The Lowcountry and the OOO's

Early morning sunrise, I thought this was going to show itself to be a beautiful. 

The way the other half lives.....Charleston Yachties

We are now in what is called "the Lowcountry" of South Carolina. Originally dependent of plantation agriculture, indigo, rice, cotton, tourism is now the big money making gun here.  It is a land of smells, salt air, pluff mud ( a unique smell which is at once pleasant and unpleasant and is totally a "low country thing" let's just say 'it grows on you' ), very friendly people and a slower southern pace.  

Coosaw, Ashepoo, Wapoo, and my favorite Toogoodoo are just a few of the creeks and rivers where you can anchor in South Carolina. I called them the OOO's.  

We are trying to kill some time so are holding to our trip plan of anchoring in different places, it has paid off.  We have seen so much more than rushing through and not exploring. 

Ashepoo Creek where we dinghied to B&B Seafood and got some fresh shrimp for $8.00 a pound. They had a small "convenience store" section and we asked if they had milk....after a few minutes she came back with "yes we do, but it's frozen"! We politely declined, but the shrimp was great!!  I made shrimp scampi with half of it and froze the rest for another 'treat'.

                                                  Late afternoon on Ashepoo Creek

                             B&B Seafood in Green Pond South Carolina. The  population  of 1200 (must                                               be inland because all we saw were a very few modest homes )

                          A happy fisherman who we watched reel in a nice sized Spot Tail
                                off the dock at B&B Seafood, he was ........Happy!!

And the very happy shrimp cleaners....they were having such a great time together laughing while doing what must be a monotonous job. They were cleaning about 500 pounds of shrimp that had come in on the boats late the night before.  So we were getting it "hot off the presses".

My favorite anchorage was Toogoodoo.  It was BEAUTIFUL....right up there with Leadenham in Maryland.  Of course it didn't hurt that it was a gorgeous fall day.  Just a little breeze, 75 degrees and a sky that was so blue it hurt your eyes!!  We saw more birds here than anywhere else this trip. A Great Blue Heron and quite a few Great White Herons, a Green Heron, and not one but THREE Bald Eagles!  The Live Oaks were dripping with Spanish Moss,

                                Beautiful creek for vegetation, the live oaks were spectacular.

                 I did some research (love the internet) on Toogoodoo Creek and what a history.  The surrounding land was settled in the 1600's because of its deep water and high land in the low country of South Carolina.  It is about 30 minutes from Charleston or 'Charles Towne' as it was originally called in the 1600's.  There were many large plantations in the lands surrounding Charleston.  We stopped at a dock and talked to a man to find out a little about the area.  This house was a plantation that once owned thousands of acres  of surrounding land.  

This is a log cabin that is over 200 years old and it is part of 'Toogoodoo Bluff' (this is the south and they name their property here) this is what I found on the internet about it:                         http://www.vrbo.com/175121 .

This wood barge was the find of the day.  I have been trying to find out about it but nothing specific comes up except the fact that this creek was part of a huge plantation and wood barges were used by plantations to move goods and people.  Wish we would have seen this before we talked to our "informant", we might have found out some of it's history.

                                                                   Eagle and nest

                                                                 Great Blue Heron

                                                         Eagle #2 after #3 flew the coop      

                                                      Monet clouds reflected in the water

 
                                Headed to our floating  home after our excellent 'creek crawl'

The end of another day on the water.  Bob & I settled in for the sunset :-)

Missed Opportunity

We are anchored tonight in Capers Inlet a few miles (an hour at least for us) from Charleston Harbor. We have anchored here before and it is a beautiful spot.  Just a hop off the ICW to the Ocean and a beautiful beach although when we leave tomorrow on a rising tide it may be a little skinny, we'll see.

My regret is I really dropped the ball this time....I decided not to take my camera.  BIG mistake.  I missed some awesome photo opportunities.  I keep hounding the Captain to remind me, I must take the camera, but obviously he can't remember any more than I can.  I thought "been there taken pictures of that" but of  we decided to go to the beach on the northern side of the inlet and it was "I wish I had my camera", about 100 times!!! My daughter, Dorian, says "enjoy the moment, forget the camera" but I think it is a missed opportunity not to record it if you can, I just love pushing that little button.

Capers Island has the only primitive beachfront camping area in the state of South Carolina.  There were 9 students from an outdoors explorers group from a university near Charlotte camping when we got there.  They had paddled a "cata-canoe", picture the "Kon Tiki",  but two canoes with a net in between to hold their supplies and a sail, up the ICW from Isle of Palms . This was primitive camping, bare bones....the outhouse was an 'out-tent'.  Didn't get into specifics on that.

