A Wonderful Week in Paradise (almost)

Live oak tree in Beaufort grows across the street

So, we spent slightly more than a week spreading our limited retirement income around the Beaufort & Port Royal area, seeing all the sights (both of them).

Beaufort River 8' tidal range exposes the marsh
at low tide

We took a walking tour around Beaufort, reading about the long history of the area, admiring the mansions from when “Cotton was King”, and gawking at the centuries-old live oak trees (which remind us of City Park in New Orleans).  The downtown area and historic sections are very tourist-friendly, with a very nice waterfront park adjacent to the City Marina.  A major drawback to staying at the City Marina (and our Port Royal Landing Marina as well) is the very strong currents running in the Beaufort River, since the normal tide range is 8’ (there are two high and two low tides each day).  I had thought that Georgia had the widest tidal range, but this area matches it.

We toured the MCRD (Marine Corps Recruiting Depot, for you non-military types) at Parris Island, and just barely avoided being recruited.  Their museum shows a good history of the geographic area, as well as the history of the USMC.  Watching the new recruits march by was interesting, especially with the antics of the “hats” (the platoon Drill Instructors) continually jumping & yelling at their Marine wannabes.

USMC MCRD

 

Click on this to enlarge

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hunting Island coastal forest

 

We took a drive east to the barrier island of Hunting Island, where we toured a very nice state park.  The most interesting part was the combination of live oak trees, large pine trees, short saw palmetto trees, and taller cabbage palmetto trees.  It looked like an equatorial jungle (although I’ll admit, I’ve never actually been to an equatorial jungle).



Hunting Island lighthouse.  Yes, we climbed
this one, too!

 

 

 

Of course, we tried to eat at all the good restaurants around town, and we did get our share of shrimp and crab cakes.  When we drove east across St Helena Island, we were in the middle of Gullah country, so we had to eat at the local restaurant.   Your history lesson for today includes the fact that the Gullah culture developed from the African slaves, who tended the cotton, indigo and rice plantations on the Sea Islands (barrier islands), and were quite isolated from the society on the mainland.  The Gullah culture retained a significant portion of their African heritage, and developed their own language and lifestyle.

She-crab soup, collard greens,
potato salad, & corn bread!



Since we had our car, we also drove to other marinas & boatyards in the area, to begin looking for a marina to stay at this winter.  Ideally, we want to stay in South Carolina for the winter, so we can cruise to the Great Lakes next summer.  We’ll continue this search as we cruise northbound this weekend (after the cold front passes through).  We’re planning a 3-day cruise to Georgetown SC, and maybe one more day to Myrtle Beach.   At that point, it will be time to retrieve our car again & drive back to TN to see Sue’s mother, as well as several of our old boating friends (no, the friends are not really old!)





The Admiral is happy with her magnolia
blossoms and Gullah sweetgrass fan!



Beaufort City Park - a pet rabbit with a leash