Sunday, March 17, 2013 (Day 41)- Moving on to Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, SC

I left Charleston this morning about 11:30am.  On my way out of the park I saw that the remote control sailboat guys were out again.  They were there all three days that I stayed in the park.  I stopped and took a few photos today.  You will also see in the background of some of the photos that on one side of the lake is an off-leash dog park and dog beach.

I went over another cool bridge…this one has a walkway….it was filled with people walking, jogging and biking on this beautiful, sunny Sunday morning.

I drove about 90 miles to Huntington Beach State Park, Murrells Inlet, SC.  This park is officially 20 miles south of Myrtle Beach, SC but it really is just a suburb of Myrtle Beach with all the shopping, mini-golf, dining, etc starting here and going mile after mile along Hwy 17.

I got unhitched and settled in by 2:30pm.  I drove around to the various parts of the park.  Here are some photos of a beautiful swan that was just bobbing along and some other birds.

 

While I was looking at the birds, I looked down in the water and I saw a crab with a carrot…..now that is something you don’t see every day..

I drove on into town and while I was driving around I saw a restaurant named “Crabby Mikes” and this van was parked in front.

Saturday, March 16, 2013 (Day 40)–Exploring Charleston, SC

I drove into downtown Charleston today (about 15 minutes).  I wandered thru the city market (2 blocks of shops) and other shops along the way.  It was beautiful today.  I believe it hit 80 degrees.

I decided I wanted to take a carriage tour.  They are very popular here.  There are at least six carriage tour companies.  In fact the city regulates where the carriages go to help with the traffic situation and the amount of carriages.  Once the carriage is full they pull up to a traffic hut and are told which of the three approved routes to take.

I wanted to eat a little lunch before taking the tour so I found a little pizza shop that seemed to be doing a pretty good business.  They offered one slice of pizza and a soda for $5.  They even bake it to order.  The waitress brought out the biggest slice of pizza I have seen in my life.  The slice was from a 28 inch pizza.   It was pretty good.

The carriage tour was good.  It was a beautiful day and the tour guide was excellent.  It was about an hour long.  After the tour I walked around the historic district for a couple of hours.

I love wrought iron so this is the city for me.

We passed a tree in a park with beautiful blooms.  The tour guide says it is a “Peppermint Peach Tree”.  They are non-fruit bearing.  The pictures below are from the same tree which has three different colors of blooms.

I needed to go to Cracker Barrel to change out to a new audiobook.  On the way to the restaurant a sign caught my eye and I had to turn around and go to…

I thought of you Mom….I know you are jealous….

I made it back to the campground in time for a couple of shots in the last light of the day.

Here is my new traveling partner  His name is Eggbert.…..he is quiet, does not need to be walked, fed or cleaned up after and always lands on his feet!     Eggbert living in an EggCamper….get it! 

Friday, March 15, 2013 (Day 39)–Moving on to Charleston, SC

I left Hunting Island State Park about 11:15 this morning.  I drove 88 miles to the campground at James Island County Park in Charleston, SC.  This is a county park with 125 sites.  It is pretty nice.  A small lake, a lot of bike and walking trails, a nice water park.

I got set up about 3:00.  It was about 67 degrees and sunny today.    I drove around and stopped at the grocery store and a couple of other stores.  I had some dinner and then walked across the street to do a load of laundry.

Thursday, March 14, 2013 (Day 38)–Chilly Today

It was chilly here today.  It did not reach 60 degrees.  This morning I made reservations at three more parks.  I went into Beaufort and did a little shopping this afternoon.  I was back at the campground by 5:30.  I took most of the stuff out of the car and the trailer tongue box and straightened everything up…it had gotten to be a big mess.

By 6:00 the wind had died down so I went and walked on the beach for awhile.  In the sunny parts it was not bad.

In the morning I am packing up and moving on.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013 (Day 37)–Exploring Beaufort, SC

Today I drove into Beaufort, SC.  It is about a 30 min drive from the campground.  I toured the historic district in a horse drawn carriage.  It was a pleasant hour.  Here are a few things I saw….make sure you notice the branches on the tree in the 3rd and 4th photos.

For lunch I decided to try a restaurant called “Fat Patties”….how can you pass up a restaurant named “Fat Patties”.  To begin with you get to choose between beef, 1/2 beef and 1/2 bacon, turkey, shrimp or black bean burger.  Then you can choose the toppings you want or they have various concoctions you can choose.  One of them was french fries, sausage gravy and cheddar cheese on your burger…talk about a heart attack on a plate.

They also have ice cream specialties such as peanut butter and honey shakes and burnt marshmallow ice cream.  They also had bacon maple ice cream and other odd kinds.

After lunch I wondered up and down their main street and wandered into shops.  I checked out the waterfront.  It was lovely with about a dozen wooden porch swings.

Sunset photos from tonight….