DriverDad and I took a much needed vacation for the weekend and drove (just a short distance) to
Santee State Park. We stayed at a local Best Western so that we
could rise rested on Saturday to face the
Santee National Golf Course.
I have to admit I was not looking forward to the hot day that had been forecast. The first part of the day was a bit uncomfortable, but we were pleasantly surprised, however when we were blessed with several gentle breezes and an occasional overcast sky in the afternoon.
DriverDad had his usual beautiful drives that really went the distance. I kept my respectable score of 54(9) 111(18).. I try to keep it around an
average of 6 per hole. I did manage to get par twice. ??? I always seem to settle down on the back nine, but that was probably because I started reading a book and had taken an Aleve for my back. :)
DriverDad loves to golf. He had a great time playing the course which was well maintained, beautifully laid out, and had its challenges.
Dinner plans included trying out the much touted restaurant
Lone Star BBQ. After driving through the
Santee State Park and checking it out we had a relaxing dinner and evening at this delightful BBQ gathering place. A Blue Grass Band entertained us and several displays of history piqued our interest. The food was not terrific nor was it unpalatable. I would eat there again for I loved the atmosphere and the hospitality of the owner and fellow patrons.
Sunday Morning
We drove to the
Santee National WildLife Refuge (on the eastern shore of
Lake Marion) and enjoyed a quiet sabbath morning in the woods. For most of the morning we were the only people in the Preserve. We drove the 7.5 mile loop, got out and hiked a few short trails, and enjoyed the sounds and sights of God's creative hand. We planned to bike the several miles of biking paths throughout the Preserve, but felt uneasy about there not being any other human life near. I would have liked to have seen at least one car. When we were leaving we did see one couple who were hiking the trails. Remote is the word best used here.
We drove next to the
Palmetto Trail just below
Bonneu, S.C. on the east side of Lake
Moultrie.
Here we rode our bikes on the
Lake Moutrie Passage from the path head, through the
piney forest, across the railroad,
and up onto the dyke rim. It was hot so we curtailed our journey being satisfied to get a taste of future possibilites.
We checked out
Bonneau Beach before returning home via Monks Corner. In
Bonneau we discovered a nice public beach with 4
boatramps and ample parking. We were looking for future reference for the use of the jet-ski.
My favorite place as far as the water sports is concerned is up off of 260 in the furthermost part of Lake
Marions's finger branches. The beauty and accessibility of the place is apparent in the number of businesses and residences that are spotted throughout the water channels. I have my eye on a
Tranquility Cove and would like to explore the place further. These branches were almost like lakes themselves. There were plenty of places to stay, several boat ramps to launch, and a nice open water in which to play on the jet ski with.
We have now explored near a one hour radius from our home. Edisto Beach (south), Santee (north), Charleston (southeast), Bonneau (north), and of course we driven through everything west of us (pretty sparse).
We did get to drive through the
Francis Marion National Forest as it skirts along the southeast shore of Lake
Moultrie, but I have my eyes on
Awendaw or
Mcclellanville and would like to (in the fall) do either a bicycle ride or a hike along part of the Palmetto Trail that begin here.
