Lagoon and Lighthouse

Hunting Island State Park
Site #90
Beaufort, S. C.

We had carefully checked the tides for our lagoon paddle today since we would have to paddle against the incoming high tide going down the Fripp Inlet and against outgoing tide coming back.  But while we were in the lagoon we would be going with the tide both ways.   Since high tide was in the afternoon, we rode over to the campsite of some folks we'd met on our hike yesterday when they were biking.  Joe and Katy are from West Virginia but are living in Radford Virginia now.  I was amazed at how many people we met in this southern South Carolina State Park who are from Virginia.  Joe and Katy are avid bike riders and have recently made some big changes in their lives as well.

Here is their 25 year old Toyota camper.  This thing is in amazing shape and is extremely well designed inside.  We just could not believe there wasn't a spec of rust on it and the cab looked like no one had ever driven it.  Just goes to show that if you take good care, these things will last forever.

Sure hope we will see these folks again on our travels.

Since we are leaving Hunting Island tomorrow we wanted to paddle the lagoon before we go.

So we took the kayaks down to the put in which is just before the bridge to Fripp island  You can see it here as we paddle back toward it and on into the sound to get to the mouth of the lagoon.

The water was sparkling and the waves pretty strong as we went against the tide on its way to high.  But nothing like the paddle at Crooked River.  

We came around the end of the island and into the lagoon and saw one of the two cabins not washed away in the storm.   They are the only two that were not on the ocean front.   Looks like a great place to stay doesn't it?

We paddled up the lagoon to the pedestrian bridge we had walked over yesterday. 

I heard this kingfisher call before I saw him. 

I pulled into some of the grasses to get a better look at one of the osprey that were on nearly every scag

This is the best picture I could get from that far away.  Definitely need a better camera for the great things I'm seeing.

There were also at least 4 osprey nests along the lagoon.  I had no idea they were willing to nest that close together.

This lagoon is where they filmed the Vietnam sequences of Forrest Gump in which Bubba dies for those of you movie goers.  Does this shore line look like southeast Asia??

Speaking of osprey, one flew right over my boat about half way up the lagoon.

At the top of the lagoon there was one single pelican who actually was playing in the air.  He looked like he was having a great time.  Maybe I'll live my next life as a pelican.  Click on the pictures to enlarge them for a better look.

 He just sort of kept performing and I kept taking his picture.

But this is my favorite

As we started back down the lagoon, we decided to get out and see where we were in terms of where we'd walked yesterday.   So we pulled over and parked

Crossed over the dune and where the road had been and found this groin.  So now you know what the sign meant.  Remember?  "Warning Submerged Groin".  I'd always heard them called jetties.  But they are intended to keep the beach from eroding.  Not sure how successful they are at least for barrier islands.

But what I also saw were these beautiful clouds.  The sky seemed huge and brilliant blue today.

We walked back to the lagoon, got back in the boats and paddled by this fisherman.  There were also several others along the shore line who were using rods and reels.

Once we got to the foot of the lagoon we stopped on the very tip of the island because we'd been told that dolphins often gather at the mouth of both the lagoon and the inlet to catch fish.  We'd seen a pair of paddlers coming down the lagoon as we were gong up and they asked us if we'd seen the dolphins on our way in.  We hadn't.   On their way back, those same paddlers told us they had seen them.  So this time we stopped and took a good look with binoculars.

Toward the calm lagoon

And toward the rougher ocean but still no dolphins.

Oh well  maybe "next time". J

Paddling back to the take out against the tide it was difficult to stop and take pictures of the sky but it was so spectacular I had to.

We've got the boats on the car and I couldn't resist one more picture of these clouds.

We'd decided before the paddle that with the last hour of daylight after we left the lagoon we would go over to check out the lighthouse.  When I saw this sign, I just laughed out loud.  Now I've heard of gated communities but isn't this a bit much?   An entire gated island.  The sign says "Security Gate 1/2 Mile" which must be just over the bridge.

We decided to park a ways down from the lighthouse and walk up the beach to it.

We met these girls coming back from a swim.  In the middle of November.  David asked them if they were from Canada. J But they said no and that the water was 74 degrees.  The air was mighty chilly I thought.   But they are obviously hardy souls and were even willing to have their pictures taken.   Wish I'd gotten their names.   Wish I had their willpower.  I love the water but don't think I could make myself get in the water in air temperatures in the low 60's.

We walked up the beach and I spent more time looking at the sky than at the water.  VERY unusual for me.

Wasn't long until we were at the lighthouse.

Did you know that light houses were all painted differently so that sailors could tell where they were along the coastline by the design of the paint on the light house?   Some have stripes.  Some patterns.

"Next time",  I want to hike up to the top and get some bird's eye pictures of this terrific island.  But today we were too late. "Last Up 3:45".

So we again hustled back to the car to get to a spot overlooking the marsh for sunset. 

The clouds just were so totally amazing that I've included too many shots of how they looked in the setting sun.  Hope you don't mind.

I couldn't stop snapping what the clouds were doing with the fading colors.

We are very regretfully leaving this park tomorrow to move on but after having been here for not nearly long enough, I will have to agree that of the South Carolina Parks I've seen this one is the best.  No wonder it is difficult to get a spot here.  I'll be planning ahead "next time" and for a much longer time.  Wonder if they need a camp hostess for next fall.  J