Author: Easin' Along

No first-time visitor to Edisto Beach, SC should get away without a visit to Botany Bay. We enjoyed a wonderful week of vacation in Edisto Beach State Park and the only obstacle keeping us from Botany Bay was some iffy weather. By Thursday, all of that changed and we drove the four miles to see the place that had been recommended by everyone who visited before us.

The proper name for this scenic and tranquil area is Botany Bay Plantation Heritage Preserve and Wildlife Management Area. It is an area that once held two plantations dating back to the 1780’s with a combined area of 4,687 acres. Long Staple Sea Island Cotton was the primary crop for the plantations from 1820 – 1860, but timber came from there as well. Presently, Botany Bay serves as a managed wildlife habitat and crops such as corn, sunflowers, millet, among others are planted there.

Helen (adorable wife) and I planned to take the driving tour of the plantation, but, when greeted by a volunteer at the entry we were told that there was an archaeological dig in progress on a shell ring within walking distance from the parking area. A television crew was filming the dig for an upcoming documentary on public television. We decided if it was good enough for television, it had to be good enough for two curious retirees.  We drove under a canopy of live oaks to the parking area.

After parking Bert (our truck) in the lot, we walked to the dig site with Kay and Bucky, a couple from Suffolk, VA who arrived at the same time. We enjoyed their company as we crossed a wooden bridge and walked along the scenic trail adjacent to the marsh. Up ahead we could see a lot of activity in progress as well as television cameras shooting away.

A “dig” accurately describes what was going on.  Young researchers were on hands and knees in a narrow trench of varying depths, carefully skimming the surface of the soil with specialized trowels. The soil and any contents were handed to another person and sifted through a screen then examined. Although the task was painstakingly slow, everyone involved was thoroughly engrossed in the activity and seemed to be having a lot of fun. I wanted to know more about the project.

Standing to the side of the trench was a young man engaged in the task of soil sifting. I introduced myself and asked him to tell me about his duties.  In the course of our conversation, I learned that he was a Ph.D. candidate from (where else) the University of Tennessee and had written a Master’s thesis on Shell Rings. I can only give readers the Cliff Note version. 

Shell rings are composed of oyster shells, fish bones, turtle shells, and other discarded food waste left by Native Americans as far back as 4,500 B.C. Our Ph.D. candidate believes that the inhabitants were drawn to the area because the food was plentiful and readily available. They eventually congregated in this spot and set up tents with the intent to remain. Over time, the accumulated shells and bones grew into huge piles. Several theories attempt to explain what the shell rings represent. One is that the inhabitants perhaps assembled the shells into an art form that eventually identified the tribe—something akin to a totem pole. Another thought is that the ring had a ceremonial purpose.  Hopefully, the dig will uncover clues to the reason for gatherings of waste in rings as large as 20 feet high.  One of the supervisors told me that they found no weapons or stone implements inside the ring and no human bones either.  Only shells and fish bones so far and this was considered surprising. We left them digging away, but the activity was truly fascinating.

One reason for some urgency with this dig is that recent hurricanes had severely eroded the area around the shell ring, and had reduced the ring to one-tenth its original size.  We walked on the two-mile beach that stretched from Edisto Island to Sea Brook Island and saw evidence of the storms in the many trees on the shore. Shells, including conch shells, were everywhere.  Visitors had assembled them on the trees to share with visitors.

After walking the beach, we took the driving tour around Botany Bay, following the map provided by the volunteer at the entry. We saw no animal life other than a slow-moving groundhog but did see lots of songbirds including scarlet tanagers, and several herons, egrets, pelicans, and ospreys around the ponds and lakes created by dikes in the creeks.

 

 

Near the end of the tour, we drove alongside several areas once cleared for cotton planting. Trees had returned, but ferns now covered the forest floor. I thought the contrast made a nice picture. An indigo bunting flew by while I snapped away, but he was moving too fast to pose for me. Some wildflowers grew on the edge of the field which we cannot identify.  If any reader can provide a clue, please leave us a comment in the section below.

We had a very interesting day in Botany Bay and left the area thankful that, even in retirement, the learning never stops.  It’s time to be Easin’ Along.

