Goose Creek State Park

Hidden in the southwest nook of the Albemarle-Pamlico Peninsula (the large, raggedy flap on NC's coast that has two holes in it, though we call them Phelps Lake and Lake Mattamuskeet) is a slow-paced, yet vibrant state park known as Goose Creek.

With tall trees—some dripping with Spanish moss—nearly eight miles of hiking trails that meander through the woods and over wetlands, camping, fishing, boating (byo boat) and a BEACH, visitors can stay busy for the day or for the weekend, yet many ENCers have never heard of the place.

That has to change!

Following the recommendation of those who have gone, we've visited Goose Creek twice now. During our first visit last fall, a park ranger told us about the beach, which edges the Pamlico sound. After parking near the Live Oak trailhead, we meandered down a short path, fighting mosquitoes, until we happened on this:


There's more beach, but that tree listing over the water caught my eye.

On our recent trip, we visited the other side of the park, and we did so by hiking the Ivey Gut Trail. This sandy, flat pathway skirts Goose Creek (the actual creek) and hikers can catch glimpses of the blue water as they go.

We started the hike at the Education Center. Behind it, visitors will find a boardwalk that stretches over wetlands and at least one snake.









From there we continued on until we reached the road. The Ivey Gut Trail branches off from that juncture, and continues on to the southwest corner of the park, where it then loops. But down in this corner, you'll find primitive camping, a picnic area, and the westernmost edge of the Goose Creek Trail where it intersects with the Flatty Creek Trail.

So if we had been in the mood--meaning we'd brought plenty of water and I'd worn the right shoes for hiking over sand (amazingly, that isn't hiking sandals), we could have hiked Ivey Gut, the Flatty Creek Loop, then hiked the entire Goose Creek Trail to the other side of the park, where we could have completed the Live Oak and Mallard Creek Trails, then walked along the road back to the Education Center.

But we didn't bring enough water, and less than a mile into the Ivey Gut Trail, my sandaled feet hurt so bad, I looked like this:

How many times do I have to say it? Dress appropriately on the trail! (Pointing to myself here.)

Despite my pain, we had a pleasant walk through those tall pine trees. Goose Creek is yet another good place for viewing wildlife (see snake above), and my hawk-eyed husband spotted a woodpecker flitting around:

Also along the more graveled portions of the trail, we found coral and shells. I asked someone at the Education Center about it, and she explained it was leftovers from a nearby phosphate factory. My mind immediately fled to the survey I found of the waters of eastern North Carolina:

The Pungo River and Yorktown Formations contain one of the largest known concentrations of marine vertebrate fossils in the world. Among the more prominent vertebrate fossil assemblages found at the site are sharks, fish, sea and terrestrial birds, baleen and toothed whales, walrus, and true seals. Mining at PCS has provided a unique opportunity for extensive study of this fossil assemblage. The mining operation has made available a wealth of paleontologically valuable data to the scientific community, and ultimately, the public (Ray 1983, 1987).1

Oh my, I hope that wasn't it.

To get to Goose Creek from anywhere but north and east of the park, travel east on Hwy 264, then turned right on Camp Leach Rd (the narrow road BEFORE Hwy 92.) Follow signs to the park entrance.

WARNING~~*~~WARNING~~*~~WARNING~~*~~WARNING!

In addition to snakes and woodpeckers, an abundance of ticks and skeeters live at Goose Creek. Ticks that may carry diseases you don't want. The park posts warnings, and please, heed them. Kelley found a tick shortly after returning home. It isn't the first one that hitched a ride on us after visiting an ENC destination. Take the proper precautions to avoid them. My resources--and CA co-moderator, KT--recommends placing pant legs inside of socks. Also, contact a professional (do doctors or pharmacists deal with insecticides?) to find out what type of bug spray is best for you.

For more information on Goose Creek, or to check park hours (always important) go to www.ncparks.gov/Visit/parks/gocr/main.php

1. PCS Phosphate Mine Continuation DEIS (September 2006) Section 3.3.6, pg 3.24
http://www.saw.usace.army.mil/WETLANDS/Projects/PCS/DEIS/PCS%20DEIS%20Report/PCS%20DEIS%20TEXT/PCS%202006%20DEIS%20Section%203.0.pdf

A Few More From Out West

Just a few more images from our trip out west before I return to my regular posting. Unfortunately, we don't have reports for these destinations since we saw them only in passing. We'll save those future trips. Until then, we'll leave you with these:

Big Bear Mountain, CA


Somewhere in New Mexico:


Elk graze alongside the road in NM:

Outside of Albuquerque. While I dealt with 100 degree heat in Cali, snow had fallen the night before in the mountains of New Mexico:

Canyon between Flagstaff and Albuquerque:

What a vast and wondrous country we have!

