 |
| The Gullah Grub Restaurant - our St. Helena Island focal point - Country Hearth Inn in background |
My last post on this Road Trip was just a brief note about
the final day in Gullah country. This is the detailed report of the day and
includes lots of photos. Frankly, I was really tired by the end of Day 5, a
Friday night. We had made our way over to I-95 for the trip back north to
Virginia and ultimately my base camp in West Virginia. We slipped out of
character as far as our evening repast and found a local Mexican Restaurant in
Walterboro, South Carolina near a Super 8 Motel we pulled into for the night.
All I wanted to do was catch some shuteye, so I didn't take any time to truly
journal the day.
Day 5 began as a beautiful sunny day as compared to Day 4
when we experienced rain most of the day and night. We actually got quite wet
on Day 4 so the warm sun was very welcome. We decided that since we were within
about 15 minutes of the Parris Island, U.S. Marine Recruit Training Camp and
there was a free museum there, that we'd start our day off visiting "The
Few and The Proud." It just so happened that Day 5 of our road trip was
graduation day for a class of recruits who had just completed the 13 grueling
weeks of basic training. Believe me, these young men and women have every right
to be proud after they complete this first phase of their Marine Corps career.
There are a substantial number who wash out during this first phase of training
- which is why they also are "the Few."
I didn't take a lot of photos while there, but at first
glance, you'd think this was some kind of semi-tropical resort as we drove onto
the base. But, it's not what the visitor sees on the surface that is the
reality of this base, it's what they don't see including the swamps, jungles,
desolate areas, obstacle courses and so on. When I went through Air Force Basic
Training during the Vietnam era I had about a half day on the rifle range were
I learned to field strip, clean and reassemble an M-16 automatic assault rifle.
The Marines still use that rifle today, 44 years later. During my half day of
firearms training I learned to fire the weapon and qualify as a trained killer.
That meant I could hit the targets down range and preferably in a tight pattern
in the "kill zone." That was it. If I qualified, I had completed my
firearm training. The Marine recruits spend as much as a week or more on that
firing range and know more about their weapons and utilizing them than I could
imagine. It seemed that every Marine I saw on Parris Island had an "Expert
Rifleman" badge proudly displayed on their uniform.
The museum was very interesting. It had the complete history
of Parris Island, a very informative video presentation about the recruit-training
program at the camp and the three phases every Marine has to complete and pass
before he or she is may be called a Marine. There were displays of uniforms
dating back to the early days of the Marines in 1775, weapons, battles,
campaigns and other information that truly gave me a much better understanding
about this group of warriors. We also met many families who were visiting their
young men and women (most who arrived at Parris Island as teenagers). It was
inspiring to see the young recruit graduates in their uniforms and with their
stiff, military bearing. The parents were proud mothers and fathers. There were
some families that may have had three or four generations of Marines there for
the graduation. One gentleman we met had been out of the Marines for decades,
but he was there in his uniform, standing straight and proud as could be of his
grandson. His son, the recruit's father, was still actively in the Marines, in
uniform, of course and equally as proud.
 |
| The bridge to Parris Island - the green signs on the right are pointing the way. |
 |
| Here we are, the starting point for a lot of young men and women who desire to be part of "The Proud and The Few." It looks very pretty from this vantage point. But, after the young recruits pass this sign, they are about to experience 13 weeks of Hell, if they can make the grade. |
 |
| The main gate - I expected there to be a lot of security, car searches, mirrors under the car, lots of questions, at least that's what I experienced at Lackland Air Force Base, in 2003 and that was my old basic training base when I entered the Air Force in 1969. But, we were surprised. The Marine guard at the gate just gave us a big smile and waved us through. But, then again, with thousands of Marines on that base with lots of weapons, I guess they weren't as concerned about us as we thought they might be. |
 |
| Isn't this lovely. This is a Marine Boot Camp. I feel more like I'm in a beautiful park. But, looks can be deceiving. |
 |
| We had no problem finding the museum - here's the sign at the entrance. We also passed the base exchange or post exchange, whichever they call it. A very large, modern structure not unlike the newer Walmarts being built around the country. There were also a variety of food establishments and other recreational facilities, all very modern. It was quite impressive. |
 |
| This building is where the Parris Island Museum is housed. It also houses a number of other offices and functions for the camp. You can see how modern this building is. None of the World War II structures, Quonset huts or wooden barracks apparent anywhere. Even the base housing looked like a modern suburban sub-division. |
After we left Parris Island, we had learned about Hunting
Island and the Hunting Island Lighthouse. Hunting Island is a South Carolina
State Park and the island is uninhabited. Actually, it's very tropical. Another
of the South Carolina barrier islands, its beach is right on the Atlantic
Ocean, which, of course, is why a lighthouse was built there to help steer
ships away from the shallows and shoals. The woman who owned the Country Hearth
Inn motel we stayed at the previous night told us about the island. She also
said to stop back if we had any other questions. So, we did. We said tell us
where we can get some more good "grub," it's lunch time and we're
starving. She directed us toward Hunting Island and said we'd find a few
isolated places on the road to the island including the Shrimp Shack. Boy! That
sounded perfect! So, off we went east toward Hunting Island to climb to the top
of the 132-foot structure (167 steps in all). The photos and captions below tell the story
of the afternoon's adventures.
