Southern Hospitality at it's Finest

As if the Carolinas weren't leaving enough of an impression, we thought we'd add one more lasting memory before we left. We decided before leaving, we would stop off in Charleston for the night. I informed Todd that if we left in time, we could make it to the camp, go see Fort Sumter, have dinner on Restaurant Row, and be good to head out to Savannah the next morning. Obviously, "Planning" does not work in our favor. Being a family that normally operates best, "winging it", we should have thought better of this whole, "running on time" thing we had going this morning. We were only on the road all of 10 minutes, engrosed in our Angels and Demons book on CD, when the truck behind us started honking frantically, trying to get our attention. I saw the man pointing at the the side of our fifth wheel and I tried to follow his pointing to see what all the fuss was about. I saw nothing out of the ordinary. No doors flapping open, no fat cats holding on to the railing with fur flapping in the wind... what was the big deal?We pulled over into the Advanced Auto Parts parking lot (good luck, I'd say). Smoke came flowing out of the tire on the passenger side of the trailer... usually not a good thing. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that something inside the center cap had exploded, leaving smoke and melted plastic all over the tire rim. Being very limited in my knoweledge of the workings of axles, I can only say that bearings and oil should not explode while driving. Apparently, we were too heavy (the trailer, not me).  For those of you who recall the Quakertown incident may remember that I am not in any way comfortable with my husband using a little jack to lift 10,000 lbs, and then crawl underneath. I'm even less comfortable with him doing this on a slope that doesn't work in his favor. But apparently, the memories of playing in the mud in Quakertown left him wanting to play with grease in Pawley's Island, SC.There will be humor in this adventure, some day. There may be many vodka tonics before the humor really shines through, but I'm sure some day we will look back and laugh at our moment of misfortune. 

The one thing in all of this that will stand out over anything else is the people that we have encountered during this adventure. The guys at the Advance Auto Parts were the kindest, most generest individuals I have ever met! I have been to many auto parts stores. (I used to run parts for UTI, an automotive school in AZ) Typically when they don't have a part, they don't have a part. Well, the guys at this location were not willing to accept this. When they found that they did not have the part, they first called every store outside of their ownership to find it. When that failed, they proceeded to search their inventory by hand for other parts that might work. When that failed, the owner then drove to 3 unrelated marine parts stores, finally searching the inventory of the last store, by hand. I have never heard of this kind of customer service, anywhere! 

Seeing as how it has been 6 hours... and counting... We have also had the fortune of meeting the delightful people at Beef O'Brady's, a great Family Sports Pub, right across the parking lot of the Advance Auto Parts, located behind the Waffle House. 

After having parts of our trailer litterally explode, the Pub obviously appealed to me more than the Waffle House when selecting where to have lunch. 

I definately chose correctly! This Family Pub is very attractive and clean. The food was delicious and the staff was caring and courteous. We imposed on their establishment for hours, bringing with us 2 very bored young children. Throughout the day, they continued to refill our drinks and bring us snacks, sympathising for our situation. (They will have their own blog, stay tuned.)

As we entered North Carolina, from Virginia, my spirits were down. I did not want to leave my beloved New England. However the people here in Pawleys Island, South Carolina have restored my spirits. If my adventure has a chance of introducing me to more people like them, I look forward to what lies ahead. 

Many thanks to the crew at Advance Auto Parts and the staff at Beef O'Brady Family Pub!

I suggest you pay them a visit when you're in town.

10337 Ocean HWY #17

Pawley Island, SC 29585