To Bluffton, SC

I rode back into Savannah this morning and got a new bolt for my seat, plus a spare just in case, and I stopped at a gelato shop to send e-mail.

I had asked around quite a bit about whether bikes are allowed on the big highway bridge across the Savannah River.  Civilians said no, police officers said yes.  When I got to the on-ramp, there was indeed a sign prohibiting bicycles and pedestrians, but the police were right that no one objected to my crossing.  The view of town wasn't as spectacular as I had thought it might be, so I wasn't tempted to disobey the other signs and stop on the bridge to take a picture.

Once in South Carolina, I could finally understand why the city was called Savannah: the surrounding coast ("the lowcountry")  is a marsh with tall grass that at a distance looks a lot like an African savanna.  The city is so full of trees that I hadn't seen the resemblance before.

I'm always a little unsure about distances when I cross from one state map to another.  The South Carolina map is drawn to a larger scale than any I've used yet, so that places are closer together than I expect.  It was a nice surprise when I reached my campground outside Bluffton, SC early in the afternoon!  I took a nap and watched some TV.

I mentioned to the campground's owner that I was having trouble finding fuel for my stove.  Folks down here evidently don't have much trouble with their cars' fuel lines freezing, so they don't need to stock Heet in auto parts stores, let alone every corner store.  I tried looking for Sterno as a substitute, but few people have heard of it and no one seems to know where to buy it.  However, the owner returned a few minutes later with a big bottle of denatured grain alcohol labeled as sootless stove fuel left over from when she and her husband had owned a boat.  She gave it to me for free.  A few minutes later I found a big fiberglass batting on the ground and helped myself to a pinch for a new stove wick.  (My last wick got rained on right after I ran out of fuel, so I had to toss it and was considering using Spanish moss until I could find more fiberglass.) So I'm back on hot food!

31.5 mi