We each took walks on the trails in the state park.
Bobcat tracks in the sand.
Later this morning, we jumped into the Jeep and we went for a drive. We started with a ride into town and to the beach.
We drove out of town to King’s Market. We browsed and bought some more fig preserves.
These painted turtles are displayed all over Edisto Island; each unique and beautiful.
There are lots of sweetgrass basket stands here in low country. I bought one years ago that I still love and use. Now the smallest basket was $160.00.
We stopped at Dawhoo Landing and had a great view of the bridge to the island.
We went to the seafood market for fresh shrimp.
We stopped at George and Pinks; another small market off the beaten path.
We drove down Palmetto Road to the state park boat ramp.
This evening, we went to Waterfront Restaurant which was NOT on the waterfront. We both ordered shrimp and grits. Before our meals came, the server brought us a basket of hot hushpuppies…YUM!!! Then, we couldn’t finish our food. We were too full!
We drove back to the boat ramp to watch the sunset over the salt marsh.
I walked in the area surrounding the campground. I noticed that the Firestone was open and I went in to ask if we might be able to use their air compressor for an RV tire. They were very gracious and I told them that we would be by later in the morning.
We did a couple of errands and then got ready to go.
Some Halloween dump station humor.
We were able to pull up right in front of the Firestone and get our tire inflated.
We left Charleston, crossing over several bridges.
We traveled another 1 ½ hours to the south to Edisto Beach State Park. The last 10 miles of our drive was on the Edisto Scenic Byway. I love driving through the tunnels made by the old live oak trees. The branches were draped with Spanish moss. We were now in low country.
Our campsite is nestled among trees.
This afternoon, we got on our bikes and rode into the town.
We stopped at the Jungle Road Park, situated on the salt marsh.
We continued on a newly paved bike path all the way to the end of the island. We pushed our bikes on the last bit of trail to the beach.
We sat for awhile on this very crooked bench, watching the water.
We biked back.
This evening, I made flatbread with a glaze of fig preserves, thinly sliced fresh pears, goat cheese, prosciutto, and a drizzle of honey. It was delicious!
I walked the nature trail adjacent to the campground. I passed the lake and headed into the woods. It was slightly chilly and peaceful.
Tim found a nearby gym, brand new and well equipped. He was able to get a free three-day trial membership.
Later this morning, we took the Jeep and drove to Charleston.
We parked at the Charleston Visitor Center.
We took our bikes and cycled through the city. We spotted a farmer’s market at Marion Square. We browsed the selection of tasty foods and fine crafts. We found a loaf of orange, walnut and cranberry sourdough bread.
We biked along Meeting Street.
We turned onto Market Street. We walked our bikes for a short distance inside the market but quickly realized that it was too crowded and we went back out to the street.
We found our way to the waterfront.
The famous pineapple fountain.
We biked on along the Battery. There are some beautiful old houses here in the city.
We passed the Bloom Festival.
We stopped at a small taqueria for lunch.
On our way back to the car, there was an olive oil store. We bought a bottle of almond cream balsamic vinegar to go with the fresh sourdough bread.
I wish that we were staying longer. There is a lot of history in the City of Charleston and I would like to learn more…next time!!
This evening for dinner we packed a picnic. We put everything on our bike bags and rode back onto the nature trail to a picnic table.
This deer walked across the sandy path.
We biked the remainder of the trail past the lake. Several turtles were enjoying the last vestiges of sunshine.
Then, my goal this morning was to walk the trail to the ponds that we passed yesterday on our bikes. It is very hard to take pictures while biking. I am so blessed to be able to walk in such beautiful surroundings. The turtles and alligators were not out sunning themselves. It was only 54 degrees when we got up.
I returned along the causeway where I saw wood storks perched in a tree.
There is a huge eagle nest beneath the canopy of this tree.
We packed and prepared to move. We went south on 17 and arrived at the Charleston KOA after only about 1 ½ hours.