One of the what was I thinking when I decided not to bring the camera!!

This will have to do....

“Bone-yard Beach”      http://nature-tours.com/capers-island

One of the most fascinating features of Capers Island is its front beach known as the “bone-yard”. Its name is due to the old tree skeletons and stumps left as a result of erosion and bleached out by the sun. Capers has been eroding an average of 15 feet per year since 1875. Visitors can stroll in and out of this sculpture garden of weathered trees which goes on for about 3 miles. Walking the front beach of Capers gives visitors a feel for what our barrier islands looked like before beachfront houses and condos arrived. Capers “bone-yard beach” is a favorite place for photographers, beach combers, or someone looking to experience a truly amazing natural creation.

It was like a movie set.  You could see how the shoreline had eroded and left tree stumps over 100 ' from the tree line in the surf. Giant trees made into works of art...not driftwood because they had not drifted, just died in the wake of the ocean. If the weather wasn't going to turn "snotty" tomorrow I would go back and take pictures.  Now I have to add on to my "bucket list", it was truly that beautiful. 

All was not lost though because I did get a nice "bounty from the sea", four perfect Whelk Shells and a piece of purple sea grass that were left on the beach by the tide.

Things we have seen in the last 3 days........


Extraordinary displays of Pampas Grass in Myrtle Beach

A painter's dream scape.....

Feral Pigs along the ICW in the Marsh

Pretty Maids All In A Row.......

 
The marsh is now changing into fall colors...instead of vivid green it is taking on a golden hue....



Late tomorrow the weather goes downhill.  The cold front marching across the US will reach us and that means wind and rain.  Our plan is to get across Charleston Harbor early and anchor in one of the many protected creeks south where we can sit it out.  BUT,  that is Plan A....and we all know how that goes :-}

I do have something to keep me busy....

I started a new basket....... thanks Colleen, you always are an inspiration and instigator!

South to Little River

We've been moving south slowly.  We anchored in Adams Creek off of the Neuse River for the first time after leaving Ocracoke.  It was a very peaceful night until a squall came through at 4 am.  Gary got up to check our position, something you always do or at least always should do and found the sailboat anchored in front of us  broke loose and drifting behind us.  We gave 2 short blasts on our horn and in a few minutes their lights came on.  They anchor caught again and soon we were all back in our beds drifting (never really sleeping after those little incidents) and thinking how luck was with us and we didn't wake up to a boat in our side!!
The next stop was Mile Hammock Bay and Camp LeJeune.  If you are a slow boat this is pretty much a "must" stop as there is not another anchorage until Wrightsville Beach  about 40 miles south.  This time we realized how high the water was.  It is unusual for us to see the little bay from the ICW .

You can see the seawall and cement ramp at the upper left.  This was where the amphibious training was when we first came here.   Everything is gone now and it seems to be just used as a boat ramp for the Marines at the base.

The craziness coming up to the Wrightsville Beach bridge on the ICW.  You can see the small "Hobie Cat" waiting for the bridge open, with his sail up yet!#@



The anchorage itself was also very 'busy'.  We had only anchored once before with one other boat.  This time there were 14 but it was calm and not a lot of small boats zipping around us as before.

This beautiful vintage Trumpy yacht passed us on the way to Carolina Beach.  A beauty...

Carolina Beach looked bare without the ferris wheel.  The carnival has left town for the year.

The fall season brings a whole different vibe to these beach towns.  Less tourist traffic and lots of "closed for the season" signs, along with absolutely gorgeous weather. We've been through here in May and August but October is definitely my favorite.

Our next stop was Light Keepers Marina in Little River, South Carolina, just over the North Carolina Border and bordering on North Myrtle Beach, where our friends Wayne and Colleen from Charlotte, N.C. came to see us.  They provided taxi service to the grocery store and helped us shop after driving 4 1/2 hours to see us!  They'll be back on their boat soon for another season in Florida.

                                                                Breaking in our new   "Coffee Table"

  

                                                   
                                                                         

                                                       Loved this sign where we had breakfast

But all good things must come to an end.

                                                                     and NO you can't have Bob!!

              We are currently in transit from Little River to an anchorage in Bull Creek off of the                             Waccamaw River.  

Ocracoke Island

Stopping here has long been on my wish list.  The stars were aligned this past week and we headed across Pamlico Sound from Oriental. It was a 37 mile 5 1/2 hour trip!  That's life at seven miles per hour!

