Carolina on my mind

South Carolina, that is. During my early years, I had little impression of it, except as a place to pass through on the way to Florida.

Much later, I bought a new sports car and was anxious to wear some serious tread off the tires. I asked a friend if she’d care to go on a vacation in the mountains. She suggested Charleston and Savannah, noting I’d get my share of the curves enroute in North Carolina. I didn’t have any perception of those cities and said it was my idea and we’d go elsewhere. We went to Charleston and Savannah.

They were a delight and we had a wonderful time. They offer an intoxicating mix of historical buildings and a wide variety of activities. The ample waters were a draw for me and I vowed to return to kayak.

A couple years later, I retired (for the first time) and decided to go south to contemplate what I would do for the rest of my life. I booked a kayak trip with an outfitter near Charleston and made plane reservations.

As the time drew near (early April), the outfitter contacted me to ask if I was sure about this. I replied I was and inquired if there was a problem.

She informed me about the prevailing rule of one hundred among the paddlers there. They required the total of the air and water temperatures to exceed that sum before they’d launch. It had been a cool spring.

I assured her that the weather there was balmy, compared to Ohio. I was the only one to show up for two days of paddling. I had wanted a combination of creeks and ocean, but she drew the line at big water with the temperature barely reaching fifty. We paddled the blackwater swamps, which were full of historic remnants and I enjoyed it very much. She shivered most of the time.

Once again, I vowed to return. This time, I planned a trip in the Edisto River and Charleston Harbor for my paddling group. I lucked out in mentioning it to a friend. He knew someone who had a treehouse on the Edisto that we could use for a night’s stopover. That added a big plus to a great trip.

The harbor also turned out to be terrific. We took a group photo on a small island that would later appear on the big electronic billboard in Times Square.

I’ve gone back to the area several times since and have never failed to have a great time. So, when I just planned my first cold weather spontaneous trip south of my second retirement to Florida, I included South Carolina in the route. I’ll be paddling with a club there and am really looking forward to it. There's just something magical about that place.

Carolina on my mind.