Memorial Day Weekend

We been back in our home state of South Carolina for a few days but are still 300 miles from Myrtle Beach. We are sitting out the holiday weekend at Carolina Landing Campground in the region they call the upstate. We decided not to be home this year for Memorial Day because of Black Bike week.

We live between two heavily used traffic routes and the Black Bike event is 24 hours a day of whining Japanese motorcycles. Unlike the Harley event which quiets down at night the Memorial Day rally never stops. Centered in the four block Atlantic Beach neighborhood the vendors do not have to close down until 4 am. Because there is no lodging in Atlantic Beach the attendees stay either in North Myrtle Beach or in Myrtle beach proper and they come and go at all hours. America being what it is today, the bikers have free run of the town and anyone wanting a quiet place to honor our veterans had better go elsewhere on Memorial Day weekend.

our location in western South Carolina

 Carolina Landing is one of the Campgrounds in my Thousand Trails membership. We've never visited before so we thought we would check it out. It's a fairly nice campground, none of the Thousand Trails parks are what you would call upscale resorts but the price is right. Our only real complaint here is the extreme hills make riding our bicycles impossible.

Roger "Hurricane" Wilson

They had a lot of activities for family's yesterday, we went to the music performance in the evening by blues guitarist and singer Roger "Hurricane" Wilson. He is one of those not quite famous working professionals we see so often out here on the road. They've been making music for a long time, rubbed elbows with a few of the greats, and are probably making a decent living doing the campground or county fair circuit. Hurricane Wilson surprised us with his extraordinary guitar playing, he is very good at his craft, one of the best I've ever seen.

Clemson football stadium

We've also been exploring the surrounding area while in the western part of the state. Clemson University is nearby and we spent Friday exploring the campus and surrounding village. Clemson is a big name down here with fans all over the south states. Founded in 1889 the sprawling campus is a mix of old and new buildings. Nestled amoung huge old trees and perfectly manicured lawns it has the ambiance of higher learning. I have surely absorbed knowledge through asmosis just by walking in the footsteps of all the esteemed alumni.

Millie with the Clemson Tiger

The one surprising thing about Clemson was the surrounding village. I expected a city or at least a thriving town but the University is the largest element of the Clemson, there is really not much around it.

Greenville Trolley

On Saturday we drove about 40 miles to Greenville South Carolina. The largest city in the upstate it has a population of nearly one million. With a history dating back to colonial times it is a thriving community. Like many urban metropolis's the downtown district began to languish in the 1960s as shopping centers lured the retailers and customers to the suburbs.

Greeville Main Street

 In response, the City started a downtown renewal project.City leaders initially focused on improving the streetscape along Main Street. This included narrowing the street to create a pedestrian friendly walk. They installed angled parking spaces, trees, flowers and light fixtures; and creating parks and plazas throughout the central core of downtown. From our brief visit we have the impression that the revitalization was successful, the downtown area is very vibrant, thats for sure, we would come again if passing through the area.