina. And almost as immediate we hit major road construction, the type were you exit the freeway drive several miles to another parallel road and follow the detour signs for 10 miles through lots of back country S. Carolina. Staci was amazed at the number of small country churches we pass until I remind her that we are in the "bible belt". The country we detour through, mostly small communities and farms, is much more scenic that the freeway we had been on, though we travel at a slower pace.

Eventually we make it back to the freeway and into North Carolina and repeat the detour process here. This time the detour is closer to 30 miles of back country roads. There aren't as many communities to drive though this time so we keep the speed up. We see the same amount of tiny hundred year old churches, but this time the farm houses look as old as the churches, some even look abandoned. Staci suggests we buy one and fix it. I'm not sure the middle of no where North Carolina is where we need to be right now.

After getting back on the freeway we pass quickly though Virginia and into DC. We see many of the taller monuments through the rain and clouds. It whets my appetite for tomorrow's explorations. We make it to Peter's house in time for a later dinner. All told we've been on the road for 11 hours. Peter cooks us a delicious salmon, lets us rest momentarily then we hop in his car for a quick tour of the city at night. All the bright lights and tall buildings contrast with Savannah's much smaller downtown. Peter is a great tour guide having been in the city for 15 years. We go to bed exhausted though not as tired as we'll be tomorrow night.