Hunting Island March 16

Our breakfast was the last package of pancake mix – Jane made a wonderful discovery- it could be mixed in one of the red plastic cups avoiding anything to wash-up. The only part of camping that Jane dislikes is washing dishes. Well Lysol wipes with on side scratchy and one side antiseptic along with paper towels and some excellent Pam have made it easy this trip but using disposable items when possible makes it even better. Since we always have a location to throw away trash it has not been a problem. Most campgrounds have recycle bins for plastic bottles. We have used tea and water in plastic bottles and always keep a quart of Gatorade mixed up in the refrigerator.

Today we walked for a long way on the beach – it was cloudy with limited visibility but walking on the beach was very pleasant. Then we drove to the north end of the island to the fishing pier that was probably 100 yards long or more. We watched birds diving for food and tried to get some photos. Ben remembers fishing on this end of the island when we were here before. Then we drove out to the lighthouse and had lunch (the last of our fish from the platter in St. Mary’s) along with cheese crackers, fruit, and chips. Having the microwave to heat up the fish was great! We surely made good use of that seafood platter for 2! The only thing we did not eat was 2 deviled crabs. We started out eating lunch at a picnic table right on the beach at the lighthouse but about halfway through lunch it began to rain a little so we moved to a shelter. The rain did not last long and we got some photos. You could climb this lighthouse but we neither one felt the urge to do so.



Ben collected palm frond sticks for himself and Daniel. He says they are the best sticks around. Then we drove out to the fishing area on the ocean side of the island and to see the beach cottages that are for rent. They are on a very isolated section of the island and looked very nice with screened porches. There are also some private cottages in that area. Some of them had been nearly washed away in a fairly recent storm.

All the camp stores, gift shops etc. are closed today for taking inventory so Jane will have to wait until tomorrow morning to buy a patch for her hat. This is a very nice park and will certainly be worth another visit when it is a little warmer. It was very pleasant yesterday and perfect temperature last night. Today however, the wind has really picked up and it is chilly. We have the flaps all down on the tent and are enjoying a pleasant couple hours reading, working on the computer, and Ben has found we get 3 TV channels! With the flaps down the wind is cut and it is very pleasant. Ben is working hard on getting all the edges of the palm fronds smooth so his and Daniel’s sticks are perfect.

Well the rain came and continued all afternoon and most of the night. We were very glad we had the tent up as it provided a dry place to fix and eat dinner as well as read for a while. Jane made it over to the bath house in the rain and had a good shower – there was lots of hot water and it felt good to get warm! The only down side to the shower was she forgot her towel! Well a knit shirt filled in just fine. A good reminder of being sure you have everything you need with you on shower trips!
The rain on the roof was peaceful through the night.