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.