Beaufort -- Autumn Gateway to the South
Years ago, when my family still made frequent trips between Beaufort and and our former hometown of Atlanta, my favorite part of the trip was when Interstate 75 passed Atlanta Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, just south of the city. If an incoming plane passed over the highway, I would roll down the windows, so I could hear the scream of the incoming jets, and smell the exhaust and gas. To paraphrase Jimmy Buffet, it always reminded me of places I've been, and the places I'd like to see. Even at 75 miles an hour, among overly aggressive drivers, this was a very romantic thing for me. I wondered where these planeloads of travelers had departed from, many hours before -- London Gatwick? Paris-Orly or Paris-Charles de Gaulle? Franz Josef Strauss in Munich?
Where were the planes taking off at the other side of the airport traveling to?
This morning, I enjoyed a similar, albeit more subtle, moment at Common Ground, the excellent coffee shop which overlooks Beaufort's Waterfront Park. Just before 10 a.m., with the sun shimmering on the water and illuminating the tops of automobiles as they pass over the Woods Memorial Bridge, I enjoyed a comfy chair in the corner and gazed out the window at the river.
Moments later, traffic atop the bridge stopped, and a large northbound yacht lumbered against the tide towards Woods Memorial. In its wake came a smaller sailboat. As the front of the yacht disappeared behind the bridge supports, a southbound sailboat emerged heading the other direction. There there was another.....and another.....and another..........and another.........and another.........and another. Eight southbound sailboats in all passed through the bridge, a large number, even by October/November standards, when Downtown Beaufort is alive with southbound boat traffic.
I walked out into the park, and saw some of the boats veer to the right, towards the Beaufort Marina, while others stayed left, continuing southward. Where were they heading? Hilton Head? Savannah? South Georgia? Florida? The Keys? Somewhere else?
Maybe we can ask them when they come back in March and April.
Where were the planes taking off at the other side of the airport traveling to?
This morning, I enjoyed a similar, albeit more subtle, moment at Common Ground, the excellent coffee shop which overlooks Beaufort's Waterfront Park. Just before 10 a.m., with the sun shimmering on the water and illuminating the tops of automobiles as they pass over the Woods Memorial Bridge, I enjoyed a comfy chair in the corner and gazed out the window at the river.
Moments later, traffic atop the bridge stopped, and a large northbound yacht lumbered against the tide towards Woods Memorial. In its wake came a smaller sailboat. As the front of the yacht disappeared behind the bridge supports, a southbound sailboat emerged heading the other direction. There there was another.....and another.....and another..........and another.........and another.........and another. Eight southbound sailboats in all passed through the bridge, a large number, even by October/November standards, when Downtown Beaufort is alive with southbound boat traffic.
I walked out into the park, and saw some of the boats veer to the right, towards the Beaufort Marina, while others stayed left, continuing southward. Where were they heading? Hilton Head? Savannah? South Georgia? Florida? The Keys? Somewhere else?
Maybe we can ask them when they come back in March and April.
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