My goal for the day was to avoid any center of commerce or any road leading to such an area. Since it was such a beautiful day, I thought it would be nice to get out and take some photos.
Before heading out on my photo tour, I did make one stop at a store. I swung by Cameras Unlimited on Wade Hampton (map). As far as I can tell, it’s the last of the independently run camera shops in town. It’s certainly one of the last where you can find a full line of dark room chemicals and supplies. I tried out a Nikon 18-200mm and a Sigma 18-200mm on my camera, but left without purchasing either. However, I may be back.
I started my tour with a quick spin through the mill villages around Greenville. There are some very unusual hidden sites around town that the Eastside soccer crowd tends to avoid. The old Union Bleachery area (map) can be spooky, but does have some interesting places for photography if you’re into that urban decay sort of art.
From the Westside of Greenville, I headed down toward the Connestee area. I wasn’t up for a hike around the lake, but I did want to take some shots of the dam (map) and of the the McBee Chapel (map). Unfortunately, I struck out on both accounts. The area around the dam was fenced off with No Trespassing signs, and when I got to the chapel, a big pick-up truck was parked right in front.
From Connestee I headed south to Fork Shoals, following the Reedy River. Most of the farmland along the way has been consumed by housing developments, so there was nothing really to shoot. I made it to the community Fork Shoals, I continued along the river and stumbled upon Cedar Falls (map). I’d never heard of this area before. Again, there were No Trespassing signs everywhere, but there was a nice view from the road. The actual falls are part of an old dam, but there were some significant shoals below the dam, if it weren’t drought conditions, I bet there would be quite an impressive flow of water here.
I left Fork Shoals and drove to the Fairview community. Fairview Presbyterian (map) is a historic church founded in 1786. The white frame church still has the balconies that served as slave galleries in antebellum times. I’ve never been in the church, but would like to visit just to photograph the interior sometime.
My route home took me through Fountain Inn and Simpsonville. I was astounded at how much growth has occurred in this area. I took a quick turn through Heritage (map) Simpsonville. It would have been a nice park if it hadn’t been bordered by one of the most depressing housing developments I’ve ever seen – identical McMansions with no trees and very little yards.
