A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
0
On Google Earth and my old topo maps, Eastern Tennessee is lined with long mountain ridges and long valleys, running diagonally from southwest to northeast. These are the "wrinkles" were created when the Smokey Mountain Thrust Sheet slammed into the area millions of years ago. Our plan was to try to get to the Cumberland … Read More “From Townsend to Cumberland Gap” »
I’ve always had mixed feelings about the Great Smokey Mountains. The RQ (Redneck Quotient) is always just a tad higher than I prefer. I guess it has something to do with the proximity to Dollywood, the Grand Ol’ Opry, and the heart of Appalachia. Regardless, we were in the mood to avoid crowds today, especially … Read More “Tuckaleechee Caverns” »
Today was a Great Smokey Mountains day. We started by driving up to Mingo Falls, which technically isn’t in the National Park. The trail up, included an incredible staircase, but the waterfall was quite nice. After the falls we headed into the park proper. There was an obligatory stop at Mingus Mills, then a side … Read More “From Cherokee to Townsend” »
With Tropical Depression Barry threatening, we had a leisurely start to our vacation travels. This trip, we’re going to see a big hole in the ground. We’re hoping to make our way to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky, exploring the backroads of Appalachia along the way. The first leg of the journey took us up I-26, then … Read More “From Greenville to Cherokee” »
As it turns out, I’m not the only one who likes to drive around the state and take photographs. For some time now I have followed the travels of Flickr photographer and friend SisuDave from Greenwood. One of Dave’s pet projects is photographing businesses with a first name in the title, such as John’s Transmissions … Read More “More Flickr Finds for South Carolina” »
Bodie Ghost Town When one hears the words "Ghost town", one usually conjures up images of an abandoned prospectors’ town somewhere out west, similar to the picture of Bodie, California seen above. However, South Carolina has its fair share of ghost towns. While tumbleweeds and swinging saloon doors may not provide the scenery for the … Read More “Ghost Towns of South Carolina” »
St. George turned out to be a fine place to stay. The room at the Quality Inn was nice and cheap, and there was free WiFi and continental breakfast. This also put us just thirty minutes from Beidler Forest. We arrived at Beidler just a few minutes after it opened. Sunday is usually a … Read More “From Marsh to Swamp” »
Laura and I decided to get away for the weekend. I made reservations in the [sarcasm] lovely [/sarcasm] lowcountry town of St. George, and early Saturday morning we headed south. I picked St. George because I knew I could find something decent cheap near the Interstate. Also, we ultimately wanted to wind up at Beidler … Read More “From Swamp to Marsh” »
We ended our trip to Florida with a sunset cruise around the Indian River. Amy was kind enough to help find the best vantage point for sunset photos, while I clicked away. I managed to fill up and entire 2-gig SD card. The next morning we were up early for our departure. As I … Read More “Florida Sunset” »
Amy always complains that there aren’t very many good restaurants in the Fort Pierce area. Although the selection isn’t as extensive as Greenville, I figured there had to be some hidden gems. I had driven through downtown Fort Pierce and spotted a couple of potential targets. Tonight, Laura and I decided to try Yianni’s Greek … Read More “Yianni’s Greek Cafe” »