International Disc Golf Center and Kayaking Lake Thurmond

After lots of urban time in Savannah, we were content to be hanging out in the forest beside the biggest man-made lake east of the Mississippi. We ate all our meals at the motor home because there were almost no alternatives within 30 miles of our campground. We had almost no phone signal, but Mark used his techno magic to point our cell phone booster to get a little communication out into the real world. We did find plenty to keep us busy with our bikes and kayak, and we made a 5-mile trip down the road to the International Disc Golf Center.

There is a museum here, with the proto-type of the very "first disc golf entrapment device." Patented in 1977 as a pole hole, this sport entails flying weighted flying discs (or frisbees) towards it, until the disc is entrapped and the hole is completed.

Just like golf, the goal of the game is to complete each hole in the least number of throws. There are over 3,200 disc golf courses all over the United States, so it is a great sport for full-time RVers. It is also great because it takes only a few discs (that don't take much room in the motor home), and is almost always free to play. But today we are at the top course in the United States, and there is a $5 green fee to play. This is a very challenging course, with trees and lots of elevation changes. There is also a huge water hazard (the lake) that follows the course. For those reasons, we were content today to watch as others teed off at hole one.

There are actually three 18-hole courses here, and they host college and international tournaments throughout the year. This is also the first time we've ever seen a series of "practice greens" for disc golf.

We stayed in this area for five nights, and we finally got the kayak out on that big lake on the last evening. It was the easiest boat launch ever, with the water right at our nicely shaded camping site.

We went out for an evening paddle, and the sun was lighting up the trees that lined the shore.

We were following the inlets that curved in and out of the edge of the lake. We just came around one of those isolated curves and spotted a bald eagle sitting on a log on the shore ahead of us.

He didn't let us get close for a better picture before he took to the air. Following not far behind was a juvenile bald eagle that had also been in the cove. It was a thrill to be entertained by the aerial acrobatics of such majestic birds. We have witnessed another of His wonders on this peaceful kayak trip on the lake.

As the sun sets lower in the sky, we paddled to an island in the middle of our section of the lake. It was guarded by a single canadian goose, who squawked a greeting that let us know we were not welcome.

We love a sunset over the water, and it was a great way to say good-bye to Thurmond Lake on Clarks Hill, and our nice site at Petersburg campground. There are so many peaceful places to call home, but it's time to go on down the road to discover more of His wonders.