Billy wrote:
Oops. I meant Cheraw, SC


In a jon boat, maybe.

Here's a guy that talks about canoing up near Cheraw
http://members.aol.com/mmcbs3/peedee.html

I've explored a short (very short, 10 miles) section of the Pee Dee
right next to the Waccamaw/ICW and found that it unpredictably shoals,
with numerous side channels. Pretty, some nice anchorages. Can be
frustrating though, and I'd hate to be trying to get somewhere in a
hurry on that river.

Fair Skies
Doug King

Hey, Billy,

I've never done the PeeDee, but it has always looked pretty hinky. Why
not try the Cape Fear from like Fayetteville to Wilmington? Deep water
all the way.

Justa thought.

muskrat wrote:


... try the Cape Fear from like Fayetteville to Wilmington? Deep
water
all the way.


Anyone have knowledge of the Cape Fear above Fayetteville or a source
of charts?

muskrat wrote:
... try the Cape Fear from like Fayetteville to Wilmington? Deep
water
all the way.


Depends on what you mean by "deep."


Bill wrote:
Anyone have knowledge of the Cape Fear above Fayetteville or a source
of charts?


Charts? You can follow it on a topo map. The Cape Fear was improved for
navigation back in the 1800s but there's nothing remotely resembling a
channel any more. The first rapids are at Raven Rocks a few miles above
Lillington.

DSK

Anyone have knowledge of the Cape Fear above Fayetteville or a
source
of charts?


Charts? You can follow it on a topo map. The Cape Fear was improved
for
navigation back in the 1800s but there's nothing remotely resembling
a
channel any more. The first rapids are at Raven Rocks a few miles
above
Lillington.



Thanks. I found this source to order the topographic maps.

http://www.orbisgis.com/map/index.html

I think we have decided to try the Little Pee Dee from Galivant's Ferry
Landing instead of starting up in Cheraw. Hopefully we will make it.
Biggest boat is a 16' McKee Craft, rest are jon boats. Will have a GPS
so hopefully can stay in the correct channel.

"Billy" wrote in
ps.com:

I think we have decided to try the Little Pee Dee from Galivant's Ferry
Landing instead of starting up in Cheraw. Hopefully we will make it.
Biggest boat is a 16' McKee Craft, rest are jon boats. Will have a GPS
so hopefully can stay in the correct channel.



When you get time, Billy, come down to Goose Creek (the city), just up US52
from Charleston. A really great boat trip begins in the salt water side of
the Cooper River at Bushy Park, a public boat landing on top of a earthen
dam that makes a freshwater reservoir for our water system through a canal
up above the salt water line in the Cooper River. You drive down Red Band
Road, right through the Naval Weapons Station on the public road to get to
the dam. The salt water side of the dam is to your right, the freshwater
reservoir is to your left and has a floating dock and another boatramp in
the reservoir.

The short tour is about 3-4 hours long simply making the loop. You come
out of the little cut into the river and turn left, going upstream in the
Cooper River through ancient rice fields on the old plantations, following
the meandering river towards Lake Moultrie. Just after you pass a nice
campsite on a little bluff we've spent the night on the river on, the river
Tees. You'll see houses and trailers on a bluff to your right that
continues up the Cooper River towards the lake. On the short tour, you
take the left down an artificially-cut canal, past another public boat
landing at a LOW-CLEARANCE road bridge you pass under, going down the canal
into the upper reach of the Bushy Park Reservoir about 2 miles down the
canal. Just after the road bridge, there is a railroad bridge you go under
and watch for the kids swinging out of the trees to port on weekends on a
huge tire. It's been there for 30 years that I know of. Just follow the
canal into the reservoir. Stay near the right side of the upper part of
the reservoir, maybe 50 yards from the grass, as that's where the deep
water is. The fishing to port is great but there are many obstructions to
watch out for. You'll probably see the waterskiiers in their powerful
inboard boats as the reservoir narrows, next. They have a permanently-
moored, inflatable course set up in the reservoir. A red airtank in the
weeds inflates the bouys that are weighted to sink when air is released.
Great fun watching these expert skiiers run the slalom behind a big V-8 on
summer weekends. Further down the reservoir it gets much deeper and you'll
come to the first water intake structure out in the reservoir. Lots of
alligators live in the canal and reservoir and they hang out a lot in a
canal dug to service a small factory just before the intake. Down from the
first water intake you'll spot the second water intake by the floating dock
and ramp. You'll see your car in the parking lot as you're now on the
freshwater side of the dam, all freshwater flushed of the salt and ready to
be put on the trailer...(c;