Out West

We're out west this week, visiting our first grandson, so I'm writing about a different kind of Carolinas destination. During my trip to Columbia's State Museum, I learned the Carolinas originally stretched to the Pacific Ocean, which means the original charter included the landscapes below.

Can you believe it?

Irving, TX (near Dallas) from the sky:

Along I-10 in west Texas:

Rugged mountains in New Mexico:

I hear cattle grazed these lands in the days of Geronimo and the O.K. Corral

At Texas Canyon in Arizona:

Saguaro cactus in Arizona


After spotting several initials on mountains,
we learned the letter represents the name of the town


High winds kick up the sand in Arizona:

Sunset over California:

This stark, barren land has a rugged beauty, but the rocky landscape makes me appreciate the lush and varied habitats of today's Carolinas.

Huntington Beach State Park

"Don't you mean Hunting Island State Park near Beaufort?" you may be thinking. Not in this post. And if you're confused, you're not alone. I've met several South Carolinians who haven't heard of Huntington Beach State Park.

Named for Archer and Anne Hyatt Huntington, who once owned the land, Huntington Beach State Park is located south of Myrtle Beach in one of our favorite towns, Murrells Inlet. The entrance, off Hwy 17, south of Bus 17, is almost directly across the street from Brookgreen Gardens. That isn't an accident. Huntington Beach SP is actually part of Brookgreen Gardens, but is on lease to the state because, in part, of its pristine maritime forest and beach.

Your journey into Huntington begins with a short trip over a causeway. To your right is a freshwater lagoon. To your left, a saltwater marsh which stretches northward, between Murrells Inlet and Garden City Beach.

Herons, egrets, and other shorebirds often soar over the marshes or munch on seafood in the pluff mud near the oyster beds, and the sight is breathtaking. But don't stop in the middle of the road to watch! Just beyond the causeway to your right is a parking area. If you have time, park your car and walk across the bridge or to the nearby observation platform where you can spend as much time as you please viewing Huntington's wildlife.

Also to the right, if you continue on, you'll find the Huntington's former residence, Atalaya. This structure is fascinating, if nothing else. One can tour the Spanish-Moor-style home for a nominal fee, and we did so on this occasion. From the courtyard entrance, you can walk through a long brick walkway that surely once had a canopy of green overhead.

Reportedly built as a winter home for the Huntington's, and as a sculpting studio for Anne Hyatt Huntington, the house is made of brick: exterior and interior walls, even the floor. The glassless windows, barred by green wrought iron, allows the sea breeze to blow through, keeping the house cool.

I could go on about this house and the history that I'm slowly learning (the Army used it as a base during WWII while patrolling the waters off the shore?) so those interested in such things should check it out in person while visiting Huntington Beach State Park.

Let's continue our tour of the park itself. Backtracking a bit, moving northward in the park, you'll pass a group campground. Just before that, rising in the air on hurricane-code stilts, is the office/general store. This is a good place to stop and use the restroom, or to pick up a snack or bottled drink. This is also the camp registration, so mark that with an X.

Further north, past the causeway you entered on, you'll see a parking lot and what looks like a trailhead into the saltwater marsh. You've reached the Education Center. The boardwalk is a short, scenic walk that I highly recommend. On past visits, we've spotted small crabs running around the pluff mud. On this visit, we noticed an abundance of oysters:

Oyster beds edge the low-tide line near the marshes

Across the street from the Education Center is a trailhead. I'll get to that in a minute.

After you leave--or pass, if you're in a hurry--the Education Center, you'll continue on to another parking lot, and that's where you'll find the good stuff. The rest of the park is nice, great place to visit and all that, but the north edge is what these CarolinasAdventurers love.

The beach. Not just a beach, but from all accounts, a pristine beach: wide, surely-at-least-a-mile long, and bordered by dunes in one spot, and maritime forest in another, ending at a jetty. Be still my heart:

It was bone-chilling cold during our visit, so our attempt to walk to the jetty failed. In warmer months, this would be a great place to spend a day on the shore, splashing in the waves, sunbathing--wearing the appropriate level of sunscreen, of course--or walking to the northern tip in the hopes of spotting Drunken Jack's Island over the dunes. Even kayak. But don't discount this destination during the winter months. It's a great place to do some birdwatching:

Primitive camping is available just off the parking lot. Imagine sleeping in a tent under the stars, with the soothing rush of waves sounding in the near distance. If we had a tent with us, we would have kicked out the Boy Scouts staying there and claimed a spot.