Pamlico Sound was named after the Pamlico Indians and is separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the chain of outer banks.It is the largest Sound (Salt Water Lagoon) on the East Coast. And as an Estuary second only to the Chesapeake Bay.  It is shallow and can get nasty pretty fast.  We timed it right and crossed on a good day!  The four days we were on Ocracoke Island were outstanding weather wise. In the 70's with a light warm breeze, lots of sun and nights in the 60's.t

The island is small, 9.6 square miles and is part of the National Seashore. It has 16 miles of undeveloped beaches and the National Park Service plays an important role on the island.  We stayed at the Park Service Recreational boat docks which were right next to the Park Service Ferry Docks but rather than bothering us we found them quite interesting.  There were 3 ferry's coming from different ports on the mainland several times a day. Bringing vacationers galore even in late September. The last trip at night was around 7 when 2 empty ferries would come in to be ready for the first trip off the island at 7 am.  

Tie A Knot closest to the Red Roofed Building

A group of classic cars on their 2014 Tour coming off the ferry yesterday.

The village of Ocracoke is still much as it was years ago, with only a few new hotels here and there to accommodate the ever increasing influx of people. A lot of the locals have golf carts and that seems to be the preferred mode of "rental" transportation. as well.  The cars going through town were mostly coming off of or going to the ferries as far as I could tell. We had our bikes so those were our wheels.  

The "locals" as I had read in a review somewhere were not all happy to have us there.  There were no friendly waves and hellos and quite a few ignoring looks, although the locals working in the many small shops and restaurants.were all friendly and welcoming.  I guess they know where dinner is coming from....not always the sea! 

BUT in defense of the "islanders" attitudes, they don't want their island to change and become Hatteras and Kitty Hawk. The population of just under a thousand people live in a special place accessible only by Ferry, private boat or very small (judging from the field that was the airport) private planes.  I wouldn't want it spoiled by the masses either. There is one grocery store, one gas station, and two churches on the island.  Most of the shops were higher end art from the many artists that live in North Carolina and they were in older houses with a few "tourist traps" thrown in for good measure.  

                                                                           The main street along Silver Lake

It took us 15 minutes to ride from the Loop at the top which is the boat docks on Silver Lake to the bottom straight line where the beach is on the Atlantic.

                                   The Ocracoke Light built in 1823 is the second oldest
                                               operating lighthouse in the United States.

During WWII the British Royal Navy sent 24 of their ships in 1942 as anti submarine ships to patrol the East Coast of the United States.  One of the ships was the HMS Bedforshire. While patrolling the Outer Banks the Bedforshire was torpedoed and sunk by a German submarine on May 12, 1942.All of the 34 crew members were lost. In the following days four bodies washed ashore on Ocracoke  and they were buried by the Islanders next to the existing cemetery. They remain there today in an agreement between Britain and the U.S. The original cross headstones were replaced by Great Britain with their military headstones and they are now maintained and cared for by the U.S. Coast Guard.

One of the two crew members who were identified had the last name of Cunningham which is my mother's maiden name.

 Ocracoke also has an impressive Pirate History.  This is where the famous pirate Blackbeard was finally "taken out of the business"  as in beheaded in a battle off the southern shore of Ocracoke on November 22, 1718.

 This is a view of "Teaches Hole" from Springer Preserve.  We walked through the preserve not knowing until after that Blackbeard had partied on the land we were walking on.  The hole is the water on which he met his end.  Oracoke pass at the south end of the island.

This is an interesting write up of Blackbeard and Ocracoke for anyone who is interested........  http://www.nps.gov/caha/historyculture/blackbeard.htm


Lets see what's left????


This looks pretty ordinary right?  Not so much.  It was a gourmet snack/libations shop that sold domestic and craft beer and wine by the bottle and glass.  You walk in, pick something out pay for it and walk out to the porch grab a table and enjoy.  Very unique from anywhere we've seen.  Great ambiance and a place where the locals relax after work. It was on a back street so it was on a "got good info" basis. Very  nice "porchtails"

Had some great food.....fresh Red Drum sauteed kale and sweet potatoes at the 'Flying Melon'

Fresh fish taco's...(tried to hide it but as you can see from above and below, I have a problem...."bite before photo"  kind of like "foot in mouth"

From EDUARDO'S.....a FABULOUS Mexican food bus that is a favorite of the locals.

And of course went to the beach which was a National Seashore Beach should be BEAUTIFUL

 

Our wild life for the day were........

A Horseshoe Crab burying itself



And my can anyone tell me what this crab is???  His little eyes were looking at me....freaky!! 

The sunset on Pamlico Sound was outstanding

The Ocracoke Lighthouse keeping Mariners safe for the night

I hope all of you who haven't been to Ocracoke may experience it someday.  It is a special place.