The long tour changes our route back at that Tee in the Cooper. If you
turn right at the Tee (or quicker come up from the freshwater side of the
boatramp up the canal to it) you'll be headed up the Cooper River past some
homes up on a bluff, through a railroad bridge that opens and on up past
some really nice homes upriver. The channel was finally marked a couple of
years ago by the Santee-Cooper power company as many people just drove off
into all the rice fields to clog their props in weeds and go AGROUND in 2'
of water that looks like it's deeper. From the houses on the left, the
channel goes across the rice paddies to Mepkin Abbey, a beautiful Catholic
abbey whos claim to fame is they are in the egg business. You are welcome
to land on their lawn and look over the beautifully kept grounds, if you
like. The monks are very friendly. Past the abbey, the river meanders
past lots of interesting South Carolina wetlands and a few more plantations
eventually becoming the Tailrace Canal almost imperceptably near Moncks
Corner, SC. Where possible, waterfront homes line the canal near Moncks
Corner for a while ending in the "ditch" just above a waterfront park that
has a pier. Just above these woods you'll come to a no-wake-zone that's
enforced quite vigorously to protect The Dock Restaurant which has changed
hands to one of Charleston's best seafood companies. Dock the boats for
lunch in front of the dining room and head on inside to food and beverages
that are great.

From the Dock, head again upstream under the high level US52 bridge. On
summer weekends, try to keep looking ahead and not at the bikini-clad girls
who seem to congregate where the boats land under the bridge's shade to
swim. The canyon of the canal becomes deeper, now, as you pass under yet
another railroad bridge where you'll see the 90' high Lake Moultrie Dam and
powerhouse in front of you.

Mill about with the other boats waiting for the FREE trip up 70 feet in the
big lock into Lake Moultrie, itself. The nice man from the power company
will ask you for your boat's name and where you are from. I think they use
that to justify keeping the lock maintained at company expense. There is a
floating dock that rides up a groove in the lock wall, a JetDock, where
everyone rafts up safely to ride the water up the dam. This is great fun
with kids as you are staring into the cavern of the empty lock at the short
monstrous doors with a little water spraying out the seam way above you,
the depth of the lake at that point. It's quite a sight for the
youngsters...(c; The claustrophobic will tremble as the much higher lower
doors close behind you. The water comes in quite tame so small boats are
not upset and it only takes a few minutes to fill the lock. The short
doors open and ALL HELL BREAKS LOOSE as the Bubbas try to see how fast they
can get out of the lock and to the fishing and partying on the lake.

The US Air Force's Hodge Podge Lodge is the facility just to the right
sticking out on a point. If you are military or military retiree with your
ID card, you can use this facility from their marina on the dam-side of the
point. Others are not welcome unless there is an emergency, of course.

This end of the lake is quite deep, of course. As you go across the lake,
over submerged towns, roads, farms, church steeples you can plot on your
sonar, you'll be VERY careful as these lakes were NOT CLEARED BEFORE
FLOODING in the 1930s! The shallower parts of the lakes is FULL OF STUMPS
that all have magic magnets on them to hunt down lower units of outboard
motors and props to kill. There is a little store on the other end of the
dam from the lock (Lions Beach) to port as you exit and if you go around
the AF point and up the lakeshore there is another small marina/store/gas
station at Bonneau Beach where the road drives right into the lake as it
was there before the lake was there.

Reverse course and come down through the lock to get back the same way you
came, taking the canal into the reservoir like the short course did on your
way to your car/trailer at Bushy Park. Make SURE you get back to the
landing by DARK......OR YOU'LL BE SORRRRRRRRRRRY! The river, rice paddies,
canal and reservoir are NOT friendly places to strangers in the pitch black
dark.....Time your trip up so you can plan your trip back.

