The last time we visited Congaree National Park (in 2017), there were maybe two or three cars in the parking lot. I'm sure the cold kept people away back then, but today the parking lot was nearly full and we encountered many people and their dogs on the boardwalk trail. Hurricane Helene knocked some trees onto one part of the boardwalk, which prompted the resident woodsman to say, "If only I'd brought my chainsaw, I could help 'em out." But nevertheless we enjoyed a lovely hike through old-growth forest, admiring the silvery shimmer of the cypress trees with their mossy knees that looked like gnomes telling secrets.
Here's a secret I successfully kept from my husband until yesterday: We're spending the next four days on Tybee Island, Georgia, where our condo looks out on the ocean and egrets and ibises welcomed us to the island. It was cold and rainy when we arrived this evening, but cold rain is more bearable with an ocean view. Tonight we'll relax after the stress of the drive down I-95 (AKA America's holiday parking lot--with bonus accidents and crazy drivers!). Tomorrow we begin exploring the island in earnest. Just for the moment, though, I'm happy to be sitting still in a warm room with dunes and waves outside my door. Time to rest and contemplate the calm of trees.
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