Edisto Island Beach Trip 2009

After a very difficult month (actually 5 years!!!) of finishing my dissertation and getting it published, Gary and I took a 4 day trip to Edisto Island, SC. We drove Gary's big Chevy truck with his newly remodeled camper on the truck bed. We spent Thursday night in the Wal Mart parking lot in Columbia just to get a jump start on our trip. It was lots of fun and kind of silly but we wanted to see if it could be done. I had recently heard that Wal Marts all across the country allow campers to stay in their lots for free. (Actually, we did shop both evening and the next morning in Wal Mart, so they got something out of it too.) After our stay at Wal Mart, we drove on to Edisto Island on Friday morning. This low country island is kind of remote and very beautiful. We stayed at the Live Oak campground which is a part of the state park. The bath house was very nice and big and clean-which is a huge plus when staying at campgrounds! The best part of the campground is the bike trails through the forest. They have miles of beautiful trails that lead from the campground to the beach. They are beautiful and tropical with Spanish Moss and palm trees everywhere. There were marshes and wetlands with beautiful birds of all kinds. It looked and felt like a rainforest but without the rain. Our campground was about a half mile from the beach. We rode our bikes everyday to the beach and spent hours exploring the trails in the forest. We visited the Spanish Mount Indian Mound and saw the mountain of seashells that were deposited thousands of years ago by Native Americans. We spent hours walking along the seashore hunting for perfect shells both large and small. We visited the mystery tree which was hanging full of seashells that people put on it. In addition to the beach and the forest, we really enjoyed our little camper. It is just perfect for 2 people. It is snug... but is complete with a fully equipped kitchen, air conditioner, dining/living area, and a pretty comfortable bed. We cooked delicious meals each evening and enjoyed watching movies in the privacy of our own little camper. It was a very relaxing weekend and a great break from all my stress. I hope you enjoy some of our photos of the trip.