Day 15 Charleston

October 16, 2019

It RAINED yesterday and this morning. The guide at the Tea Plantation said they got 3". We got a fair amount at the campground by the way it looked outside this morning.

We went to the Charleston Tea Plantation today, on Wadmalaw Island. The Island is about 6 miles by 10 miles and connected to the mainland by one bridge.

The road/lane to the plantation. Those are tea plants on the right.

Heading in.

It appears that soon after a Civil War was fought to enforce a strong central government that could run rough shod over We the People, and the States, politicians were using taxpayers money to buy votes and campaign contributions. Agriculture has been subsidized since 1880.

Fields of tea. Looks like almost solid hedges about 3 feet tall. About every 20 days 3-5 inches of new growth sprouts up on top of these plants. That 3-5" is trimmed off and it becomes the tea we drink. In mid/late October the tea plants flower and then go dormant for the rest of the "winter". 

These are new plants in a greenhouse. The woman with the broom is cleaning off areas to get them ready to start another batch. She single handedly plants every new plant, thousand a year.

 Having a goodbye cup of tea with Waddy the Tea Plantation frog.

Then it was on to the Angel Oak Tree.

 I don't know what type of oak tree this is, the leaves don't look like the oaks up north.

That was enough for the day.

We have changed plans. I was looking for campgrounds in the Savannah area and Kathy suggested we not go there. There are things there we would like to see but it just isn't worth the traffic hassle.

We had planned on leaving here Friday morning but after over 3 hours of searching for a campground that wasn't full, between Columbia, SC and Greenville, SC. We decided to stay here over the weekend and then head that way.

God is good. May He bless you and yours.