Mark and Nicole's Big Adventure

Many of us are first-class aficionados of a good sunrise or sunset photo. Put the sun in the sky, add color, maybe clouds, it’s a winner.  In the past 24 hours in gorgeous Georgia I have captured some beautiful images of sun, and moon — which is also a greatest hit — and added them to the blog to remind me that true beauty can bookend any ordinary day. All we have to do is look. Sunrise Moonrise Sunset Sunrise

We lucked out on our first venture into Georgia waters. Mother Nature delivered clear skies, calm winds and smooth, plate glass water. The Georgia ICW route we've seen the past couple days is an endless maze of creeks and rivers. Corkscrews of water curve, loop around and intersect islands and salt marshes. There are no straight lines! I really wouldn't want to navigate these waters without decent charts. In fact, some poor soul on a recently-purchased catamaran radioed the marina where we stayed last night, saying he had no idea where he was. Not sure how that story ended but I bet it happens with dismaying frequency. Observations Thunderbolt Marine is a no-frills marina not far from the famous Bonaventure Cemetery near Savannah. Great for a short stay and, extra points for hospitality, they give you a box of fresh Krispy Kreme donuts in the morning.  Unlike North and South Carolina, so far we have seen little shoreline development along Georgia's ICW. I know some of the l...

We've called Beaufort, SC, home for the past three weeks. It has been a good stay. While we are basically in quarantine mode wherever we go, Beaufort has welcomed us with its beautiful water views, good takeout and InstaCart service, a walkable waterfront, quaint downtown, and a small, friendly marina. All very nice. We also rented a car a couple times to see more of the area -- Lady's Island, Bluffton, Hilton Head. But the highlight of our stay? We got a good look at the historic conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn on December 21 and 22. And it was cool. We wondered if we would be able to see it at all. Much of the East Coast north of us has been dealing with real winter. We didn't see any snowflakes here but the gloom and rain we did get would have spoiled the stargazing. Fortunately, clear skies returned for solstice. Not long after sunset, pink still on the horizon, I looked up from our aft deck and there was a single bright pinprick of light in the evening sky. I am no a...

I'm not sure if there is a designated border for the beginning of South Carolina's Lowcountry, but for me it starts where I begin to see Spanish moss hanging plentifully in the live oaks. Certainly McClellanville with its bounty of moss-draped trees could serve as an entry point. The narrow cuts of the ICW that follow are often lined with mossy oaks before flowing into the golden marshlands that confirm, without a doubt, arrival in the Lowcountry. Nothing here stands up and shouts. Rather, it is the quiet beauty that holds your attention.  We expected a nasty turn in the weather and timed our arrival in Charleston just ahead of the transition. Already the skies were spitting rain and Charleston Harbor was unpleasantly choppy. But the winds were still acceptable as we found a last spot on the face dock at the Harborage at Ashley Marina.  We enjoy Charleston. We spent three months at Ashley on our first ICW trip so it almost feels like coming home when we return. But honestly, a...