2004/04 Boston and South Carolina trip - Hunting Island |
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We spent the afternoon crossing into South Carolina and heading for Sesquicentennial state park in the city of Columbia. The park is an oasis of trees and lakes surrounded by major highways, so there was a constant traffic hum in the distance, but it was good place to camp. We had a warm evening, sitting out under the pines.
Friday 23rd April
We found our way across town to Provan Industries in West Columbia to pick up our camper, and, surprise, it wasn’t quite ready. However, we liked the end result, just what we wanted, and we waited while they finished caulking, installed the rear seat belts, etc. Eventually, we handed over a substantial heap of cash and we were on our way. We planned to stay in the area for the weekend to give us a chance to check the camper out.
We were headed for the beach, and luckily, Provan’s receptionist was nice enough to check out the state parks for us, and she’d determined that Edisto Beach was full, but Hunting Island wasn’t quite. From Columbia, it’s a 180 mile drive to the beach, but we had to be patient and drive slowly with the camper and its new engine, especially as it was 90 degrees. I drove the camper and Sandie followed in the Suburban.
Hunting is one of the barrier islands of South Carolina, very flat, with lots of swamps, but interesting vegetation and birdlife, very different from Minnesota. We arrived, as usual, just before dark, and they still had room, and we set up camp under the pines and palms, on a very warm and humid evening.
The new camper attracted a lot of attention. While I was booking in to the camp site, Sandie had three groups of people look it over. It really does look good. It’s also very practical with all the features of a full size motorhome, but squeezed onto a pickup chassis, just 19 feet long. However, space inside is limited and it certainly helps to have had previous experience of living in much smaller campervans in Australia and England.
Saturday 24th April
We both slept well in the new camper. It was nice to have a bathroom, and hot water, and indoor cooking, and a breeze from the power vent in the roof. There were a few problems though, like the shower not draining properly, and the reading lights staying on while driving, and an intermittent tail light. There was also a worrying noise coming from either the tyres or the differential. We called Dave at Provan and left a message of “We’ll be back on Monday” for them to fix the problems. 
Hunting Island has a great sandy beach and a forest of pines and palms. 
Because of the pines, it also has a big population of squirrels and cardinals. However, like many of the barrier islands, it has a really bad erosion problem. The island is steadily disappearing, being carried off by the currents. The beach has many tree stumps in the sand, a sign that the beach is where the forest used to be. There’s also a lighthouse that they’ve already had to move once, that’s expected to be in the water within ten years.
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Hunting Island (6.31) |
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Sunday 25th April
I took an early morning run along the beach and a swim. It felt good, so the Boston run had done little damage. A few beach areas were partitioned off for turtle breeding areas, but this wasn’t the right season for seeing turtles. There were also a few private cabins still in the park. At one time they’d been in the forest, but they were now beachfront properties, and doomed to disappear with the beach.