Myrtle Beach Bound!

 

We finally made it to the east coast. Destination: Myrtle Beach State Park in South Carolina. We stopped along the way to take campsite photos at Carolina Beach State Park in North Carolina. Below are pictures of the intercoastal waterway that borders the park, the marina, and a typical campsite:

With a marina providing access to some of North Carolina's best fishing spots, a secluded camping area beneath towering trees, and miles of hiking trails that traverse a variety of distinct habitats--not to mention the presence of the Venus flytrap, one of the world's most unique carnivorous plants--it's no wonder Carolina Beach State Park is a popular coastal attraction. Located in an area steeped in both history and natural diversity, the park includes a visitor's center with exhibits depicting the wonders of its environment.

 

80 miles further south found us rolling down US17 and entering Myrtle Beach. We arrived Tuesday afternoon and set up camp. Early Wednesday morning I took a short stroll down to the beach to capture some sunrise photos. Glenn stayed behind to scare away intruders with his snores…Below is our campsite, the beach, and the pier:

This changed my mind about having pancakes for breakfast:

I walked out on the pier to see what all the fisherman were catching. They were small fish called “Spots”, which resembled perch. Looking north from the pier you can see some of the hotels that line the beach in an area known as The Grand Strand:

A wide open beach, fishing pier full of anglers and stories, campgrounds in the oceanfront woods, all in the middle of it all in Myrtle Beach. Since 1935, a trip to the beach has meant a stay at Myrtle Beach State Park each year for hundreds of thousands of families from across the United States and Canada. Located in the heart of the bustling Grand Strand, one of America’s most popular and diverse vacation destinations, Myrtle Beach State Park also is a natural retreat, home to one of South Carolina’s last stands of easily accessible, oceanfront maritime forest.

 

Thursday we headed to the heart of The Grand Strand and checked out the boardwalk area. This is a quintessential summer beach town. Tourist shops are everywhere and there are countless seafood restaurants. Crabs seem to be the main theme. Here are some photos:

Another view of the hotels along The Grand Strand. They seem to go on forever:

Envisioning a year-round golfing resort on 65,000 acres of undeveloped oceanfront property, John T. Woodside built a luxury hotel and had a Scottish golf course architect build the area’s first course in 1927. The Depression waylaid Woodside’s plans for further development, and he eventually sold out. The venerable golf club, later renamed Pine Lakes, is now the centerpiece of Myrtle Beach golfing.

More courses were added over the years, and by the late 1970’s The Grand Strand had become a premiere golfing destination. Simultaneously, the beaches emerged as a favorite East Coast summer getaway. Today, the area attracts vacationers from all over the country and annually courts thousands of returning Canadian visitors with it’s signature Canadian American Days Festival in March. Pretty neat, eh?

There are now over 100 golf courses in the area, along with more than 50 miniature ones. Yep, driving along US17 you pass by a putt putt course every few hundred yards.

 

We will be getting the canoe wet when we hit Edisto State Park, our next stop about 125 miles south. We will be there for two nights starting Saturday. The Edisto River is supposed to be a great spot to dip a paddle. Maybe we will get lucky and spot a gator or two.

Regards,

Greg

Snow? Really?

 

Yes, really. We put the pedal down and spent Halloween weekend in Brighton township near Pittsburgh. We awoke Saturday to a light snowfall. luckily we were staying at the home of Jim and Marge, two friends of Glenn.

 

Our destination for Monday was Camp Creek State Park in West Virginia, about 300 miles south. We saw quite a few old factory towns along the banks of the Ohio River. What a different era. The sky cleared as we arrived at Camp Creek.

Camp Creek State Park was formed from Camp Creek State Forest in 1987, when a tract of approximately 550 acres was set aside to create this recreation area. Still adjacent to the park lies Camp Creek State Forest. Consisting of nearly 5,300 acres of forest land this property has managed to demonstrate sound forest management principles through the concept of multiple-use. A hunter will find many species of game including deer, native wild turkey, ruffed grouse and a variety of small game. Camp Creek, from which these areas take their name, is one of the best stocked trout streams in the state and can offer hours of fishing enjoyment.

The park is situated just two miles off Interstate 77 at exit 20. Camp Creek State Park is an oasis for the vacationer. Whether you choose the park as a vacation site or a stop over on the way to another destination, rest assured you will find exactly what you are looking for. Surrounded by the breathtaking mountains of southern West Virginia, Camp Creek offers a chance to enjoy what state parks are all about. The Ranger told us that the campground is always full during the summer, so plan accordingly. Here are some photos:

The clear sky meant cold temperatures for Monday night. The fly on my tent was frozen the next morning and I had to put on gloves to touch my tent poles! After breaking camp, we looked at the ambient temperature gauge in the car and it read 27 degrees. With the sun out. Yeah.

 

Our campground for the next three nights is William B. Umstead State Park in North Carolina, about 10 miles west of Raleigh. We stopped in Hanging Rock State Park along the way to take photos:

Not far from the cities of the Triad area, off the four-lane highways there's another North Carolina to be discovered sheer cliffs and peaks of bare rock, quiet forests and cascading waterfalls, views of the piedmont plateau that stretch for miles.

Hike the trails of Hanging Rock State Park and let nature put life's hectic pace in perspective. Rent a vacation cabin and fall asleep to the lullabies of spring peepers and chorus frogs. Join an interpretive program and discover something new about nature's bounty. Nestled in the hills is a cool mountain lake that beckons to swimmers and fishermen.

The leaves are still turning at these campgrounds and the colors are spectacular. They are like a crunchy carpet as I walk the trails.

