The guys sneaked in another round of golf this morning so Cindy and I had a somewhat leisurely morning – until it was time to pack up and load the car. We managed in record time and was early meeting the guys for lunch at Your Pie (pizza, salad and pasta). Food was really good, company was better. All too soon it was time to go our separate ways but what a fun weekend we had together!! Gonna miss these two but we’ll be together again in about ten days in Gatlinburg!

Bob and I had wanted to go by the Congaree National Forest on the way down to Charleston last week but it was closed due to flooding. Now, though, it was open. So we decided to stop and see it on the way home instead. Which meant we only had a little over 2 hour drive after lunch. Or so we thought. Traffic was a nightmare on I95. It was the kind of traffic where you’re at a dead stop, then start moving (and some places even going 70) for a mile or so then stop again. And this went on for miles. Our 2 hour drive became over a 3 hour drive. It was painful. Eventually we made it to the hotel and plopped for the night.

Monday – We grabbed breakfast (and a sandwich for lunch) at the local Panera and were at the Congaree by 10am. They have a boardwalk path that’s about 2.5 miles long that gave us a glimpse into the 26,000 acres of this contiguous forest. Like that word? Me too. Makes me sound smart. We watched a short video on the history of the forest (only named a national forest in 2003) that was very interesting. While we wouldn’t schedule a vacation around this one, we’d come back and do another hike or canoe ride if we came by the area as a pit stop on the way to somewhere else.

Hopefully the rest of the drive home is uneventful. (Crossed fingers) It wasn’t but we did eventually make it home. Until next time …

Happy traveling!!