South & North Carolina

Monday: We climbed the tallest lighthouse in Florida, Ponce de Leon Inlet Lighthouse and Museum. I can’t imagine climbing all of those stairs several times a day. The museum was interesting, but we didn’t have very much time to explore.

After the lighthouse, we drove to Daytona Beach. Six miles with parking right along the beach. Just pick a spot and park. The first spot we tried, the sand under the back wheels felt a little soft, so we drove a few yards down the road and parked just fine. The water was warm, but there was a chilly breeze, so I didn’t get to swim as long as I would like. It was great anyway.

Tuesday: Back to Georgia! We went to St. Marys (no apostrophe, look at a map). It’s a quaint old town with interesting old buildings, but the best part was taking a ferry over to Cumberland Island.

They had wild horses and turkeys. The horses are used to people, so they remain calm, but we were told not to get too close, they are wild nonetheless. While there we also saw the ruins of the Dungeness Plantation, sand dunes, and the Atlantic. Swimming was allowed, but we didn’t have our bathing suits. It was too cold anyway.

Wednesday: We stayed at Pedro’s South of the Border a ... I’m not sure what to call it. It’s in Dillon, SC. It contains a motel, campground, truck stop, amusement park, shops, and restaurants. All with a Mexican theme—we had planned ongoing further, but it was something different and a lot of fun, including some tasty Mexican food. They used ground beef instead of shredded beef, but the price and flavors were good.

Thursday: Today we visited the grounds around Raleigh, NC Museum of Arts. They have 103 acres of trails that lead to artwork. Some of which is really weird, but then I’m not into modern art. Some were intriguing especially the Cloud chamber. The only picture we took was from the outside, but the interesting stuff was inside. It has a small hole in the center of the top, but the rest is dark inside. After your eyes adjust to the darkness, first you see the reflection of clouds in a tiny spot on the floor. Then as they get even more used to the dark, you can see the reflection of clouds all around you on the walls. After that we went to the Raleigh temple.

Friday: We started out the day in the AAA garage because of engine trouble that started last night on the way to Wal-Mart after the temple. They didn’t find any problems after checking the sparkplugs and such. Compared to some of the repair bills we’ve had along the way, we got off without it costing too much.

Saturday & Sunday: Nothing exciting picture wise, but we had a blast with old friends. Dan has known Don since junior high, and I met him and his wife when we were first married.