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Prior to my 2012 heart attack, I would head off to the Great Smoky Mountain National Park for a week or so of solo camping and hiking. (See here and here, for example) Since my cardiac adventure, we deemed it unwise for solo trips of that kind, so I haven’t been back since 2011. Until now.
We have four “destination” stops planned for our spring tour and the GSMNP is our initial one. Our first week here was spent on the North Carolina side of the mountains. The goods news was that the crowds weren’t too bad for the GSMNP, which can get quite crowded. The not as good news was that our campground, which was large, was packed to the gills with families due to spring break. It was crowded and noisy during the daytime. It was nice to see all these kids running around, though, since we got the impression that these families come back year after year and these kids were being with their “annual” friends.
We did lots of hiking, saw Bryson City, bagged a bunch of waterfalls, and did lots more hiking. Spring was just kicking in and the trees really greened up while we were here. It was interesting to experience the park this early since the views are obviously different without leaves. It was also interesting to watch the whole area get greener every day. It was nice.
Here are just a few shots that don’t do the park justice. It needs to be experienced for that.
Juney Whank Falls, GSMNP 4/9/21
Juney Whank Falls, GSMNP 4/9/21
Tom Branch Falls, GSMNP 4/9/21
Tom Branch Falls, GSMNP 4/9/21
A relaxing day. GSMNP 4/9/21
Indian Creek Falls, GSMNP 4/9/21
Mingo Falls, GSMNP 4/11/21
Mingo Falls, GSMNP 4/11/21
The dogwood is blossoming! GSMNP 4/11/21
Clingmans Dome. GSMNP 4/6/21
The view from Clingmans Dome. GSMNP 4/6/21
Our travel style is such that we look for a destination, for example, the Great Smoky Mountain National Park, and then work our way there with random stops along the way. Often we don’t research those intermediate stops but rather plan them based upon travel time. We’re retired so we generally aren’t in a hurry. Therefore we base our stops on making our travel days comfortable, meaning a 3-4 hour drive. When you throw in the time to tear down and set up our site this makes for a pleasant journey. And since we’re not in a hurry, we stay at least several days in each location.
A by-product of this strategy is that we look for cool things to do in places that would normally not be, at least for us, a “destination” location. This is one of the great things about traveling as we do; we have always found interesting things to see and do, interesting people to meet. Our recent stop near Newberry, SC was a typical example. We discovered that a Revolutionary War battle, The Battle of Musgrove Mill, took place nearby. Fun fact: there were more Revolutionary War battles fought in South Carolina than in the surrounding states combined. Who knew? Anyway, we checked it out and it was informative as well as a nice walk on a cold blustery day. We also took a field trip to Greenville, SC. Nice little city with an awesome downtown area. We would never have seen either of these had we not been moving slowly.
Just a few pictures this time. Prepare for a bunch more since we leave this area to spend 2 weeks nestled against the Great Smoky Mountain National Park. Life can be rough.
Funky mushrooms. Clinton, SC 4/2/21
Old ford across the Enoree River. Clinton SC 4/2/21
Downtown Greenville, SC. 4/3/21
Downtown Greenville, SC. 4/3/21
After our brief run-in with the medical establishment and a bit of cardiac plumbing maintenance, we finally headed up the road. Prior to leaving, we got up before the crack of dawn and drove over to the FEMA vaccination site in Orlando. They were advertising the availability of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine and no wait times. I had only become Florida eligible a few days before and the J&J vaccine was very attractive since being on the road presents difficulties obtaining the second shot so off we went. Got there as they were opening and discovered they did not receive the shipment of the J&J vaccine. Home we went.
Our first stop was in Brunswick, GA just for a few nights. While there we tried getting me vaccinated again. Jacksonville had a FEMA site so off we went, again at the crack-o-dawn. Same result: no Johnson & Johnson. This time, after a bit of googling, we decided to go with the “bird in the hand” school of thought and I got the Pfizer first shot. Since I already had the antibodies and it seems I have at least 12 weeks to get the second shot it seemed like the thing to do.
From Brunswick, we moved up to a lovely park in Hardeevile, SC. We were close to Savannah, Hilton Head, and several old, quaint South Carolina small waterfront towns. We hit up those spots as well as Hunting Island State Park. It was great to be getting back into the swing of things by taking walks, taking pictures, and even enjoying a socially responsible lunch on a deck overlooking the water in Beaufort, SC. Wow, a small return to normalcy!
We also took a tour of the Hilton Head Margaritaville retirement community. It was…interesting. Nice floorplans, excellent workout facilities, very nice pool, and an acceptable bar/restaurant. You never know.
And so up the road we go, looking forward to seeing national parks, walking in mountains and across historic battlefields, seeing friends and family, and perhaps enjoying a good meal or two along the way. You know, just another season on the highway.
The free ferry in Savannah. 3/25/21
Funky downspouts. Savannah, GA 3/25/21
Riverside in Bluffton, SC 3/28/21
The lighthouse at the Hunting Island State Park. 3/29/21
The lagoon at Hunting Island State Park. 3/29/2021
A local looking to come on in. Hardeeville, SC 3/27/21
The World as We See It 