The 'UFO' identified

The object which flew and defied identification was probably a bird and a trick of perspective.

Jocassee, Keowee, Oconee

We visited a couple of places in Oconee County, SC yesterday. First, after changing our minds a few dozen times about where to go, we headed through Edgefield, SC. Yep, that's closer to Disgusta, GA than it is to Oconee County. After heading through Edgefield, we skirted Greenwood and headed up Hwy 28 towards Oconee County. It was a very relaxing, scenic drive, and we passed a couple of places I have wanted to visit (Parson's Mountain, Issaqueena Falls/Stumphouse Tunnel, etc.). Eventually, we reached our (un)planned destination, Oconee State Park.

At OSP, we parked at the main parking and went to the office to get a map for the trails. The trail that John wanted to take, named Palmetto, was not on their handout map. It was on a map by the door, but it wasn't clearly marked because the legend got in the way. We were going to take the Hidden Falls trail (again, the legend had blocked part of the park on the maps) after getting directions from a park staffer. Unfotunately, the parking for the trailheads was full. It wasn't a large parking lot anyway. The next nearest public parking was back at the office and would have added nearly 3 miles to our walk. We figured that we wouldn't have the energy for that, so we skipped hiking.

We're going to go back sometime in the Spring, though. In the mean time, have a picture of a statue of a Civilian Conservation Corp worker with disturbing nipples.





Our next stop was further up Hwy 107. There's a beautiful overlook there. Over the mountains behind you lies the very Northeastern most part of Georgia. In front of you, you can just barely see Lake Keowee and a tiny glimpse of what appeared to be the cooling towers of the nuclear power plant there. My photos from there didn't turn out well. It's a shame because it's a view that literally can take your breath away.

Just a bit further up 107 was a trout hatchery run by the state. Visiting this made us hungry. Well, it made me hungry. John wanted to feed the fish. We only had one quarter, so he only fed a couple of fish. He spent a bit of the trek back up from that valley trying to convince me that fish are cute, while I tried to convince him that fish are dinner.

Further up the highway, around a bend, and then on Highway 130, we stopped at another overlook. This one overlooks Lake Jocassee and its dam. I thought—until this morning anyways—that we were looking at Lake Keowee. The photos from here did turn out, but they're a little out of focus because of foreground objects. The view was spectacular, but it wasn't as dizzying as from Highway 107.






Amusingly enough, we saw a UFO (an object which defied identification and flew at the same time) at Lake Jocassee. I don't know what it was, but it appeared to be about the size of a car, floated out over the lake, and hovered. We lost sight of it, and I didn't get any pictures. I don't believe little grey men are visiting the Earth, so I don't know what it was. It was well below us in elevation, so I seriously doubt it was a helicopter.

Oconee State Park and Lake Jocassee

We didn't do any actual hiking. Pictures now. Explanations later when I'm more awake.

Landsford Canal State Park, Nov 2nd, 2007

Landsford Canal State Park is what remains of a canal off the Catawba River in South Carolina. Now, we've got canal parks here in Carrumbia, but Landsford is said to be the best preserved. The Catawba River is also home to some incredibly rare flowers (not officially listed as critically endangered yet, but they should be). They weren't blooming when we went, but I got a picture of a clump of them below. This is from an overlook where you can sit and look at the lilies (and of course the river). John and I sat down to enjoy the view and were talking about how sick people were when we spotted one of the park's resident bald eagles swooping down past the overlook. We just stopped talking and grinned at one another like a couple of kids.



That moment made the whole trip worth it, I think. That's why we go do these things. Ostensibly, it's for exercise, but really, we're doing it to be reminded of how beautiful the world is. Seeing a bald eagle fly over gentle rapids, rocky shoals, and beautiful plants makes me think the world isn't such a bad place after all.



It's a beautiful park full of history and wildlife. There are some markers explaining the historical ruins. We didn't visit the interpretive center, but what we did see made it well worth the trip. I would like to take a canoe trip down the Catawba near these shoals in May-June when the Rocky Shoals Spider Lilies are blooming. That will take some persuasion, though.

No pictures today

Things (re)learned today:

1. A picnic table, a shoddily built deck over a fetid pond, and a parking lot equals a recreation area in SC.
2. The vast majority of Southerners are not polite, gentle folk. They are ignorant, belligerent rednecks.
3. Hunting is the only reason to go outdoors. People who like to walk around and take pictures are commies.
4. National Forest land exists at the whim of Georgia-Pacific.
5. Government employees are not there to help you.

Peachtree Rock Preserve, 2007-10-29, noonish

Peachtree Rock is one of my favorite places in the Midlands of South Carolina. It's the like a whole world away from places like Congaree Creek or Congaree Swamp, yet it's not very far from either of these. It has a bit of the sand hills in it. It used to be a part of the ocean floor many moons ago.



