Monday, October 20, 2008

From the Mountains to The Sea

Today has been one of those days that, to me, defines the essence of this gypsy lifestyle, and why I love it so.

When we woke up this morning it was cold enough to freeze my tootsies as I hurried to bundle up myself and the dogs for our morning walk. There was definitely frost on the pumpkins, and the cars too.


It wasn't long before we were all ready to head out.



We were here just a few days ago:


On the road, we cross a state line:



We went downhill, and downhill until the trees were all green and there were beautiful Cosmos blooming along the roadside for miles:



It wasn't long before we saw our turn-off from I-26 to I-526 to circle around Charleston:


And here we are at Oak Plantation Camground, just outside of Charleston, South Carolina. We traveled 241 miles today and got 9 mpg.


We got checked in and set up, then decided to see if we could find James Island County Park and take a look at the campground there.

Mark drove, and I took my computer with the gps so we could find our way around. I was hoping we would have time to drive to Folly Island and get a glimpse of Folly Beach.

We found the James Island Country park and the campground. It looks pretty nice, probably worth a stay there. They are getting ready for their Festival of Lights which will begin in Mid-November. Evidently this is one of the biggest light festivals in the country.

From there, we headed to Folly Island and found the beach:


I'm a happy camper! I love the ocean!


Dortha loves the ocean too!


Not only a beach, but a lighthouse! This is the Morris Island Light, which is being restored. It was built in 1872 and is 158 feet tall. It's actually the third lighthouse in this location. The second light was destroyed in the Civil War to prevent Union troops using it as a lookout tower.


Mark and Dortha show us how small they think the lighthouse is:


The sea grass looks like cotton candy:


A last look with the late afternoon sun shining on the lightouse:


After our beach romp, we decided to have dinner at a local Crab Shack (not Joe's) on Folly Island. Dortha and I had salads with grilled shrimp, the guys had the sampler platter. We shared desserts, Mark and Dortha split a piece of key lime pie while I had a few bites of Jim's pecan pie. We asked the waitress about "She Crab Soup" and she brought us a little sample so we could taste it. Oh my! Definitely not a Weight Watcher's recipe, but it tasted great!
We headed back to to the rv park to settle in for the night. The weather is definitely warmer here, and I've put away my winter gear! Life is good!

4 comments:

Speedy said...

Did you get to visit the old ships? Gosh it has been 25 years since Sherri and I have been to Charleston!!! We really need to get back there some day. Have fun and keep the pictures coming.

Joe

Tumbleweed Dee said...

Thanks for the trip. We love traveling thru you guys. The dog thing reminds me of the rally when you did that skit, thanks for the laugh.

Janna and Mike said...

I am so envious, Jim and Ellie. I have always wanted to visit South Carolina but I have this husband who thinks there are too many people out there. Have fun, give those fur kids a hug for me.

Anonymous said...

Did you take the dogs to Folly Beach? It's one of the few places where they are allowed!