Day 13: Hartsville, SC

May 10, 2017

Today we had a rest day in Hartsville. It is a nice small town, home of Coker College and Sonoco Corp, a paper product and packaging company.

This morning, we visited Kalmia Gardens, a botanical garden owned by Coker College and the adjacent Segars-McKinnon Heritage Preserve, a unit of the South Carolina DNR. As we pulled into the parking lot, Kerry asked a couple of guys working there for a safe place to park the bike. That lead to a long conversation about our tandem and bike touring. These guys were very friendly and interested in our trip. One of them, Chris, has in-laws who live in Inverness, FL. We told him he should definitely take a ride on the Withlacoochee Trail the next time he visits them.

Jeanna with "Dan, the tall one and Chris, the good looking one" at Kalmia Gardens

It was a good place to walk around for a while, but not much was blooming this early in the season. The mosquitos were thriving, though and we forgot insect repellent, so after about an hour, we were ready to leave.

Inspirational quotes on footpath in Kalmia Gardens

Boardwalk through Segars-McKinnon Heritage Preserve

97 steps down to the river (and 97 back up)

Recycling bin for oyster shells - we've never seen this before.

After leaving Kalmia Gardens, we rode into downtown Hartsville for lunch and a visit to the Hartsville Museum. It’s an interesting small museum that chronicles the history of the town.

Cotton farming has played an important role in Hartsville's history.

to prepare these early 20th century recipes!

Kathy, director of the Hartsville Museum. Thank you for inviting us to bring the bike inside and taking the time to answer all our questions.

On the way back to our hotel, we stopped at Wendy’s for our afternoon Frosty. There were fresh flowers on every table. It looked really nice. I’ve never seen that at Wendy’s before.

Tomorrow we get to North Carolina – state number 4!

Today's ride: 11 miles (18 km)
Total: 640 miles (1,030 km)

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