Today, I walked over to Little Peachtree Rock. Because of its location in the preserve, there is less graffiti and vandalism on Little Peachtree Rock. You can also get closer to this one, if you're willing to step in perfect spots for snakes to sun themselves.



Those tubes and burrow holes were probably left by shrimps and worms around 60 million years ago.



This "far end" of the trail at Peachtree Rock always takes my breath away, partly because I have to climb up and down so much on that side.

Carolina Raptor Center, Monday, October 22nd, 2007

We've needed a few things from Costco, and I've been putting off going for a while now. Today, I was going to go to Charleston to get those things and to take pictures. I found out there's a Costco in Charlotte. Charlotte is closer, but the traffic is nearly worse than in Charleston. Still, Charlotte on a cloudy day is better than Charleston during thunderstorms.

By some small miracle, there's a Sam Ash right next door to Coscto in Charlotte. I was able to get out of Sam Ash without spending money, but it was a close thing. While in there, I heard about a shop called Celtic Trader which may have sold my stated reason for going to Sam Ash: bodhrán beaters. Unfortunately, it turns out Celtic Trader has closed their doors. The drummer at Sam Ash thought they might still be open, but he hadn't been that way in a while. After some searching on foot and dealing with people who don't know a music shop from a record shop, I found out that Celtic Trader had closed down. Well, it was probably for the best as far as my finances today are concerned. It's a shame, though.

Another thing around Charlotte that I've been hoping to visit is the Carolina Raptor Center. My love of dinosaurs spills over to their modern day cousins, birds. If you want to get within a couple of feet of a killer bird—close enough to smell its lunch in the noon day sun— then this is definitely the place to do it. There are some beautiful birds here, and I wish I was a better photographer.

Redcliffe Plantation, Saturday October 20th, 2007

This past Saturday was full of thick, Southern promise which was made with real lard. Originally, my darling hubbin was going to be hung over and recovering in bed from a party on Friday night. I was going to go to the SC Wooden Boat Show since he wouldn't want to go. This did not so much happen because we both spent Friday in bed. We spent so much of it in bed that he slept nearly 12 hours, and I overslept by an hour making myself 20 minutes late for work.

This basically means we were fresh as daisies for traipsing about on Saturday. I found out more about the SC Wooden Boat Show which made me less inclined to go. I found out about some other festivals on Saturday and ran them by John. He found a few more, and we decided on the Living History Park's shindig in North Augusta, SC.

We found out that the Living History Park was basically a ren faire for different time periods. Since parking was a nightmare, we gave up on that and went to look for food. Long story short, we found the best mustard based barbecue we'd ever had. We also found out that folks in Langley, SC have two things: God and sweet potatoes. We didn't bother stopping at the Sweet Potato Festival in Langley. Since we'd been thinking about going for a while, though, we ended up at the Redcliffe Plantation.



In spite of the company—cranky people older than Methuselah from a church in Carrumbia and some rednecks—it was really pretty enjoyable. The guide was knowledgeable, as most of the State Park interpretive guides tend to be. The park was well maintained. The house was beautiful. The only real drawback was the drought. It was dryer than a camel toe. We had a chance to go to a once-a-year tour of a nearby graveyard, but I had to go home and get some sleep. We'll probably go back again for some more pictures since the batteries died in the camera.

Your moment of zen

Great Blue Heron in a pond at the Edisto Memorial Gardens in Downtown Orangeburg, SC.

New Coke with bullet holes...

Not so much of the travel today, and only one picture. When I finally felt well enough to hold the camera steady today, work traffic had started. There were accidents all over the place, including areas where I wanted to stop and take a few shots. I settled for this. I'll ask my beloved husband to put some gas in the car tonight or tomorrow morning so that I can go a little further afield while he's sleeping. I would like to visit some of the rural areas around Orangeburg tomorrow. I might even brave North, SC.

The trouble with travel

In a 48 hour period, I drove well over 1000 miles total. Some of it was beautiful and almost serene. Some of it was ugly and hurtful. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera. I don't have any pictures to post this time. There are too many wooded areas that used to be part of National Forest land or abutted said NF land which are now subdivisions. There are new houses which the Mountain Protection Act would have prevented. There are farms where there should be grasslands and riparian zones. North Georgia is still beautiful to me. It is still home. However, it is changing for the worse. Sic transit gloria mundi.

Picture posties, picture posties

John and I visited Forty Acre Rock Heritage Preserve and NR Goodale State Park . We didn't get very far on either hiking trail. Perhaps sometime in the Winter when there are fewer bugs we'll go again. I'd like to see Forty Acre Rock in both the Winter and the early Spring.

We went because, for once, we both had off on a Saturday night. This won't happen again for another month and a half. My next "time off" is for John's birthday and then for Halloween. I plan on going camping for Halloween, so let's hope there's some good weather then.

Flounce Free

I haven't packed up my toys and gone home. I am just "re-envisioning" my blawg.