DRIVE TO CHARLESTON

After waking late we have brunch and head out for Charleston. Stop at Pedro’s on the NC/SC border after a seeing 523 billboards announcing its presence. It’s a confounded mass of shitty food, worthless tschochkes and trinket shops. Hot at hell, we get ice cream, liquids and an ice chest. It’s somehow wonderful in this bottom-of-the-barrel way.

Make false stop at town named Shiloh a short drive from freeway. My history is shitty and discover it’s not site of historic Civil War battle, but a nice respite in the rural idea. Drive on. Reach Charleston at nightfall and search for lodgings. Old hostel in historic section is a bit funky so we head into the burbs and find a reasonable motel near the site where nine firefighters perished in a blaze two weeks earlier. The city is filled with sad memorials; I can remember when I read about this on the subway.