My mission this afternoon was to get all the clothes and sheets and towels washed. Our dryer is not working and so we needed a nice laundry room. This campground is well kept and clean. I spent the afternoon out on the deck on a fine fall day, listening to an audiobook and getting the laundry done!
I had put chicken on the crockpot and we made tender and delicious butter chicken with garlic naan and broccoli.
We cycled around the park this evening after dinner.
My walk this morning took me by Atalaya, the house built by the Huntington family in 1931. The family donated this land that was to become Huntington Beach State Park in the 1950’s.
I also walked out to the beach.
The park was to preserve the habitat of wildlife; birds, turtles, and alligators. The Huntington’s had created two manmade ponds for fresh water species. In addition, the property sits on a salt water marsh and has miles of ocean beaches. There is maritime forest as well. Migratory birds use this place as a rest stop. More species of birds have been identified in this park than in all of the Carolinas!
We went to Murrells Inlet to do some errands. Our first stop was the CVS. We both got Flu and COVID vaccines. It was simple and free!
We went to Publix for a few groceries and for fresh water fill and we fueled the Jeep.
This afternoon we biked about 7.5 miles through the park on a paved bike path. It was another gorgeous day. We saw gators and turtles and dozens of wood storks and a couple of spoonbills. We followed the path parallel to Highway 17 and then through a neighborhood with big and beautiful beach houses.
This evening, we packed steamed shrimp and whole grain sourdough and took our picnic out by the pier. We watched the birds.
We were waiting for the sun to go down and we got a FaceTime call from Kyle and Wade. It was dinnertime! Wade was loving his meal!
Tomorrow, we will leave this place and head south to Charleston. This was a really cool park and I hope that someday we get an opportunity to come back and explore some more!
I was feeling really good this morning and I set a goal to walk to the bridge. I was able to walk 3.25 miles without foot pain. This was my longest walk post injury and it is a huge big deal not to hurt anymore!
I was thinking that we might stay longer in Holden Beach but we were able to secure reservations for two nights at Huntington Beach Sate Park. We have tried to get reservations here before but this is the crown jewel of the SC state park system and it stays full. We drove out of Holden Beach and then another 1 ½ hours into South Carolina and then around Myrtle Beach. We arrived in early afternoon. We rested and then we cycled through the park. We began at the beach. The tide was very high and there were lots of people enjoying a very small amount of beach.
We sat in a pavilion along the marsh and watched little white egrets hunting for food.
This is a ghost tree and it is part of a ghost forest. With rising sea levels, the tidal water now reaches further inland. Hardwood trees are not able to tolerate the salinity and they die.
We biked to the nature center and walked through the exhibits.
The access to the pier was flooded at the salt marsh.
We biked across the causeway.
We spotted a couple of alligators.
This little guy was less than two feet long.
This park has lots of birds probably because it has such a wide range of protected habitats.
We packed dinner and took the Jeep back to the nature center where that was a nice picnic area.
The tide had receded and we were able to get out onto the pier for the sunset.
Tim saw this group of roseate spoonbills roosting on a damaged portion of the pier. The no see ums chased us back to the car.
We went back out to the beach and took a walk.
What a perfect mild and pleasant day!
We also got to FaceTime with both boys and all the grandchildren!
Thankfully we were able to get off the ferry in Cedar Island. The RV park that we intended to stay at was less than a mile from the ferry terminal. GPS took me to the right and fortunately, Tim was not directly behind me. Tim found the campground entrance and pulled in. It was very dark. There was no one at the office and we were going to have to book online. There were no lights and there was no signage to guide us. We stumbled upon some waterview full hookup sites but they were pricey. After getting out to walk around, we noted that many of the campground roads had large puddles and soft spots. In an abundance of caution, elected to use the available pull through.
Tim didn’t feel well. He had a headache and felt unbalanced…I believe that he had some seasickness. He was in bed by 8pm.