 |
| Lunch is served at the Shrimp Shack |
 |
| Yes! It is literally what appears to be a shack. |
 |
| No waitress service here! Place your order and come and get it. Great Eats! And it's inexpensive, too. |
 |
| No fancy table cloths, cloth napkins or silverware here. The green baskets have the condiments and they get passed around. This wasn't unlike an old fish shack I found in Amagansett, NY on Long Island where I had The BEST fish & chips I've ever eaten in the U.S. |
 |
| On the bridge to Hunting Island. The island is a state park and is uninhabited. It gained it's very practical name because this is where the early settlers to this region came to hunt the abundant wildlife on this island. |
 |
| We're on the island and are paying our $5.00 per person admission charge. Very economical for the beauty and nature on the island, not to mention the lighthouse. |
 |
| We were told the island was like a tropical jungle and they weren't kidding. Now I know how Gilligan felt. Loving it. |
 |
| Believe it or not, this is the Visitor Center - it's actually very modern with all the modern conveniences inside, but I really wasn't sure that we might not see Jungle Jim here. |
 |
| Yeah! And not to mention that it's DANGEROUS, too! |
 |
| And here she is right outside the Visitor Center sunbathing. The light green is actually a very edible plant growth on the pond surface. The gators eat it as do many of the water foul that inhabit the island at different times of the year. And while it may look like moss or algae, it is neither. |
 |
| And here's Junior sunning himself right next to the small, low bridge we crossed to get to the Visitor Center. He's really not all that far from me, and no, I'm not that brave. He couldn't come up on the small wooden bridge very easily. |
 |
| "I've got my eye on you." And, yes, this is another view of Junior from another vantage point and yes, that is his eye if you look closely and he is watching me. |
 |
| Ah! Our main objective for visiting Hunting Island. The lighthouse. It's about 132 feet up to the observation deck just below the light. It was first commissioned in 1873 and is made of steel plates that can be taken apart and moved if required ... and it was in 1889. |
 |
| Here's a photo (obviously I was using my telephoto lens) of the top of the lighthouse. The objective is to climb the 167 steps to the top and take some photos from the observation deck. |
 |
| The mouth of the beast. It's hard to see, but each of the plates that make up the structure of the lighthouse are about 1200 pounds each. They are numbered so they can be disassembled and moved to another location. There is an additional $2.00 fee per person to enjoy the privilege of climbing the 167 steps to the top. The funds are used to maintain the lighthouse and the rest of the site's buildings. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1933 and stands as a monument of a time past. |
 |
| Okay! So, here goes. This is the spiral staircase that goes to the top of the lighthouse, as I said, 167 steps, with landings ever so often. The original light in this lighthouse burned oil and the lighthouse tenders had to carry a bucket weighing 50 pounds when full of oil, up these stairs to the light everyday and maybe more than once a day. The of the lighthouse is bricks to strengthen the steel shell. |
 |
| I huffed and I puffed and I made it to the top! Actually, I pleasantly surprised that I made it all the way up without being out of breath. It was quite a climb, but as out of shape as I probably am, I made it without any difficulty. And this is my reward. That's the Atlantic Ocean. It really does have the appearance of a tropical island not unlike the island that Gilligan and the Skipper were marooned on in Gilligan's Island. Oops! For those of the younger set who are reading this, that was an old TV show, probably before your time. If you look carefully, you can see a man walking on the beach. The horizon is about 40 miles away. |
 |
| This is a view looking back over Hunting Island in the direction of St. Helena's Island. The sky is beautiful on this day we chose to explore this neat place. |
 |
| This is a view from the rail looking down at the foundation remains of the lighthouse tender's quarters and one of several small storage buildings and quarters for the other assistant lighthouse tenders. It was a lonely job, but one that was, obviously, taken quite seriously. |
 |
| Earlier I mentioned that the lighthouse was moved in 1889. The original location of the lighthouse in in the ocean just inside the sandbar that you can see. That location is 1 1/4 mile from the current location where the lighthouse has stood since 1889. |
 |
