I woke knowing it would be my last day in Anderson. Jan had gone to work but left a nice note. Fay got up and made some yummy scrambled eggs. The pack was almost completely full; needing only the toothbrush and toiletries, which got shoehorned in after my shower.
I procrastinated a bit, double and triple checking my route. Still I couldn't remember all the details. I lost my hair thingy (elastic for my ponytail) and Fay offered to stop by her house to grab one. We left and went there. While in her kitchen I also got online and made a screenshot of the route to Greenville (with another shot of each town I would be resting or sleeping, between: Belton, Williamston, and Piedmont).
Once all of that was taken care of, and she gave me a bagel for the road, we drove up to the Dollar General store which was right on Route 178. We both went in. There is always something to find at a dollar store. I needed a new LED flashlight and found one (a nice one). It would come in very handy. Fay also ran across a couple brackets for her studio and bought those.
We paid and went back outside. I had about seven miles to reach Belton, where I planned to spend the night. It was 12:30 p.m. and time for me to get started. I hauled on Saggy, which, for its girth was not as heavy as I'd anticipated.
Fay and I had a nice hug, then said goodbye. And, I began to wallk...
These would become regular landmarks along the way.
I actually had a sidewalk all the way to the edge of town!
Another roadside memorial. I could make a photo album of just these.
About three miles up the road I stepped on this. I walked passed it at first, then it occurred to me that I could use it to screw into trees that don't have branches, to keep my backpack off the ground, and walked back...
Score!
The sign for Belton came up faster than I thought...
Add another.
It's always the same when walking into these smaller towns. As one approaches, the density of houses and traffic increases. I can tell what restaurants are available by the trash on the side of the road. The first real evidence that I was near the downtown area was a cemetery; a nice one, across from a Veteran's Memorial Park...
I've begun to take pictures of abandoned houses and property; partly, because they seem to tell a story; partly, because I'm interested in architecture; and partly, because I want to check out their values if I'm able. You never know I might want to buy one someday. Or, maybe one of you might? ...
I like this. Once, a nice townhouse and rarer two story dwelling.
The kids got to this section while the other sections dried.
Gigantic First Baptist Church.
The old historic train station.
The downtown area was clean and cute, though rather small. I got the feeling it must be very lush in the summertime. I wished I was walking through in that season rather than the heart of winter. Hopefully I will have a chance to see the South again on the other side of the year...
Here's one for ya! Nice, with two large magnolia's.
Anybody want to research what they're selling it for?
I found the McDonald's somewhat off my beaten path, by taking a sharp right and continuing east along 178. But, I knew I would have to retrace my steps and head back the opposite way to connect with my next Route, 20. I uploaded some photos and touched base with y'all at Facebook, located what I thought would be a good sleep spot, and then headed out after sundown to find it--about 3 miles away up Route 20, on the road to Williamston...
I like this. Sorry it is out of focus. But it matches the crescent moon symbol for
South Carolina. Soon enough I would photograph a palmetto tree, the other symbol.
I'm thinking of a way to get a picture of both together.
Walking up Route 20 at night sucked. But I found a relatively good spot to camp. It was nearer the road than I usually like (within about 20 feet), but the ground was even. It's "protective signature" (what I will now be calling the surrounding area of sleep sites--meaning, how well they are protected from humans and animals) was excellent; with the road on one side, a big ditch and tangled vines on the other side--in the deeper woods, and prickers on each of the lateral sides.
After the tent was up and the Alex was in, I felt a bump under my back. Reaching out of the tent flap and under me, I pulled out a large leg bone! It was from a deer, long dead and picked clean, as I discovered in the morning. Ever slept on a skeleton before? Ha!
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