Need some tips for a trip down South.

[packsaddle]

The man who gave me my moniker still refers to cokes as 'dopes'. Shrimp and grits is a SC culinary specialty that can be eaten any meal. Fish and grits make a great lunch, save the roe for breakfast (also with grits, of course). Salt and grease are Southern Allspice (according to my Yankee wife).

In these parts (the upcountry), we refer to the coastal plain as 'the lowcountry'...and it fits well.

Slow down for every little podunk town you go through or else you may end up squealing like a pig.

Have a nice day.

[Eamonn]

We take off in about 360 minutes.

About 180 minutes ago I found out that the van we were to use was being towed back home!!

About 120 minutes ago my printer took a spell.

Normally when things like this happen I take Rory out for a walk, he seems to do better after a breath of fresh air.

But he is on vacation at the Pampered Pet Palace! I'll have to have a word with him for deserting me in my hour of need.

I'm glad that the van broke down when it did!

I got the printer working.

I'm packed.

We are taking some of my cars, which I much prefer to drive.

The budget just went up in smoke.

The committee will have conniptions!!

Coastal Empire Council, here we come!!

Eamonn.

[t158sm]

I ain't never heard of a coke being a dope ya'll

[WiseCracker377]

me either...and I'm born and raised for 15 years in SC. Maybe it's cause I'm still young and that is an old term. OR, maybe it's just a Georgia thing..

[BrentAllen]

It ain't a Georgia thing as far as I know. I've only lived in metro Atlanta for all of my 43 years, so being a "newbie" I probably just haven't caught on. ;-)

[JenBurnette]

I live in northwest georgia and before 10 years ago i lived in alabama.. some of the things i've read here are true and some are just plain hilarious.

 

they did use to say that coca cola once had drugs in it, but that was years and years ago. all soda's are called coke here. if you want dr pepper you tell them dr pepper or mtn dew and so on.

 

you guys are forgetting the most important breakfast food that there is and that's biscuits and gravy. some people even have breakfast for supper here.

 

you got to be real fancy to eat squid and if you eat it and your not fancy then you just don't have a clue what you're eating.

 

older people really like to be called miss and mister in front of their names, i usually do it when i speak to older people.

 

grits w/cheese are good w/breakfast also.

expect alot of fried foods down south also.

if it rains expect it to be hotter a few minutes after it starts than it was before it rained.

 

some extra helpful hints for any1 else coming down.

[yellow_hammer]

JenBurnette and t158sm,

 

I grew up way out in Alabama - the southwest end of Talladega county on Lay Lake. A few people called coke dope there and fewer still these days but I occaisionally still hear it from country folk around home and in Clay county.

 

 

[Eamonn]

We all arrived home safe and sound last night.

If you are looking for a great adventure for older Scouts you have to try the Sea Kayaking Adventure

ahttp://bsasavannah.org/PDF%20Forms/2006%20Sea%20Kayaking%20Summer%20Brochure.pdft .

We were teamed up with a Troop from Atlanta.

A real nice group of Lad's and leaders.

The Staff were just outstanding and couldn't do enough for us.

We paddled over 50 miles.

The Sea Scouts think this is a great accomplishment!!

I think maybe I'm a little old for adventures, but I'll work on not hurting as much!!

Our Sea Scouts didn't seem to have a hard time calling everyone Miss this and Mr. That.

I did. - Maybe I'm not used to calling adults Miss.

The food on the water was a cross between trail food and high carb food needed for the trip. We didn't really get much opportunity to sample the local fare.

Of course there seemed to be no shortage of grits.

The last night after we had returned home we were treated to a "Low Country Boil" or maybe it was broil??

Kind of like a clam bake, with redskin potatoes, corn on the cob, some kind of sausage and shrimp. It was very good.

We got to spend the night at the R.J.Reynolds hunting camp, just off Sapelo Island. The Scouts got to try their hand at catching crabs. We ended up with about 30 and had a late night Crab feast.

I got to sample Moon Pies. The chocolate wasn't that bad, but the banana was just not nice.

I really enjoyed the wild life, we were out on the water for 4 days and never seen anyone other than each other.

We did get hit by a couple of nasty storms. These really scared the beejeebers out of me. All I could think of was the recent thread about lightning.

One Lad from the Atlanta Troop got stuck on a mud bank, the wind was blowing really hard, I'm guessing over 50 MPH and the rain was coming down in sheets.

Allen, one of our Sea Scouts tried to toss him a rescue bag but it wasn't long enough and didn't have enough weight. (Because of the high wind) Allen got on top of his kayak and tried again, but there still wasn't enough weight in the bag, so he added an orange (left over from lunch)He managed to toss the line to the Lad who was stuck, who tied it to his kayak. Allen then somehow managed to un-stick the Lad and tow him to safety.

That blue sticking mud isn't very nice. While the storm was raging I found myself being pushed into an oyster reef (They used a different name ??)The oyster shells stick up like broken glass. It's a good job that I have white hair!!

Everyone made it through the storms OK, the Lad who had been stuck was a little shaken up but was unharmed.

I don't remember ever hearing thunder as loud as that in my life!! Maybe I was just scared?