Oh, there is another marina down in the Tailrace Canal just on the lake
side of the US 52 bridge up another short canal that goes parallel to the
road. He as gas and some eats, too.

Great fun on a weekend.....Don't forget the suntan oils!

The US Air Force's Hodge Podge Lodge is the facility just to
the right
sticking out on a point. If you are military or military
retiree with your
ID card, you can use this facility from their marina on the
dam-side of the
point. Others are not welcome unless there is an emergency,
of course.

Larry is Short Stay still in operation??

Leanne

"Leanne" wrote in :

Larry is Short Stay still in operation??

Leanne



With the departure of the Navy from Charleston, Short Stay was combined
into the Air Force's Lodge and is now a beautiful, well-maintained
recreation facility that encompasses the entire peninsula they used to
occupy. All the old rickety facilities are gone replaced by nice lakefront
cottages, a nice campground, a really nice small-boat marina and great
picnic and outdoor activity facilities. It's all been rebuilt.

Larry W4CSC wrote:

"Leanne" wrote in :

Larry is Short Stay still in operation??

With the departure of the Navy from Charleston, Short Stay was combined
into the Air Force's Lodge and is now a beautiful, well-maintained
recreation facility that encompasses the entire peninsula they used to
occupy. All the old rickety facilities are gone replaced by nice lakefront
cottages, a nice campground, a really nice small-boat marina and great
picnic and outdoor activity facilities. It's all been rebuilt.

There is still the Naval Hospital and according to my daughter some
other small but important Navy stuff in Charleston.

We stayed on the Charleston AFB for 5 days this month, and it was a
disaster. Not all of it was their fault, but some of it was

The room was on the second floor and there is no elevator. We had a
living room with a TV and a kitchenette, a bathroom with a shower
which passes through to the bedroom with another kitchenette (frig not
working) and TV. No utensils or plates.

We went down and looked at a friend's boat that she left at the
Maritime Center while they went home for Xmas, and phoned her to tell
her that it was OK (no water inside), but the electricity isn't on at
their boat. There is still storm damage in the marina - some of the
finger piers are at funny angles. I took some pictures of the boat
and sent them to her.

As soon as we got back to the AFB, Bob got cold symptoms and didn't
feel very well. He didn't sleep well, and this morning he explained
to me that all the water sounds that I've been hearing is because
there is a leak in the toilet and it flushes every 6 minutes (so I
KNOW he wasn't sleeping in order to time that!!). He looked at it and
said the flapper was new but it had been replaced with one that was
too small. We reported it by phone and in writing but nothing was
done. (If we keep the bathroom door shut, it isn't as noisy)

Feb 27th - Sunday

We drove out to our son's in Summerville for dinner, They gave
Bob his birthday presents (nuts - pistachio and almond).

Since the room has no utensils or plates, I stopped by KFC to get food
that I thought would last us a couple of days and perhaps provide a
cereal bowl for breakfast for the morning (we have the cereal and milk
in the car). Bob was miserable all night and did not get much sleep.

Feb 28th - Monday

The Mercedes was hard to start this morning. We went to the Inn and
asked for two more nights (we can only get 3 nights at a time as
retirees). Then we went to the pharmacy, but they don't stock my
prescription. (I'm about 10 days short - it is blood pressure
medicine.)

While Bob was in the Exchange, I looked up the Navy Hospital on the
map, so we drove down there. Security there is really tight - they
not only wanted to see Bob's ID, but mine too. They don't carry my
prescription either. They suggested I go to a civilian pharmacy. So
I did. But the civilian pharmacy said there was a SC law against
importing prescriptions from another state, and I'd have to get our
doctor to call them. I know he's not in the office on Monday, plus I
have no confidence in his office calling anyone since they once faxes
a prescription to the wrong fax number 3 times in a row.. He said he
could give me one pill but it would be about $1.25

March 1 - Tuesday

Bob is still miserable. Plus he tried to start the MB and it would
not start. The battery is getting run down from trying to start. I
called the desk and they said I could not get a tow truck unless we
could get to the gate (about 2 miles) and escort them in. She gave me
the number for security.

