Day 16 – 17 Charleston SC – Gettysburg PA

This is another post where two become one (if you don’t get this reference you need to Spice up your life), due to a long day of solid driving. We drove from Charleston SC to Richmond VA with not much to report on… Oh except our first ever visit to Bucee’s which has quickly become one of the highlights of this road trip.

Having never heard of Bucee’s and seeing so many signs for one (they warn you it’s coming at least 100km before you get there, no seriously) we had to see what all the fuss was about.

This may sound dramatic but stopping at a Bucee’s has changed road tripping in the Southern states forever. This place was awesome. Not only can you fuel up here, you can also buy clothes, food, use the bath room, buy gifts… The list goes on.

Though there were many, my favourite thing about my Bucee’s experience was the brisket station. Every time they make a fresh batch they chant, “Fresh, hot brisket on the board!”

Day 17 was much more eventful (although sadly no trip to Bucee’s) with an unplanned trip to Washington DC. As someone who didn’t grow up in the states, I have seen Washington DC in many different medias, so finally seeing it in person felt oddly familiar.

Unfortunately we couldn’t get as close to the Whitehouse as we would of liked but it was great to still see it. This beautifully symmetrical building has 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms and 6 levels to accommodate all those who live and who work there. Construction of The Whitehouse first began on 13th October 1792 and was overseen by President Washington. Although he selected the site and design of the building, he would never live there as he ended his service in 1797 and then sadly passed in 1799. The first residents were actually President John Adams and his wife, Abigail in 1800 when the building was almost completed.

There are so many fun and interesting facts about The White House but my favourite has got to be that the grounds were once home to a flock of sheep in 1913 – 1921. This was to cut down the cost of groundskeeping during WW1 and also as a campaign for people at home to knit for those at war. When shorn, the wool from the sheep was auctioned off to raise money for the red cross. This wool is still on record as one of the most expensive bought to this date.

Can you imagine how special it would be to own something made from wool so rich and important in history?

Next was a visit to Abe. The size and detail of this statue was magnificent and made me feel like a borrower (hopefully you’ve seen this film to get the reference). It was very hard to get a photo with him, he’s a very popular guy so I just stood back and lifted my arms up high to avoid the crowd.

After a great day of exploring, and using our legs more than we had in the past week, we were off again to our hotel. Tomorrow would sadly be our last day in the states which although the trip wasn’t over yet, I was genuinely feeling down about. I absolutely adore America and Americans. Every time we are there we come across the nicest people and always have a great time. It is such a wonderfully weird place and I really look forward to our future cross country motorbike trip to check off more states.

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