Making Tracks to Florida

We have covered a lot of miles since the last blog and have been to two of my favorite spots along the way so many pictures are coming!

We were heading down past Myrtle Beach, NC at the last blog and heading into a marina due to lows in the upper thirties and low forties. We met several other cruisers who did the same thing, and one was the couple we had dinner with when we were in River Dunes. He showed me a picture he took with his iphone and I could not believe what I was seeing.

Yes, it is a real elephant in the ICW!

An elephant was brought down to the waters edge to enjoy the ICW (Intra-Coastal Waterway for those new readers who are not familiar)! You just never know what you will see on the waterway! Maybe there was a circus in town-it is anybody's guess.

One of many mansions around Myrtle Beach

Then you have the mansions also along the waterway. What a contrast of sights to see.

Our friends, the Mershons, came into Osprey Marina on the Wacamaw River with us, so we rented a car to head to Brookgreen Gardens. We went there last year, but we enjoyed it so much, we decided to go back. It was a gorgeous blue sky, sunny day but was chilly as indicated by our outer ware. 

One of the many fountains.

For those not familiar it is designated a National Historic Landmark due to the explanations of the rice plantations and how they influenced our American heritage. And the description from their brochure says it best. “From its beginnings in 1931 when Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington created this non-profit outdoor museum with its majestic oaks and world-renowned sculpture, it has been a place to restore your soul and renew your spirit. Wide expansive lawns lure you to relax while serene gardens allow space for reflection.”

One of my favorite sculptures was a small bronze one of a man with his cat and fishing pole. I just loved the detail and the smirk on this gentleman's face. It just made you want to smile!

My favorite sculpture.

Loved his smile!

The butterflies were out even though it was in the high fifties!

If you are familiar with my blog, then you know I love flowers, sunrises and sunsets. Here are just a few of the pictures I took at the gardens.

One of the lovely pools with fountains and sculpture.

Water lilies are so fascinating!

Magnolia pods are so interesting.

There is also a zoo at the gardens which we also enjoyed. How often do you get this close to the birds and animals to take such great shots. 

This fellow did not seem happy to see us!

I thought he was so cute.

The otters are always fun to watch.

Mr. Gray Fox was ignoring us.

We also had a new experience here, because the gentleman who feeds the animals was doing the circuit as we were. Not all the sights were pretty!

After visiting the gardens we drove to Murrells Inlet where we walked their small boardwalk and enjoyed a dinner out.

Dave and Toni enjoying Murrells Inlet

The next day we parted to Georgetown, SC and Mershon's anchored a bit further on. 

Georgetown, SC waterfront.

Charred remains of several businesses.

We always enjoy this small town but were saddened to see the charred remains of several buildings along the waterfront from a fire in September. Luckily, the Rice Museum store and our favorite seafood co. were not affected by the fire. We enjoyed fresh shrimp on board that night!

Morning stillness.

We met up with the Mershon's in Whiteside creek north of Isle of Palm for happy hour.

We parted ways because they headed to Beaufort, SC to visit friends for a few days and we decided to take advantage of the north wind and go out in the ocean from Charleston to Cumberland Island for an overnight.

It was like a millpond on the ocean!

Sunset on the ocean.

 We got out in the ocean and we don't know what happened to the wind but it was like a pond out there. Flat as can be, so motoring was the name of the game! It was quite uneventful except for when we got near Tybee River around 10pm which is where Savannah is located. There were ships coming, going, anchored and coming in to anchor. Al got to the point where he just pulled back the throttle and let the ships go where they were headed. Then he got out of there and said, “Next time I think we will go out further and not be in that area again.”

Local man netting shrimp.

We came in St. Mary's inlet around 11AM and headed to Cumberland Island where there were at least 15 boats anchored. Many are awaiting November 1^st which is when their boat insurance will allow them to enter Florida. We were tired from the overnight so decided just to “chill out” on the boat the rest of the day.

A beautiful watercolor sky!

While sitting on the boat, we got to watch the local men catch shrimp. It is so interesting to watch as they toss their nets like a matador swinging his cape. The man said the shrimp come to this area to have their babies and eventually will go out in the ocean. There are weights all along the bottom edge of the net and when they pull on the rope, the weights come together to hold in the shrimp. Those guys work hard! There was a fantastic colorful sunset with the sky ablaze with reds and oranges to end the day.

There are marshes too.

We headed in for a day of hiking on our favorite island , Cumberland. We packed our lunch and headed north through the innards of the island with all its palmettos and hanging moss from the various trees. It is always beautiful. The weather could no have been any nicer. Seventies for temps and blue skies and sunshine.

A beautiful white sandy beach to ourselves!

We eventually walked out to the ocean where we were the only people on the beach. And what a gorgeous beach it is with fine white sand. We walked several miles, myself always looking for that interesting shell. 

Always looking for that perfect shell!

Finally, nearer the southern end of the island we saw a crowd of about 10 people walking up the beach. We were wondering if they were people from the tour boat that comes in or cruisers like ourselves. Here they were cruisers from the many boats anchored off the island. We stopped and talked for a while and then continued on.

 This fellow came near our picnic table while we enjoyed lunch.

We saw many of the same sights as before: wild horses and turkeys. 

Wild?  I don't think so!

You can see how “wild” they are. I took these pictures with a small point and shoot camera, so you know how close I had to be! Dungeoness, once the home of Thomas Carnegie. I just had to take another picture of this once magnificent home. I have never seen the sky so blue, it just made it stand out even more! 

Dungeoness, home of Thomas Carnegie.

 We actually walked a few trails we had never been on before and I was lucky enough to catch this beautiful yellow butterfly(moth) on these wildflowers as we headed back to our dinghy. It had been a wonderful day hiking this very special island.

Ahh, the beauty of nature!

We are moving on to Florida just across the river from Cumberland. We are going to by-pass Fernandina Beach and head for an anchorage north of St. Augustine.