Southern Hospitality Part 3

Ok I promise this will be the last post about my trip to South Carolina. Then I guess I will have to plan more trips to write about. ...

So after setting up camp and getting stuff together and enjoying the not being in a car thing for a while, It was off to find food. On a side note. If you run a business in Edisto Beach, become a member of the Chamber of Commerce. You will understand in a few moments.

When checking in to the park they give you a map, a map brought to you by the Chamber ... around the area map is ads of places to eat, things to do and places to shop. mind you there is only like 10 ads. so we pick the Waterfront Restaurant probably the biggest place on the island and also the biggest ad... so we'll give it a try, we thought. It was good. not great and not something I would tell people to go out of there way to eat at, but there was seafood, late hours and cold beer. so after our long day of driving that was dinner .

Plan for the morning discussed over dinner was to get up early get the boat out and try to get some fishing done. somewhere along the driving all day induced coma, or it could have been a dehydration from sweating all day coma the whole waking up super early thing didn't happen. Waking up making coffee and figuring out where Breakfast is coming from did happen though. Back to the map! Sea Cow Eatery! they have BREAKFAST! Unlike the last choice this food was great, boarder line amazing. I got the french toast and it was some of the best i have ever had, then after I had some bourbon pecan pie.... don't judge me! I was hungry. and there was pie available. I would tell you about Katy's food, but i don't remember what she had because i was so involved with my French Toast!

During Breakfast it was decided that since we where at the beach we had to go to the beach. Ok what ever at least there is water, because the whole sand thing does not excite me. We drive the whole mile to the beach and get out in the Blazing heat, fight the crowds and walk past them to find an open spot. The cool thing i noticed when we where trying to find a spot to put down towels and stuff was all the turtle nests, in the quarter mile or so we walked there must have been 20 nest, it was awesome. also they are doing a beach restoration on the upper dunes with native plants which is pretty awesome. so after almost drowning a few times and being water logged enough it was time to explore and find food. So we headed back to Hollywood to a antique store that we saw on the way down. Awesome by the way. I found two medical books from the 1800's with awesome prints in it. katy almost bought a trunk but didn't. First thing to happen when i win the lottery is travel down to hollywood SC with a uhaul and buy as much stuff as i can fit in there. Then it was time head back find some food and get ready for fishing.

On the way back we stopped back by the Farmers market that was on the map and on the website and built it up to be huge and awesome.... yeah it wasn't King's Market was sad and pathetic and touristy . ugh. well It was time to go get food, so we where going to go to a Gullah restaurant, we where excited. if you don't know what Gullah is.. go on a google safari it is really interesting. Anyway we pulled up and it was closed. i was disappointed, but trudged on. so next choice was Flowers Seafood Co to get fish to take back and cook... but wait.. they have food cooked there too.... SCORE. So i ordered the Crab cake and oyster plater, now i am really picky about Crab being from Maryland. so i was not expecting too much. When i got my food i was amazed. a huge crab cake and a pile of oysters, and the crab cake was not the normal mostly filler patty you find outside of Maryland. it had huge chunks of crab and just enough filler to hold it together. the only thing it was missing was Old Bay... by the way i did have some but left it at the camp site. and also i am willing to give others a chance before i put anything on my food. but other then it being milder then i am used to it was probably the only other crab cake i can eat outside then an authentic Maryland crab cake. oh and the oysters melted in your mouth. so i highly recommend Flower's it is right on the highway headed down to the beach before you get to the State Park! now on to canoeing

But first a nap.... well for Katy. I was busy packing the boat and fishing gear getting it ready to put on the truck.

So we first found out the canoe kayak launch got almost finished before the state cut funding and let it all grow up. so we had to brave the big water and the big boats at the boat ramp. good thing is we went later in the day adn people already headed home or where still out. so it wasn't too bad other then it being windy and big water with two people that haven't paddled together before..... after we figured how each other worked things calmed down in the boat. we stopped at the point where Scott Creek and Big Bay Creek meet and casted for a while. I let Katy use the spinning gear due to the wind and i knew she wasn't comfortable enough with her fly casting to try it in that wind. so after a while of getting skunked and some pictures we hopped back in and went up Scott Creek pausing occasionally for some casting still nothing... so as you can see this trip at this point turned into a food trip. sorry to disappoint.