Two words come to mind in describing time away from home. First, there is travel and second, there is the vacation.  Most of our adventures, especially those involving Gracey, our RV, are best described as travel because we tend to move into a new location every three or four days on average. Our trip to Edisto Beach, however, is a pure vacation.  Helen (adorable wife) is recuperating from knee replacement surgery and wanted some downtime in the sun and surf. Her right knee gets the same treatment in about a month and she wanted to straighten out a few kinks before the next surgery. I’m always up for some time on the road less traveled, so I readily agreed that a vacation was a good idea. In addition, our route would take us near enough to Charleston to pick up our granddaughters and take them along for their first camping trip. As I wrote last week, we loaded them and their stuff quickly and we were off. Edisto, here we come!

My first impression of Edisto Beach, SC is that it is very low-key.  There is very little commercialization other than a medium size supermarket and a few small shops and restaurants but, other than that, it is primarily beach and beach homes. The second impression is that the area is beautiful.  Our home for the week is the Live Oak Campground within Edisto Beach State Park. We were assigned campsite 111 which sits under some large Live Oaks and across an unpaved road from a very scenic marsh.  The beach is about a two-minute drive away, but we can hear the surf pounding the shore while seated at our picnic table—very relaxing.

The girls were all a-twitter at the camping experience and scampered about the campsite looking for sharks teeth under the picnic table.  They found three…don’t ask me how they got there. Later, and after much resistance, BeBe (Helen) relented and allowed the girls a few minutes on her iPad to play a few games.  Soon, three little girls walked up and were hit immediately by iPad stun gun rays and got sucked in.  This picture describes the scene but, in all honesty, their activity was a lot of fun. The next afternoon, their parents arrived to pick them up. While there, we prepared one of the best shrimp boils I have ever enjoyed.  Regretfully, I have no pictures to share but, trust me, it was delicious.

On the second day, Helen and I walked through the Environmental Learning Center adjacent to the campground.  The center features displays of the plant, animal, and aquatic life found around Edisto and does a fantastic job of it. We spent about an hour viewing the displays that were extremely informative.

I loved the wildlife displays and the turtle aquarium. Finally, we pulled ourselves away from the Center and walked along a trail to the estuary that surrounds Edisto Island. During our walk, a deer startled us and ran away before I could get the camera in position. We were the only humans on the trail at the time. When we arrived at the estuary we were welcomed by a lively pod of dolphins chasing a school of fish.  I was able to get a picture of the dorsal fin but these fellows were moving fast.

One of the displays in the center gave information about the shell rings found in the area and the trail we took led to one of them. Briefly, shell rings are composed of shells and bones left by the ancient Native Americans when they occupied the area several thousands of years ago. A larger shell ring is located at nearby Botany Bay and is currently being studied by archeologists.  Helen and I also visited that site and will feature it in next weeks Easin’ Along so come back. Shell rings are fascinating.

The rest of the week moved all too quickly, but isn’t that usually the case with vacations? We devoted much time to beach sitting and beach walking.  We determined that Helen’s knee is mending well and that salt water must be good for it.  I am nursing an ailing hip and spent a lot of time people watching.  A couple of teenage boys held my attention with their skill on a skimming board.

The threat of rain was present every day, but Edisto was spared and we enjoyed near-perfect skies the entire time.  Unfortunately, the rains came as we packed up to leave but, by then, we were sun-filled, relaxed, and refreshed. We love to travel, but vacations ain’t bad. This one left us ready to continue…Easin’ Along.

 

After three years in Germany on my first assignment in the Army, I requested an assignment to Fort Jackson, SC. Helen (adorable wife) wanted to be a little closer to home, and we both wanted to be near the Carolina Beaches that we had grown up loving. As we planned our trip to Edisto Beach, SC we agreed that we should stay a couple of nights at Fort Jackson to break up the drive and to see if the installation had changed in forty plus years. We also wanted to visit with some old friends and neighbors of ours during the year we lived in Berlin now living in a new home several miles from the base. My job was to make the reservation at Weston Lake Campground operated by the installation and Helen’s task was to contact our friends.  We were successful on both fronts.

We looked forward to this trip for several reasons.  Many years had passed since we last saw our friends, Ron and Nina.  Ron made a career in the Army and had many interesting assignments. He and Nina had lived in a variety of locations both here and overseas and we wanted to hear all about it. Although we had exchanged a few Christmas cards over the years and had made a few contacts on social media, we were still eager to catch up on life, kids, and careers.  In addition to seeing them, we looked forward to taking a trip to the beach in Gracey, our travel trailer.  We had last spent some time on the road during our trip to Florida and Jekyll Island in February and March and were chomping at the bit to get back on the road less traveled.  After our last trip, Helen had undergone knee replacement and looked forward to a little time in the sun to work out a few kinks. In addition, we would be picking up two of our grandchildren to take them with us with us for one night at Edisto Beach. This would be the first time either of them had been camping (although camping in Gracey is best described as “glamping”) and we hoped that they would enjoy the experience.