Security told me that they were prohibited from jump starting a
vehicle with any AF vehicles. He could hear Bob coughing in the
background, so he said that he'd allow a tow truck through the gate if
I could get one to come and called him Our son would not be allowed
through the gate either unless we could come and escort him in.

Bob thinks that a new battery will solve the problem but we have no
way to get one. He also thinks that the cold weather may have
something to do with it and we have no extension cord to plug in the
block heater. We walked 2 blocks to Burger King for dinner, and he is
worse than ever after that. Plus I've started coughing too like I was
in Key West. I wonder if there is something in this building making
us both sick. Our daughter says Bob must have pneumonia (or maybe
bronchitis) and to get him to a doctor.

March 2- Wednesday.

We got a bit more sleep last night and feel better. Bob has had an
idea - there is an Enterprise rental car place on the base. We will
rent a car and go get a battery. So I call. They say they will be
here by 10:30. Bob goes out to try to get the battery out of the MB
and discovers that he is missing a socket wrench and can't get it out.
(Actually he had it, but he was feeling so miserable that he didn't
find it where it was in the bottom of the toolbox)

After we get the car, we go to the exchange and they don't have
any batteries or tools. Then we go to Walmart, but they don't have
the right size of battery. Finally we stop at Advance Auto Parts.
He's also gotten a jump start thing that you plug into the
wall to charge the battery on IT and then unplug and take it out to
the car and jump the car battery with your charger.

Then we go to our son's and they give us lunch. Bob and our son go to
install the new battery in the car. While our DIL and I go to get our
grandson at school - he has to ride two buses plus the school has no
lockers so he has to carry one or two musical instruments and all his
books around with him. I think his backpack is heavier than he is.
But he rode the bus, so we go back and pick him up at the bus stop.

The MB still won't start with a fresh battery. So we will have to try
the charger to jump it tomorrow. We all had dinner at McAlister's.

March 3

Bob got us up pretty early so that we could try the new jump start
device and jump the car. It still would not start. So....

I started phoning, while Bob stuffed everything possible into the
little compact rental car (coughing as he did so).

First I phoned the local Mercedes dealer and explained the problem.
Wonder of wonders, the guy I spoke to was very helpful and said he
could send someone out to give it a jump, but I explained why I didn't
think that would help. So he said he could take it today (!!!) and to
give him a call when I got someone to bring it in.

Second I called base Security. They said yes that a tow truck could
come in - I'd have to tell them what gate to go to (the main gate is
completely torn up with construction) and I'd have to call back and
tell them when he was coming and what towing company it was.

Third I called AAA. They said they would send a tow truck and it
would probably be Jenkins, and they'd call when they were 10 minutes
away.

Fourth I called base security again to tell them who was coming.

Meanwhile Bob went to the front desk to check out, and then he was
going to get the rental car extended.

The towing company called and said I would have to meet them at the
gate and they'd be there in 15 minutes. She absolutely refused to
believe that the base would let the driver on unless we met them at
the gate.

I called security again and they said that they absolutely WOULD let
him on the base.

So I called Enterprise, but Bob hadn't been there yet. I called the
Inns of Charleston and they said he hadn't checked out. Then after
some conversation, the goofball there changed her mind and said he had
checked out. (As a side note - they said they'd charge me $1/day for
internet access, but they did not.)

So I called Enterprise again, and got the girl just as Bob walked in
the door. She let me talk to him, and he said he'd go to the gate. .

Then AAA called me back. She asked if the driver had got there yet,
and I said no that Bob was somewhere en route to the gate and so was
the driver. So she called the towing company and had them page the
driver, while I was on the phone, and she came back to me and said
that Bob and the tow truck were both at the gate.

Actually, the base DID let the driver onto the base, BUT he had no
idea where anything was on the base, and of course security wouldn't
tell him. So in order for him to find us, Bob had to lead him in.

We followed the tow truck drive to the Mercedes place,
and left the car - the repair guy said he'd call when the problem was
diagnosed. We had a reservation farther along the road, so we started
out for there. The MB place said we needed all the glow plugs
replaced (they were all 'open' they said). So we checked in at the
next place, took all the stuff out of the rental car, and then drove
back the next day to turn in the rental car and pick up the MB.

As soon as we left the AFB, Bob started to get better.


grandma Rosalie