My southeast tour part II: Beaufort, SC

Tuesday morning after coffee in my room and another fine yoga practice, I packed up and left Townsend around 10 a.m. According to MapQuest, it is 392.91 from Townsend to Beaufort, SC.

About the time I was getting into Beaufort, Kim from Beaufort Kayak Tours called and said the historic Beaufort tour was canceled due to storms in the area. I told her I’d call her back for the salt marsh afternoon tour the next day. After checking into the Hampton Inn, I did 30 minutes of laps in the pool. Afterward, I sat on a bench overlooking the water and a huge oak draped in Spanish moss and updated my trip journal.

Wednesday morning I loaded up with a breakfast of eggs, sausage, yogurt, fruit and wheat toast, then headed for Hunting Island State Park. It’s 18 gorgeous miles from Beaufort. I wanted to see the lighthouse and had no idea how captivating I’d find the island. The woods were an odd, dense mix of wild palm trees and tall pines. Palmettos grew everywhere. The lighthouse was awesome but I was really taken in by the beach and the woods.

I was walking on the beach when I got a call confirming that my kayak trip was on (http://www.beaufortkayaktours.com/) and had to hightail it back to my car. I kind of got lost but did get to do the kayak trip, which was a new activity for me — I’d never used a kayak before. I loved it. The trip included using some new muscles, seeing new sights and learning about the area’s salt marshes and marine life. I want to do more kayaking.

Afterwards, I went back to Hunting Island. Earlier I’d seen people riding their bikes on the beach and that looked fun. So I did and it was awesome. In fact, I rode my bike through the surf although I’m not sure I didn’t trash it in the process. I did as I was told and rinsed it off thoroughly before putting it back in my vehicle but it’s been making funny noises ever since. After that I drove farther down the road and walked out on the fishing pier. People were friendly and talkative, maybe because nothing was biting. As I was leaving, I noticed a guy pouring a funky looking orange liquid into the water. He said he was trying to chum up sharks. The liquid was “menhaden milk.” Oh lord, I said to him, that has to really stink. He asked if I wanted to smell it. Well of course I did. Eww.

My next stop was to walk the marsh boardwalk. What a beautiful and tranquil place, and I had it all to myself. Since I was still in my swimsuit, I jumped in the pool for a short swim when I got back to the motel. It was a long, tiring, fabulous day.