Parks – Page 8 – Wandering Dawgs

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – South Carolina

July 15, 2017March 29, 2020Posted in Lighthouse, RVing, South Carolina, State Parks, Wandering around America, WaterfallsTagged America the Beautiful, beach, Charleston, Hunting Island Lighthouse, Hunting Island State Park, Lake Wateree State Park, Oconee State Park15 Comments

State 36:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. We have never been to Rhode Island so the next state in my series is

South Carolina

South Carolina became the 8th state on May 23, 1788. The capital is Columbia.

For most of my life I have lived about 30 minutes from the Georgia/South Carolina state line. We’ve crossed the Talmadge bridge from Savannah into South Carolina many times to travel the beautiful lowcountry roads for day trips to Hilton Head, Bluffton or Beaufort. We’ve also enjoyed many boat rides in the waters around Daufuskie Island and Hilton Head Island.

Haig Point Lighthouse, Daufuskie Island

Harbor Town Lighthouse, Hilton Head

Before we started our RV travels we made a couple of weekend trips to Charleston. When we weren’t browsing the booths at City Market or enjoying one of the many great restaurants we wandered the streets admiring the antebellum homes with their beautiful gardens. Our walks would usually end up at the Battery where we strolled along the promenade by the seawall and explored the waterfront park.

1997Charleston-Rainbow-Row — Rainbow Row in Charleston

1997Charleston-Batterywatermark — Charleston Battery

1997Pineapple Fountain — Pineapple Fountain in Charleston’s Waterfront Park, The pineapple is a symbol of hospitality.

1997Charleston Battery — Charleston Battery

Henry and I have fond memories of the days we took our children tent camping in Hunting Island State Park so we planned a trip there in our fifth wheel. The Hunting Island Lighthouse is located in the park and the beach is just a short walk from the campground.

The Hunting Island, SC Lighthouse is the only lighthouse in South Carolina which is open to the public

The Beach at Hunting Island State Park Campground, SC

A narrow paved road winds through the campground at Hunting Island State Park, SC

One year the mountains of the South Carolina Upcountry were a great place for a getaway from the August heat of coastal Georgia. Our home for a few days was Oconee State Park, located about 30 minutes from the Georgia state line in one direction and the North Carolina state line in another direction. Scenic drives near the campground took us to waterfalls, unfinished tunnels and swimming holes.

Lake at Oconee State Park

Old mill at Oconee State Park

Issaqueena Falls

Blondie wanted to swim at Bull Sluice

Bull Sluice on the Georgia/South Carolina line is a popular swimming hole

Whitewater Falls

The Stumphouse Tunnell was never finished

Columbia is the capital of South Carolina and the home of the University of South Carolina. We’ve been there for concerts, football games, and to see our grandson play in a soccer tournament. On RV trips it is sometimes a convenient place to spend the night when traveling to another destination.

20121006GA-vs-SC — Georgia fans in red and South Carolina fans in garnet at Williams-Bryce Stadium

On one of our RV trips we enjoyed stopping at Little Cedar Creek Campground. The park is a nice county park in Ridgeway, South Carolina and we had a great meal at the Old Town Hall Restaurant.

Old Town Hall in Ridgeway, South Carolina

Lake Wateree State Park was another enjoyable place to spend a couple of nights. The park is a popular destination for families and boaters.

Lake Wateree

Along the edges of Lake Wateree behind our campsite

And how could we resist stopping at South of the Border on Interstate 95 just south of the North Carolina state line?

20170113South-of-the-Border-(1) — South of the Border

To read previous posts about the states featured in this series just click on the state name: Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Oregon

July 6, 2017July 6, 2017Posted in Lighthouse, Oregon, RVing, State Parks, Wandering around America, WildlifeTagged America the Beautiful, Beverly Beach State Park, Highway 101, Humbug Mountain State Park, Pacific Ocean, Scenic drives, Weekly Photo Challenge Bridge17 Comments

State 34:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

Oregon

Oregon became the 33rd state on February 14, 1859. The capital is Salem.

Our visit to Oregon was entirely along the spectacular Pacific coast along Highway 101. In order to have easy access to the scenic overlooks we traveled south from Washington. After crossing the Columbia River bridge our Oregon journey began.

20070427Columbia-River-(8) — Crossing the Columbia River into Oregon

We were towing our fifth wheel as we drove south. Lucky for us the overlooks were big enough that we didn’t have any trouble finding parking places.

