January 21, 2010

Hi again; sorry I got behind in the trip log. Looks like my recently repaired computer has become ill again. Anyway, here we are in Graham's Creek, SC for the second night. That puts us about 40 +/- miles north of Charleston, SC. We left the Myrtle Beach area Tuesday mid morning under warm sunny skies enroute to Georgetown, SC. As we turned the corner outbound from the marina, we ran smack into Big Bubba & his large red tugboat. Quite an eye opener! We have found that almost all the tug captains are professional, have a sense of humor, and are well aware that they own the water. A lot of this leg was run on the Waccamaw river, one of the prettiest rivers we've come thru so far. Lots of history here; Indians, rice plantations, little out of the way marina/restaurants; kind of a neat trip. I suspect you could spend weeks cruising this river alone. By mid afternoon, we were in Georgetown, SC. This attractive little city is home to one of the world's largest pulp mills, as well as one of the few steel plants making steel wire. The town itself is slowly being brought back from storm damage, economic slow downs, and just general disrepair. You know, the old age thing. Proudly enough, they are also displaying their historical roots. The waterfront is really cool. There is a lengthy, and quite rustic, walkway along the harbor front. Lots of neat little cafes & "places" ties in to the boardwalk with dining facilities and beverage bars. Some new buildings are are evident, but the harbor waterfront retains an old town flavor. Georgetown was a great stop. We got on the move again Wednesday morning. Our intended destination was Graham's Creek, SC. Graham's Creek is located in the midst of the Cape Romain National Wildlife refuge. Our hope had been to use the dinghy to explore a bit, perhaps doing some bird spotting. Unfortunately, after a gorgeous, almost hot, trip down the waterway, the weather turned windy, cold, & rainy. One of those days that you hope you have enough fuel to keep the generator going for warmth. We'll be off again tomorrow, probably to Dewees Creek. We are due in Charleston, SC midday Saturday, or Sunday depending on the weather. We'll hang there while I go back to PA for some flying work. Ginny will remain with the boat & explore Charleston for a few days. Soon as I get back, we'll be heading South again.