Skip to content

Random Connections

A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Photos
  • Resources
  • Other Voices
  • Post Archives
  • Home
  • Travel
  • Warblers, Cabins and UFOs

Warblers, Cabins and UFOs

Posted on April 8, 2012 By Tom No Comments on Warblers, Cabins and UFOs
Travel

Beidler Forest-009

We spent the night in St. George. It was far enough away from the Charleston and coastal areas for us to find a room, but fairly close to our morning destination. The plan was to hit Beidler Forest as soon as it opened at 9:00 and spend as much time as possible there.

We had planned to visit yesterday, but when we checked the calendar on their website we saw that three fifth grade classes were going to be visiting. I’m sure it was going to be a great visit for the kids, but that meant it would probably be too noisy for our tastes.

Laura and I have been coming to watch birds at Beidler for many years now. The 2 mile boardwalk winds through an area of Four Holes Swamp, and one of the main attractions is the bright yellow Prothonotary Warbler. We hoped to spot a few, as well as some other birds on our visit today.

As we pulled into the parking lot a family with teens and pre-teens unloaded. The kids were loud, and we feared the worst. However, as soon as they got on the boardwalk they got quiet. Their parents had told them that if they hoped to spot any wildlife they would have to walk quietly. Even so, we took the boardwalk in the opposite direction so as to maximize our chances of seeing something.

Beidler ForestBeidler Forest-003

It was still quite windy and chilly, but much sunnier than yesterday. However, that meant that the birds stayed in the treetops in the sunshine, and didn’t venture down to the swamp area that much. We could hear the birds, but it was frustrating that we couldn’t spot them.

We continued along the boardwalk, spotting some interesting bugs and lots of spider webs. We pretty much had it all to ourselves. It wasn’t until we reached the back stretch of the boardwalk that we started to see spots of yellow.

Beidler Forest-006Beidler Forest-007Beidler Forest-008Beidler Forest-010

We also saw several yellow-rumped warblers, but I wasn’t able to shoot any.

We continued until we got to Goodson Lake, where we just hung out at the observation tower for awhile. There didn’t seem to be much activity there, but it was a nice rest.

Beidler Forest-013Beidler Forest-012Beidler Forest-014

By this time the crowds were starting to pick up, and some were noisier than others. There was a class from The Citadel, and there were several “serious” photographers with long lenses. I use quotes because one loudly complained about not being able to photograph the local barred owl, or one particular woodpecker. Laura and I both thought that if he would just shut up we might see something. I was able to get a photo of the downy woodpecker long before he did.

Beidler Forest-020

This last stretch also brought us closer to some reptilian wildlife. There was one bright green lizard, and a large cottonmouth. I thought the snake was dead, but Laura insisted otherwise.

Beidler Forest-015Beidler Forest-016Beidler Forest-017Beidler Forest-018

By this time it was well past lunch and we were tired. We headed back to the car and made our departure from Beidler. However, we weren’t done with interesting stops.

As with the trip down, we decided to avoid the interstate as much as possible on the route back. I also asked if we could make a couple of detours. The first place I wanted to visit was the old Indian Field Methodist Camp Meeting, which was in between St. George and Reevesvile.

Nearby Indian Fields Methodist Church was founded in the late 1700’s, and an annual camp meeting was established shortly thereafter. The current camp meeting site was constructed in 1848, with updates and revisions over the intervening years.

A central open air tabernacle is surrounded by a ring of “tents”. These are basically primitive cabins, each with its own outhouse behind.
The tents are private property and most have been passed down through generations of families.

Indian Field Camp Meeting-006Indian Field Camp Meeting-007Indian Field Camp Meeting-017

Because they are privately owned, each tent is slightly different. Some look like they have been updated more recently. Even so, accommodations still seem quite primitive.

Indian Field Camp Meeting-002Indian Field Camp Meeting-003Indian Field Camp Meeting-004Indian Field Camp Meeting-011

For some reason Laura didn’t like the vibe from the place. She said it struck her as “cultish.” To me it just seemed historic. However, the new bright green tin roof on the tabernacle seemed a bit out of place with the weathered boards of the tents.

Indian Field Camp Meeting Panorama

When I saw that our route would take us through Bowman, SC, I knew we would have to make one last stop. I was finally going to get to see the infamous UFO Welcome Center.

UFO Welcome Center-001

Jody Pendarvis started building his UFO in the back yard of his mobile home in 1995. He started charging $1 for tours of the odd building. In 2003 he added an upper structure, and with the rise in popularity, so did the admission prices, reaching a peak of $20 a person by 2005. Roadside America now indicates a $3 per person charge.

We didn’t see if Jody was giving any tours, but just contented ourselves with views from the outside. That was probably for the best, because the structure looks like it’s crumbling. There are sagging sections, and bits of debris ringing the UFO. Right now it doesn’t look very space-worthy.

UFO Welcome CenterUFO Welcome Center-002

I don’t know how much longer this thing will stand, but I’m glad we got here in time to see it.

We continued our trek on the back roads of South Carolina, eventually reaching Columbia. From there we hit the interstate and headed on home. It had been an interesting weekend, and we had certainly seen some new things.

Tags: Biedler Forest birding Camp Meeting Four Holes Swamp South Carolina swamp UFO Weirdness

Post navigation

❮ Previous Post: Old Dorchester and ACE Basin
Next Post: Camera Dilemma ❯

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Categories

  • EdTech (200)
  • Entertainment (202)
  • Family (122)
  • Gear (115)
  • General Technology (99)
  • Geocaching and Maps (208)
  • History and Genealogy (266)
  • Internet (144)
  • Local (453)
  • Miscellaneous (550)
  • Music (198)
  • Paddling (255)
  • Photography (780)
  • Podcast (6)
  • Rambling (227)
  • Rants (161)
  • Recipes (34)
  • Religion (48)
  • Restaurants (165)
  • Science (48)
  • Things Overheard (29)
  • Travel (412)
  • Uncategorized (129)
  • Washington Sabbatical (113)
  • Weirdness (60)

Recent Posts

  • Purple Martins on Lake Murray
  • A Session on Sessions
  • Exploring the Wall at Jocassee
  • 15th Annual Lowcountry Unfiltered Edisto River Beer Commercial and Rope Swing Float
  • Retirement Reflections

Recent Comments

  • Tommy L on An Irish Pub Roundup – Part 3, The Greenville Pubs
  • Thomas Toney on Orphaned Graveyards – Fellowship Church
  • Ron Chicone, Jr. on Purple Martins on Lake Murray
  • Jacob Braxton on About Us
  • Andrea White on Low Falls and the Chattanooga Star

Tags

blogging cemetery Christmas Columbia Edisto River edtech Entertainment family Flickr Florida Furman Furman University gear Georgia geotagging Ghost Town Ghost Towns Google Earth Google Maps GPS Greenville Greenville Chorale history Instructional Technology kayaking Lake Jocassee LCU Lowcountry Unfiltered maps Music North Carolina Paddling Photography rambling restaurant Restaurants review singing social networking South Carolina time-lapse Travel video Washington Washington State
September 2023
S M T W T F S
 12
3456789
10111213141516
17181920212223
24252627282930
« Jul    

Copyright © 2023 Random Connections.

Theme: Oceanly by ScriptsTown