But we didn't, so we did the next best thing: hike.

In addition to the aforementioned marsh boardwalk, Huntington Beach State Park has a two-mile "Sandpiper Trail" which takes visitors through a maritime forest that parallels the sea. Here, you'll find three platforms that allow you to observe wildlife out of eating range.

The trailhead nearest to the platforms is off the beach parking lot. The trail is level, mainly sandy (so don't wear sandals), and we walked unimpeded until we reached the platform near the saltwater pond. We found several ducks floating atop blue waters edged with algae.

We walked about a mile, but, still chilled despite the warmth created by the protective forest, we turned around. Had we continued, we would have ended up at the trailhead across the street from the Education Center.

There's more to Huntington Beach State Park than what I mentioned here. They offer several Coastal Exploration Programs, including beachcombing, birding, coastal kayaking, and secrets of the salt marsh. For program information, call (843) 235-8755.

Like other South Carolina state parks, Huntington Beach does charge a nominal entrance fee, so check rates before your trip. For more information on this South Carolina destination, go to

www.southcarolinaparks.com/park-finder/state-park/1020.aspx

Huntington Beach State Park

The State Museum (Columbia, SC)

While we missed visiting several Columbia attractions during our recent visit, I did have the opportunity to visit the State Museum, located on Gervais St.

Along with the Confederate Museum and the Cotton Mill Exchange Store, the State Museum is housed in the old Columbia Mill building near the new Vista area.



Floors once filled with the whirl of machinery and the footsteps of men, women, and children, now contain displays designed to teach the history of South Carolina, from the beginning of time.

We started our trip at the Lipscomb Art Gallery, located on the first floor. After viewing a variety of tiles and masks created by the renowned Carolinian, we went to the second floor, which covers prehistoric South Carolina, along with the varied habitats in the state. I was amused to see a picture of Looking Glass Falls, located in North Carolina's Pisgah National Forest, hanging on the wall beside posters of other SC outdoor habitats. That faux aside, we did learn a bit about the region, especially the sandhills, which we've yet to explore.

From there, we walked up a wide, open staircase to the Science and Technology displays. South Carolina and technology? Yes! Greenville native, Charles Townes, patented the laser. A former resident of South Carolina walked on the moon. South Carolinian, Kary Mullis, worked with DNA sequencing. Several individuals from SC have won Nobel prizes. Quite an eye-opener.



We also viewed displays on the modes of transportation throughout the years, including a recovered dugout canoe.

If I have an opportunity to visit the State Museum again, I'll start on the fourth floor, which, we soon discovered, covers the cultural history of South Carolina. The first three floors are informative, but the motherlode of information on the history of South Carolina, from native tribes to the time of the automobile, is what I wanted to see.

Without signage to direct us--not counting the map we received at the ticket counter, which we failed to consult--we made the mistake of starting our journey on the wrong side of the building. So we didn't get the scope of the displays until we neared the end. Still, we had a good dose of SC history in the eight permanent displays and three changing galleries located on the fourth floor. Here, I learned the original Carolinas charter issued by England's King Charles II stretched all the way to the Pacific Ocean. That the original Lord Proprietors included Craven, Hyde, Monck, Albemarle, Berkeley, Carteret, and Anthony Ashley Cooper. All names of towns, counties, and rivers Carolinians are familiar with.

To view the permanent displays in order, start with the Native American exhibit. From there, move on to Exploration & Settlement, the Revolutionary War, Plantation Life, the Civil War, Rural Life, Mill Life, and Automobiles.

Before we left, we spent a fair amount of time in the Cotton Mill Exchange Gift Store, which carries a nice selection of books along with clothing and merchandise.

The State Museum is a trip worth taking while in Columbia, but make sure you have plenty of time to thoroughly view the exhibits, watch short videos, and to let the kids play on the hands-on displays. It can easily turn into a day-long event, but operating hours are from 10:00 - 5:00, Tuesdays through Saturday (Mondays as well during the summer), and 1:00 - 5:00 on Sundays. The museum is closed on major holidays.

For more information on the State Museum, go to
www.southcarolinastatemuseum.org/

To learn more about the Carolinas original charter, go to
http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?name=Site&catID=6063&parentID=5748

Cape Fear Botanical Gardens: A Reminder

A member of my hiking group reminded us April is free admission month at Cape Fear Botanical Gardens.

To read my report on this Fayetteville, NC attraction, and to access photos and links, go to

http://carolinatrails.blogspot.com/2008/04/coming-up.html