Marsh Island

We've been home over a month now but I'm still trying to get caught up on my Kiawah posts.  It's much harder when time has gone by.  Still, I really LOVE some of these photos of Sophie and it's been in the back of my mind that I needed to get them "out there" before too much time passes and I forget.  

When we first arrived on Kiawah, I immediately set my sights on figuring out the best nature spots.  On our first full day, we set out in the car to check out a bunch of these sights.  Can you imagine my disappointment when we discovered that the majority of the island is behind a gate that can only be accessed if you're staying in one of the homes there?  Let's just say that I was miffed!  How come no one told me that?  I honestly don't think I would've gone there had I known.  At the Nature Center later that day, I asked an employee how I could see some of the good nature spots inside the gate.  She said by walking or biking.  Yeah, with a two year old in tow. Sounds fun.  I think the closest spot was 4-5 miles away!  Still, I really wanted to see some of these sights.  I'd read they were good for birding and wildlife.  Right up my alley!

One afternoon, when Clara was getting sleepy, we tucked her in the cart with some snacks and took off on our bikes.  It was a long ride, especially with a seven-year-old riding her own bike.  It took a long time to get there, especially with a stop here and there to look at/for gators.  In one pond, we found babies!!!

After what seemed like an eternity, we arrived at Marsh Island (the first stop on my wish list).

It was a beautiful place.

Then I spent about half an hour photographing this sand fiddler crab.

He was fascinating to me!

When I turned around, I discovered that Sophie had been playing with the crabs down by the wet sand.  She was in her own little world and having fun. 

As she walked toward me, she was smiling to herself and looking up at the birds.  She's my nature girl.  I really believe she is.  And I feel so lucky to have someone like her, who has a strong interest in nature, to share my passion.  It's so much more fun going to places like this when she's around!

As we were walking the boardwalk over to the island, we saw a raccoon walking on the sand (it was low tide).  I was too slow grabbing my camera and didn't get a picture.  As we were walking the boardwalk on the way back to our bikes, I told Sophie we should look for raccoon tracks.  And she found them before the words finished leaving my mouth. 

In the end, we'd spent so long biking to and exploring Marsh Island, the kids were tired and cranky and hungry.  We also had to bike the full way back.  No matter how much I wanted to see the other sites, it wasn't a good idea.  We started back but I felt real disappointment in not seeing all the nature this place had to offer.  I knew there was no way we were going to bike all that way again another day!  It seems so wrong to me that the nature is not accessible.  For this reason, we likely will not return to Kiawah again.  I get gated communities yada yada.....but nature should be accessible to everyone. I left there not feeling totally satisfied with my vacation....I know I missed out on some great spots.....and that's not a nice feeling.

Yep, so we're looking forward to heading back to Hilton Head in the Fall!

Angel Oak

As I've mentioned before, the weather did not cooperate while we were in Kiawah over Spring Break.  It's a fairly small island and there isn't a lot to do when it's cold (maybe some of you wouldn't mind being stuck in a small cottage with two wild and crazy kids but we are not those people).  I was searching for things to do and, while reading a local nature magazine, I came across an article about a local tree that the article claimed was over a thousand years old (sources differ about the actual age). What the what?  As I researched further, I found out that it was only about 15 minutes away.  

We were packed up in the car faster than you can say Jack Robinson.  And you know what? I can honestly say this is the nicest tree I've ever seen. Old, majestic, packed full of soul.  I stood under its wide, strong, antique branches and I thought of everything this tree has seen, all the hurricanes it has survived, the sheer number of folks who've walked under it's canopy, how happy it makes the thousands of people who come to visit each year.  

I'm so pleased I came across the article (the tree was so close!!!) and I feel lucky that we got to see and experience such an amazing tree/soul!  Hope you enjoy the pictures and that you get to see it in person yourself one day....

{the dirt road leading to Angel Oak}

{large posts holding up some of the branches}

{some branches go down into the earth and come back out again}

{I like this one for scale.}

{the annoying signs!  argh. they basically tell you not to breathe next to the tree. i understand their purpose but, seriously, this picture would be amazing ~ and I would probably enlarge and print it ~ were it not for those blasted signs.}

Captain Sam's Spit

There are a few places I've been in the world that stir my soul.  Big Meadows.  Hunting Island. And now I can add a new place ~ Captain Sam's Spit.  (What does it say about me that all of these places have almost NO people!?!?) 