 

Tucked between the growing cities of Raleigh, Cary, Durham and the corporate world of Research Triangle Park is an oasis of tranquility, a peaceful haven—William B. Umstead State Park.

Here, two worlds merge as the sounds of civilization give way to the unhurried rhythm of nature. Highways fade in the distance as trees, flowers, birds and streams form a more natural community. William B. Umstead is a place to escape the pressures of everyday life, a place to picnic in the pines, to wait for a fish to bite, to take a hike or horseback ride on trails through the woods.

Small, with only 28 campsites, it is a great suburban park. Glenn went into town to run errands on Wednesday, so I hiked one of the many trails to Big Lake. Simply beautiful. Here are some photos:

 

Then I ended up at Big Lake:

I like how they posted this trail marker:

 

We will be leaving here early Friday morning to drop off the car at a friends house in Raleigh, and then boarding Amtrak for a 6 hour ride to Washington, DC. The weekend will be spent exploring the capitol and heading back on Monday. I hope I run across (or over) Pelosi, Reid, and Obama. I would dearly like to smack some sense into them…

I won’t be posting again until the middle of next week from Myrtle Beach, SC. This is where the real camping starts as we follow the coast south to Key West, and the northwest to Texas.

Multi-tasking is an over used word in the office, but it applies to camping as well. Just this morning while sitting on the crapper I also cut my toenails…

Regards,

Greg

Rhinos and Elephants and Giraffes…Oh My!

 

We broke camp on Tuesday with one main goal in mind. To find the World’s Largest Hairball. We heard rumors that it was to be found in Garden City, Kansas. So we headed east on US 50, which is part of the original Santa Fe Trail.

Our GPS guided us to our destination. It turned out to be a museum and a zoo. Unfortunately, the museum was closed at the time, so our hairball viewing hopes were dashed. We did find some other stuff to look at, but it was just not the same.

 

We ended up spending the night at Kanapolis State Park in Kansas. The campground only had a few loops open so we stayed in the tent area. There we found a possible source for hairballs – Wild Kitties!

Yep, there was a herd of four kitties roaming the otherwise empty tent loop. They seemed to like raisins…

 

Wednesday morning we found ourselves heading to Van meter State park in Missouri, about 340 miles away. We left US 50 and angled northeast on US 24. This road continued to follow the Santa Fe Trail, as well as adding the Lewis and Clark Trail for good measure.

Van Meter is a small state park with a lot of Indian heritage. Arrowheads are frequently found here along with other artifacts. Once again, we were the only ones camping there. Below is our campsite.

The sun started to set and it was getting cold. Luckily, Glenn invented something he calls “Fire”.

 

Thursday night should find us somewhere in Indiana. We will see what happens!

 

Regards,

Greg

Heading East

 

I headed out Saturday morning, which was a day early. After looking over the route I had planned, which included almost 2000 miles in the first four days, it just made sense. My good friend Glenn is along for this journey, in fact, we are taking his car. And a whole lot more:

 

We added my canoe on top along with his Teardrop trailer and a pair of bikes on the back. We get  some stares and quite a few thumbs ups!

 

Our first stop was at Coral Pink Sand Dunes State Park in Utah. To get there we headed up Interstate 15 through Vegas from SoCal, (yes, still more construction in Vegas), and turned left on Utah 9 just north of St. George, Utah, passing through Zion National Park on the way to the junction with Utah 89 and the entrance to Coral Pink Sand Dunes. Zion was very crowded, and only through traffic was permitted. Shuttles were available at the entrance for visitors looking to tour the park. Here is one of the tunnels:

 

We arrived at our campground and set up shop, then walked to see the dunes. Yes, they are pink:

Rippling arcs of pink-colored sand welcome you as you enter the park. Contrasted by blue skies, juniper and pinion pines, and steep red cliffs, the park is a wonderful place for camping, photography, off-highway vehicle riding, and playing in the sand. As the only major sand dune field on the Colorado Plateau, this park is a unique geologic feature that should not be missed. We thought about taking the canoe to the top of that dune just to see the reaction we would get…but we did not.

 

Sunday morning we headed up Utah 89 toward it’s junction with Interstate 70. Since our plans had changed we figured that a night at the Colorado National Monument near Fruita, CO, was in order. Before we reached I70 however, there was a startling development. Glenn found a lake:

And a very nice lake it was. Called Piute Lake, it is a Utah State Park that offers primitive camping on the lakeshore. The water was up and the leaves were turning, making for some beautiful contrasts in colors:

 

I thought I noticed something strange in the front window of Glenn’s car, so I took a closer look. Seems like we may have picked up a hitchhiker:

We’ll see how this plays out.

So we set up camp at Colorado National Monument, which preserves one of the grand landscapes of the American West. But this treasure is much more than a monument. Towering monoliths exist within a vast plateau-and-canyon panorama. You can experience sheer-walled, red rock canyons along the twists and turns of Rim Rock Drive, where you may spy bighorn sheep and soaring eagles. We had to leave early on Monday morning, so we did not get a chance to do much exploring. Below is a photo of our campsite and a dawn breaking over Fruita below:

 

We left I70 in Grand Junction, CO, and headed east on US 50. I thought we were lost for a bit and we were running low on fuel, but luckily Glenn found the Continental Divide, and it was all downhill from there:

11,312 feet high and the wind was screaming!!!

We continued east on US 50 to the town of La Junta, near the Kansas border. Losing light, we stopped a KOA, where we will enjoy our first showers of the trip…

We will be camping somewhere in Kansas tomorrow, maybe at Dorothy’s place.

Till then,

Greg