It was late in the afternoon when we arrived at Shem Creek Park. We had scouted the place the day before and we wanted to return to dine in one of its restaurants.

The park can be found at the southern part of Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina. It sits near the mouth of Shem Creek, a tributary to the Cooper River, before it merges with the waters of the North Atlantic. Charleston Harbor lies just west of it. We spent a day at the beach of the Isle of Palms located farther to the east.

We walked part of the boardwalk the day before and found that it extended farther into the mouth of the creek. The bars and restaurants were teeming with people but we didn’t have time to set a reservation. Parking was full and confusing. We finally figured out that the best parking was right in front of our preferred restaurant. Not much choice.

The food and the service were good. We didn’t stay long as we wanted to explore the boardwalk. The bar across the creek had more patrons now than when we arrived. Their floating deck was getting illuminated with muted lights and it reflected its colorful lights on the water. Further down the boardwalk, a fisherman was cleaning his catch and the pelicans were eagerly awaiting the cast off in the water. I didn’t know pelicans were good swimmers.

The sun was setting and reflecting a warm glow on the perching pelicans. We were admiring the sight when we also caught sight of dolphins swimming up and down the creek. Interesting! The warm setting sun was also bathing the length of the boardwalk as we moseyed along.

The setting sun soon dipped below the horizon. A golden glow was lingering for while but ultimately gave way to darkness. Only the light from the lamp posts allowed us to see the way back from the distant portion of the boardwalk. Our day at Shem Park Creek had ended.