Last day at Black Water

We decided to hike the trails today. I got warmed up with an adventurous bike ride. I got on a forest road not having a clue where it went. My GPS saved me. We hiked all the trails in 2 hours. (It's a pretty small park). We used the MP oven to make a big lunch, I think that's a first. After lunch Jenny dropped me off at the park boat ramp, 1/2 mile above the campground. I floated the river while sitting on my kayaking life jacket. It took about an hour. We head for Texas tomorrow.

Jenny paddles the Black Water River

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Black Water River Fla.

We got here yesterday. It is a fairly small park that was established to protect the river. This river is the only black water river in the country that has a sand bottom. We saw not one rock during our 11 mile paddle today. It was shallow in places but Jenny commented that it was her kind of river, it had a good flow but not too many hazards.

Summer plan rethink

With the house sold, a wrench has been thrown into our highly tooled summer plans. We have a condo rented at S. Padre for 3 nights with Seth & Courtney. We are going to do that. Instead of continuing west we are going to have to return to Tega Cay and take care of stuff. We will leave the MP in S.A. and fly home. Jenny thinks we will be able continue with our plans with a delay. Anyway, we are camped for one night at Ft. Clinch state park in Florida. Tomorrow is Black Water River St. Park also in Florida. I had a good bike ride after we arrived and then we did a hike. Here's a pic of the fort taken during the hike.

Real Birthday

We had a good visiting day with everyone today, culminating in a visit to a pizza place for a final celebration. We said our good byes cause we are leaving tomorrow. The waitress gave Connor a dessert and we sang a final 'happy birthday'. Courtney sent us this pic of all her children napping.

Charles Town Landing

This park is the first settlement of what was to become Charleston. It was settled around 1650. The park is well done and an interesting few hours. Things were so interesting, apparently, that I didn't take any pictures. We did have a MP dinner party this afternoon. The boys absolutely love the KOA. One bit of news. We accepted a bid on our house. If things go forward without a hitch we will be homeless on July 8th.

Cooper River Bridge

The big 0---3

Todays major event was Connors birthday party. It was held at the local fire station in one of their training rooms. Connor is deeply committed to trucks of all kinds. Fire trucks are of particular interest. Lindsay called the fire station and was given permission to use their facility. Connor also has a strong affinity for garbage trucks. I am hoping this birthday tradition ends at the fire house. This afternoon I bought a part that should fix our awning.

The beach

We went to Sullivan's island for some beach time today. Conditions were about as good as is possible. Fantastic. We went to the MP after, to get cleaned up. While we were there a gust of wind did a number on our awning. I got it wrapped up so we can drive. The problem is I can't get it back down. It is always something.

Busy day

I had a pretty good bike ride this morning. We got to Lindsay's house mid morning. Chris, Jamie's mom, flew in last night from upstate NY. When we arrived the boys were just finishing up a playtime in the yard. We had lunch and did a few errands. This afternoon we went to the county park to enjoy a band, some beer, and hotdogs.

Charleston KOA

We made the move to Charleston this morning. It's a little under 2 hours. We stopped by to have a brief visit with the boys. That's where I got the trucking video. We had everyone over to the MP for a fresh seafood feast. We bought it at a market as we were leaving Hunting Island. Our real reason for this layover is the impending 3rd birthday party for Connor. That's coming up on Saturday.

Wight Trucking Company

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Chill'n sorta

I wanted to get my boat wet today. I've got a new Werner carbon fiber paddle that has been screaming "use me dammit". I loaded the boat on the portage cart and just walked it to the beach. The waves were small and the tide was out so it wasn't too awfully difficult. I paddled south to Fripp island. That's where all the hoity toity people live. They are reputed to play golf and drink single malt scotch. I took a pic of the world renowned 'Hunting Island Light house' as I paddled by. Jenny and I also visited the local gator pond.

Town home search

Today began at 8:30 when we linked up with super real estate agent 'Howard Whitehead'. He picked us up at the campground and took us to a community near Beaufort called 'Habersham'. It is a great area with a commercial section, a lot of open space, a fantastic pool, water access with a kayak launch site and paved hiking trails. There's even a Wal Mart not far away. Jenny and I are both sold on it. We've got to sell our house first. Let's do this people! We were driven around Habersham in a golf cart by area specialist, Mike. Here's a pic.

Day 1 2013 summer trip

The last couple of days have been fairly hectic. We had to get our act together for a potential 4 month RV camping trip and leave the house ready to be shown and insure that it stays ready. We have some great neighbors who are anxious for us to leave and are pitching in to help us get the house sold. We are camped at 'Hunting Island State Park' It's just outside of Beaufort SC. We have an appointment with a real estate agent tomorrow. This is a working layover. Here's a pic of the campsite.

Ft. Clinch St. Park Fl.

We drove across the St. Marys river into Florida and Amelia Island, to visit fort Clinch. Construction began in 1847 and continued off & on until 1867. It was never finished, but It's still a very impressive structure. The ft. Clinch state park is really cool. We have a camping reservation there in a couple of weeks. Tomorrow we head back to Tega Cay. We'll be there for 8 days and then we're on the road until September. Here are a couple of pics of the fort.

Cumberland Island National Seashore

We linked up with our cohorts at the ferry dock this morning. The boat ride was 40 minutes. We met our tour guide, Rene, (1 e) and headed north on the main road. We had a few stops & turned around after visiting the 1st AB church made famous by hosting the wedding of John Kennedy & Caroline Bessette. We then toured the old mansion previously owned
by the Carnegie family. It was a pretty long day but everyone enjoyed it. The group splits tomorrow. We're here for 1 more day.

Moved to Georgia

We are camped at Crooked river state park Georgia, on the border with Florida. The Hoschs & the Dudeks are staying in St. Marys Ga. a few miles from here. We are going to tour Cumberland Is. National park tomorrow. This trip has been in the works for quite a while. This afternoon Jenny & I entertained everyone at the MP.

Much improved weather

After 5 days of typhoon conditions the weather has finally returned to normal. The massive storm surge deposited a huge load of shells on the beach, prompting the ladies to go get some. I caught them coming and going.

Feeding frenzy

We did the environmental education center this afternoon. All the animals got fed. It was a spectacular event. After that was lunch and then a playground and then a visit with the Dudeks and Hosches. It's currently raining again and Jamie wants me to give him a 'spades' lesson.

Missing sun

This is day 3 and we still haven't seen any blue sky. It's also been spitting rain off and on. The temp has been ok so we have done some bike rides and walks. The bike trails are wide and smooth. Today we plan on going to the nature center to witness the "feeding of the critters".  We hope to go to the north end of the island this afternoon and view the legendary dolphin parade. In the mean time we're playing with our electronic devices.

Edisto Beach State Park

We drove to Charleston in the MP, picked up Linz and the kids, and got here around 3. We are separated from the beach by a dune. It's windy and overcast and a little cool but it could be worse. I pitched a tent behind the MP and Jamie and I slept there. He arrived after work. Sleeping last night was problematic for the girls. The boys were restless. Don't know what we will do tonight. I slept great. The wind and the waves were better than a pill.