Happy Halloween!

Croft State Park, Spartanburg, SC

Not that some people go overboard for Halloween, but this was just part of one display at the Croft State Park in South Carolina where I landed after the October storm that hit the east coast managed to also hit Asheville, NC, where I'd planned to spend a few days after getting chased off the Blue Ridge Parkway by the same storm.  Got all that?

I've been spoiled by the series of almost-empty campgrounds I've found on my trip thus far, and when pulling in, didn't figure this small state campground would be any different.  What I didn't know was that Saturday night was the annual park Halloween party - and if it weren't for a couple of late cancellations, I'd have not gotten a spot at all.  (I found out later that people reserve the spots for this night eleven months in advance.)

I was amazed and amused by the amount of work people put into decorating their campsites - for just one night!  The photo above wasn't even the winning entry in the site-decoration contest; that was reserved for the people who brought in a load of sand to create a tableau of skeletons sunning on the beach, complete with swimsuits, sunscreen, umbrellas and camp chairs.  It was great fun for all involved.

Except for yours truly.  I didn't have any candy with me, and the first couple of people I talked to weren't too friendly, so I spent the evening with the front curtains drawn and the lights dimmed, so I wouldn't be disappointing any children.  I felt like a real Halloween Scrooge; alone, very alone.  (Though I did keep the back curtains open so I could admire the costumes on young and old from afar.  It was quite a parade.)

I had to do laundry and run some errands on Sunday, so I stayed at the park a second night.  It was a whole new scene.  We were back to the 1/3 full conditions I've become used to, quiet reigned, the weather was late-fall perfection.  When I heard someone playing bluegrass down the road, I wandered by for a listen, and got invited to stay for dinner.  Thus assured my social cooties from the previous evening had worn off, I stayed for a spell, and had a great time.