We cruised through Charleston and we watched ugly dark clouds heading our way as we were getting close to our anchorage.  Why does the exciting weather always hit just as we're trying to anchor? 

The good thing is that these summer squalls don't usually last long and the worst of it passed to the south of us.  I don't mind the rain so much but the lightning makes us nervous when we're the tallest thing in sight.
The weather wasn't favorable for running offshore so we continued our winding trip through the salt marshes in South Carolina.  We usually cruise through this area in the fall or spring and the marsh grass is gold at that time of the year - now it's bright green.

The marsh is always so interesting and beautiful in its own muddy way.  Dolphins are very common hunting in the tidal shallows, but we sometimes see snakes and alligators swimming. 

Birds are the most common sight (and sound) - pelicans, spoonbills, terns, gulls, egrets, herons, red-winged blackbirds, and the little waders - plovers and willets.  The tall trees are home to bald eagles and osprey, and the osprey also take advantage of some of the bigger navigation markers to make their nests.  This time of the year the young birds are getting big but they still stick close to their parents.

As we moved north the salt marsh transitioned to the flooded cypress forest in the Waccamaw River - more green and lush in the summer than the spooky feel of the place in the fall and spring.  From there we traveled through the very boring stretches of golf courses up through Myrtle Beach - not my favorite area.  Finally we got to North Carolina waters and the sandy dunes of the barrier islands.  Of all the wildlife sightings we have had along the waterway, seeing this herd of goats walking along the shoreline was truly strange.  I wonder what their story is.

We ran into friends Jim and Pam on DeFever 44+5 SILVER BOOTS on the waterway, and found out that they were planning to go to Cape Lookout for the weekend - the same place we were heading!  We haven't seen them in a long time, and we were looking forward to
catching up with them.  I know we say it often, but it's so true - it's a very small world on the water.