Nothing could be finer than to be in Carolina in the morning

First full day of vacation was lovely. Woke up early, motels can do that to you, so I was on the road around 8:30. Drove south from Latta, SC to Charleston. Here are some pix I took as I was getting ready to go.
Spent a few hours at Magnolia Plantation and wished I could have stayed longer to explore more there and the Audubon Swamp Garden right next to it. Took the Nature Train Tour and the driver was very informative. I had no idea this area produced the most rice in the world in the mid 1800's. After the Civil War this was one of the few plantations to survive and that was only possible because they discovered phosphate on the acreage. We saw lots of alligators out sunning and the driver would slow so we could take pix. There's a petting zoo that I enjoyed and of course wonderful gardens. How wonderful to see green grass and flowers. Here are my plantation pix.
It kept getting warmer as I drove south to Georgia. Stopped to buy gas for $2.99/gallon - bet I don't find that again.
My next planned stop was going to be a stroll down memory lane - The Cloister at Sea Island, Georgia where we vacationed in the 60's, 70's, and 80's with my grandparents and then with my parents. Alas there have been many changes there since our last visit. It is now a gated resort and only members and guests are allowed on the island. So that plan was thwarted. The stable where I loved to ride - we would ride across the marsh and then along the beach - is gone. There is a sign there - Old Stable Corner. I considered calling the hotel and asking if I could be put on 'the list' to be allowed in tomorrow, but decided not to even try. I guess some memories are best left in the mind.
Spending the night on St Simons Island, a few memories here too from our vacations. It's a lot more built up now, more chain stores. No wireless in my room and the ethernet connection slow. Seems to be a colony of feral cats in the parking lot here, an interesting feature. I went over to the beach hoping to get some sunset pix, but I was a little too late. Here are some pix anyway.
Over 300 miles today. On to Florida tomorrow.