Yakking the swamp

Let me set the scene. This is a big popular park. There are 55 canoes for rent. There are 25 John boats for rent. The parking lot is huge. We launched mid morning and the parking lot was empty. We pretty much had the swamp to ourselves. There are some benefits to camping this time of year. Small crowds are one of them. We were out for 5 hours. We did a hike on an island and ate lunch on a wooden dock. The paddling was spectacular. I had to jump through some hoops to make yesterday's post. I will attempt to use those same hoops today.

Stephen C Foster SP Ga

This place is at the end of a 17 mile dead end road. The Verizon cell tower is at the beginning of the road. We are using our signal booster but things aren't working too well. The park is in the middle of the Okefenokee swamp. We wanted to come here for the paddling potential. I went out after lunch. It was really cool. The channel I was in got narrower and narrower until I had to break my paddle in half and just use one blade. Jenny is still nursing a sore shoulder but she will give it a go tomorrow. We are here 3 nights.

General Coffee St. Park Ga

I think this park is in Coffee county. The park and county were named after General John Coffee, a US congressman and military leader. I'm thinking he might consider dropping the US congressman part of his resume. That's not really something I consider brag worthy. Anyway, there is a working farm in the park as well as a swampy river flowing through it. We are only here for 1 night so we didn't have alot of time to explore. Tomorrow we are headed for Stephen C Foster SP. It's right in the middle of the Okefenokee swamp. We will be there for 3 nights. The reviews that we have read say that cell coverage is weak. We have always been able to communicate somehow but just be advised we might or might not be incommunicado.

Little Ocmulgee day 2

There was a 100 percent chance of rain in today's forcast. They hit that one on the head. There was a short break this morning and I was able to get out. I took the pic below of a bridge on the golf course cart path. We braved the weather and drove into McRae, the nearest town, to see the sights. We found a Piggly Wiggly. It was a blast from the past. Jenny claims she hasn't set foot in a Piggly Wiggly in 50 years. We have one in Beaufort that I went in just out of curiosity last year. It's about what you'd expect. Last week I was complaining about having trouble posting pictures on the blog. I couldn't use the app. I had to use the website. It was a pain. A few days ago Samsung informed me that there was an update for my phone. After installing that, my picture posting problem disappeared. The last pic was taken from under the MP's awning. It was about the only place you could stand outside without getting wet. We move tomorrow.

Little Ocmulgee State Park Ga

Today was the longest drive of this trip. Actually, our drive to Tega Cay was a little longer, but that was day 1. This is a resort park. There is a golf course, a lodge, a conference center, a restaurant, a pool, tennis courts, volley ball and the ultimate attraction......a putt-putt golf course. Also a laundry in the campground.

Hamilton Branch SP

We are still in S. Carolina but this park is near Augusta. The lake we are backed up to is Strom Thurmond Reservoir. We think this is the 3rd time we have stayed here. The attraction for me is the Forks Area Trail System. Bike trails. They are excellent. The trailhead is about a 20 minute drive from this campground. There are 6 loop trails. I rode 2 of them. My 65 year old legs are tired. We are going to cross into Georgia tomorrow. We left Habersham on the 6th of January so we will have been in South Carolina for 21 days.

Last day at Aiken

We drove into town to absorb some local ambience and eat Mexican food. Jenny found a restaurant with great reviews. It was a Mexican grocery with a
restaurant or a Mexican restaurant with a grocery, it was hard to tell. The food was great. The clientele was all Mexican laborers on their lunch breaks. We visited a garden operated by the city of Aiken. The property was donated to the city a long time ago by a couple who bred and raced Thoroughbred horses. The Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum is located on the garden grounds. I really wanted to spend some time visiting the Hall of Fame but.......well actually I didn't. It's interesting to me that there is a thing called, "The Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame". We move tomorrow.