20070427Oregon-Coast-(9) — Tillimook Rock Lighthouse

20070427Oregon-Coast-(10) — Northern Oregon Coast

20070427Oregon-Coast-(25) — Northern Oregon Coast

We enjoy camping in state parks so before we left home I called the Oregon State Parks to find out if I needed campground reservations. We were traveling in late April and the ranger assured me we would not have a problem finding a campsite that time of year (this was ten years ago and campsites may be harder to get now). Our first two night stay was at Beverly Beach State Park in Newport. With the fifth wheel parked in our campsite we were able to take the truck on several scenic drives.

20070428QDevils-Punchbowl-(9) — Devil’s Punchbowl

20070428QDevils-Punchbowl-(26) — Surfer’s on the beach looking for the right waves

20070428Depoe-Bay-(7) — Bridge at Depoe Bay

20070428Otter-Crest-Drive-(15) — Bridge on Otter Crest Drive

We visited two lighthouses near Newport.

Yaquina Head Lighthouse, OR

Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, OR

After climbing to the top of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse we walked down a series of stairs for a stroll along the beach. We came upon Harbor Seals sunning themselves on the rocks.

Harbor Seals at Quarry Cove

Harbor Seal

Henry and Blondie on the Beach at Yaquina Head Lighthouse

I love the Oregon bridges and this one we saw from the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was one of my favorites.

20070428TYaquina-Bay-Lighthouse-(18) — Bridge near Yaquina Bay Lighthouse

Our Oregon adventure continued as we continued south from Newport on Hwy 101. The first stop of the day was at the Sea Lion Caves near Florence. The caves are 250 feet below the visitors center. After a long elevator ride we were down in the caves for a close up view of the Stellar Sea Lions. The waves crashed into the cave while the seals held on to the rocks and barked at each other.

Sea Lion in the Sea Lion Caves

Sea Lions in the Sea Lion Cave

Haceta Head Lighthouse as seen from the Sea Lion Caves

As we continued south we passed the huge Oregon sand dunes and stopped for lunch at the Umqua Lighthouse State Park.

20070429Umpqua-Lighthouse-(6) — Umpqua Lighthouse

We settled into our campsite at Humbug Mountain State Park near Port Orford for our next two night stay. Our campsite was a short walk from the beach.

Bridge at Humbug Mountain

View from the beach at Humbug Mountain State Park

View from the beach at Humbug Mountain

The campground was just a short drive to the Port Orford Heads State Park and Lifeboat Stations. The ocean views were breathtaking as we hiked along the trails on top of the cliffs. At the museum we learned the Coast Guardsmen used to go down over 500 steps to launch their lifeboats.

Beach from an overlook at Port Orford

Port Orford Lifeboat Station

Port Orford at Coast Guard Lifeboat Station

Along the nature trail in Port Orford

When we weren’t enjoying the rugged coast, lighthouses, dog friendly beaches, bridges, seals and lifeboat stations in Oregon we took time out to enjoy some amazing fresh seafood in Newport and Port Orford. Our time there was short and we didn’t waste a minute of it.

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Oklahoma

June 30, 2017July 6, 2017Posted in Oklahoma, RVing, State Parks, Wandering around AmericaTagged America the Beautiful, Boone Pickens Stadium, Georgia Bulldogs Football, Red Rock Canyon, Stillwater18 Comments

State 33:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state in my series is

Oklahoma

Oklahoma became the 46th state on November 16, 1907. The capital is Oklahoma City.

On one of our cross country RV trips we wanted to experience something different in Oklahoma. Red Rock Canyon State Park was just the spot. The entrance to the park was a short distance from I-40 but getting to the campsite required going down a fairly steep grade with a couple of switch backs down into the canyon. Our site was peaceful and a great place to unwind for a couple of nights. We hiked on the Rough Horsetail Nature Trail in the park and explored a few shops on nearby historic Route 66.

20070610Red-Rock-Canyon-(1) — Red Rock Canyon State Park

20070610Red-Rock-Canyon-(9) — Red Rock Canyon State Park

20070610Red-Rock-Canyon — Red Rock Canyon State Park

I loved the dog walk area at this Oklahoma rest area.

20090906Springhill-COE — Blondie is definitely a country dog!

We love following the University of Georgia Bulldogs football team to away games. In 2009 we traveled to Stillwater, Oklahoma for a game between the Bulldogs and the Oklahoma State Cowboys. The game was on the day of the dedication for newly renovated Boone Pickens Stadium.

20090904OSU-(5) — Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University

20090905UGA-vs-OSU-10-24 — We ran into a few other Georgia Fans who had made the trek from Georgia

20090905UGA-vs-OSU-10-24-(21) — Boone Pickens Stadium at Oklahoma State University

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – New York

June 15, 2017July 2, 2017Posted in Historic Sites, Lighthouse, New York, RVing, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, WaterfallsTagged Cave of the Winds, Golden Hill State Park, Lake Ontario, New York City, Niagara Falls, Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse9 Comments

State 29:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. We have never been to New Jersey so the next state in my series is

New York

New York became the 11th state on July 26, 1788. The capital is Albany.