The wind once again pummeled us. Tim got up sometime in the middle of the night, started the engine and pulled the bid dining room slideout in.
In the morning, it was misty and grey and the wind was still whipping. I slept late and Tim was already out walking when I got up. In any other weather this would have been a very cool place to stay. There is equestrian camping here and people come with their horses to walk the miles of beach trails.
Our goal today was to find sunshine and to escape the wind. We headed south Down East on the Crystal Coast.
We traveled through a marshy National Wildlife Refuge and it was beautiful.
We drove past Tony’s Sanitary Fish Market in Morehead City. Our family used to vacation at Atlantic Beach and Tony’s Fish Market was a favorite. I remember that the hushpuppies were amazingly delicious. Back in the day, the servers would bring us heaping baskets full of hushpuppies and when they were gone, they would bring us more!
We moved further south past Newbern and then further still to Holden Beach. We stayed here years ago. Today, we were lucky to find a site right along the beach near the pier. The pier was badly damaged in a storm but the campsites are available through the town hall. This was the view out our front door!
All of the windy and consequently noisy nights had taken a toll on me and I desperately needed a nap. When I woke after 4pm, we hopped on our bikes and rode to the bridge.
We went to Castaways for dinner.
This mural is a picture of Wilson from the Tom Hanks movie.
We tried to drive to the end of the island to watch the sunset but the end of the island is a private and gated community…boo!
We walked out onto the beach instead. It was a lovely evening…warm and NO WIND!!! The waves lapped gently at the shoreline. It is hard to believe that this is the same ocean.
We spent a long time this evening making future reservations. We had assumed that because it was not the high season, that it would be easy to find places to stay. We were wrong and so we decided to plan ahead so that we can visit the parks we know we want to stay. We are booked now until October 27th.
We woke up and it was not raining! The wind speeds were less than 20mph. Maybe today would be the day that we could finally leave the island! At 7am and again at 7:30am we heard the bellowing of the ferry horn as the early departures made their way out of the harbor.
Tim drove the Jeep into town to see if the road was walkable. The streets in town were flooded but the first mile of the bike path was dry. Tim set out first and I stayed behind to prep the RV for moving. Then I set out.
I walked a mile and then as Tim reported, the path and the adjacent highway were covered by about 3 inches of water. I walked back to the campground.
At 11am, we drove the RV and the Jeep to the ferry terminal. Our reservation was for 4:30 but when I checked in at the ticket booth, I was told that we could get on the 1pm ferry if we wanted to wait on standby. At 12:35, they changed our reservation and sent us to get in line to board. This was too good to be true…really…it was too good to be true! Tim was in the RV and he watched the first cars get onto the ferry and he called me. He was concerned that the ramp to get onto the boat was too steep and that he was going to drag bottom when he tried to board. The ferry staff also saw that there was going to be a problem and they went out to measure the distance from the surface of the water to the bulkhead. High tide was at 1:40pm and today, the wind was coming from the north and pushing the tide, making the tide exceptionally high. They could not allow us to board. We were so close!
We were sent to the parking area to wait along with another large RV. Eventually, they were able to change our reservation for the later ferry. We had 3 hours to kill. I wanted lunch and I walked into town and found that every place was closed today. I went back to the RV and fixed a sandwich.
We waited and waited and finally, it was time to board. Looking at the water level in the harbor, we were skeptical. We had already decided that if we needed to stay another night, we would go back to Dajio for dinner!
They had me take the Jeep on first and then they were going to try our motorhome. I watched anxiously as Tim drove up and onto the boat with inches to spare. We were promised that they would be able to get us off at Cedar Island but if they can’t, we get to spend the night on the boat!
We enjoyed our dinner as we watched the waves in the sound. There are no whitecaps and it has been a relatively smooth journey.
There is an RV park right at the Cedar Island Ferry Terminal where we will stay for the night. Tomorrow, we plan to head south along the coast!
