GOING COSTAL

Late Fall and Early Winter 2018-2019

We have not fallen off a cliff, but we have been wandering into the salty waters.

After arriving back from Ireland, our travels eventually took us south along the Atlantic.  Some places were familiar but a few were new to us.

Huntington Beach State Park, Myrtle, SC

Most of the family joined us for a long weekend in one of our favorite campgrounds.  Located south of busy Myrtle Beach, the park's location is convenient.  Walking distance to the beach delighted the youngest members of the camping excursion.  Brookgreen Gardens is near and worth spending an entire day.  The land was at one time the plantation home of Alexander Hamilton's daughter but now Mrs. Huntington's art pieces grace the park.

      I actually cooked for all 11 of us in the camper!

The Airstream couldn't sleep all of us, so the grandchildren stayed with us..2 by 2, just like on the Ark.  Tents housed their parents and aunt.

     Atalaya Castle, built by Mr. Huntington as his seasonal home is a beautiful historic attraction at the park.

Willimgton, NC

 Fort Fisher State Historical Park, from the Civil War era, was an interesting place to visit, due mostly to our guide.  He was a transplant from Long Island, NY (most people here are from somewhere else).  I asked if I could take his picture and that I might put it in my blog.  
"You're not wanted anywhere, right?" I asked jokingly.  He said no, only in Mexico.  His story was fascinating....that's all I will say.

The structure across the water is meaningful.  That is where all the ammunition used by our armed forces in Europe departs.  If you try to approach on boat, you will be met by armed guards who escort you elsewhere.

North Carolina Aquarium and Bellamy Mansion were wonderful attractions.  There was a lecture the evening we visited the Historic house, but the Carolina Beach State Park actually locked the gates at 6:00PM with no way to get in or out without calling an emergency number.  Very unusual.

Savannah, GA and Skidaway Island State Park

We can't decide which eastern seaboard city is more fun to visit, but Savannah is tied for number one.

              The beauty and history are everywhere downtown.  

People are still living and working in the historic district with a only a few homes open to tour.

 Forsyth Park offers a large green space along with the many squares in Savannah.  Each square had a purpose.

                   Walking is fun but a trolly will drive you around the historic sites for free.  Bonaventure Cemetery and Wormsloe Plantation are a short drive outside the city.

St. Augustine, Florida

This has become our other #1 city to visit.  We stayed at Anastasia State Park, adjacent to the shoreline.

The city is fairly contained but packed with so much to offer.  We were camped here for 10 days and enjoyed everyone of them.

Being the oldest inhabited city in the United States, it boasts many "oldest" things and places....like the oldest street.

 Now Flagler College, originally this building was first build by Henry Flagler as a hotel for the rich and famous in the Gilded Age in 1888. At the time, payment for the entire season at the Ponce de Leon Hotel was the only way to vacation with Mr. Flagler. The price was $7,000 for 4 months...meals included.

Denny actually took this picture but it is an iconic view of the once famous hotel.

  The Ponce de Leon Hotel was completed in 1888 with Tiffiny windows in the formal dinning room.  Dorm food, even when served in beautiful surroundings, is still dorm food.   

 Even in the winter, people flock for a weekend of fun in St. Augustine.

Alter of the oldest Catholic Church in the Unites States, the Basilica of St. Augustine.

                And finally the oldest house,  It humbly started as a one story, 2 room building.

Speaking of houses, Sears use to sell house kits which included everything, even nails and screws, for building a dwelling. Different models are actually located all over the United States.  This one cost about $600 but you have to furnish the foundation and the elbow grease.  Finished product looks very nice.

Unfortunately, Fort Castillo San Marcos, now a National Park, was closed due to the government shut down.  Fortunately, we were able to visit on a previous stay to the city.

But Sebastian Winery was open to all, an easy stop off the little tour train.  These are wonderful friends from our summer residence in Michigan who were in St. Augustine at the same time.

We did have additional stops at:

Edisto Island State Park where the ocean was steps away and biking the island was enjoyable.  Make sure to arrive with plenty of water and all the food with you.  It is isolated and has no fresh water.

Topsail Hill Preserve State Park, near Destin is a lovely park complete with glamping tents and cottages.  We have been here many times and is a jewel of the Florida State Park system.

Crooked River State Park, St. Marys, GA is on the southern shoreline of Georgia and the place to stay when visiting Cumberland Island National Shoreline.

                                           Ireland

                                                       FALL 2018

 THE LAND OF RAINBOWS, WIND, AND RAIN

We arrived in Ireland on September 16 with our daughter to wind and light rain. After a good night's sleep, we started the adventure putting 2000 mile on the rental car. Our maps indicate, with yellow stars, all of the places we either visited or stayed the night.  A generous amount of the island was covered in 19 days, but I will just tell you about a few of our favorites.  Our treasured places are marked with a red heart. 


WESTPORT  ( in the northwest) is a Tidy Town award recipient meaning it achieved the highest standards for the environment, cleanliness, and all around great place to live.  The small downtown was lively, housing is well kept, boasts low to no crime, and displays beautiful scenery.  The population is 7,000 with 1,000 of those working at Allergan Pharmaceuticals producing Botox for the world!  Our guide told us he was turning 149 years old the following week!!

                  Our walking tour guide who is so proud of his city.

We climbed Croagh Patrick,  a short drive outside of Westport. It  is an important holy site since St. Patrick climbed the mountain to meditate and banish the "snakes" from Ireland.  Pilgrimages are made every year with Mass said at the very top.  We found it challenging, however the views were worth it.  If a traveler is searching for  additional exercise, a greenway runs along the bay for biking or jogging.  I could spend a week here just playing.

