NANCY and BILL: Cheraw State Park Camping

Bill and I had an early tee time at the SPECTACULAR Cheraw State Park Golf Course. As you can see on the map, it is a little too far to walk over from the campground.

CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE

Nancy drove us over so the girls would have the car for their adventure later. It truly is a gem not many golfers know about -- a real championship caliber golf course!!

Golf Pro Shop
Here are a few pictures of the views around the course.

We had a great time -- topped off by me getting an eagle two on a par four, holing out a 130 yard nine iron shot.

I LOVE THIS GAME!!

While we were playing golf, Nancy and Chris went back to Cheraw to see the Beebop Parade, one of the festivities of the Jazz Festival. The parade was schedule to start at 11 and they arrived about 10:30, so they had time to walk around and check out some other things going on. One side street was blocked off and renamed Art Ave.

All along the avenue were groups of artists doing chalk murals on the sidewalk. Some were really very beautiful. The day was a spectacular crisp fall day and everyone was having a great time.

Around 11am, they walked over to Centennial Park to wait for the parade. It was suppose to end at this location.

Centennial Park Fountain

While they waited for the parade, a group of high school singers performed on the stage set up for the days festivities. There were different acts scheduled every half hour throughout the day.

Beaufort High School Jazz Singers

About 11:30, Nancy and Chris went looking for the parade. I think they were expecting something like a mini mardi gras type parade. They headed up the street and stopped in the General Store to look around. They figured they would hear the parade so they didn't worry about missing it.

Love the Indian Statue

Finally, the parade rounded the corner...

one police car, followed by

Six Piece Jazz Ensemble from Fort Bragg,
followed by

Community Youth Group having a great time,

followed by

several golf carts with folks throwing beads to the crowd.

They knew it would be like Mardi Gras!! :o)

By 11:45, they had seen all of the parade and headed back to pick up the boys.

Reviewing EVERY shot!!

The four of us headed back to the campground to get some lunch and just enjoy the surroundings while we rested up a bit. It has been a very busy weekend!! But by later in the afternoon, the winds died down and Nancy and I broke out the SEA EAGLE!!

We carried the Sea Eagle to the boat launch which is right next to the campground. Just a short walk down the trail.

Boat Launch

The only boats allowed on the lake must have 10hp motors or less. That really makes this place a great place to kayak. We spent about 2 hours paddling around the lake.

Past the Park Office...

Past the golf course...

Heading toward the Cypress Swamp...

Heading into the Cypress Swamp...

Paddling amongst the Cypress...

So many trees and just a spectacular paddle...

A couple of turtles floating amongst the Cypress...

As we headed back to the boat launch, we passed the campground and Bill Jordan came down to take a picture of us. Next time we will try to get a waterfront site and then we can launch right at our site.

Not often do we get a picture of both of us in the Sea Eagle. Thanks Bill for this great shot.

Nancy and Bill paddling at Cheraw State Park, SC

Back at the campsite, Bill and Chris told us they had come up with a name for our Sea Eagle... "Serenity Now". I think it's a perfect name!! Today's paddle was just so relaxing and beautiful...the name fits!! They also said that Chris had tried a little fishing, but apparently there were too many roots near the shoreline. Next camping trip here, we will have to find some better fishing holes!!

Well, no camping trip would be complete without a weenie roast. So Bill Jordan had the honor of preparing tonight's dinner.

We added some beans, coleslaw, pickled beets and chips to make for a great meal! After dinner we had one more campfire. What a terrific weekend camping with friends, swapping stories and enjoying lots of laughs. We didn't get a Saturday Night sunset picture, but we did get a picture from the dam of the lake, boat launch and campground...it doesn't get much better than this!!