After we settled for bed last night, the wind calmed down for a while before ramping up again. The rain lashed us all night long. This morning, the world was grey and flooded and the rain and wind just kept on coming. The forecast for the day was for lots more of the same. We checked at the ferry terminal and decided to rebook our tickets for Monday. The only trip available for the RV and the Jeep was at 4:30.
The whole day loomed before us gloomy and damp. I found lots of small chores to keep me busy and I listened to a book for most of the day. Tim really wanted to get out but his gym membership expired yesterday. The streets were so flooded that even when the rain slowed, there was nowhere to walk. He was restless and bored.
I really wanted to get out of the RV and I wanted to go out for dinner. I was going whether he was or not…but we both agreed. We went back to 1718 (which incidentally is the year that Blackbeard was killed) and had a good dinner and listened to good music.
A frog on the hood of a car as we walked left the brewery.
A couple of ferries were able to leave this afternoon for Swan Quarter but Cedar Island is flooded and so we shall see what happens overnight. We are hopeful that tonight is truly our last night in Ocracoke!
Yesterday , in the blog, I forgot to tell the story of the eggs. Tim thought that I left it out on purpose but really I did forget!
I was making easy over eggs for dinner last night and I knew that Tim wanted more boiled eggs and so I simultaneously started a pot of 8 eggs boiling in some water. I was putting away the olive oil and I bumped the stove cover for our induction stove. The cover slipped and knocked the pot and the pan off the stove. I caught the frying pan but the pot with the hot water and eggs went crashing to the floor. Fortunately, the water was hot but not boiling…it splashed onto my feet. 5 of the 8 eggs broke in the fall and we had a soppy, eggy mess on the floor. The pot is dented but the floor tiles are intact and the mess missed the carpet. We worked together to get it cleaned up…I won’t ever do that again!
We were supposed to leave Ocracoke today. It was raining this morning but the wind seemed to be fairly tame. We decided to wait until later in the day to check the status of the Ocracoke to Cedar Island Ferry. We had reservations for the 1pm passage. At 9:30, I got a text saying the ferry service was interrupted because of the weather, a nor’easter moving up the coast. All ferries were cancelled for the remainder of the day and ferry service would not resume until it is safe.
Screenshot
I drove to the ferry terminal to change our reservation. We now have plans to leave at 4:30 tomorrow evening but looking at the forecast, that appears to be unlikely.
Tim decided to brave the rain and wind and he walked into town and to the gym. He did his workout and then called me and asked me to meet him at Dajio for lunch. The fried oysters were amazing!
A moth on the screen at the restaurant.
We had a long and quiet afternoon. We decided to take a drive at 2:30. We took an access road to the sound side. There were white caps and it was windy but not too crazy.
After about 6 miles, Route 12 was closed. We later learned that the waves were splashing up and over the dunes and the northern end of the road was flooded with overwash. The ocean was spilling onto the highway.
Then we drove out onto the beach. We saw about 12 other cars and trucks. There were a few hardy fishermen standing on the shore with lines in the water. The ocean was rough and beautiful and powerful.
We ate eggs for supper. We had thought we might go across the street to listen to music again tonight but it’s too nasty to be outside.
The rain is currently pounding and driving and coming in sideways. Looking at the weather radar, we appear to be in the yellow portion of the map, getting the heaviest rain. The wind speeds have risen and are currently at 33 with gusts to 46. In the next hour, wind speeds will increase to 40 with gusts to 56. The RV is rocking a little bit but not as bad as it has in the past in other storms. We still have power which is pretty remarkable.
We shall see what tomorrow brings. We are keeping an eye on the forecast. There is nothing to be done but to wait it out. Tim thought to fill our fresh water tank and to dump our grey and black tanks. We have plenty of food and water. We are tucked into a campground where we have some protection from the wind and we are parked right next to another large RV and he is blocking wind for us as well. We are warm and we are dry and we are only a little bit bored. It is all part of our adventure!