A spit is a narrow point of land projecting into the sea.  My girls didn't know this and would dissolve into giggles each time I mentioned Captain Sam's Spit.  So this glorious place is located right where the Kiawah River empties out into the Atlantic.  The little piece of land is undeveloped and wild.  To get there one must take a boat down the river, or walk or bike the beach.  Since we had Clara in tow, we decided to bike the beach.  

The ride was approximately a mile and a half.  We lucked out on the way there with a downwind.....I didn't even need to pedal and the wind would carry me down the beach.  When we arrived, we were amazed.  

We'd planned our trip at just before low tide so there were small shallow pools all over the beach.  It was an explorer's dream-come-true to wander around and see what creatures one could find.

 

There were flocks of birds on every available spot of sand.  We were clearly in their place (which is such a nice change from every day life).  Every so often they'd all take off at the same time and that was so magical.  A photo could never do it justice!

It was a little chilly and really windy.  Clara had on my scarf and wrapped herself in a beach towel.

A bald eagle was flying over us when we arrived (only the second one I've ever seen) but I didn't get to my camera in time.  While we were exploring, the most GORGEOUS bird kept flying over.  I managed to get a few shots of it and only later that night found out that it was an osprey. Oh man was I excited!  I'm not sure if that was my first osprey (likely not) but it's definitely the first I've photographed.

There were so many fun things to find....

The dolphins come to Captain Sam's Spit to feed at low tide.  If my online research proves correct, the dolphins below are "Hook" and "Scratch"....two members of the family that reside in this area. I have a bunch of dolphin pictures but, since they're so hard to photograph, none of the pictures are very good.  But they were there, swimming by every couple minutes.

There were a number of dead sting rays washed up on the sand.  This one was MASSIVE and had two gigantic bites taken out of each fin.

The birds were eating some of the smaller dead sting rays.  It's rare but I like when my girls get to see the circle of life in action.....

Yep, I still have a thing for pelicans.

As usual for this area, there were tons of cannonball jellyfish in the water and dead on the shore.

After almost two hours of exploring, the girls were cold and tired.  We cozied up behind the bike cart to shield ourselves from the wind, covered ourselves in beach towels to get warm and ate some snacks.  These pictures give you some idea of how large the beach is.....the next two were taken at low tide just before the water starting moving back in.

Alain & I both agree that this place is something really special.  We enjoyed our visit immensely.  Wild places, like Captain Sam's Spit, seem hard to come by these days.  

As you may have guessed, the bike ride back was HELL.  I could walk my bike faster than I could ride it.  The wind just beat us into pulps.  If you ask me, it was still worth it to get to visit such a magical place!  Sophie may or may not agree.  What I do know for sure is we all ate well that night and then slept like babies!

We are HARD CORE, people.

So our week at the beach turned out.....COLD.  We had ONE day of really nice beach weather and the rest.....not so much.  Did we make the most of it?  Hell yeah we did.  And we had a blast. 

Yesterday, our last day, was butt cold but we decided we HAD to go to the beach and soak it up (before the massive rainfall a few hours later!).  Let me tell you.....this beach was EMPTY except for a lone biker now and then.

Our umbrella and chairs were the only ones in sight. The wind beat at us and tangled our curls.    The chill cut right to the bone (and I had on three layers!).  The girls (and Alain) built a sandcastle with a long gully that led down to the ocean.  

After dropping Alain and the kids at the beach, I went to the store to pick up some coffees for Alain and I.  While there, I passed by the Krispy Kreme display and noticed the bags of mini white powdered donuts. Well, you have no idea how much white powdered donuts remind me of going to the beach with my family when I was little.  My Dad always bought them.  Isn't it amazing what sticks with you? Of course I picked up a bag, purchased it and took it the beach to surprise the girls.  And surprised they were!  It occurred to me that maybe they've never eaten white powdered donuts. They went NUTS.  Especially Clara.  She seriously ate about 1/2 the bag by herself.  She didn't want to share with anybody else.  

There we sat, all cuddled up under the umbrella, eating white powdered donuts. In the freezing cold. On an empty beach. And it was pure bliss!

Just for fun......we took these few pictures for you, Dad.....hope you like them!!!  

We're back home now but already missing the beach.  Cold weather and all.