Cool Camping Canines

I love a good camping dog!  Whether it's one that snuggles up on someone's lap at a campfire, one that splashes around in the ocean or lake or creek, one that lies peacefully at the feet of the person that they love, one that will endlessly play catch with a ball or stick or Frisbee, or one that wears a cool bandana . . . I think they are all fun to camp with!!

I got to hang out with some GREAT dogs on the coast and I'd like to introduce them to you today.

I have a couple of camping dogs, Murphy and Gracie, but they don't get to come along with me very often.  Unlike Coot, Duncan and Teddy, Gracie, Keane, Kobe, and Sandy, they BARK!  They bark a lot . . . LOL!

I hope you have a great Sunday wherever you are.  I'll have another Story for you tomorrow if you happen to drop back by.  Until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping . . . Woof, Woof"

Two Charleston Favs

If you have ever been to Charleston, SC, then you know that it is a city that embraces two things . . . architecture and food.  Me and my camper buddies realize that we might not see our folks during the day because they are off exploring downtown.  Momma Sharon really likes to stroll the streets and peep in the secret gardens with camera in hand, looking for the unusual.  She is in her happy place looking through the lens of her camera!

Now when it comes to eating and cooking while we are out there camping, food is another central theme.  Since we've been to Charleston a whole bunch of times, it's easy for us to give out eating advice.  We have our favorite places for shrimp and grits and she-crab soup.  But we also like to cook in and dine with our friends in the campground.  The Charleston food scene gives us so many opportunities to socialize around the table!

I am having such a good time going through all of Mom's photos and sharing Short Stories with you.  Thanks so much for pulling up a chair and listening. Have a good weekend everyone and until next time, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping"

James Island County Park

Fifteen minutes away from the hustle and bustle of Charleston is one of my favorite places to camp in the whole wide world . . . James Island County Park. The campground itself sits on 643 acres of Lowcounty beauty.

Biking/hiking trails, open meadows, 16 acres of freshwater fishing, off-leash dog park, fishing and crabbing dock, and so much more.  Oh, the campground is terrific too!  Shaded sites with an abundance of Spanish moss for ambience, fire rings and picnic tables, full hook-ups, and a good wifi signal.  I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture.

Speaking of pictures, how 'bout I share a few with you!

The office has that classic Lowcounty look and three ladies hopped on their computers to get us all checked in quickly and efficiently.  Momma Sharon and her peeps did a bit of shopping in there too!

My site number 32 was the perfect combination of sun and shade.  We didn't have to use my BAL leveler because everything was nice and flat. Anastasia the Flamingo and her buddies like James Island as much as I do!

This is the view I woke up to every morning.  The sun came up over the little pond and all around me I could hear birds and crickets and frogs . . . those camping sounds that I love to hear.

Just a short distance away were some of my buddies . . . Tiny Home with her reflection in the pond, Lucy with her Halloween decoration, that aqua cutie from NY, T@Bventure rockin' all her yellow decor, and Breezy the gorgeous Airstream from DE.  I slipped in another little photo of me too, tee hee.

Well, I sure do appreciate you stopping by again today to hear my Story from James Island.  I'm kinda missing my caravan peeps, but thank goodness Momma Sharon took oodles and oodles of photos for me to look at when I got back home.

I'll be seeing you tomorrow and until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

Travel Day, Leading The Way

Well hey there!  I'm glad you decided to come back to read Chapter Three of my Travel Tales!

I am an old pro when it comes to Caravans.  My Camper Mom and I have been doing them for many years.  I gotta tell you that when you wake up on a travel day, there's an excitement in the air that's just hard to describe.  Since Momma Sharon is the WagonMeister (that's what Highway Bob calls her), we usually get to lead the pack everywhere we go.

We hand out the walkie talkies, arrange the traveling order, and hit the road at a semi-determined time.  It's not always precise because T@B-time has a mind of its own sometimes . . . LOL!  Momma Sharon takes every opportunity to line us up for photos and boy is it a sight to see with a whole string of us along the road.  Take a look at us pulling out of Myrtle Beach State Park and you'll see what I'm talking about.

My lime green and blue color scheme is hard to miss and I make a good lead trailer.  We put Lucy at the tail end because she's a fat little thing and hard to see around.  Besides, her Papa Rich is a Caravan veteran and won't let anyone get left behind.  We position everyone else in between somewhere and make sure someone like Tiny Home (who is tall and visible with her shiny aluminum and red stripe) is right smack dab in the middle for all to spot.

Nine stinkin' cute trailers followed me down Highway 17, but we didn't get too far from the campground when chatter came across the walkie talkie from Daisy's Mom saying that her T@B keys were not where they usually were.  So we had our first test on the caravan to find a place for all of us to pull over.  Mom found a restaurant with a big parking lot and all ten of us wound our way to a stop.  Those keys were sitting safe and sound on the bumper of Momma Crystal's car.  Whew . . . good camping karma strikes again!!