So to spare the three more hours of paddling and no fish i will continue with the next morning

The next morning was the morning of the wedding . so we got up early packed up stuff, cleaned up , dressed up and headed to down town Charleston to get food and waste time before the wedding. so on the way we figured out where to go Katy pulled up a list top 10 places for Brunch... not sure if that was a smart thing to do at the time but we will find out. we decided on number 3 the Hominy Grill. so after an hour or so waiting for a table me and Katy sat down and prepared . an FYI why we ate there , it said they had Buttermilk Pie... now if it seems odd or interesting i will eat it .. or at least try it. so thats why we went there. So for brunch I got Shrimp and grits with mushrooms, it was AMAZING! and Katy got eggs and something maybe... like i said when i get good food i am all about it and zone a lot of stuff out. so as i finished up my shrimp and grits it was time for the pie, Katy wussed out and ordered their Chocolate pudding that has been featured on Food Network. the pie reminded me of a meringue pie. but with an different flavor. I am glad i got it. I didn't want to share really but Katy said she wanted to so all i put her through on this trip i thought I better so she wouldn't steal my truck and leave me in charleston. the pudding was pretty good too. it was as thick as mud but good, made with dark chocolate .

after noticing we had 30 minutes to get back to the truck and then drive to North Charleston for the wedding we set out to find where we where going. We showed up 2 minutes before 1 , not bad if i say so myself! got to see friends i hadn't seen in a while and enjoy some Air Condition and then time to journey home. and we where ready for it.

All in all not a bad trip food wise, and you can bet i will be back down there for longer to go fishing again... and also to stuff my face. if you are going to be in the area please let me know i will give you tips of places to go ! hope you all enjoyed.... Also this should have been posted days ago but i forgot to hit publish ;) now time for pictures!

Southern Hospitality Part 2

So when we last left our hero he had just found a sidekick for his journey to the unknown. Lets rejoin him and see what happens.

Just to add in a information tid bit, I am glad this blog doesn't have a timer on it that posts how long it takes you to write this cause The Blues Brothers is on TV and i have gotten side tracked some and it is only 15 minutes into the movies.... anyway

So I got a partner in crime for the trip named Katy, got a puppy sitter, got a plan of action what next.... Well time to get ready. for months I had been tying fly patterns to use in the salt, and upon telling Katy my whole plan at the time was to fly fish because I have a running goal of seeing how many new species of fish i can catch on my fly rod. In turn I got Katy interested in fly fishing. so with sending some links on line and with little help from her boss in the ways of letting her borrow his fly rod she was well on the way to learning how to cast a fly rod. so with months worth of fly tying stuffed in a box, and rods in tubes then next thing was to pack clothing. I am not a fan of hot weather so i was in tears while i packed a pair of pants a long sleeve dress shirt and a tie. ugh.

So bags are packed, fishing equipment is ready to go, Rowdy's food toys and bed are all stuffed in with my stuff.... Ok so really all my stuff is crammed in around Rowdy's stuff so that he can either stand in the back with his head out the window, Ride shotgun with his head out the window or pass out and snore the whole trip. he enjoys all equally. Especially when people in other cars at stop lights notice him and either talk or wave to him. He's such a diva.

Well Thursday comes around and i have to sit through work for one more day and then talk my friend Will into helping load the boat. we get that taken care of and I hit the road,

Stop 1 Greenville SC to drop off the dog and spend the night to head out in the morning. If you are ever in Greenville, SC Stop by Smiley's and get the Green & White Lasagna you won't be disappointed. Then it was time to pass out an wait for the A.M. and Katy to show up so we can continue our journey south. Katy shows up earlier then I expected. I thought I was the only one dumb enough to wake up before 5 AM to drive somewhere. So 7 am Katy arrives we get her stuff packed in the places Rowdy's stuff previously occupied and we where off. My GPS told us to take 385 south .. bad news 385 was closed so we side traced a bit to get on I-26 but made it. the trip down went smooth I also learned that I am rare in the fact I can drive or ride in a car and be fine for hours upon hours and only stopping for gas... Apparently other people like to stop and eat and go to the bathroom.. After a few stops we where in the outskirts of , We could have drove 95 to get off at 174 or what ever road went down to Edisto, but who likes lookign at the interstate. So my plan was to drive to Charleston and get on HWY17 in West Ashley and head down and take some back roads to Edisto. I am GLAD we did. We went through HOLLYWOOD!!! and we got pictures! Hollywood will come into play later. just remember it.

