At the Beach (part 2)

 We started our Monday at the crack of dawn.  Literally, one of Kyle's wishes for the trip was to watch the sun rise over the Atlantic Ocean.  So, Kyle, Kota, and I crawled out of bed and drove the 25 minute trip to the beach.  It was worth the effort.  It was gorgeous.

 We went to Fort Sumter to take in the place where the Civil War began.  We boarded the ferry and had fantastic views.

 There were a few dolphins that were playing in the bay, but they were too allusive for the camera.  Charleston is one of the vacation hot spots in South Carolina and spring break weeks starts their tourist season.  It was so busy that we didn't get to do everything we wanted.  Kyle has an aversion to large crowds of people and avoids them at all costs, even the seeing of things we planned on doing.

Fort Sumter was smaller than I had envisioned and wasn't like any other fort that I had visited.  It really was not that great.  We did the tour in about 15 minutes.

 What we enjoyed most about the Fort was the wildlife.  We got some up close and personal moments with the wildlife.

 Just a little way off the grassy area of the fort was a tide pool.  One of the things I wanted to experience on the trip.  The kids were looking for shells to take home and were glad to find some cool ones, when they found they were inhabited--by hermit crabs.

 Needless to say, they didn't get the cool shells.

Kota did score an in tacked clam shell.  He was happy.

 There were pelicans everywhere, but they were hard to get close to to get a good picture.

 Kyle supplemented our snacks with a Charleston original.

The ferry ride and tide pools were our highlight to the Fort.  Although the history wasn't my favorite this time, the science of the adventure made it all worth the time.  This big vessel was being loaded with cars to be exported.  It was interesting to see the function of the port and how Charleston still is a great southern city.  This was a good trip and we really enjoyed ourselves.  Being free from the humdrum of life helped me reconnect with my spirit.  Seems its hard to listen too when I'm racing to and fro.

Stay tuned for more southern fun...