We arrived at the gorgeous James Island County Park, which drew immediate attention from Charlie as we drove by a large lake where kids were getting canoeing lessons. We noticed that the far shore had a dog beach. Jackpot!
The park has bike trails, a climbing wall, a small water park, hiking trails, sports fields and a large, fenced dog park. The RV Park was cleverly designed so that each site was close to the bathhouse and Activities Center.
After setting up camp we took Charlie for a swim. Then we headed to our favorite local bar, Reds Ice House on Shem Creek. It was an overcast day with a bit of wind, so the normally bustling waterway was pretty subdued. We still saw pelicans and bottlenose dolphins, though. We took a walk on a long boardwalk past a hotel, some other bars and several shrimping boats. At the end of the boardwalk was a gazebo where a large white great egret was posing for photos.
Since the front window had started leaking on Angie’s side of the bed, we bought some caulk and ran a bead all around the inside frame of the window to seal it up. Hopefully that will stem the flow.
For lunch, we went to Ellis Creek Fish Camp, a dog-friendly deck where Hank enjoyed another round of shrimp and grits but with collard greens this time. Charlie got a chicken bowl. When Angie showed the dish to her, we got priceless expression that Angie captured on film.
Then we headed back to Shem Creek to check out another of the bars in the area – Saltwater Cowboy. We chose a table with an umbrella, in consideration of Hank’s history of skin cancer. We tied Charlie’s leash to the umbrella pole near the floor where it was inserted into a base. In addition to the base, the pole was secured to the end of the table with a u-shaped clamp and two screws. It was a large umbrella, big enough to cover six seats at the bench where we sat.
Near the end of our first round a gust lifted the umbrella out of the base and it fell sideways, pulling the clamp and screws out of the table. Hank was able to get one hand on the pole and held on for dear life to prevent Charlie from joining Toto in Oz. Two barmen came over to wrangle the umbrella and close it. Then we learned that the umbrella had nearly hit a woman seated at an adjacent table. She and the barmen were very grateful for Hank’s quick reaction.
When our heartbeats returned to normal, we decided to check out another Shem Creek establishment – Tavern and Table. The full bar was nice, but the vibe was a bit too sedate for us. So we returned to Red’s for another visit. You can’t beat the water view from the bar stools above the dock. The vibe at Reds is relaxing and the entertainment on the water – between the boats, kayaks and wildlife – is fascinating.
Hank was up at 6 am and decided to take Charlie for another swim at the dog beach before we hit the road for Charlotte. He and Charlie were the only ones at the beach. The lake was placid and the sound of the splash when the toy hit the water resounded through the area. After about 20 minutes, Hank noticed an object in the water about 75 yards offshore. Was it stick? No, it had a long nose and was moving laterally to the beach. It was too small to be an alligator. It had to be a caiman. Then he noticed a second, smaller one approaching closer to shore. Check out the video below. Time to leave!