So we pass some laces on the way down we researched before we left like Farmers Markets and stores and wonderful country side. Then we see the wonderful Edisto Beach State Park signs. we pull up and avoid all the not so bright RV campers, and go in and check in, I loved the park attendant that was on duty when we checked in. You could tell her frustration when basically everyone in front of us wanted her to basically hold their hands and walk them to their site and park their RV's so after a few jokes means it was Just her , Katy and I left in the small air conditioned hut of an office she could tell we could fend for ourselves and where not the typical beach tourist type. mainly when i said I could care less about the beach I'm hear for the marsh. she laughed and said that was a first, then told us where our site was and and not to go the wrong way on the camp road.... 5 seconds later a HUGE RV decided to go the wrong way. mind you he was the guy in front of us who she clearly told to follow the ONE WAY signs to his site. We park and start unloading. The "great" idea of the day was made by me saying lets unpack the cooler and a few bags and then come back for the rest and we can throw it all in the canoe and carry it in one trip to the site , which was the second to the last "walk in Rustic" campsites....
Let me just go over some specs of my boat with you for a second while you try to imagine all this. Length 16' 9" / 5.1 m , Width 37" / 93.9 cm, Weight 85 lbs / 38.5 kg, Now imagine throwing two tents, camping gear, bags and odds and ends in that and walking it up a trail just wide enough for two people to feel as there Personal Space is being invaded if walking side by side. I took the rest of the day off from making decisions . We then got fishing licenses and set up camp and enjoyed the camp site for a while.

That concludes today's adventure. next time i will finish up the trip as after this it went way too fast!

Southern Hospitality Part 1

Well while I have some down time I will post about last weekend and my trip to South Carolina's coast. this will be a multiple part series due to there is a lot to explain. So let's start it off.

One of my good friends had her American reception, since her husband is from Italy they had the Italian wedding stuff a couple weeks ago, and for all of us who couldn't throw down the cash to travel that far we all got to go to Charleston for the American version. Well since I haven't had an actual summer vacation in a couple years I decided I was going to go down a day or so early and turn it into a mini vacation. The original intentions where to make it a fishing trip, later the fish gods decided the would rather me take a foodie trip. but all in all I had a great time. so with out further hesitation here is the run down of the long weekend to Edisto Beach and Charleston.

Well the trip all started because I am stingy and didn't want to spend 100 bucks or more a night in down town Charleston. even though I wanted to stay in down town Charleston. so after some internet searching I found Edisto Beach State Park.... hmmm camping? near Charleston..... ? for 17 dollars a night!!!! WINNER! then while looking at the maps I noticed there was a salt marsh, and rivers and creeks all for the taking. Time to load up the BEAST ( my 17 ft canoe) by the way Saltwater non resident fishing permits in SC are 11 bucks for 14 days. a steal if i might say so. So I got where i am staying, ideas of what to do, a list of stuff to take, and my camera. next step figure out what to do with Rowdy for a couple days means he hates the heat and am not sure i could get away taking him to a wedding reception. Well i fund a puppy sitter which is a story in it's self so that part was taken care of. Final step finding someone who wants to go with me to help me load and unload a 17 foot canoe from the top of my truck. that turns out was the hardest part. My mind immediately thought of Troy who is my go to hunting and fishing buddy and and also since he had to be down there anyway because my friend getting married is his girlfriends sister.. for some reason Troy didn't want to go camping. I think it might have been more his girlfriend didn't want to go camping in 90 some degree heat and 90-98% humidity. Next I went through my little black book and went through the list and asked if anyone wanted a free trip to Charleston and to go to a short wedding reception with me........ and i might have mumbled something about camping, fishing, and loading a heavy boat. I should have left that part out. So no one wanted to go with me . then I thought of my good friend Katy who is awesome enough to like to agree to doing random crazy things... keep in mind she is a Roller Derby Girl so this was pretty tame from what she normally does. Katy works as a Landscape designer. so telling her about plants down there and we could go walk around and find some sealed the deal. I later added in the whole fishing thing and canoe and she was excited about that too.

I will leave you with that for now and post about the trip tomorrow.

and I can't leave you all hanging, I have some pictures i will add them in too!

Well Hello There!

Well I am officially starting a blog, basically to keep myself occupied during work hours when work is slow.

As you can tell by the title this is going to be about food fish and birds. why you ask... mainly because those are the main things that get me to travel, and if I have to travel with out one of those reasons i try to fit at least on into the trip.

Starting off let me inform you about myself and my life. My name is Jacob for the ones that don't know me. I work in a pawn shop to fund my travels. I have a young yellow Labrador Retriever named Rowdy that I love more then a lot of people and one of the main reasons for the whole feathers part of this blog. I have always been an "outside" person, I would rather be hiking trails, mountain biking, canoeing , rock climbing, or just walking through a field in the middle of no where with my dog then sitting inside. I also enjoy the cold more so then anything else, heat and me do not agree unless you just want to hear me complain.

Ok the run down on the Blog. When I take a trip big or small and it involves some part of the topic I will be posting on here. be it some random hole in the wall dinner that I discovered in the middle of no where Kansas...... that will be a story revealed later. Fishing trips near and far, mostly dealing with fly fishing. and then the Feathers part will come around fall and winter when me and R-dog hit the woods in search of birds and travel around to find them. there will probably be some odds and ends thrown in as filler once and a while. also I will do my best to post pictures that are taken along the way!