Driving down through Colleton County on the way to Ehrhardt, SC, an armadillo popped up on the side of the road. It was Hwy. 641, a two-laner. Then at a field of winter collards, the greens rows ended at the parking lot of Rizers’ Pork and Produce. Philip Rizer sells pork, bacon, pork skins and fresh vegetables there, and tells us that since last summer, every Saturday night they’ve stayed open late for “Steak Night.” At first, the dinner was drawing up to 75 to 85 people a week for 16-ounce grilled steaks and pork chops, fried onions, lemon pie and iced tea. Then late August came around, along with the start of the hunting seasons, college football. Crowds dropped to about 35 people each Saturday. But Philip’s not worried, says the dinners should heat up again soon.
Just outside of Estill, S.C. we drove under, and then got out to walk in the deepest oak allee I’ve ever seen. There was no house.
More trees… here’s one I took of Peter Frank in a pecan grove near Ehrhardt, about 7 a.m. Everyone’s been talking about how it was a terrific pecan crop this year. “Too good,” one farmer said, out of buyers for his crop. We also stopped to pick sweet potatoes in a sandy field, paid $3 to borrow and fill a 5-gallon bucket. The Interstate Restaurant in Ulmer closed years ago, after I-95 took the North-South traffic a new route further inland. I’m writing up this road trip for an upcoming travel piece in Charleston Magazine, www.charlestonmag.com.
– Sandy Lang, December 2007
