Carolinas Fall Trip: Day 3

October 31st = Day 3

Charlotte, South Carolina
We visited the Pineville 1st Ward for Sacrament meeting. Their chapel was really wide which may have made it seem louder than normal...or maybe it was just all the kids wound up from the night before.

Carolina Beach State Park
We drove on to Carolina Beach State Park outside of Wilmington, North Carolina. I could tell right away that bugs were going to be a problem. After spraying ourselves down with bug spray we headed out into the park on some of the trails. In the picture below Seth is looking at the map to figure out exactly where we were. The little bush beside him is the start of a pine tree.




The website we used to book this campsite said nothing about a swamp...I read that as we drove from Charlotte to Carolina Beach. Seth loved it.



We were able to get our first look at a sandy beach. This is not the Atlantic Ocean it is just a river.


This was the swamp-iest portion of the trail. Seth was swatting away bugs moments before I caught this picture. I am 99% sure that I got two bites on my forehead in this little stretch of swamp.


We walked all over trying to find a Venus Fly Trap plant. They are native to Wilmington and only grow 75 miles from this area. Seth was quite determined...unfortunately we were unable to spot one.

Carolinas Fall Trip: Day 2

October 30th = Day 2

Caesars Head State Park
We packed up camp after a hot oatmeal breakfast and started our journey out of the park.


The hike out was much harder than the hike in. My legs were sore for days. Here Seth is resting on our trip out.


The drive out of the park was beautiful.


Here is our after picture.

Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve
We hadn't planned to stop here but when we saw signs we took a little detour. This bridge was built in 1820 and is still intact.



Campbell's Bridge
This is the only remaining covered bridge in South Carolina. It was built in 1909. I loved it...it reminded me of the movie The Bridges of Madison County.



Cowpens National Battlefield
We thought this was a Civil war site but it turned out to be a Revolutionary War site. The American Patriots defeated the British on this site in 1781. Seth enjoyed playing with the army men in the visitor center.


Harold's
Our next stop was a Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives find. Harold's is located in historic downtown Gaffney, SC. We ordered their famous Fat backs (i.e. fried pieces of bacon). They were really salty and hard..we have heard they are an acquired taste which neither one of us plans to acquire. We enjoyed the chili burgers and chili dogs. We didn't enjoy the man at the bar smoking the entire time.



King's Mountain National Military Park
We visited another Revolutionary Site. On this Mountain the Colonial Patriots overcame the Loyalist troops in 1780.


The border
As we drove into North Carolina we couldn't help but stop and get a picture at the South Carolina sign.


Charlotte, North Carolina
After washing the campfire smell off at our hotel, we headed out to discover downtown Charlotte. We drove around and gawked at all of the people in costumes lined up outside the bars. Seth ignored the GPS and she just kept recalculating.

Cabo Fish Taco
We stopped at another Diner, Drive-ins and Dives spot for dinner. This place was amazing. We ordered two different types of fish tacos with black beans and jalapeno and cheddar mashed potatoes as sides. I get hungry just thinking about this place. I love the first picture because Seth is licking his lips...It was lip licking good for sure.

Carolinas Fall Trip: Day 1

Seth and I took advantage of our recent Fall break and set out on a five day trip to see more of North and South Carolina. The map below highlights a few of our stops. We covered a lot of ground but we still have quite a bit to see in the next year and a half. P.S. The posts about this trip are meant to make you want to come and visit us :)


October 29th = Day 1
We stopped had heard a lot about the Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway. We drove along it in search of Fall colors and stopped at various State Parks along the way.


Keowee-Toxaway State Park
We took a short trail down to the lake. We hope to return here once it gets warmer to do some canoeing or kayaking.



Table Rock State Park
We stopped at the visitor center and got some great views of Table Rock Mountain. We hope to return soon to hike to the dome of Table Rock Mountain.


I have never seen a plant like this and had to take a picture. I loved the contrast of the leaves against the berries.


Seth discovered a penny smashing machine and decided to start a little collection. At each of the next stops he was looking for penny smashing machines. We are thinking about turning them into Christmas ornaments.



Bald Rock Heritage Preserve
Honestly the pictures below do not do this spot justice. I could have sat on this rock all day. It reminded me of a scene from the most recent Pride and Prejudice movie. Seth is working on combining the pictures together so we can post a panoramic picture.




Caesars Head State Park
We decided to spend the night in Caesars Head State Park. It was my first backpacking trip and it will not be the last.



Here is our before shot...


I was a little worried when we started out because the trail was absolutely covered with leaves. Luckily there were blue marks on all of the trees that guided us on the path.


We literally had to cross streams several times on the way to our campsite.


We even had to cross on this tree trunk. Classic Karate Kid moments may or many not have occurred.





Seth brought a tripod on the trip and we used it all of the time. We probably won't go on another trip without it. It helped us capture the picture below.




We made it safely to our campsite...here is the Mr. setting up the tent.



He also gathered firewood and got a fire going. It wasn't an easy task since it had rained earlier in the week.


The wood was a little moist and in the picture below you can see some of the moisture coming out of the firewood.



We cooked up some tinfoil dinners.

Yummy.