Little Pee Dee's Gift - The Cloudbow

We visited Little Pee Dee State Park on the way to Myrtle Beach State Park and her sister Huntington Island State Park.  I had no idea what to expect from Little Pee Dee as I had spent a much larger part of my research and planning on the two beach parks.

Well off the interstate, the road to Little Pee Dee meandered past field after field bursting with white cotton bolls.  These fields are the closest thing South Carolina gets to snow.  It was odd to see the miles of soft billowy white puffs stretching so far ahead of us and bordered by the grey asphalt and the grey sky.  The storm had already passed us over but left evidene of itself on road and sky.  I watched the clouds disapate as we rode on.  I witnessed the sun breaking through and caressing the soft pseudo snowfield of cotton with its bright fingering rays.  The sun, well pleased at the cotton's gentle touch, gained confidence and pushed past seveal more clouds.  She danced among the soft plants and then decided to play a bit with the few clouds which remained up above.  The sun skipped from cloud to cloud picking up the remaining moisture and knitting a rainbow wrap  with which to cover herself.  A cloudbow appeared.  A prism arch of color hung completely overhead decorating the heavenly ceiling with color, light and whimsy.  A cloudbow- I had never known such a spectacle.  I pointed it out to the children and while they thought it pretty, the wonderment of its birth was lost on their youth.  Oh well, some memories are made for mamas.  This is one of mine.  Little Pee Dee will always be the home of the southern snow and the mysterious cloudbow.

We did travel on to the park itself.  Little Pee Dee took us in with welcoming grace.  The children played on the playground, and we all explored down around the lake and on to the spillway.  We watched the other families.  A couple of men were quietly fishing while another family was celebrating a birthday.  Ben hungrily eyed the cake.  "Not today, kid," I replied toward his questioning glance.  I gave him some of the granola we had with us.  Anchor and I led our group into the woods to explore the nature trail.  The passage into the forest was flat and easy.  There was quick access to the road but one still felt secluded among the pine and the holly.  A short quiet explore- legs stretched- stamp gathered and the beauty of the cloudbow etched into my memory, it was time to go.