The Low Country

(click on the picture for a larger view)

We've spent nearly a month now in the Low Country of South Carolina.  We are also only about ten miles from the Coastal Empire of Savannah, GA but more on that in the next post.  The Low Country is aptly named - we are only about 10 feet above sea level where we are staying and there are more swamps and wetlands than dry dirt.  This is the area of Beaufort, SC, Hilton Head, SC, and Savannah, GA.

Beaufort is the oldest of the three cities I mentioned.  For some strange reason, we didn't take any pictures of the antebellum homes that are the high point of any trip to Beaufort.  We did get a picture of the horse that pulled our carriage:

His name was Newman and he was obtained from the Amish in Ohio.  I think pulling a carriage on the flat streets of Beaufort is quite preferable to pulling a plow in Ohio.  Since it gets very hot and humid in Beaufort in the Summer, the City has a weather person who monitors the temperature to keep the horses from being used in unhealthy (for the horses) conditions.

We liked Beaufort enough to go back a second time and visit the outlying coastal islands and Hunting Island State Park.  Hunting Island gives you a pretty good idea of what things looked like before settlement took place.

If it looks like a Caribbean jungle, it's because it was.  Very dense trees, palmettos, and other stuff.

 On the bay side of the islands, you have vast areas of coastal wetlands.  Far more square miles of wetlands than dry lands.  

 About the only wildlife we saw at the state park was this great turtle who lives with an alligator in this pond by the visitor center and, these various gulls a few miles down the road at the fishing pier.  

Hunting State Park does have Atlantic Ocean beaches which are rather nice.  I would imagine that this area gets a number of visitors in the Summer but we were somewhat surprised to see the number of people visiting on a December day (although it was warm).  

 The park does have a lighthouse that, if you want and for a small fee, you can climb.  

 And like everything else, this day had to end as well.  Oh well, back to Hardeeville, SC.  

 We decided to stay in Thomas RV & Park in Hardeeville because it was less expensive than staying at the Hilton Head Motorhome Resort.  At $350/month + electricity and large, level sites it is a find.  We are close to Savannah, the Savannah airport (I travelled again this month - to Michigan and Texas), Hilton Head, and Beaufort.  We are also close to the Savannah National Wildlife refuge (which we visited with binoculars but without cameras, oh well).

Off to the Inland Empire...