Our trip from Myrtle Beach to James Island wasn't a long one, but it's always fun to stop about halfway to stretch our legs, hit the restrooms, and then pull out tables and chairs and food right there on the pavement for one of our famous parking lot picnics.

After a while we were back on the road again driving by ladies selling sweetgrass baskets and getting closer and closer to James Island County Park outside of Charleston.  We had to drive over a scary bridge and even though we got separated by traffic and stop lights, we all rolled into the campground within a few minutes of each other.

This park ranks way up high on my favorites list so I was pretty excited about being back there again.  Momma Sharon and Aunt Becky did their campsite magic and I was set up in no time flat in site 32 and couldn't wait for the fun to begin!

Thanks a million for coming over today to hear another Story.  Until tomorrow when I'll have Chapter Four of the Coastal Caravan ready for you, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Myrtle Beach Days

One of the songs on the beach music CD that my Camper Mom gave everyone was "Myrtle Beach Days" by The Fantastic Shakers.  I found myself humming that song off and on throughout the entire caravan. Here's the chorus:

Myrtle Beach Days! 
We'll have some fun 
in the waves, 
I don't care what the 
West Coast says, 
But I love those 
Myrtle Beach, 
love those 
Myrtle Beach Days! 

Throw in miles of white sandy beaches that we pretty much had to ourselves, endless sun-filled days without a drop of rain, and the laughter of camping friends, well, it just makes me smile from wheel well to wheel well!

After dark, one of Mom's camper peeps always had a big campfire going.  In fact, I think they missed only one night of the entire trip! Some of those nights were kinda chilly and some were a little buggy, so that fire sure was good for the Southern soul.

On our first night at MBSP, a little camper rolled in that caught everyone's attention immediately.  I recognized that small silver beauty right off the bat . . . it was a brand new T@G.  You should have seen everyone rush to welcome Chela, its owner, and get a closer look.  We probably scared her half to death . . . LOL.  

Chela had quite a story to tell.  She had stopped in Columbia to get something fixed on her T@B and ended up driving off the lot with a brand new tiny trailer!!  We sure did enjoy getting to know the two of them on our Caravan.

I'll wrap up today's Story with photos of Daisy's outdoor decor, Aunt Becky's flowers, Lucy the little Bambi, and my friend from NY who belongs to John and Sandy.  Tomorrow, in Chapter Three, I'll tell you all about our travel day down to James Island.

Thanks for coming by for another Story and until we chat again, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping!"

Myrtle Beach State Park

Happy Voting Day everyone!  Today, Myrtle Beach State Park gets my vote as a great place to start a Coastal Caravan with friends . . . LOL!

I rolled into the park around 4:00 on our first Monday on the road and Momma Sharon quickly got me all comfy and cozy and settled into site 94 under the live oaks and pines.  Lots of my buddies were already there and I could hardly wait to talk with them again!

MBSP is the oldest one in the South Carolina system and was built by the CCC in 1936.  Some folks say that it's outdated, but I like to think it has some old beach charm.  There are 204 campsites, so it's a big place for little ole me.  

Momma and her peeps really enjoyed the short walk to the beach, the well-stocked pier and gift shop, biking on the trails, and strolling on the boardwalk.

I think the 312 acres of awesomeness were just for me!!

Here's what my site looked like after Momma Sharon and Aunt Becky got through with all their fiddlin' with the tent, picnic table, rug, table, and chairs.  I don't mind though because I like the homey look.  After my Camper Mom strolled around a bit, she told me that she had never seen so many bathhouses and camp hosts in her life!  

I had an endless parade of people strolling by and riding past in golf carts saying really nice things about me . . . blush, blush. 

Well, this wraps up Chapter One of my Myrtle Beach State Park Story for you today.  Tomorrow I'll finish up Chapter Two and I'd be mighty pleased if you'd drop by for my behind-the-scenes take on our Coastal Caravan.  Until then, always remember . . . 

"Peace, Love & Camping"

Time For Some Coastal Caravan Stories

While my Camper Mom is taking a break from sending out daily Postcards, I am large and in charge of the blogging duties for the next week or so.  Boy do I have some Stories to tell you about my two week beach odyssey down the coast!

When Momma Sharon hatched this idea of a coastal caravan starting in South Carolina and ending in Georgia, I knew it was going to be fun with a capital F and it was!  My plan is to tell you about the campgrounds and campers, Mom's peeps and their adventures.  So plop down in a comfy chair and drop by for a Story or two of the 2014 Coastal Caravan. 

We'll have a groovy time . . . just like this cool photo of me!!  Until tomorrow, always remember . . .

"Peace, Love & Camping!"