South Carolina Beach and Table Rock State Park

Greetings from Virginia!

First... we were in South Carolina.

We stayed a few days at Hunting Island State Park campground.

While there we drove about 25 miles to the Spanish Moss Trail.  Googlemaps directed us wrong, but we found the trailhead anyway.

We biked the Spanish Moss trail through the low country where we could look out over tidal grass lands and estuaries.  The trail is about 11 miles long giving us a 22 mile ride or so.

On our way back past this downed tree we met a man who told us he had just walked past that place the day before, when it was windy and rainy.  The tree came crashing down behind him just after he passed!

The tree we identified using our phones as a sweet gum tree.

We stood quite a while chatting with him.  He was quite interesting.   I asked if he was from the area.  He said he grew up in New York and his parents sent him down to his grandparents every summer to keep him out of trouble.   His grand parents had a little farm with chickens and goats.  He began to tell us about his four children.  And then told us that his son will be sending his children to him this summer to watch over/teach and give the parents a break.  A generational tradition it seems.  

After we were done chatting with him, we saw three county workers heading toward the big, downed sweet gum tree with chain saws.

After our ride we stopped at an art museum that said it was the Gullah museum too. Gullah culture grew in the area where former slaves tried to make a living off the low lands. There were a couple of videos playing explaining the gullah history and lots lovely artwork.  But it didn't seem like a historical museum.  

The thing that got me excited was this model for a Harriet Tubman memorial.  What a good idea.  I took a picture of the donation information so I could contribute.  Maybe you will want to also.

The next day while I struggled with my email, Steve went exploring and found another museum that looked more like what we were expecting. 

My EMAIL!!!  Yikes what a stressful thing.  I would have tossed my phone in the dumpster if I didn't use it so dang much to look up directions, places, and birds.  I use it to listen to books and podcasts and music while I drive from one place to another.  I ignored messages from microsoft telling me I was running out of memory in my email account.  I thought it was spam actually.  I didn't trust it.  But then Outlook locked me out of sending and receiving emails because I have exceeded my memory.  Arg!

We are a fortunate people if this kind of thing is what stresses us.  No famine, no bombs, just email and politics stress me out.   

Back to Hunting Island...

We also walked the beach several times on Hunting Island.  The north end of the beach is a bird sanctuary.  We saw about five Roseated Spoonbills, lots of Pelicans and gulls and little shorebirds.  I did yoga on the beach one morning and did not notice when Steve came on the beach and took a buch of pictures of me as I did updogs and yogi squats.

One morning we came upon of of wood storks in a tidal pond.

There were LOTS of dead jelly fish on the beach.  Some were still pulsing.  We kept our flip flops on most the time.

There was a mighty wind that created neat designs in the sand.

We learned through a lens app on our Android phones that this is a cannon ball jelly fish.

After Hunting Island we drove our separate trucks and trailers further north about 5 hours.

Table rock campground is in the foothills of the  Blue Ridge Mountains.  I had planned for us to drive to the Swamp Rabbit Trail and ride into Greenville, SC.  But when we got to Table Rock and saw the beauty and the hiking opportunities, we decided to hike instead.

We hiked up thousands of feet and eight miles to the top of Table Rock.  Not bad for a 69 year old and a 64 year old... going on 46.   Ha ha.  

Just look at those pictures!

There was a lot of Mountain Laurel blooming.  The blossoms are lovely close up.

Why 46?  Well, we joked that as we relax into this relationship with each other, that we have aged from 30 to 46 in a matter of months.  A little less adreniline, but still enjoying each other and learning about more about each other. Don't get me wrong, we are both still very high energy and life-loving folks.  We just passed our five month anniversary as a couple in April!  

Before we got back to the parking lot we cooled our hot feet in the pool below a lovely waterfall and watched a couple and their two young boys exploring the pool and falls.

There were a lot of tulip trees in the forest.  I always thought of them as smaller trees in landscaping.  These were giants, reaching up many stories tall before spreading out a canopy of branches and leaves.

With the travel and the relationship, I have to remind myself to take days to take care of my stuff.  Like today, driving from South Carolina to North Carolina, I had to push myself to do a day of Anytime Fitness, to stop at a coffee shop to use the wifi to get my phone and computer stuff straightened out, and just taking care of business.  It is too easy to get caught up in enjoying the wonderful sights and places and activities and time just being with Steve that I lose track of the responsibilities of daily life like checking the bank accounts, backing up files, and reaching out to keep in touch with friends and family.

I am finally getting the hang of opening and closing Steve's trailer door.  I can't believe how long it took me to learn that, with repeated patient lessons from Steve.  I think it is a sign I am aging after all.

As we hiked up the mountain feeling strong and able and proud of our abilities,  an athlete carrying no water or back pack came running and leaping down the path.  And then when we neared the top a group of girls in long dresses wearing bonnets like the amish came running past us.  Well, I said to Steve, I used to be able to do that.  Now I might be strong enough, but falls hurt more and more prominent in my mind.  

I slipped and fell once, but fortunately it was on a huge smooth rock we were working over and I didn't get hurt at all.  Yay, no broken knee caps!   Still feeling proud.  I told Steve if I keep hiking like that I will have gorgeous legs like he does.  

Well, I gotta go get to camp and get set up.  Steve is already set up and it appears I may be in a different campground than him.  We are camping at Hungry Mother.  A campground new to us but recommended by a Sister on the Fly.  

I hope this finds you well and noticing some of the joyful moments in your life.