I woke up this morning, and for 5 seconds I was unsure of where I was. This was odd, because it turned out I was home in Florida after 23 days on the road, 3,400 miles spent in 16 states.
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The last two days spent on the road were in South Carolina. The long stay started at I-95 mile marker 122 where the road washed away 20 minutes before I got there, and before we were directed to retreat, it also began to washout at 125, blocking the ability to back track. The SC troopers allowed 4wd trucks to run through 300′ of 12″ deep water rushing across the road, and I was one of the last people off the closed section of road.
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I know South Carolina roads and geography pretty well, and figured out a 325 mile detour to get around the 40 closed miles of I-95. It was this long because all the common north-south roads like 17, 1, 301, 378, and 601 all had sections that were closed from flooding or missing bridges. It took all day to drive the route, and literally, there was savage flood damage to be seen on every single mile. The route took me right past the neighborhood on Gill creek in Columbia, where my sister lived for a number of years. The creek was right in her back yard, knee-deep brook 20′ wide. During the storm it rose thirty feet and destroyed the homes in the area.
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If you have never spent a day in South Carolina, and would like to know something about the character of it’s people beyond the BS conclusions TV news commentators make after looking at election polls, let me offer this: In the middle of this natural disaster, every single person from the state was incredibly kind and helpful. This includes their law enforcement, every person asked directions, and a family in the little 600 person town of Turbeville that insisted I stay in their house rather than camp in the truck.
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These people have a neighborly decency which is woven into their lives. When our national news media leaves one of it’s urban bases in search of a ‘story’, they invariably understand nothing of the values of people they meet, and this is never more apparent than when they are reporting from the Palmetto state. Contrary to what they would have you believe, I saw people of all hues helping each other, and I didn’t see a single southern battle flag. Study the news conferences with your own eyes, and see that the law enforcement and first responders are a cross section of the population, the mayor of the capitol isn’t a ‘good old boy’, and the governor is the daughter of immigrants. It is a very different place than most people have been ‘told’ about.
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With he help of Dan Weseman and Paul Salter, the truck and trailer were unpacked today, but it will take a few days to come back up to speed on normal operations. We have 5 weeks until Corvair College #35, and my main focus beyond normal parts and communications will be building 3 engines going to builders. I will document these in stories in the coming weeks, as each of them would serve as a good pattern for builders assembling an engine of the same displacement.
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If I missed an email or a call from you please send an email, and include your phone number with it. I will cover these over the next few days. Grace is still at her parents house, so answers on billing and small parts shipments may take an extra day to get back to you on.
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-ww.
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Home, sweet home. Grace’s 1946 Taylorcraft in the yard in front of the hangar at night. Christmas light stay up all year long.
William, I live in Myrtle Beach SC. and yes, we all pull together here in trying times. People of all “hues” and stations. Racism, bigotry, and good ol boys only live in the agendas of those who seek to stir unrest. We tend to chuckle at these lame attempts and go about our buisiness.
William, I live in Myrtle Beach SC. and yes, we all pull together here in trying times. People of all “hues” and stations. Racism, bigotry, and good ol boys only live in the agendas of those who seek to stir unrest. We tend to chuckle at these lame attempts and go about our buisiness.