Climbing this mountain is like ascending 185 floors of a building.

 It took us about 2 hours to find the top.

The views  are spectacular and the bay encircles several islands.

DINGLE PENNINSULA

The travel writer, Rick Steves, advised if you wanted to navigate only one peninsula, make it Dingle. With blue skies, we started out and found some beautiful scenery, divided green pastures with stone fences and sheep everywhere.

The one surprise was finding a heritage museum devoted to Blasket Island and the lives of those who lived there until the 1950s.  Blasket is located off the western coast of the Dingle Peninsula.

The small dots of houses now show where a settlement of a few hundred Irish people lived, speaking Irish , or Gaelic, which is still spoken by many today and taught in the schools.  They lived off the land and the ocean and several generations ago, off the salvage of storm-wrecked ships.  Linguists engaged the islanders in the last 19th century and encouraged them to write about their lives and living conditions on the island. These books are still in print with the most comprehensive titled, The Islandman by Tomas O'Crohan.  I have a copy and it is indeed a page turner. With so few left, inhabitants left in the winter of 1953 due to a particularly vicious storm, never to return.

Kinsale

At the southern end of Ireland is another Tidy Town called Kinsale,  famous for two major historical events.  The first was in 1601 at the Battle of Kinsale between the Irish and Spain, against and their mutual enemy, England.  The English victory gave them a strong foothold in Ireland which influences Irish history to this day.

                                                                      Market day.

A rare moment for a picture without cars traveling this 2 way street.

The second event was the sinking of the Lusitania a few miles off the Kinsale coast.  Those who survived were cared for by the villagers and many of those who didn't are buried at the church cemetery.  Currently, there are plans to explore the ship further to determine if there were explosives onboard which caused a second explosion. The UK is fighting this because, even after 70 years, the government fears law suits by descendants if it is proved that the luxury liner was transporting explosives. The historical investigation is the current topic of discussion in the town.  History is the expertise of our guide, Berry (another Rick Steves recommendation) and he recommended Dead Wake by Erik Larson for a interesting look at the disaster.

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The town has 55 restaurants, 25 pubs and 5 churches and the usual  narrow streets.  Foodies love this place.

The view of Kinsale from Fort Charles.  Such an idyllic town.

GLENDALAUGH NATIONAL PARK

Cars traveling to the Wixlow Mountains have to pass this guy and his many friends who roam the area.  Nearly every county of Ireland is inhabited with sheep, even though it is not a profitable business.

Just 90 minutes south of Dublin is this remarkable park and historic  ecclesiastical community founded by St. Kevin in the 7th century.

Finally reaching the historic site of St. Kevin, we found the ruins of the community.  I heard one guide explain the growth of  monasteries like this...peoples' lives were so difficult that the monastery offered a little more comfort, at least food and a warm fire.  Another guide elaborated that politics and birth right were always part of the decision, and in small measure, one's religious calling.

The circle around the cross, or the Celtic Cross, helped the monks explain the new religion linking it with the old.  Many other theories don't mention this connection, but most scholars believe the cross originated in Ireland.

Circle towers populated Ireland, but only about 60 remain.

                                            One of the many small church ruins of the community.

Hiking attracts many people to the National Park.

NORTHERN IRELAND AND THE GIANTS CAUSEWAY

The Antrim coastline has spectacular and dramatic views.  This is Dunluce Castle, built in the 13th century.

Ownership was determined by the victor so it passed onto many families.  Still,  think how amazing it is that the castle could be built on a cliff in the first place!

                    The winds were wild on the day we visited.


                                                              GIANTS CAUSEWAY

 Giants Causeway is a popular rock destination in Ireland.  I won't try to explain the scientific explanation of why the rock are hexagons and some are in columns.  As a World Heritage site, I was surprised  that people were allowed such access! Hiking the coastline is a favorite outing for locals and I wished we could have stayed longer.

Antrim Coast of Northern Ireland has as many dramatic views as the more famous Dingle and Kerry coastlines.

Pillars of rocks dot the paths. If the winds are too strong, hikes could be dangerous.  

THE COUSINS

the red heart in the middle of Ireland

Our paths started to cross a few weeks prior to leaving for Ireland.  Denny's nephew was able to get contact information through a DNA testing site.  Just before returning home to the States, we were able to connect with Denny's second cousins.... his grandfather's sister's grandchildren!!  What a treat to be invited to Kevin Coyle's home and have so many relatives stop in to meet us.

RUINS OF THE OLD HOMESTEAD 
near Roscommon, Ireland

KEVIN COYLE ESCORTED US TO THE CEMETERY

What a delightful time we had getting to know one another and exchanging stories from the past.

RANDOM PICTURES FROM IRELAN

 THE BED AND BREAKFAST ANIMALS

GAME ORGANIZERS...THE COWS WERE JUST NOT INTERESTED IN RUNNING THE FENCE WITH THE LITTLE TERRIORS

THE ENTERTAINER

THE GREETER

INDOOR SECURITY

LANDSCAPERS

                                     CASTLES, CASTLES AND CASTLES

This was in the family until Brian O'Rourke lost it about 800 years ago.  Denny would like to claim it back, perhaps not using a sword but his credit card.

 Some are big, some small, most are in ruins, but a few are  intact.  Ireland is full of them.  Many are open to the public while others are isolated, visited only by sheep.  All claim a list of owners, wars, and invasions to their credit too numerous to count and well as heartache and glory days.

BUT THAT'S IRELAND