Exploring Huntington Beach State Park

Day 21 – (Friday, 10-26-12) Exploring Huntington Beach S.P.

We woke up early and took the boys to the beach for a morning run. They both enjoyed the walk/run, but Kody broke out in a B500 and was crazy! He really needs to get in a good run often. The weather was not as great as we had hoped for; due to Hurricane Sandy, which is heading up along the east coast and expected to cause rain and wind here by tonight through tomorrow. Tomorrow’s forecast is even worse, with more rain and wind.

After having some breakfast, we got our stuff together to go kayaking. Murrell’s Inlet is just a couple of miles north of the park. We took the kayaks and launched on the salt water marsh near the inlet. We paddled around in the marsh, which has many channels. There were many people fishing from small boats and also in the shallow waters clamming. The weather was not too bad, just overcast and windy. As we paddled against the tide and into the wind (one of these days we’ll do it the easier way), the wind was becoming stronger and we headed back to the launch after paddling about 2 miles. It was an okay paddle; at least we can now say we paddled the salt water marshes in S. Carolina.

We decided to head back to the RV and go for a bike ride. The park has several trails and one that heads north to the inlet. We rode the trail through the park until it crossed over the dunes to the beach. We then rode on the packed sand beach about 2 miles to the inlet (into the wind again). We walked out on the south jetty and watched the growing waves. We headed back down the beach until we were back at the park. By this time, we were ready for Happy Hour! The dogs were ready for another run, so we took our drinks, chairs and dogs down to the beach for another relaxing evening libation!

After returning to the RV, we began preparing a dinner of Kurt’s chicken chili. After dinner, we started a campfire to enjoy for the remainder of the evening. We were exhausted and went to bed fairly early. For once, we were more worn out than the dogs!

Day 20 – (Thursday, 10-25-12) Heading to S. Carolina

So we did get out of bed before 6am! We unhooked the RV and prepared for our trip south to Huntington Beach State Park. The first leg was to drive south on Hatteras Island and head to the ferry docks, where we would then get to the island of Ocracoke. From there, we drove down to the south end and the ferry docks. This ferry ride would take 2 hours and drop us off at Cedar Island. This part of South Carolina is very remote and predominately fishing villages. It reminds me so much of where Bubba Gump’s had his shrimp fishing boat. From there we headed toward highway 17 south, which pretty much follows the coastline. We drove through multiple small towns along the way, including Myrtle Beach, which was only about 10 miles from the campground. We finally arrived at Huntington Beach S.P. and setup the RV. We were all very tired after the 7 hours of travel. After having some dinner, we went to bed early.

Tour Hatteras & Ocracoke

Day 19 – (Wednesday, 10-24-12) Tour the Outer Banks

We awoke early and walked over the dunes to the beach. The sun was just beginning to rise and it was awesome! The weather was perfect and we walked down the beach with the dogs. It was a great way to start the day.

Next, we got ready to head down the road to Ocracoke. The drive took us to the south end of Hatteras, which is about 29 miles from our campground. The drive is a two-lane road down the US12 to Hatteras Bight, with the ocean on the east side and Pamlico Sound to the west. It’s mostly all preserve areas with some beach and sound accesses. The road is dotted with several small towns. At the end of the island are the ferry docks. We got in line and were able to get on the 11:00am ferry. After loading the ferry, we were on a very pleasant ride. It felt really weird for the truck to be moving and no one is driving! We left the dogs in the truck and we were able to walk around the ferry deck. The ride over was nice and the weather was perfect. Upon arrival, the ferry was unloaded and we drove onto Ocracoke Island and explored the Village of Ocracoke. We stopped at the lighthouse to get some pictures. It was lunch time and we found a great little café where we could eat outside and have the dogs with us. We then headed back to the ferry docks and made the return trip to Hatteras.

Prior to leaving Ocracoke, we discovered that we could continue our journey by taking our truck and RV on a second ferry ride that will put us further south, closer to our next destination. This will save us many miles of driving north on Hatteras, then west and south, making a huge loop. We made the plans to take our rig via this route and save us some time on our trip. The last ferry ride will also save gas for our route south.

After arriving back at the RV, we decided to have Happy Hour on the beach. We took our drinks, chairs and dogs over the huge dunes and enjoyed a little time on the ocean. The beaches here are very nice and wide. They also allow vehicles on the beach; but obviously, 4-wheel drive. Apparently, the fishing here is really great and many fishermen are surf fishing. We walked on the beach with the dogs and headed back to the RV. There is much to get ready for our departure tomorrow and the trip back to the ferries to head south. Our destination tomorrow is Huntington Beach State Park in S.Carolina. This is just north of Charleston and is right on the beach. This location will provide more opportunities to kayak in the marshes and swamps around that area.

