We returned from our journey along the Blue Ridge long enough to catch up with a few home projects, touch base with family and friends, do the laundry, then repack for a return trip to Edisto Beach in one of the south’s great State Parks. Readers may recall that we spent some time there in May of this year. We fell in love with the area, but Helen was in recovery from her second knee replacement, and I was nursing an ailing hip, so our activities were somewhat limited. We vowed to return after everything was repaired…good move. We even loaded up the bicycles this time.
Our trip south included a one-night stay at the campground on Fort Jackson, SC so that we could enjoy another evening at Julia’s German restaurant in Columbia, SC. We enjoyed a delightful evening there with the parents of our daughter-in-law, and Julia’s jagerschnitzel was as good as I remembered. The trip was getting off to a great start.
Our plans for the week included some quality time with our granddaughters, getting reacquainted with our bicycles after a year in storage, and plenty of beach time spent in cool fall beach weather. Edisto, however, greeted us with weather that was a muggy and buggy 88 degrees. On top of that, I forgot to close the windows on Bert (truck) the first night and a very inconsiderate, sand-encrusted raccoon invaded and helped himself to two packs of snack crackers in the back seat. He left quite a mess.
Everything changed for the better on day two. The sky cleared and the heat lifted. From then on, temperatures hovered in the mid-70’s and the nights dipped into the 50’s and comfortable enough for a campfire. We did experience some windy conditions, but with Gracey (travel trailer) parked just beyond the beach and behind a large dune, the wind was not a factor. The marsh provided a stunning view to the rear of Gracey, and the birds offered some entertainment. I love the Roseate Spoonbills that walk through the marsh in search of food.
On Saturday, we learned that the Edisto Beach Fall Festival kicked off at 11:00 am. We had no idea what we would find there, but we’ve learned that Festivals are a great way to experience the local culture, so we mounted the bicycles and rode the short distance to see what was up. The weather was perfect and sizable crowd had gathered by the time we arrived. The smell of good food filled the air. We walked both sides of the row of tents offering crafts, jewelry, yard art, and food—both packaged and on plates. In the end, we settled for food.
Helen (adorable wife) bought some Chow-Chow and some Carrot Cake jam made by a local vendor. I bought a couple of irresistible brownies for me and a bag of boiled peanuts for my son who would arrive later that afternoon. As we were about to leave, Helen stopped at a booth offering a variety of coffee beans for fresh grinding. She sampled a few of the coffees and, after a long learning process, decided on two varieties of South American coffee. During the conversation, we learned that the owner purchased some of his coffee beans from the son-in-law of our minister who owns Pisgah Coffee Roasters in North Carolina. Helen left very delightedly with her find…and three pounds of coffee.
Later that afternoon, our son and two granddaughters arrived for their first tent camping experience together. The girls camped in Gracey during our May trip, but Dad wanted them to try something other than “glamping” so he dug out the tent and hoped for the best. After a long afternoon on the beach to release some energy and an evening of S’More roasting beside the campfire, he only had to read two paragraphs of Harry Potter under lantern light before they fell sound asleep. The girls awoke the next morning to declare camping a new-found love. This declaration warmed the heart of two grandparents.
The remainder of the week consisted of not much more than beach walking, bike riding, reading, and Helen laboring over her puzzles. We made one trip into Charleston to visit the girl’s school during lunch, and we will cover more of that trip in another post. Suffice it to say that the experience was a lot of fun.
By the end of the week, we decided that Edisto Beach is worthy of an annual visit. Helen, the picky one, walked the entire campground (twice) to find her preferred site, then we searched through the reservation system for dates available until we found a week that worked perfectly. We now have that trip on the books for next October. If it turns out half as much fun and relaxing as this week, we’ll call it a resounding success.
We hope you enjoy the pictures. We’re Easin’ Along.