| If you look carefully, off on the horizon in this photo is Edisto Island and the community on that island. The small white dots are actually homes along the shore. This is about ten miles from Edisto. |
 |
| Okay, I couldn't resist, Dave, was taking some of his really terrific artistic photos on the trip and he captured on of the lighthouse's shadow from the observation deck. So, I grabbed one, too. Dave really is an artist. I'm a documentary type photographer. I shoot photos to document an event. Once in a while I capture a magical one. Dave looks for the magical ones. One day, when I find the negative I'll put up a fantastic shadow photo I took in New Zealand from a hot air balloon. |
 |
| Okay! Nothing exciting here. But the day and the clouds were just so right for taking photos, I had to take one. |
 |
| Yep! Another arty photo. On the way off the island we stopped at a nature look-out. So, I saw these Palmetto Palm leaves with the low afternoon sun shining through them and I just had to take several shots just . . . well, just because I could. Isn't digital photography wonderful? |
 |
| This was a lovely old home, I guess this would be considered and antebellum style home. There were lots of them in Beaufort. I caught this one as we were driving by. |
 |
| This is the historic downtown, Main Street, area of Beaufort It was around 5 or 5:30 PM when we were there, so I guess this might be "Rush Hour" in Beaufort. It's a pretty street, about three blocks long with lovely old buildings. And, please note, just because I'm in my later middle age, doesn't mean I don't spot and stealthily capture a pretty young southern belle strolling up the street. It keeps me young and keeps the heart pounding. |
 |
| This is the end of what was darn near a perfect day and certainly the best day of this short road trip. I was in this park at the north side of Beaufort several years ago on another trip to this area. We were actually staying in Charleston and passed through Beaufort on the way to Savannah, Georgia, about another 50 miles south. We stopped in this park for a few minutes then traveled on. This is a pretty view looking out over the Beaufort River toward St. Helena Island. The bridge is out of sight just to the right of this photo. The End! |
We left Beaufort as dusk was approaching and made our way on
U.S. Highway 21 to where it merged with Rt. 17 and finally over to I-95. We
went north for a few miles until we came to Walterboro and decided it was a
good place to fill up the gas, fill up the stomach and catch some shuteye for
the approximately 500 mile trek back to northern Virginia, just outside
Washington, DC, where my travel buddy, Dave, lives. We found the Mexican
restaurant, checked in at the Super 8 and that ended Day 5.
Here's one interesting side note. Last night I caught some
of the latest American Idol qualifying performances on the Fox Network and as I
was watching the screen, they were putting up captions with the contestants'
names, age and where they came from to be in the Hollywood try-out portion of
the contest. One of the young women was from St. Helena Island, South Carolina.
It was just great to see this young woman, most likely from the Gullah culture
and island I had just visited less than a week before. It may sound strange,
but I felt a kind of connection and a certain pride to see her make it this far
in the contest. This is one of the main reasons I've chosen my living free,
nomadic lifestyle. It's a fantastic way of connecting with history, the people
and cultures that make up our great melting pot and the places in our country
that provide such diversity.
I'm going to do a very short Day 6 recap as the last entry
for Day 5. No photos - it was interstate all day and nothing interesting to
see. They all look alike. On Saturday, Day 6 of this road trip, buddy, Dave, and
I got up, grabbed our stuff, had a free breakfast at the Super 8 motel and hit
the road. Dave set the cruise control at 65 mph and we headed north making one
stop for a Subway sandwich for lunch (I brought half of my foot-long back to
base camp for dinner that night). We arrived at Dave's place just a few moments
before 5 PM.
After a quick pit stop, I was back on the road by 5:18 PM. I
ran into a bit of traffic on I-66 heading out of the Washington, DC area and
probably lost about 15 minutes. I stopped in Front Royal, Virginia to fuel up
"My McVansion" because I know that's where I can get the least
expensive gas in the region. That cost me about another 15 minutes. I arrived
at base camp in Keyser, WV at 8:45 PM, approximately 3 1/2 hours after leaving
Dave's, including the 30 minutes lost in traffic and refueling. This ends a
short, but very interesting, educational and enjoyable road trip - the first of
2013.
No comments:
Post a Comment