So back in March of 2021, before we sold our home and hit the road for our grand adventure, we started planning where we would "winter". Of course the fantasy of Florida for Spring Training and perhaps even the Daytona 500 was discussed, but we quickly learned that trying to book campsites where we would want to be was MUCH easier said than done and not worth the effort in the grand scheme of things. Then Karl had the brainstorm of "wintering" in South Carolina in 2022. We hadn't had many state parks on our itinerary up to that point and thought that could be a good option. Well...given that South Caroline has 47 State Parks...it was an EXCEPTIONAL option indeed! Various things went into choosing which of the 47 parks to visit this year. Some of the factors were location, name, traveling distance between each other, facilities and trails at the park, ambiance, convenience and, of course, availability.
Our first two-week stint was at Myrtle Beach State Park. Now THIS was a jackpot and a half! The campsite was a nice wooded site and not too close to our neighbors. The campground wasn't full, but it was quite busy. (EDITOR'S NOTE: Myrtle Beach was actually very crowed when compared to the other parks we would stay at here in SC in the "off season".) The thrill of this campground was it was a 10 minute walk from our campsite, through the campground to the OCEAN!!! Oh my goodness...the sound of the ocean (especially in January) was HEAVEN!!! We started a good exercise routine in walking the beach and the nature trails. Penny especially appreciated these options depending on the weather! Rainy days (of which we had a couple) included woods walks. The same was the case for the hotter days. When Penny started feeling her age from too many walks on the beach we would alternate with strolls around the campground. The weather during our stay ranged from mid 30's to high 60's. We walked on the beach with our winter coats on at times, sometimes with a windbreaker on, one day it was a t-shirt and bare feet as I walked IN the ocean...(video included here)...it was a myriad of beautifulness. While here we committed to each getting at least 10,000 steps a day and it was beyond easy to do so in this beautiful environment. At times it was leisurely beach walks and other times I got a good power walk in and was huffing and puffing by the end!
The next stop on our journey, Little Pee Dee State Park, was DEFINITELY chosen because of the name! Anyone who knows me can hear my voice (enthusiastically) exclaiming "Little PEEEEE-DEEEEE!!" Staying here was a MUST when we were making reservations last year because (to me) Little Pee Dee is an ode to one of my all time favorite Sox players - Dustin Pedroia; or as I/we lovingly called him whenever he came to bat: “PEEEEEEEDDEEEEYYYYY”! But the true wonderfulness of THIS Little Pee Dee was the serene nature, the wonderful company and the leisurely walks!
When we were at Myrtle Beach we had briefly met Barb and her most awesome Golden Retriever, Koda, and we learned that their next stop was going to be Little Pee Dee State Park as well. Barb had been there before and let us know we were in for a quiet treat (and quite a treat)! Well - Barb did not tell a lie! Little Pee Dee is a rustic little campground in the South Carolina Sandhills region on Lake Norton, with easy walking loops in the woods. We learned that it wasn't actually named after the world's most awesome second baseman, but rather after the blackwater Little Pee Dee River. For a good portion of our 2 weeks here, the campers (primarily Barb and Karl & I) were often out-numbered by the the staff (i.e., two different camp host couples, a sweet volunteer maintenance worker from SC named Ray, and the two Park Rangers). There were other campers that came and went, although most for just one night; as they were driving further south to various places in Florida. There were also a handful of SC folks who took some time to get a little R&R at scenic Little Pee Dee. Both weekends were actually expected to be pretty busy but those numbers changed each week, right around mid-week, when the weather forecasts called for snow...an unusual occurrence in South Carolina! We embraced having the park to ourselves and enjoyed the solitude and camaraderie of our little tribe! And we did not complain one iota about our 1-2" of snow we received given that New England was getting shelled.
But the beauty and sereneness of the woods and the lake was beyond relaxing and the perfect peaceful getaway! In addition to our “pack” I've included some pics of trees and some beginnings of trees here. Is it me or do the little saplings look like little muppets or something?...I had to take a few pics because whenever I walked down the main drive of the campground and saw these cute little mop heads, I would smile and think that these little green beings could be some major motivation for a children's book! The other high point of Little Pee Dee (located in Dillon, SC) was that it was close enough to Pinehurst, NC that we could visit my nephew and his adorable family! In the “it does your heart good“ department- this was WAY up there!! It was also close to Florence, SC where we visited a beautiful Veterans Park. Yep, this wintering in South Carolina thing was definitely a good idea!
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