Fun on the Beach

Monday, 10 DECEMBER
HUNTING ISLAND STATE PARK — SOUTH CAROLINA
TEMPS: LO 60F / HI 72F (15.5C / 22C)

It was overcast at 9:00a when we hopped on our trikes to ride the mile or so to the Hunting Island State Park (HISP) visitor center office. There’s no paved trail suitable for our trikes, so we went via the main road. Vehicles were few and far between, so it wasn’t bad, but if we need to go back that way, we’ll use the walking trail to get there instead.

Our goal was three-fold — get some exercise; send a fax; and watch a documentary video about the history of Hunting Island. Check on the first and third goal. The second one was a bust; but not through any fault of the ranger on duty. She tried and tried to send the fax, but the recipient line gave her nothing but a busy tone.

Left: scale model of the Hunting Island Lighthouse Station; the cast iron
lighthouse was built in 1875 and decommissioned in 1933. The mannequin is
dressed in a circa late 1800s Lighthouse Keeper's uniform.

Right: The canopy at the head of the Maritime Forest Trail (in B&W).

We were going to ride further into the park, but seeing the sun breaking out of the clouds, we decided to ride back to the campground, pick up some lunch fixings from home, and head out for a walk on the beach instead. The little bit of sun that was peeking through was gone by the time we got to the beach, but that did not stop us from going ahead with our plans.

With the ebb tide at its lowest, the beach had quadrupled in width (if not more). The hard packed sand was ideal for a walk. I was surprised at how few people were out, but hey … we like solitude, so we weren’t about to complain.

the beach yesterday as the tide is coming in.	the beach today at the peak of low tide.

We walked in the direction of the lighthouse as it looked like there might be more of interest that way. And boy, was there ever. Trees and logs that had been submerged at high tide were now visible, sticking out of the sand like relics from another age. The overcast made the entire scene desolate and moody. (I posted one of my favorite photos from this afternoon in Two to Travel’s Viewfinder if you want to check it out.)

I can't get over the size of some of these trees!

Left: With their roots so exposed, these trees are prime candidates for toppling
over when mother nature deems the time is right.

Right: Standing near the edge of the water, Mui provides perspective for the vast
expanse of beach that becomes visible at low tide.

Left: if you look closely at the bubbles in the foam, you can see a rainbow of colors.

Right: a closer look at the power of water to erode land.

We were resigned to the overcast when patches of blue magically started to show up in the sky. Five minutes later, the sun was shining bright, painting the desolate scenery in a cheery light. Perching on a relatively dry tree trunk, we ate our lunch and studied the marvelous shapes of the toppled trees as the ocean began its move back towards the shoreline.

The sun comes out and Two to Travel stop for a photo op.

When a couple riding their bikes on the beach popped out from amongst the tangle of trees, the bulb went off in our heads. We didn’t have to go triking on the paved main road … we could ride them on the beach at low tide. Wolfing down the remainder of our lunch, we quick-stepped it back home to get our trikes.

Glimpse of the waterfront side of the campground from the beach.

We had to walk the trikes through the soft sand at the beach entrance closest to our site, but once we were on the hard pack, we were able to whiz down the beach, our colorful flags twirling and flapping in the wind. We were simply elated — the sun and wind in our faces, not a care in the world.

We went back to the far section where we had walked before and could see how far the water had risen in the 45 minutes it had taken us to get back to the beach. Still, there was plenty of space for us to ride around and play for the next hour.

I’m posting a video since the child-like fun we had on the beach can best be appreciated in motion. It’s 1 minute long; but if you don’t have the bandwidth to watch it, there are a couple of still shots below as well.

Click the arrow for 60 minutes of fun in 60 seconds.

Having a grand ole time on the beach with our trikes …

… WAS an unexpected opportunity that popped up to make our day!

What a great spot to enjoy a snack break and contemplate the ocean.

When fog suddenly moved in, we decided to park the trikes, bundle up, and enjoy the beach in a more sedentary fashion. After all, we’d been on the move all day and we deserved a bit of rest ;-) This time I managed to read a couple of pages of the book I brought with me.

Our beach chairs come with shoulder harnesses that make them easy to carry!

No sign of the fog where we’re sitting …

… but there’s plenty veiling the scenery on the far side where we went triking.

When the wind picked up around 4:00p, we decided to call it quits and return to the coach where the screen shelter we set up yesterday got its share of our presence for an hour or so. We would have eaten dinner out there, but around 5:00p, the weather chilled quite suddenly. Oh well; we had breakfast in the shelter and lunch on the beach … there will be opportunities to enjoy al fresco dinners down the road, I’m sure.

It sure was a good day on the beach!

The forecasters say we’ll have decent weather tomorrow before the temps dip towards seasonal norms … better go line up some fun ideas to make the most of it.