First Week Thoughts

Things are a little confusing as the volunteer coordinator is gone to take care of her mother. Tricia will be back this week so we will find out what's what. It seems a little overwhelming right now.

Our first week was spent learning the area. It seems like we will be spending our time at the visitor center/ee building at least until Wallace has had his 2 week check up...not our favorite place, but with this heat, it may be the best place. Here he is pressing a button that lights up the floor which shows a  map of the area.

We enjoyed some time on Bullls Island. It was great to be on a beach again. We drove around on an atv experiencing some of the area.

The refuge is made up of islands. It stretches for 22 miles along the coast (66,287 acres).

We live near Awendaw, a small town seen here on the map.

This is Garris Landing. We are in walking distance of this area, just to the left of the picture. This will be handy for Wallace to wet a line as the pier is a great place to fish and crab.

Back to Bulls Island.

This was the first permanent European settlement of South Carolina. On March 17, 1670, they arrived on the ship "Carolina" on their way to establish Charles Town...now Charleston. The remaining "Old Fort" was used for protection of pillaging pirates, and the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. What is left is this round base made up of oyster shells.

There are two lighthouses on Lighthouse Island. They remain as historic landmarks only. We have not visited there yet.

This beautiful two story house was used as a hunting lodge, and it with the land was donated to the Fish & Wildlife Service in 1932.

A concessionaire rents it out for $450.00 a weekend with all meals included with the ferry ride thrown in, per person.

The Loggerhead sea turtles nest on the refuge here and they have had a banner year with over 1000 nests.

The maintenance shop is nearby. I haven't counted all the boats yet, but you get some idea of how many. This is the way we reach the island where most of the work goes on.

More later as we learn more about this refuge.

Welcome to our newest follower, Glenda Ramee!!!

Until next time...  

 

CAPE ROMAIN NWR

So much has happened on our travels to South Carolina.

It took us a while to get here, but we are now settled and finished our first week. We were not given much time to set up before we were expected to go to work, but much of it was spent getting to know the place...but we are hot and tired!!!

It was hard to leave Horicon, but someone was coming in for the next shift to take our place.

We stopped for a week at the same COE near St. Louis where we stayed going up. We got to relax a bit in our chairs, a gift from Horicon. Things were going fairly well.

Our next stop was at another COE in Tennessee where we have stayed in the past. Wallace had been experiencing some chest pains off and on which began to be more on than off!!!

We finally decided on the day we were going to leave that we had better have things checked out. We went to the hospital in Carthage where they immediately sent him away by ambulance to TriStar Medical Center in Hermitage, about 40 miles away. Divine intervention...a wonderful doctor (Hoda) fixed him up.

He had one artery that was completely plugged where a stint was put in.

Next morning, he was cleared to go home.

I thought I was going to be next. You can not imagine what all this stress did to me!!!

Wallace is now feeling GREAT. We thank the good Lord for His guidance...a great doctor, a great hospital and great nurses. Pretty good for a strange place, not knowing anyone!!! But things like this makes one wonder if it is time to get off the road.

Here we are now. We spent the night in Newberry, S.C. at the Walmart...hot, hot, hot, but we survived after a meal at El Poblano at our front door. A short distance of 169 miles more and we reached Garris Landing where we will be until November.

Lots more to tell but it will have to wait...

Until next time...

 

Scenes of Wisconsin

Mike parked "my" tractor right behind our rig...hum. Left me with this view!!!

Sandhill Crane family enjoying a meal in the marsh.

This is one of my favorite scenes...corn as high as an elephants eye.

Packer Country!!! This was taken from the ceiling of a restaurant.

A prison right in the town of Waupun...a historical building built on solid limestone...can not dig their way out...El Chapo!!!

An interesting mural.

View of visitor center from county road z.

Beautiful church in the town of LeRoy.

Road signs on the Kettle Moraine drive.

Made from rebar, taken at the southern end of the marsh owned by the state.

Wind turbines abound.

So many beautiful farms!!!

A church built in 1861.

An advertisement for pumpkins???

The welcome sign.

I love those cupolas!!!

I fell in love with this round building.

Of course their State House.

This painted turtle showed his colors.

Not the typical black and white. The cows have come home!!!

So many of these "Rustic Roads" to drive.

Will end with The End of the Trail sculpture. Waupun is known as the city of sculptures...this is the only one we have featured.

We have certainly enjoyed our time at Horicon, but it is the end of the trail for us here in Wisconsin.

Until next time...