We then prepared dinner and got ready for bed. We HAVE to get up early to catch the two back-to-back ferry rides to get us to our next destination.

Day 18 – (Tuesday, 10-23-12) Travel to Outer Banks

We woke up fairly early, around 7:30. Began final preparations to pack up the RV and hit the road again. We ate breakfast then finished getting everything in the truck and RV. After saying our farewells to everyone, we headed out for the Outer Banks. The route would take us due east toward the coast of N.Carolina. The drive time was about 7 hours, and we had a stop for lunch and then another Walmart stop for food provisioning. It seemed like the drive would never end, we actually arrived a lot later than we had anticipated. Our RV park is on Cape Hatteras, about midway down the island, right on the beach. We were able to setup and connect the RV in record time. We were hungry and tired from the long haul. We decided to first unwind with drinks and a walk on the beach with the boys. The evening sky was clear and the large crescent moon lit up the beach.  It was relaxing and felt good to have sand between our toes again. The boys really loved running on the beach, as they had been cooped up all day in the truck.

Dinner was again leftovers, which was just enough. We discussed our plans for the next day and finally decided to just tour the island and go south to Ocracoke. We went to bed early, as we were going to try to get up for sunrise in the morning.

Family time!

Day 17 – (Monday, 10-22-12) Another hiking day

After breakfast at my sister’s house, we decided to go on a hike. We drove up to Hanging Rock State Park in the mountains. The weather was beautiful, sunny and cool in the mountains. Tommy drove us up there in their van. The dogs went with us and really enjoyed the ride since they were laying in the back at window height. We arrived at the park and found the trail head for Moore’s Wall, a 4.8 mile loop. The trail took us to the crest of the mountain, which had spectacular views. Kirby and Tommy stayed back at the van, since the trail was pretty steep and we knew it was not a good idea to take Kirby. We truly enjoyed this hike, even though the upper half was strenuous and steep. But the view was well worth the climb, especially with the leaves still turning color up there. The trek down was easier going downhill, but tougher on the old knees!

We had a beautiful drive home, thanks to our chauffer Tommy. We relaxed at the house and Cindy prepared a wonderful salmon dinner. Later, we watched the final Presidential debate. We all agreed that Romney was the winner, in that he again presented solid plans and was calm and showed leadership. Obama simply came off as an angry man, who was rude and constantly interrupted Romney, with his typical attacks and no new ideas. God help us all that Romney is elected!

Off to bed, get some rest for our travels tomorrow.

Day 16- (Sunday, 10-21-12) Visit with family!

In the morning, we packed up the RV and prepared for our trip to Winston-Salem to visit my sister and her family. We had a pleasant drive from the mountains down to their home. It only took us about 2 hours. They live in the country northwest of the city. It’s a nice place with 7 acres.

When we arrived at their home, we parked the RV on the back of the property next to a large storage garage. We were able to hook up the electricity and water so we were able to stay in the RV at night. The whole family was there, Cindy and her husband Tommy, Cindy’s sons, Cliff and Jeremy. We had a nice evening with a great beef stew dinner and drinks! We all went to bed early, before 10pm.

Errands and hikes!

Day 15 – (Saturday, 10-20-12) Errands and hikes!

Our day started very chilly and windy. Kurt decided quickly that kayaking would not be a great idea with this weather. He discovered that one of the brand new RV tires had a slow leak, so we had to take the it off and take it to a tire shop to patch the leak. The nearest tire shop that could fix it today and do it while we wait was in Boone. On our way to Boone, on Highway 105, the opposite direction (west bound) was backed up from Banner Elk almost to Boone. We were amazed at such a HUGE traffic jam in a mountain town! We couldn’t believe the traffic! We felt like we were on PGA Blvd at Christmas time! We have decided that Boone is not our kind of mountain town…

After getting the tire fixed, we moved on to Plan B. There is a lake on the south side of Grandfather Mountain, Price Lake and Park that we had found out about. Earlier, we had planned to take our kayaks there and paddle for awhile. But, with our unexpected change in plans, we decided to take the boys on a hike at the lake. The park is right on the Blue Ridge Parkway, which is a great drive through the mountains. When we arrived there, we were shocked by the number of people there! We were able to find a parking space and tailgate in the grass. Kurt, the boys and I enjoyed a sunny, but chilly picnic. Afterwards, we went on a hike in the park that ran along a creek, with rapids and small waterfalls. We hiked with the boys for about 1.5 miles and turned around before going too far. Some of the people we spoke with mentioned that most of the traffic there were people just driving through the mountains to enjoy the fall foliage. It was truly amazing! The day at the park turned out to be quite enjoyable!

