Day 128 - Orangeburg, SC

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Last night was a cold one......Mick had warned me it was coming. Not sure how cold, but my tent had a good covering of frost this morning. I slept well last night, but whenever I woke up, noticed it was cold inside the tent. Does the frost make the tent colder, or not have any effect? If I camp under a tree, that usually prevents frost from getting on the tent. As I was loading the cart, I started moving the Styrofoam cooler around and noticed it was frozen to the floor of the cart. So I gave a mighty pull, and the cooler came loose but part of the bottom was still stuck on the floor! I should have known better, but the cooler was only $3, so I'll get another one today. By 715 I was on the road to Orangeburg.

Within a mile I passed a sign for Phillips Plantation. I looked it up on the web, but not sure if what I found had any connection to the sign. I came to the small town of Neeses, and stopped at a Piggley-Wiggley grocery store for breakfast. The store has a restaurant, which seems to be a good idea......you'd never run out of supplies. I asked the manager if I could charge the computer for a while, and he was ok with that. I also bought a SC map (large print!), because I am getting frustrated with Google's directions. I studied the map while eating, and noticed several routes I can take to Myrtle Beach. So, tomorrow, when I reach Santee, I'm going to make some decisions about the remaining route. Someone asked if I would be coming through Charlotte......no, gonna stay south as long as possible and then walk up the coast.

Just before getting to the restaurant, I crossed over Hwy 321, a road with which I am very familiar....as least the sections that pass in and around Gastonia. I also noticed an increase in truck traffic on Hwy 4, which might have been because of 321. Hwy 4 still has no shoulders, but traffic remains light except for the trucks......and I just get out of their way as needed. Since about Springfield, I've also noticed there is less "rolling" in the road. Am I leaving this behind for flat country? I passed through a small community named Pine Hill......nothing there that I saw, except a Methodist church.. I noticed it because Kevin Cooley is a Methodist minister, and told me if I needed help, he knew some people in the area. I saw a live owl sitting near the road. At first it looked like a small pine tree stump. After moving closer, I could see those two big eyes. When I was within about 20 steps or so, it started to fly away.....right into the path of an oncoming car. Fortunately, it circled and flew into a tree near the road. Owl sightings are rare, so that was nice to see.

Kevin Cooley told me about a bar-b-que place in Orangeburg, so I'd decided that would be my next stop. He didn't tell me the name, but if it's good, the locals would know. About 6-8 miles outside Orangeburg, I noticed a crew working on the ditches beside the road and asked them about the place. "Oh, that must be Duke's", was the reply. We talked a while about my walk and their work, and I moved on.......don't won't to interfere with working men. I walked several more miles, and stopped at a convenience store to ask about a route through Orangeburg. A SC DOT guy told me to just stay on Hwy 4 until it came to the end, turn left on Hwy 301, and that would take me to Santee. I asked him about the bar-b-que place......."that's Duke's, and it's about a block off 301" was the reply. So I headed on, almost starting to smell the pork cooking!

Hwy 4 ended, I turned left, and soon came to a Dodge convenience store. I needed a new cooler, so bought one there. I asked about Duke's, and the woman said to keep going until I crossed 2 railroad tracks, and it would be on the left. One nice thing about walking through Orangeburg on this road......good sidewalks the whole way. I kept walking (Duke's isn't making it easy), and crossed one railroad track. So I decided to stop and ask one more time....how much farther to Duke's. By now I'm sure I can smell it cooking. I stopped at a gas place, and asked the woman at the counter how much farther? "It's just up the road about a mile or so, BUT it's only open Thursday through the weekend." I was almost out of town and had already passed most other eating places, so asked her if there was anything else nearby. I'd been walking almost 5 hours without stopping, so needed a place to sit down a while. She told me one of the best places in town is right next door, and I could sit and eat there.

I walked next door to the Original House of Pizza. I ordered a small pizza and salad, and it was good. The booth where I sat also had an electrical outlet, so I did some computer stuff and charged the battery more. Several of the people who worked there saw the cart outside, and stopped by the table to ask about my walk. When I walked to the cashier to pay, noticed they sold ice cream and ordered a scoop of peach. I couple of the guy working there asked if they could take a picture, so we walked outside for that. I soon was on the way toward Santee, but did stop by Duke's to get a picture. Maybe next time I'm in the area.......?

Around 5 or so, I spotted a large yard (with no house), and decided it would make a good camp site. So I found a good spot behind a magnolia tree, and soon had the tent set up, and the gear inside. I received a call from a reporter at the local newspaper......he wants to come out tomorrow morning for an interview, and do an article in the paper. It's not as cold tonight, so maybe no frost. It's been a good day for walking.

About the pictures:
Kyle and Stephen from the Original House of Pizza;
Duke's Bar-B-Que;
My tent from the back (someone asked me to take a picture of it).