To our delight, Weston Lake Campground turned out to be very nice and spacious. We arrived after hours and took the first campsite we found that backed up to the lake.  Once Gracey was hooked up, we decided to prepare a quick meal of hot dogs on the grill and called it an early night because we wanted to watch the hockey game between Winnipeg and the Nashville Predators. Thankfully, the Predators pulled out a win.

The next day we visited the Commissary and Post Exchange to stock up on provisions for our week at the beach.  Fort Jackson has been upgraded considerably since we first arrived on the installation. I recognized a few of the buildings, but most were unfamiliar and there were times when I felt somewhat like I had never been there. Old barracks and hospital buildings have been torn down and new dormitory buildings have replaced them.  Likewise, the former commissary has disappeared and a new, modern supermarket has taken its place. A new Post Exchange is equally as nice. We found everything we needed for our trip.

Later that afternoon, we met Ron and Nina at their beautiful home which was built just outside of Columbia, SC while Ron was stationed at Fort Benning, GA. During the time the home was under construction, Nina would travel to the job site from Benning at least monthly to work with their contractor. As a former home builder, I am amazed that everything went smoothly with a future owner being away for much of the time, but the finished product is a tribute to both Nina and her builder. A lovely home stands as a result of both their efforts. 

After a delightful afternoon of catching up, we followed Ron and Nina to Julia’s German Restaurant near Fort Jackson.  This very small eatery was packed when we arrived at around 6:00 pm. Nina told us to expect a crowd and we found one.  Julia, the owner, was milling about greeting customers and engaged in lively conversation with all of them in her heavily accented English. There were no tables available when we arrived so we waited at the small bar and enjoyed some good German wine and beer until something opened up. The time required at least two beers, but it was worth the wait.

Once seated, everyone ordered a schnitzel something-or-other. They were large and they were good! I wish all Easin’ Along readers could have a taste, but the pictures will have to do for now. Nina, who speaks fluent German, chatted with Julia at some point during dinner, and almost as soon as we finished eating, Julia walks up with a round of apple schnapps for the four of us and one for herself.  This was a highlight of the evening and we toasted each other heartily then slammed back the schnapps. For dessert, Helen and I ordered a chocolate layer cake that was divine, plus an apple strudel that was to die for. We couldn’t eat all of the desserts, but Julia had it boxed and it found its way to Gracey’s refrigerator. When it was time to leave, Helen and I felt like we had made a new friend, and vowed to return the next time we pass through Columbia. We thanked Ron and Nina profusely for showing us a wonderful evening and promised to stay in touch in a series of long good-byes.

Gracey was hooked up and on the road by mid-morning.  We took a few pictures of the campground for our Military Living readers before we left and want to let them know that the facilities are excellent and the recreational opportunities are numerous to include swimming, boating, kayaking, as well as camping. We recommend it to all military personnel. Nevertheless, it was time to pick up our granddaughters.

When we arrived for the rendezvous, the grands and their parents came out to meet us, packed and ready to go.  We were loaded and moving south in less than twenty minutes. Once inside Live Oak Campground at Edisto Beach State Park, Helen entertained the girls while I connected the utilities and made sure Gracey was ready for a big week. The girls had a ball figuring out the weird screen door handle and must have dropped the window shades each about three times each, but it was good to see them excited about living in a camping trailer. Soon, it was time to hit the beach.

Neither Helen nor I had ever been here.  We will have more to report after we explore the area, but this day was devoted to grandchildren fun. The beach is lovely, wide, and not at all crowded.  The afternoon was spent letting the girls run off some energy and build sand castles.  When it came time to leave, they were reluctant, but the promise of a hamburger and mac and cheese got a modicum of cooperation from each of them. With dinner finished, they schmoozed Big Daddy out of a few cartoons on the Apple TV before bedtime. Sleep soon overtook them. Here’s a picture of this precious twosome.

Such was the end of day one at Edisto Beach and the first three days of this road trip.  We’ve had a great start, and we invite you to come back for the next installment because Edisto appears to have much to offer and the area is so beautiful.  However, it’s bedtime for BeBe and Big Daddy so, we’ll be Easin’ Along.