We also had friends that live near our community at home, Sharon & Mike, who have a family home outside of Boone. They arrived at the house yesterday and asked us to stop by for a visit. They live near Valle Crucis, which is only about 4 miles from our campground. On our way out of Boone, we stopped by their house to see them and their home. We stayed for about an hour and had some drinks and conversation. They have a really nice, remote home that the whole family uses. We headed back to the RV to get the heater on and have some dinner. Tonight was another “clean out the fridge” night. We watched an old movie on TV and went to bed early, so we can pack up and head to my sister’s house near Winston-Salem.

Grandfather Mountain Day!

Day 14 – (Friday, 10-19-12) Grandfather Mountain Day

We woke to a sunny, chilly morning. The plans for the day were to drive up to Grandfather Mountain to see the views and do some hiking on the mountain. The dogs were loaded up and ready to go. The drive up the mountain was very pretty, with the leaves all in autumn colors. It had been at least 30 years since I was here, and it felt great to be back. The road was long and winding up the mountain. There was an admission fee to the G.F. “attraction” since it is owned by a non-profit preservation organization. The main attraction is at the top of the mountain, where there is a gift shop and a swinging walk bridge to cross over to another rocky peak. The pictures we posted show how awesome it is up there.

We parked in a lower parking lot and hiked up to the higher level. The dogs and us enjoyed this hike, even though it was rocky and a little steep. It was only .4 mile up. We went up to the bridge crossing. The wind was blowing pretty strong and the bridge was slightly moving. The bridge is 1 mile high and quite scary for a person with a fear of heights. The dogs and Kurt walked in front of me and were excited about the walk.  The movement of the bridge kind of creeped me out, I had to hold onto the rail. Once on the other side, the boys and I sat on a rock wall and waited while Kurt walked out onto the rock ledge to take pictures. As usual, the dogs got so much attention from people up on the rock, especially the kids.

After crossing back over the bridge, Kurt and Kody went on a short hike on the Grandfather trail. It seemed too steep to take Kirby, so we waited for them on a bench in a sunny place. Again, Kirby got tons of attention! We hiked back down to the parking lot and rested there with snacks and water. Then we decided to go on another “moderate” hike, “Black Rock”, that started from the parking lot. The hike was more challenging than we thought (well for me and Kirby anyway). We hiked back in about 1 mile and I decided to turn back at that point, since Kirby seemed to be tiring and my left knee was hurting. Kurt and Kody continued, but also turned around later, as Kody wanted to go back too. I think we have totally “worn out” the dogs. They are just not used to this much activity, especially since they are used to sleeping most of the day. We then headed back down to the campground.

Later, we drove into downtown “Banner Elk” to check out the setup for the weekend’s “Wooly Worm Festival”. The town traffic was already in gridlock, we turned around and went back to the RV. Kurt built a campfire and we grilled chicken. It was getting very chilly outside and we went inside the RV for the evening.

On to Grandfather Mountain

Day 12 – (Wednesday, 10-17-12) Heading to Grandfather Mountain

The RV was packed, unhooked and ready to go by 10:30. We headed out on our trip to Banner Elk, NC. The drive was beautiful, mostly on 4-lane highways through the mountains. The last 30 miles of the trip was on a two-lane road, going through small towns and mountains. It was one of the best drives yet. We had to stop in a tiny little town to refuel. Kurt went into the store to pay and the people were so friendly and asked where he was heading. These are the best towns in this country. Most small town people are very friendly and genuine. It’s such a breath of fresh air to find people like this.

We finally pulled into the Grandfather Mountain Campground. We were quite surprised to find such a beautiful campground. It was setup in levels, going up the hillside. Our site backs up to a huge grassy field, our backyard that the boys totally love! We also have a wooden deck for a front patio and a camp fire ring setup behind our space. The leaves up here are at peak fall foliage change. This area is a series of small towns. Banner Elk is a nice area and Boone has changed SO much since I was up here about 30 years ago.

The weather here is so much colder due to the higher altitude, about 4000 feet. It was about 45 degrees over night.

Day 13 – (Thursday, 10-18-12) Chilly, dreary day; great hike!

