May 5th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

We departed Oak Plantation RV Resort in Charleston and headed north on I-95. We crossed over the Ashley River on the General William C. Westmoreland Bridge. The river is known as South Carolina’s Black Pearl, from its slender Cypress Swamp origins to the wide salt marshes of the South Carolina low country, the Ashley River is the embodiment of southern charm. Dolphins make their way up the 30-mile stream from the Cooper River confluence at Charleston Harbor, fishing for striped bass, redfish, and speckled trout alongside anglers, kayakers, and canoeists paddling the Blue Trail that winds its way from the Ashley’s blackwater beginnings near Summerville past 26 separate sites listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Ashley River’s historical, cultural, and natural significance to South Carolina cannot be overstated. The river mouth served as the site of the state’s first permanent European settlement in the late 1600s and plantation owners began developing the upstream land along the river a century later. The river remains home to fish and wildlife, scenic landscapes, and opportunities for families to enjoy time together outside. Today, the Ashley is part of one of the most rapidly growing regions in the United States. As a result, it is even more imperative to work now to promote and preserve the Ashley River as an easily accessible recreational oasis offering countless physical, mental, spiritual, and economic benefits.

The General William C. Westmoreland Bridge connects the city of North Charleston with the West Ashley area of Charleston in South Carolina. Composed of twin spans, it carries two lanes of Interstate 526 in each direction across the Ashley River and the surrounding marshes. It is often referred to as simply the "Westmoreland Bridge". The highway was named for General William C. Westmoreland, a South Carolina native and graduate of West Point. He is perhaps best known for being a commander of US forces during the Vietnam War. Although Time magazine named him Man of the Year for 1965, Westmoreland’s star gradually tarnished as American casualties mounted and a conclusion to the war seemed no closer than when he assumed command. In the wake of the Tet Offensive in February 1968, criticism became ever greater even though the enemy attacks were soundly defeated. Although there is uncertainty as to the exact motives for relieving Westmoreland, in 1968 he was brought home to a promotion as army chief of staff. Even this position was fraught with controversy as he tried shoring up the public perception of the military. He supervised the establishment of the all-volunteer force and elimination of the draft and worked for other changes in the army command structure before retiring in June 1972. Returning to South Carolina, Westmoreland settled in Charleston. Encouraged in part by a “Draft Westmoreland” campaign, he entered the Republican primary for governor in 1974. But the career military man had little political acumen and fell victim to his opponent’s better grasp of politics. When he lost the primary to James Edwards, he was relieved. Westmoreland returned to writing his memoirs, published in 1976. Westmoreland spent his remaining years out of the public eye. He died in Charleston on July 18, 2005, and was interred in the cemetery at West Point, New York.

I-95 crosses a beautiful man-made lake near the Town of Santee. Lake Marion is the largest lake in South Carolina, covering 110,000 acres. It is known for its big fish and abundant wildlife. Lake Marion was created by the construction of the Santee Dam in November 1941, part of the state-owned electric and water utility Santee Cooper's Hydroelectric and Navigation Project. 

The project also included construction of the Pinopolis Dam (Cooper River Dam) to create Lake Moultrie, immediately downstream, and a diversion canal seven and a half miles long to connect the two. This was one of the infrastructure projects supported by President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression to provide jobs and invest in the future.

Lake Marion is fed by many tributaries, including Wyboo Creek and the Santee River, and also by numerous springs, including Eutaw Springs. The lake is named for the American Revolutionary War General Francis Marion, known legendarily as the "Swamp Fox". His former home of Pond Bluff was one of those flooded when the lake was created.

We crossed the Pee Dee River. The Pee Dee is a river system that drains northeastern South Carolina and central North Carolina. It is properly called the Great Pee Dee or more commonly the Big Pee Dee to distinguish it from one of its tributaries, the Little Pee Dee River. One of the Carolinas’ principal rivers, the Pee Dee begins its journey in the mountains of North Carolina, where it is known as the Yadkin River, and travels 197 miles in South Carolina to meet the Atlantic Ocean in Georgetown’s Winyah Bay. Along the way, the Pee Dee receives the outflow of several smaller streams, including the Black, Little Pee Dee, Lynches, and Waccamaw Rivers.

The Pee Dee River was named for a Native American people of the same name who inhabited the region. The Native American kingdom of Cofitachiqui extended into the Pee Dee region and thrived for centuries before Europeans arrived. Spanish conquistadors entered the Pee Dee region during the 1540s–1560s, and Englishmen arrived in the early eighteenth century. By the 1730s the English had settled around Winyah Bay, and soon they were moving up the Pee Dee, establishing a village upstream at Cheraw.

The Pee Dee’s first cash crop was naval stores: the tar, pitch, and turpentine produced by the region’s pine trees and used on sailing vessels as wood preservatives and caulking. The Pee Dee backcountry was covered with ancient pine forests, and the naval-stores business thrived as thousands of barrels per year were rafted down the river bound for Europe. By the 1730s rice was replacing naval stores as the region’s principal crop. Rice thrived in the swampy areas along the Pee Dee, and soon hundreds of fields were cleared and thousands of enslaved Africans were imported to work in them. By the 1740s blacks outnumbered whites in much of the region. The coming of cotton about 1800 transformed the Pee Dee yet again. Thanks to cotton’s low startup costs, the Pee Dee backcountry boomed, as large flatboats propelled by African slaves carried cotton bales to Georgetown and merchandise back to eager consumers at every landing along the way.

Moving further north and out of the Palmetto State on I-95, the NC state line is prominently marked by the South Of The Border amusement complex at the US 301/501 exit. South of the Border is one of America's favorite roadside attractions. For almost 70 years our Mexican-themed attractions have tempted travelers along Interstate 95 to stop in for a visit.  In 1949, Mr. Alan Schafer built a simple 18 x 36 foot beer stand known as South of the Border Beer Depot. As it adjoined the North Carolina counties, which were dry of alcoholic beverages, business boomed. 

A few years later a 10-seat grill was added and the business was re-named South of the Border Drive-In. In 1954, they added 20 motel rooms. Materials for the addition were shipped to “Schafer Project South of the (North Carolina) Border”. The name was shortened to South of the Border. Business was steadily expanded with Mexican trinkets and numerous kitsch items imported from Mexico. The site itself also began to expand to include a cocktail lounge, gas station and souvenir shop. In 1962, South of the Border expanded into fireworks sales, potentially capitalizing on the fact fireworks were illegal in North Carolina. In 1964 it was announced that the route for I-95 would pass right by South of the Border, and the facility would be next to two exits and within view of the highway. By the mid-1960s, South of the Border had expanded to include a barber shop, drug store, a variety store, a post office an outdoor go-kart track complete with other outdoor recreational facilities. Going in either direction, you can see hundreds of billboards announcing the “little town” South of the Border.

The only thing that is missing from the top of the Lumberton NC water tower is a nesting bald eagle. Otherwise, Lumberton’s ultra-patriotic red, white, blue, star-spangled water tower hits all the right notes, with the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” playing on a loop. The patriotic theme is perfectly placed in the shadows of the Army base in Fort Bragg. Lumberton’s flag-draped tower is eye-catching as you pass it by on I-95.

I should have kept a count of how many times 301 crosses under I-95! We only travel these interstates when we are caravanning. I can tell you that it has crossed Interstate 95 at least 4 times since I thought I should have been counting! LOL

We arrived at Fayetteville RV & Cottages Resort, our home for two nights.

Stay tuned for more of our adventure!