The Smell of the Lowcountry

Wow! What a difference a week makes. Last week riding in late August felt just like that, late summer in the Deep South. You would go through your water bottles like a plow horse in the middle of a cotton field. Today, it was overcast and in the mid 70's. What a change! Without the sun and the heat wrapping around you like a glove, my 20 mile ride today was easy, peasy.

I don't know whether or not it was the change in the weather, but on Wappoo Road (this is the part of my course that goes along the Stono River)there was this distinct smell of the Lowcountry Water thick in the air. The breeze was coming off the Stono and it brought all the wondrous fragrances from the resident marine wildlife. The oyster beds and other sea inhabitants were at full throttle. Very strong. But I do like it I must say because it's definitely something you only find when you live by the ocean. I guess someone who lives in Iowa, they can take in the smell of corn fields. Or someone in Wisconsin, they take in the smell of cheese. And then again, someone in Oklahoma can take in the smell of tornadoes. And even someone in Colorado can take in the smell of Aspens. But down here, we relish the times when we get to take in the smell of sea creatures (some dead, some alive).
And believe it or not, this is another cool feature that brings so many people to the Carolina Beaches to vacation.