We woke up to a cold, cloudy, foggy morning. After discussing the plan for the day we decided to just go on a hike. We wanted to drive up to Grandfather Mountain and hike to the top. However, with the fog and clouds, we wouldn’t have any view. The trail we took went up to Grandfather Mountain, from the East side, is called the Profile View Trail. The trail was 2.7 miles one way, but very steep and with a major altitude change. We went from 4000 feet up to 5200 feet during the hike. It’s tough with the altitude, you wouldn’t think that it affects your breathing that much, but it does.  It was also very windy and chilly. The boys stayed at the RV while we hiked, due to the strenuous nature of this hike. When we reached the Profile overlook, we realized that this is the great vantage point to see the “profile” of the “Grandfather face”. We saw the rock face profile and got a couple of pictures before the fog rolled in thicker and we couldn’t even see the face.  We decided to head back down the mountain as the weather was deteriorating quickly. As we went down the mountain, the weather was much different. When we got back to the RV, the skies were clearer, but it was still chilly.

Arriving back at the RV, the boys were very happy to see us. They came out for a run around our grassy “backyard”. We ate lunch and then Kurt wanted to take a ride up to Blowing Rock to check out the area and hike up to the actual craggy blowing rock. With the weather getting worse, we decided just to drive to Boone and look around. There is a fairly new mountain bike trail in that area. We drove out there and Kurt looked around the course, thinking he might be able to go bike there within the next couple of days.

We drove back to the campground and Kurt built a camp fire. Later we prepared a dinner of leftovers. After dinner and watching some TV, we went to bed very tired. The weather is supposed to be sunnier tomorrow, but still a high of 60. Tonight is supposed to get down to 37 degrees. 

Last 2 days in Franklin

Day 10 – (Monday, 10-15-12) Hike the Appalachian Trail!

Let’s try hiking again! This can’t be that difficult!!  Not finding an awesome hiking trail in NC is like not finding a dive site in the Keys. We decided to try a section of The Appalachian Trail (AT) which crosses a major highway just west of Franklin (no forest service road). We drove out to the trail head and took the dogs with us. They really do enjoy hiking with us. We took the trail side that heads north. It was a beautiful sunny, but chilly day. When we started up the trail, we warmed up quickly. The boys actually liked the chilly weather; it seems to get them all excited. Kirby really surprised us and was more active than Kruzer (Kody). Kruzer wears a backpack and carries water bottles for both dogs. (He needs the extra exercise, as he could lose a couple of pounds.) The trail was so beautiful and the fall foliage made it even more awesome! The trail was mostly uphill, but the hike back was mostly downhill (just the way it works). We crossed a couple of creeks and the boys took advantage and drank from the creek. There was one nice little waterfall that fed the creek. We stopped at a couple of campsites that AT hikers use, and we rested and drank water there.  Also, met a couple of guys who had just embarked on a week-long hike on the AT with their dogs.  We hiked in for about 2 miles, which was perfect timing. Kruzer always wants to lead the pack and Kirby follows. We hiked for about three hours total, including the return trip. When we got back to the truck, we were all pretty tired.

When we got back to camp, Kurt decided to kayak a part of the Little T, just upstream of our camp.  I dropped him off at a nearby put-in and he paddled upstream for about 1 mile, then headed back to the camp.

Day 11 – (Tuesday, 10-16-12) Tsali again!

OMG!!! We are going to Tsali Recreation Area again. We got up fairly early; well, early for this crew, 7:30.  The plan was to go to there and spend about half a day, then come back to the RV, drop off the dogs then ride the Greenway Bike Trail, which goes thru Franklin along the Little Tennessee River.  Well, we get to Tsali mountain bike parking lot and discover we forgot our ice chest (contained lunch, water drinks, etc…) AND the change of clothes we were intending on using. So we decided that we would just make the best of the situation and work with it… We did have snacks and water, so we could survive! Kurt went on a trail ride and I hiked with the dogs.  No new pictures, since this was a repeat of Saturday at Tsali. The weather was beautiful and we all enjoyed the day.  We were all ready to go back to the RV and have some lunch. After lunch decided to go for the bike ride that I wanted to do all week. We left the “tired” dogs in the RV, then Kurt and I went to the Greenway trail to ride the river front path through 4 miles of Franklin.  It was very nice, mostly paved or packed trail alongside the Little Tennessee River. There were various river crossovers and bridges. The trail was more than what we expected; we both actually enjoyed the ride very much. It was even an easy respite for Kurt, who had busted his ass on the mountain bike trails. (Some day he will learn that it’s not all about “balls to the wall”.)  We returned on the same route and 1.5 hours later we were back in the truck and heading to camp.

We realized we had a lot to do before leaving in the morning. We prepared and packed as much as possible to save time in the morning. After having a “leftover” dinner, we were ready for some rest.  Again, the boys were in bed long before we were.