Tupelo Honey

Yea, it is Wednesday and our day to tour the BMW plant. We slept late and drove over towards Greer. This is another cute little town nestled in lush, upstate South Carolina. We had a plan to drive some country roads, but ended up only going as far as Campbell's Covered Bridge. Built in 1909, it is the last covered bridge in the state. Only 35 feet long and 12 feet wide it is "an excellent example of a four span Howe truss."

Being careful not to miss our appointed tour time we headed back to Greer and had lunch at a pizza joint. On to the BMW plant where we were immediately impressed by the grounds and enormity of the plant, about 1,050 acres. We spent some time checking in and exploring the Zentrum, which is their museum and cafe building. They have some cool motorcycles and cars on display here, including an Isetta. This teeny car had a one cylinder engine with 13 horsepower and could go up to 50 miles per hour. It came in a coupe, sedan and convertible. It could also pull a tiny trailer. A great way to travel in the early 1950's. My parents had a friend who came to visit with her son in his Isetta. He took my mom for a ride and she returned saying she felt like a milkshake. I always remember how the entire front opened to be the door.

At 2:00 our group of 10 were given clear goggles and headphones. Our guide, Shanna, walked us over to the body shop where robots amazed us. Most of the initial welding and work on the car bodies  is done here with no human interaction. Later workers get involved with loading parts for the robots. Each vehicle is made to order and the parts are all ready for that particular car of SUV. BMW keeps no inventory and suppliers keep a constant stream of parts coming to the plant.

The entire procedure was mind boggling and true perfection. The facility ran flawlessly and they produce 1300 vehicles each day. After our walk we went to another building where we were whisked through on a tram. The seats and console are from the SUV and very comfy. We saw the drive trains after their painting being assembled. All the electronics, seats and tires are done in this building. The finished cars are then loaded right onto a rail line and transported to their owners. What an amazing tour and I highly recommend it.

Now it was extremely hot today and at 4:00 we headed back to Greenville to rest. A nap was just perfect. Later we walked down Main Street and had dinner at Tupelo Honey. This restaurant is cutesy, mountain decor and part of a small chain that started in Asheville. Fresh biscuits with Tupelo honey and blueberry preserves started off the meal which only got better. I had a nutty, fried chicken breast and still smacking my lips. Came with a tempting choice of sides. I had baked mac and cheese and quinoa with blueberries, mint and feta cheese. Incredibly delicious and I could not finish, although I tried. Jeff had traditional fried chicken and declared it really good. Did some strolling to get rid of a pound or two and back to the hotel to sleep.

More statues and a view of the upper falls.