A few years ago we camped in Niagara Falls, Canada. After exploring the Canadian falls we made a day trip into New York where we had close up views of the Bridal Veil Falls and got soaked as we walked along the decks on the Cave of the Winds Tour.

20080613Niagara-Falls-Canadian-Side-(45) — Bridal Veil Falls as seen from Canada

20080614Niagara-Falls-American-Side-(64) — Niagara Falls USA

You will get wet if you take the Cave of the Winds Tour!

20080614Niagara-Falls-American-Side-(39) — You can’t get much closer to the falls that this

20080614Niagara-Falls-American-Side-(24) — Up close to the falls on the Cave of the Winds Tour

Walked under the American Side of Niagara Falls in New York — That’s Henry waving from the Hurricane Deck

Our next stop in New York was Golden Hill State Park. Although the park is located about thirty miles by water from Niagara Falls the drive is a little bit longer. This peaceful state park was exactly what we needed after the excitement of Niagara Falls. Where else can you have a view of a lighthouse and one of the great lakes from your campsite? We enjoyed touring the Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse and Blondie enjoyed swimming in Lake Ontario. The highlight each day was watching a gorgeous sunset over the lake.

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse overlooking Lake Ontario

Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park

Blondie swimming in Lake Ontario at Golden Hill State Park

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse, NY

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park

Sunset at Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse at Golden Hill State Park

I recently returned from a fantastic Mother-Daughter Weekend in New York City. We did all the things on our bucket list and much more. The best part of the weekend for me was seeing the city with my beautiful daughter.

Statue of Liberty

The Lake in Central Park West

The Palm Court at the Plaza Hotel

Empire State Building

Times Square

Lower Manhattan

Statue of Liberty

Wandering Around America One State at a Time – Montana

May 27, 2017Posted in Glaciers, Historic Sites, Montana, National Parks, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Wandering around America, WaterfallsTagged Glacier National Park, Going to the Sun Road, Great Falls, Little Big Horn, Our Lady of the Rockies29 Comments

State 24:

Welcome to the next post in my series highlighting states we have visited throughout the years. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride!

I will be featuring the states alphabetically. The next state is

Montana

Montana became the 41st state on November 8, 1889. The capital is Helena.

We visited Glacier National Park in 2006 on our very first cross country RV trip. The National Park had just opened back up after a wildfire when we arrived at Johnson’s RV Park. The smell of smoke was heavy in the air and many firefighters were still in the area. Our campsite sat on top of a hill overlooking St. Mary’s Lake.

Driving from the eastern entrance of Glacier National Park to the western entrance in West Glacier on the 55 mile long steep and curvy Going to the Sun Road was the highlight of our visit. After wandering around West Glacier we turned around and returned to St. Mary the same way we came. We also enjoyed exploring the St. Mary side of Glacier.

20060815Glacier-(17) — Glacier National Park, Montana

20060815Glacier-(32) — Glacier National Park, Montana

20060815Glacier-(48) — Glacier National Park, Montana

20060815Glacier-(50) — Glacier National Park, Montana

The next year we traveled to Montana again, this time to visit the Little Big Horn National Monument near Hardin. While we were in the area we made a day trip to Big Horn Canyon.

Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument, Montana

20070416Little-Bighorn-Battlefield-(2) — Little Bighorn Battlefield

20070416Bighorn-Canyon-(10) — Bighorn Canyon

Earlier in that same trip we had gone through snow storms in Minnesota so we kept an eye out the weather after we left Hardin. We made a quick overnight stop in Garrison, Montana. Everything was fine when we went to sleep that night. The next day we woke up to several inches of snow. We were headed west with more snow moving towards us from the east so we skedaddled out of there as fast as we could and arrived safely at our next destination in Washington.

20070418Three-State-Day-(1) — After the storm in Garrison, Montana

Several years later we enjoyed spectacular scenery as we traveled through Montana on the way to Alaska. We spent a night at Cardwell Store and Campground and three nights in Great Falls before crossing into Alberta, Canada about 120 miles north of Great Falls.

Mountains in the distance in Cardwell, Montana

Our Lady of the Rockies overlooking Butte, MT

Snow on the mountains between Butte and Great Falls — It was snowing over the mountains between Butte and Great Falls

In Great Falls we took care of some business and stocked up on supplies before continuing north to Canada and Alaska. We also got to do a little sightseeing.