Carolina Beaches

Carolina Beach State Park, North Carolina

 

Today was our day for beaches. First up was Myrtle Beach in South Carolina. We parked south of the boardwalk and this is what the beach looked like. Do not be fooled by this picture.

We wanted to walk the entire boardwalk (and then some) and experience what Myrtle Beach's hoopla was all about.

 

This is more of what it looked like. I wish you could also feel the intense heat and humidity. There were women competing in a circuit training event, people playing beach volleyball and guys showing off in a skateboard jumping contest. How they did it without passing out from the heat is beyond me.

By the time we made it to the north end of the boardwalk we were all ready for lunch or at least be cooled off.

 

 

Oh looky here, a seafood restaurant! What a novel idea. Think we'll give it a go.

 

That smile you see on my face is due to several "Arnold Palmers." I have never enjoyed anything golf related so much.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We ventured once more outside and this time took in the street side of things. More craziness and more cheesy attractions. However, Linda and I did score a 2 for $10 t-shirt deal.

(Love the restaurant that says "Hot beer, lousy food, bad service." Ha! There's something to be said for truth in advertising).

That creepy guy below scared the bejezzus out of me. How he was able to wear all that stuff AND be inside a rubber mask on a day like this was impressive.

 

 

 

 

Ah, we'll always have Myrtle Beach.

 

 

We crossed into North Carolina and decided to take the ferry over to Carolina Beach rather than drive up to Wilmington and drop down. (Kudos to Gary for that suggestion). We managed to just make the last ferry of the day out of Southport at 6:15.

The town of Carolina Beach is so much more laid back than "fun-park, roller-coaster, Ripley Believe it or Not" Myrtle Beach. Carolina Beach has more homes and condos than hotels and just a few beach bars and restaurants.

Our campground is on the marsh side of the island, not the beach. As I write this it's 10:30 at night and still super hot and humid. The thermometer says 85 degrees and 62% humidity. Looking forward to heading to the Outer Banks tomorrow for some cool ocean breezes. Night y'all.

 

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Don't worry be happy

St. James Island County Park, Charleston, SC

 

We started our day off with a hike at the campground on Skidaway Island. It takes you through groves of palmettos and oaks and out to the marshes.

This area was hit by Hurricane Matthew last October. The observation tower is no longer accessible due to the boardwalk being moved a couple hundred feet.

The rest of the loop was gorgeous. I especially liked the red cardinal birds flittering about and their contrast against the green.

 

 

 

 

On our drive from Savannah to Charleston we stopped at a Cider stand. We tried several different kinds of cider and ended up buying several bottles of peach cider. Yum! So tasty.

There was also every kind of canned vegetable, fruit, perserve and sauce you could think of.

 

 

 

We explored Charleston by bike. The highlights were riding through the charming streets and being in awe of all the history.

 

 

 

You would have thought that after last night we would have had our fill of seafood. Nope. How could we pass up some amazing local fish? And of course, we just HAD to have some hush puppies, being in South Carolina and all.

We got back to our campground at about 7:30. Oh forgot to mention this over the top campground where we are staying. It's a county campground, but feels more like Disneyland. It's got a climbing wall, splash zone, fancy wave pool, miles and miles of paved bike paths and everything is meticulously maintained. However, the biggest bonus was the opening night of their summer concert program - featuring...

 

 

Reggae music!! There were several thousand people there...and we be jammin' too.

After listening to the Da' Gullah Rootz for several hours we walked back to our campsite. Pretty chill evening.

The hardest part was getting this blog written before falling into bed. Don't worry, be happy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgia: Cruisin' the Coast

Skidaway Island State Park, Savannah, GA

 

Well, we did it. We reached the Atlantic Ocean and made it coast to coast. In all truthfulness reaching the coast wasn't really our goal, it's been all about the journey. Still there is something exciting about seeing the ocean on the other side of the continent.

Today we played in and around Savannah. Such an incredibly beautiful and graceful city.

 

 

One of the best ways to enjoy this city is on bike. We started near the Savannah River and rode all thru the elegant parks. I wish more cities were designed and laid out like this one; a park, often with a fountain in the middle, every few blocks with grand houses surrounding it.

All the streets and parks are shaded with majestic oak trees with spanish moss hanging down. Occasionally a horse drawn carriage or a trolley car would come by. This town felt like it was steeped in yesterday. The humid weather just added to the slow pace. Lovely.

 

 

 

 

We also rode along the Savannah River on the River Front. Loved the cool breeze coming off the river and had a blast shopping and watching the boats go by.

 

 

 

Tybee Island is really close to Savannah. It's a nice contrast to leave the city and head for the beach.

It was late afternoon when we arrived. The sun was perfect, the crowds were gone and we rode from one end to the other. My favorite part was riding down the streets lined with ocean cottages (such a difference from all the grand homes we saw in Savannah) and visiting the Tybee Island light house. Quite a history it has too. It was built in 1736 and is one of the first structures in Georgia.

