On the way from Calabash to Sunset Beach in North Carolina, the one road in crosses over part of the Long Bay Inlet. Keep following the inlet east and you’ll end up in some golf communities (Oyster Bay and Sea Trail Plantation). Follow it west, and if you know where you’re going you can end up headed out into the Atlantic. If you don’t know where you’re going you’ll end up either grounded in the mud in the marsh, or cruising down the waterfront in Little River SC, on your way to North Myrtle Beach and points south on the Intracoastal waterway.
During the drive from home to the shore there are 2 mileposts for me. The first is Darlington Raceway in Darlington SC. Not because I’m a big NASCAR fan, but because passing that track is about halfway between homes, and it’s the place where my mind shifts from working to relaxing. The second is this inlet. If it’s late afternoon on a clear day the view is at least this good, usually better. If there’s no breeze and it’s just about between tides there’s no current and the water is like a mirror. There’s few homes and little traffic, so I almost always stop for a few minutes and sit on the guardrail overlooking the edge, just taking in the view and looking for the first birds of the trip. The tang of the breeze from the marsh, the silence, the inlet, and the luxury of just being able to sit and take it all in for a few minutes is the perfect way to start decompressing, whether it’s for a few days, or a few weeks.
I have many different shots of this same view of the inlet, but this one is my favorite. I think it’s the late winter angle of the light, I’m not sure. Anyway…
