A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
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Laura and I had to make an extended trip down to Florida to assist with her mother. Since her sister, Amy, lives right on the water, I try to get in as much paddling as possible. This time we had a few pesky tropical storms get in the way. Even so, I was able to set a personal best pace for a long paddle, and spend some time on a peaceful island.
I got a call from my friend Paul that he, Carin, and Greg were planning to take Stand Up Paddling lessons at Saluda Lake this past Saturday. I declined the lessons, but said that Laura and I would join them on kayaks. It turned out to be a great day of paddling, of both types.
It’s another Lowcountry Unfiltered Second Saturday, which means paddling with my friends. Last month we traveled up to the Fall Line to paddle Turkey and Stevens Creeks. This month we would be hanging close to home, at least for the majority of our paddlers. We would be paddling the May River, launching from Bluffton. It wasn’t close to home for me, though. I made the four-hour drive down yesterday in time to do some pre-LCU paddling with Tim Brown on the New River. Today’s exploration with the larger group would be quite different.
Read More “Paddling the May River with Lowcountry Unfiltered” »
This was a second Saturday weekend, and we had a paddling trip planned with Lowcountry unfiltered. For this trip the guys decided to stay close to home – their home near Bluffton, SC. I planned to head down a day early and do some photography, but a friend from Savannah had another suggestion. We would sneak in another paddling trip Friday afternoon. For this trip we would be heading to the New River, between Hardeeville and Bluffton.
Three of the things I’ve never done: I’d never kayaked on the Catawba River, even though the Catawba River Keeper website links to some of my resources about the river. I had never been to Lansford Canal State Park. I had never seen spider lilies in bloom. All of that was about to change.
Another Second Saturday and time for a Lowcountry Unfiltered adventure. This was actually a cross-over event, with as many participants from the Church of the Double-Bladed Paddle group on Facebook as LCU participants. Granted, two of us were in both groups, but still. The venue was one for the books – Turkey Creek and Stevens Creek in McCormick County turned out to be a waterway with an identity crisis. It didn’t know if it wanted to be Upcountry or Lowcountry.
Read More “A River with an Identity Crisis: Paddling Turkey and Stevens Creeks” »
There’s a problem with belonging to several paddling groups on Facebook. Everyone is posting these fantastic shots of their paddling trips, and I start to develop a case of paddling envy. With beautiful weather this past week, I decided I had to get out on the water, even if it was just a short paddle on a local lake. After looking at several options, I decided on Saluda Lake on the west side of Greenville.
Been a busy couple of weeks. One of those weeks was a spring break trip to Florida where I got absolutely no writing nor blogging done. Here’s a quite wrap up of our spring break…
We have built up several New Years traditions over the years. If we’re at home, we have a fondue dinner on the Eve while watching the year roll in. The morning rings in with a breakfast casserole and mimosas. We watch the Rose Parade (per instructions from the Californian in the household) while taking down the Christmas tree, and have nachos while watching the Rose Bowl Game.
That’s a normal year. However, the past couple of years have been anything but normal. Last year I started the year by myself as Laura had to be with her mom. I took the opportunity to watch the sun rise from the highest point in South Carolina, Sassafras Mountain. This year I was in Florida for New Year for the first time ever. Since I had missed my usual Winter Solstice Sunrise paddle, I decided to do a First Light paddle.
It’s hard to believe that Christmas has rolled around again. Earlier in the week we made the trek down to Laura’s sister’s house in Florida so that we could spend the holiday with Amy and their mother. It was hot, but so far we’ve had a good time.