 

No trip to Tybee Island is complete without a visit to the Crab Shack. This was our third visit here and in our 9 years of road trips across the US this still remains our favorite place to eat. And trust me, we've eaten at a LOT of places. There's nothing as tasty as a Low Country Boil. The shrimp is fresh off the boat, the crab is super sweet, the potatoes, corn and sausage have just the right amount of seasonings and how can you go wrong with everything dipped in butter?

We finished off a perfect day sitting on a deck overlooking the coastal wetlands, drinking margaritas, eating our fill of this delicious meal and watching the sun go down. For those of you who ask, I have a great video of Linda attempting to eat crab. Makes me laugh out loud every.single.time I watch it. So good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Georgia: The Space Odyssey Continues

Lake Ocmulgee State Park, Helena, GA

Our plan was to explore the campground this morning on bikes. It is known for its amazing bike trails, but it was raining. Time to put this on the list of "places to revisit" and blast out of here.

Speaking of blasting out, our first stop today was the Space Science Center in Columbus, Georgia.

What a hoot we had!

This Science Center is designed for kids which is probably why we had such a good time.

 

 

We all tried the flight simulator...we all crashed. Let's be clear, I wobbled a lot and never really flew, Linda flew for awhile before crashing, Ned was sailing then failed his mission, and I don't know what the heck Gary was doing.

 

 

 

Next was the space shuttle Odyssey ride. Our mission was to dock with the international space station

By the looks of it, I was very excited to be on this journey!

We got to experience what it was like for astronauts as they took off, hooked up with the space station, and experience some disasters. We were hit by a meteor! We were supposed to go on to the moon and mars, but the mission was aborted.

I'm happy to report we all made it back to earth safely.

 

These three goofballs had way too much fun driving their rovers on Mars. Instead of practicing precision maneuvers they spent more time playing bumper cars.

Fortunately, we had the museum almost to ourselves. I would have hated to set such a poor example for young kids.

We also went to the planetarium and watched a constellation show and a movie about astronaut training. Thank you Coco-Cola Space Center for such a fun time!

 

 

The City of Columbus, Georgia is so beautiful. Lots of stately homes on treelined streets. There is also a gorgeous paved path along the Chattahoochee River.

We took a bike ride and rode past rapids, kayakers, guys fishing and kids swimming. It felt like the quintessential summer day.

 

 

 

Hey Gary, are you coming or going?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gary, doing his Major King Kong impersonation from Dr. Strangelove.

 

 

While biking we decided it was time for lunch so we pedaled on over to the closest bbq. Chester's BBQ won out.

I had chopped pork with collard greens and cornbread. I wasn't expecting a mustard based sauce. I thought we wouldn't hit that til at least South Carolina. It was still pretty darn tasty. Linda and Ned had the chopped pork sandwich while Gary went for the ribs. We discussed sweet potato or buttermilk pie, but decided we were all too full.

 

 

Tonight we are camped at Lake Ocmulgee. We have the campground almost to ourselves and haven't explored it that much. Why? Because Gary has spoiled us with his Moscow Mules. (Is it bad that this has become a nightly ritual?) Needless to say, tonight was basically hanging around the campsite and shooting the breeze. I love vacation.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Alabama: Selma to Montgomery & the Tuskegee Airmen

Chewacla State Park, Auburn, AL

Today was jam packed with activities. Our first stop of the day was visiting the Selma Interpretive Center. We took in all three floors and got an in-depth review of the events leading up to Bloody Sunday, and the March from Selma to Montgomery.

After walking across the Edmund Pettus Bridge we also took in the National Voting Rights Museum & Institute. This museum focused more on the history of voting rights in the U.S. and the stories of the "foot soldiers" who made it happen.

We also visited a Freedom Park which had several monuments and memorials to the leaders of the Voting Rights movement.

To experience what the march was like, you can drive the 5 day, 54 mile march from Selma to the state Capitol in Montgomery.

Along the way one can visit the 4 campsites and see several memorials to those who died. There is also an incredible Interpretive Center about half way.

We stopped here an delved further into the history of the Civil Rights Movement. If you only have time to visit one Interpretive Center, pick The Lowndes one. It's much more in-depth and has more impressive exhibits than the one in Selma. (Although both were good).

 

 

 

 

Because we were pressed for time, Linda made up sandwiches for everywhere between the Selma to Montgomery drive. We took a quick moment to have lunch and pick our options of what to do in Montgomery. So many choices!

Biking, more Civil Rights museums, Hank Williams museum or a walk thru the Old Alabama section of town.

 

We opted for some outside time and viewed some of the old Alabama homes...after getting some ice cream of course!

Ned and Gary just so happened to pick out the same green T-shirt and gray shorts today. Cute hubbies - aren't they?

 

 

 

Our last stop of the day was the Tuskegee Airmen National Historic Site. Wowza! We spent several hours here. The exhibit is in two airplane hangars. There is so much to take in. We saw a really informative, emotional movie about the airmen and their contribution to WWII, learned about their intensive training and all the obstacles they had to overcome. I particularly enjoyed all the interviews and oral history of these brave men and women.

There were also several airplanes and other cool exhibits. I only wish we had time to take in the Tuskegee Institute as well.

