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.
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