Day Four

I waited for the hurricane to pass at my brother’s house in Okatie, SC. He recommended visiting Beaufort, SC, instead of going to Hilton Head Island because the traffic out to Hilton Head doesn’t let up until after 10:00 AM. It was a short drive, and I parked in the library lot, which cost $1.00 for 4 hours. From there it was two blocks to the Blackstone Café, where I was greeted by a pleasant young girl who seated me by the front door. I ordered an omelet with sourdough toast and my choice of hash browns, grits, or potatoes. My guess was potatoes meant home fries, so I asked for “taters”. When the plate arrived, it had hash browns. I suppose when a Yankee orders “taters” they must we mean hash browns. I didn’t complain; hash browns are fine with me. Breakfast was good; I noticed the women behind the counter making a fancy coffee drink at an espresso machine. I had already picked a coffee house, but since it was outside town, I decided to take a chance. I told the waitress to ask the lady behind the counter to make me a double espresso. She went over to the counter and came right back to inform that their single is a double. It turned out to be a smooth pull. After paying, I approached the woman who made the espresso to tell her that it was good. It turns out the young hostess is her daughter. I told of my experience at the coffee house in Richlands, and we had a good laugh.

In a word, I hated Myrtle Beach; in my opinion, it is a tourist trap. I explained it to Maureen this way: the first thing I saw coming into town was the high-rise resorts lining the beach. The next thing I noticed was every chain restaurant imaginable out on the main drag. Finally, there are the largest restaurants I’ve ever seen. When she heard this, she responded, “Oh boy, that’s not good!” I drove down to the beach, and since it was noon, I sat in a parking lot and ate my standard lunch, a cheese and tomato sandwich, an apple, a banana, and a handful of peanuts. This was followed by a 15-minute walk on the beach. It is a nice long beach, but I couldn’t get out of there fast enough.

I took a two and a half hour walk all through Beaufort; it is a scenic historic town. From there I drove to Hunting Island State Park, which my SIL Kate recommended. Once again I sat down in the parking lot on my cooler and ate the standard lunch. From there I went down to the beach for a walk; it was a very short walk because the waves were breaking very hard, and at times the water was all the way up to the dunes. I then drove to the trailhead and proceeded to take another 1 ¾ hour walk. I saw a lot of palmettos, palm trees, pine trees, and oaks. The only wildlife I encountered were butterflies, a few birds, and a snake. The surf was so high they were breaking over the dunes and into the lagoon; the bridge over the lagoon to the beach was coned off, but I saw some kids and a dog had gone over it, so I went too. There was a sign on the other side of the bridge warning that beach erosion was severe and to pass at your own risk, so I did. The sea was full of downed trees; it is a good thing sea level rise is a hoax, or this whole section of beach might disappear.

I left the beach and walked to the nature center looking for the marsh view boardwalk. As I left the trailhead, a woman walking with two guys asked me if the bridge was closed. I told her it was, but I went over it anyhow. She smiled and said, “Way to man up, buttercup!” We all were laughing, and I asked her where she was from, and she replied, “Cleveland.” When I responded that I was from Connecticut, she pointed at one of the guys and said he was from Connecticut. He said he was from Stamford, and I whispered to her, “That ain’t Connecticut; it is East New York.”

I still couldn’t find the marsh view boardwalk, so I asked a couple that was looking at the trail maps if they knew where it was. She pointed towards the nature center and said there was a boardwalk there, but it was underwater. She then asked what part of New York I was from, and I answered, “The Connecticut part.” She told me she had been a nurse in New Britain, CT, with the correct pronunciation, “New Brit Ann”. I said, “Funny, you don’t look Polish. She laughed and said she had to learn Polish when she worked there.

I headed back to the parking lot on the Diamond Back Rattler trail. It is called that because it winds around and up and down hills all the way. When I left the parking area, I decided to drive back to the nature center, and on the way there I found the Marsh View boardwalk. It was on the opposite side of the highway. So I stopped to walk it, a very short 15-minute stroll.

Beaufort, SC

Hunting Island State Park, SC

10/10/2024

Okatie, SC

0 Miles

Blackstone's Cafe Beaufort, SC

I went back to my brother’s house, and it was decided we would go to Benny’s on Hilton Head Island. We ate at the rooftop overlooking the river. It was a little breezy, but fortunately we all had jackets to keep us warm. The food was good. The only downside was the cover band playing very loud, so it was hard to have a conversation.