Before taking off from Hunting Island this morning we wanted to paddle our boards down the Atlantic to the Hunting Island lighthouse about a mile away on the point. We geared up in front of the ranger station and entered the water out front. The waves were still a little choppy from the wind but not so much that we couldn’t paddle, it just made staying upright a little more like work.
Going towards the lighthouse was working against the current but after some steady effort we arrived at the point where some tiny waves were trying to break along the jetty in front of the light house. I caught my first “wave” on the new board and although short and minuscule, it was clear this board will definitely ride waves better than the Riviera.
We were the only ones around at the lighthouse besides the ranger doing some maintenance on the visitor center. He said the park didn’t open until ten but we were welcome to tour around, we just couldn’t go inside and climb to the top. We read some of history of the area on the guided plaques but the mosquitoes were giving us gentle reminders that we have a long way to drive today so we hustled back to the boards and paddled back down to the campground. The flow was with us and we made easy going of the trip home.
Soon we were back on the road doubling back on the route through Beaufort then a short stretch on the busy I-95 before exiting on some rural country roads for the final three hours of the drive. I programmed Google Maps to avoid Columbus and take us through some farmlands and past the military base. It was a mellow drive with hardly another vehicle. It was a long day though and tiring by the time we finally pulled into the Andrew Jackson State Park near Waxhaw, North Carolina.
We got set up then got things ready to meet up with family and friends tomorrow. The lake was pretty but not quite as large as I thought it would be. We walked a small path and came out near the canoe dock where a few young men were fishing. We did a run over to the local Lowe’s and Walmart for some supplies then settled in for the night.
Heart on the Wing 