Interstate 95 is almost like a race track!!

I don't speed when I have other peoples children in the car, I swear that there was me and two little old ladies keeping to the set speed limit.

Each of the Sea Scouts have taken something home from this trip.They were all amazed how quickly they made friends with the other Scouts, Zane tells me that he really got a better understanding of team work. TJ, tells me that he now understands what all this "Time and Tide.." stuff is all about!! Jessica has fallen in love with charts. Sarah has fallen in love with Georgia.

One night after a very hard paddle against the tide and the wind, I gave a Skippers minute about how in life things are not going to always be easy and reaching your goal is going to take hard work, effort and perseverance. Allen tells me that he now has a better understanding of that, he also feels that somehow by just being out there he is a little closer to God. I'm not going to argue with him!

I'm still working on why there was only white powder for my coffee!!

The Scouts spent a week without I-pods, cell phones, computers. They never got to spent any money. (Happy parents?)

At the end of the trek they each received a t-shirt, a fifty miler patch,a BSA high-adventure patch and a blue heron camp patch.

I can't help thinking that they took home a great deal more.

I made a few new friends and found everyone to be very helpful,very cheerful and very professional. Is it any wonder in an environment like that that Scouting works?

Eamonn.

[Scouter&mom]

Glad you made it home safe Eamonn.

 

The Southern thunderstorms are something that can only be understood by experiencing them, but they do give you a whole new perspective of things when one catches you on the water.

 

So you know, as you explain your trip, it is a Low Country BOIL. You take a big pot of water, add sausage, shrimp boil (a seasoning blend you buy in grocery), and potatoes then boil a while, add corn on cob, boil some more then about 5-6 minutes before everything is done, add shrimp. When shrimp is done (don't overcook), drain then dump everything on a table covered in newspaper. Actually I guess you could dump anywhere, but I have always seen it dumped on newspaper.

 

And the term for the oyster "reefs" was oyster bed. I am not sure the real reason, but that is the only thing I have ever heard them called. When someone here refers to a reef, they are usually talking about a coral reef, or manmade object anchored to attract fish too (like a sunk ship).

 

Glad y'all liked Georgia. Many of us here, think we have the best of all worlds. I am less than 4 hours from two coasts, the Okefenokee Swamp, or the beginning of the Appalachian trail, so you can get almost any type of outdoor experience you want.

 

Judy

[Eamonn]

Judy

I think the term used for the oyster thing?? Sounded like scale or Skell.

I always thought oysters were happy little fellows who lay on the bottom in a bed. But these shells were sticking up along the sides of the islands.

I wish we had more time in Georgia, especially the low lands.

But next time I want something that isn't powered by me!!

[scoutldr]

Oyster beds are created by the oystermen dumping empty shells back into the water. That's what the newly hatched oyster larvae hold onto while they grow their own shell which attaches to the other shells. Othewise, they would just be plankton. In this area, the Lynnhaven oyster was once described by the English settlers as "as big as dinner plates". Now, we are lucky to have 2-3 inch sizes. I believe it was Thos. Jefferson who decreed, "'Twas a brave man that first et an oyster!"

 

Glad your ship enjoyed the trip. I'm adding it to my list of things to do.

[JenBurnette]

yep it's a low country boil and we're having one today, here in northwest georgia. along with a fish fry. the sausage used is usually polish sausage.

[BrentAllen]

Eamonn,

Glad you enjoyed your trip! My wife is from Savannah - we love going to the coast!

 

As Jen mentioned, the sausage is usually Polska Kielbasa (polish sausage), cut into 1" pieces. We always use Old Bay Seasoning, usually found on your grocery shelf. Some call those potatoes "New potatoes" - just make sure you get small ones, or they will take forever to cook. This is actually a very easy meal to cook, especially for a large group.

 

The Moon Pie is sort of an acquired taste. We do a lot more talking about them than actually eating them. :-)

 

That mud along the banks is like nothing I have ever seen. Some of it is firm and will hold you up, but on some you will sink all the way up to your waist. The problem is you can't really tell which is right in front of you.

 

I'll mention one other very popular trip in the area, which usually requires booking a full year in advance - Cumberland Island. The island sits off the coast, just north of the Florida state line. A ferry delivers everyone over, from St. Mary's. There is general camping on the southern end, and remote camping up north. The hike to the northern end is very cool. There are large sand dunes on the beach, and wild horses inhabit the island. Check out photos from a Troop in Jacksonville - they hiked the island in 2001, 2002 and 2004. http://www.troop623.com/eventlog.htm

 

If anyone heads to the area, feel free to stop by the King of Peace Episcopal Church in Kingsland, GA. Frank Logue is the Pastor - we grew up in the same Troop together, and he is an Eagle Scout. He and his wife Victoria have thru-hiked the AT, and they have written several books about hiking in general, hiking with kids, the AT, and traveling in Georgia. They are one of the nicest couples you will ever run in to. http://www.planetanimals.com/logue/

[evmori]

When Coca-Cola was originally made it was a medicine and it had cocaine in it. Once the powers that be figured out cocaine was a narcotic, it was removed.

 

Ed Mori

Troop 1

1 Peter 4:10