First Day at Cotton Hill

Our first full day at Cotton Hill started out quite chilly, 37 degrees, but sunny, warming up to the mid 60's.  We can see the sunrise over the lake.  The wildlife around our campsite kept us entertained today.  There are three goose couples.  Number one couple has four goslings, number two couple has two goslings, and number three couple is childless.  So when number three couple gets too close to the babies they get chased away, but they follow them around seeming to act like body guards.....honking loudly and often.  They didn't approve of Skipper's presence.  Our crane left late morning, then returned late afternoon.  We were surprised that it perched at the top of a tree before coming into the water. Then a white crane flew in late afternoon.  Midday, we heard crows making a loud commotion in a nearby tree.  They chased an owl into a tree on the small island near us.  After looking with the binoculars, it was confirmed....a great horned owl.  Some small birds came to its rescue and chased the crows away.  On our walk this afternoon, we spotted a bald eagle.  We have not seen an alligator!  (Well, on our walk through the forests this morning we came to a sunny, sandy area along a swampy area and something slithered into the water.....so I'm speculating that it might have been a small alligator....Chuck is doubtful.). A boater said he saw two large ones sunning themselves on an island. We've biked around the campground checking all the sites and have determined that our site, number 12, is one of the best!  God bless!

Cotton Hill Campground

April 15, 2014:  We arrived in Fort Gaines, Georgia this afternoon.  This is an Army Corp of Engineers National Campground.  If you have the senior pass camping fees are 50% off.  This is a full hook-up site for $13 a night.  We will be here until Sunday.  Our site is on the lake and is teeming with wildlife.  The pictures show proud parents of four goslings, a crane, and busy ducks.  We settled in, took a walk, and had a dinner of quesadillas. We are looking forward to exploring the area.

Walter F. George Lake, sometimes called Lake Eufaula, stretches 85 miles up the Chattahoochee River.

View From The Dam Bridge

Standing on the bridge above the dam you see the Savannah River below the dam and Lake Thurmond above the dam.  We did a short hike today on a trail following the peninsulas around the lake.  It was 83 degrees, but the breeze off the lake made it feel comfortable hiking.  We are discovering that the trail maps are a bit less than accurate.

Modoc Campground

April 11, 2014:  We arrived at Modoc Campground late in the afternoon yesterday.  It is a National Park campground with standard hook-ups (electric and water) so this is our first stop without sewer hook-up.  Today we toured the area seeing the Thurmond Dam on the Savannah River.  The dam, built from 1946-1954, created the J. Strom Thurmond Lake.  Our campsite is located on the shore of this 72,000 acre lake with 1,200 miles of shoreline.  We are in site 64, which is quite a nice site close to the water.  If you come here to camp try for site 64, 29, or 30.  Skipper is relaxed and enjoying the out of doors. The dogwood trees are in full bloom throughout the park.  I've always loved the wild dogwoods blooming throughout the forests.  We will leave this area on Tuesday morning, April 15th.

Sunrise on the Atlantic Coast

April 11, 2014:  Up early to see the beautiful sunrise!

Goodbye Myrtle Beach

We enjoyed our stay here in Myrtle Beach State Park.  We have reorganized, eliminated a few things, and added a few things.  I went for a hair cut for the first time since leaving home.  It was great to have the Market Commons area close by with some nice shops.  The man who cut my hair told me about a great local restaurant to have fish so we celebrated our last night with a visit there.  If you are in this area we highly recommend it.  I had grilled grouper and Chuck had shrimp....it was fabulous!  It is a small family owned restaurant called Mrs. Fish.  We started our last day with a pancake breakfast.  One of our additions was a single electric burner.  It seems that we will usually have electric hookup so it made sense to save our propane fuel.  After breakfast, we did household chores....laundry, vacuuming, mopping.....just a smaller place to clean, followed by our daily walk on the beach.  On some days the ocean reminded us of Lake Michigan....this was one of those days.  A few times we found some nice shells.....which we enjoyed while here, but will leave behind, pelicans flying overhead, and creatures living in shells.  Tomorrow morning we will pack up and head westward.  Next stop.....Modoc, South Carolina.  Our time here in Myrtle Beach has given us a good adjustment time.  We were uncertain and even a bit sad as we started on this venture a month ago.....I was even feeling a little homesick.....Michigan will always be home as we travel about our country.  The motorhome is beginning to feel like home.....and yes, Cas, we are having fun!  Oh, I cannot forget the "pollen attack", as they call it down here.  We have never experienced so much green floating and covering everything.  Despite the pollen, the weather has been excellent!  We were thankful that we had the opportunity to worship and commune with fellow Christians at Risen Christ LCMS Church while here.  We have met so many people in the campground and area.  Everyone has been a blessing....we are so thankful!

Myrtle Beach State Park

We arrived at the park on March 27th and plan to stay here until April 11th.  We extended our stay here so we could do some additional organizing and planning.  We have good internet and phone service here.  Also, it is a short distance for groceries and shopping. When you enter the park it is like an oasis away from the busy touristy area surrounding it. We are enjoying walks on the beach and trails and biking in the park and area.  There are many Canadians in the campground.  One couple told us that, unlike Americans, they have no place in their country to escape the winter weather so they come here.  They cannot stay away from Canada longer than six months or they loose their healthcare.  We like the park and have met many people.