We pulled into Chewacla Campground in the evening and after having dinner and doing laundry we didn't have time to explore it. Looking forward to doing that tomorrow.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Driving thru Mississippi to Selma, Alabama

Paul M. Grist State Park, Selma, AL

Due to Memorial Day most National Points of Interest and attractions were closed. We also woke up to a rainy day. Good time to log some miles and take in the back roads of Mississippi and Alabama. We were lucky that once out of Louisiana the rain stopped.

I was surprised by how Eastern Mississippi is so unlike the west part of the state. It's much more wooded and very little farm land. Here's a typical shot of what the 5 hour drive looked like.

 

 

Just cuz, I had to include some fun things along the way. Kinda jealous that our California gas fill-up stops don't include boiled peanuts, both Cajun style and plain!

We're used to seeing almonds or walnuts everywhere in California, but this is pecan country...pies, pralines, roasted, sugared, you name it.

 

We stopped for a picnic on the side of the road and barely made it to Selma within minutes of the Interprevtive Center closing. I had just enough time to run in and get some literature and maps to plan our strategy over the next couple of days. It was so cool to walk across the famous Edmund Pettus Bridge. Because it was the Monday evening of a holiday weekend we had the bridge to ourselves

This was the sight of the "Bloody Sunday" conflict between law enforcement and peaceful protestors in 1965. The 50 mile march from Selma to Montgomery triggered a milestone event in the Civil Rights Movement.

P.S. Gary violated the "no butt" rule and snapped a pic of Ned's butt. So funny.

 

 

The view from the middle of the bridge looking out was beautiful. Hard to get my mind around the serenity and beauty from this spot with what happened over 50 years ago.

We also visited the Brown Chapel AME Church. This place served as the starting point for the Selma to Montgomery March.

"Defying threats of death Martin Luther King, Jr. led 400 Black and White Americans on the longest, largest most dramatic march of his career."

The March was for Southern Blacks to gain the right to cast a vote. In the following 10 years Black voters increased from 1.4 million to 3.8 million, and Black elected officials from 72 to 2568 .

 

 

 

Selma also has some beautiful historic homes.

This is the Sturdivant House, one of the most intact Greek Rival antebellum homes in the South. It was completed in 1853.

 

 

 

We're camped about half hour away from downtown Selma. The campground is amazing. There are only 11 campsites and we have the entire place to ourselves. We are camped right on the lake. There are very friendly Canada geese, fireflies and really noisy frogs `that have come out this evening.

After all the New Orleans food we consumed we were looking forward to a healthy dinner this evening of grilled chicken and salad. I'm loving all the history, culture, places and food we're experiencing on the trip, but also loving just as much just hanging with Gary and Linda laughing and telling stories.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Other New Orleans

St. Bernard State Park, New Orleans, LA

Ned and I had enough of the party scene and couldn't wait to get back to nature. Gary & Linda went on a swamp tour (thanks Matt, Rachel & Jessie, what a sweet Christmas present to your folks) while Ned and I headed for the Barataria Preserve.

We took a 4 mile hike through the Preserve, which was mostly on a boardwalk raised above the swamp and marsh.

 

To get there we had to go all away around downtown New Orleans, which would take about an hour. That pesky Mississippi River was between us and the Preserve. As luck would have it there is a ferry boat crossing about 5 miles from the campground. Sounds like a plan to me!

We were in awe of the captain's maneuviring skills naviagating the powerful downstream current.

This pic is of a huge tanker going by the ferry dock. Still can't get used to the hub-bub of the hundreds of tankers and barges in the delta.

It was a gorgeous hike through this National Park, but dang was it hot and humid! We walked for a couple of hours and the big payoff was a lookout over the Marsh Area. On the hike we saw a gator, but I was more impressed (scared to death) of the humongous spiders hanging from overhead branches onto the trail. Yikes!

This area is named after Jean LaFitte. Mmm, so not impressed. His claim to fame was "he led 1000 men of different nationalities into one of the largest, although illicit business enterprises of its day. With 99 vessels LaFitte and his band of Baratarians supplied slaves and luxury goods to the wealthy planters along the Mississippi and to the residents of New Orleans."

 

This map puts into perspective where this Preserve is in respect to New Orleans

Basically, there's not a whole heck of a lot between here and the Coast.

 

By mid-afternoon we met up with Gary and Linda in the Garden District and took a cemetery tour of New Orleans' most famous cemetery. My big takeaway - don't believe the story that the reason the crypts are above ground is because of the water table. It's all about resource management, i.e reclycing the same space over and over to bury as many people as possible.

After the cemetery tour we took a bike ride through the Garden District up and down all the bumpy streets looking at all the historic homes. And because I still hadn't ridden enough I cajoled everyone into doing some more biking around Audubon Park. What a gorgeous park with a paved path just for cyclists!

 

 

After dinner Linda and Gary headed out for another night of dancing on Frenchmen's Street. We cried uncle and headed for the campground.

As I doze off to sleep I'm going to try and not think about all those ginormous creepy spiders and the alligators we saw on our hike. (Notice how every little itch or brush against your leg just gets you twitching? Yeah, me too).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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