A collection of photography and exploration focusing on Upstate South Carolina and beyond.
I needed to do something totally unrelated to dealing with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene. For several months Debbie Weeks from the Upstate Cemetery Preservation Alliance has been inviting me to join them on several outings, but the timing just never worked out. This time the planets aligned and I was about to join them. … Read More “Antioch and GPR” »
It seems that my paddling group, Lowcountry Unfiltered, has fallen apart. We’ve all been pulled in different directions and Second Saturday trips are no longer a given. There’s another Facebook paddling group called Carolina Splash Mob that has paddling trips just about every weekend. My plan was to join them on Saturday for a trip … Read More “Paddling Keowee on a Busy Saturday” »
For well over a year now I’ve been playing in a Bluegrass jam at Fireforge Crafted Beer in downtown Greenville. The jam is hosted by Matt Puriton and Sam Kruer and features some amazing musicians from around the upstate. Each week I’m amazed at the quality of music that comes out, and we have a … Read More “Bluegrass at Fireforge” »
I’ve been wanting to get on the water as much as possible. Greg Springsteen had told me about a new outfitter group that rents kayaks and runs a shuttles on a specific section of the Saluda River. This just so happens to be a section of the Saluda that I’ve never run, but has been … Read More “Saluda River from Hunt’s Bridge to Farr’s Bridge” »
Last week I learned that 13 Stripes in the old Southern Bleachery at Taylors Mill was hosting a sea shanty sing-along. I’ve been wanting to do one of these for a long time. I had even thought about getting a group started myself. I loved the sing-alongs I did at the Bellingham Celtic Festival and … Read More “Sea Shanties at 13 Stripes” »
This past Sunday I was privileged to attend the Farewell Reunion of Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor at the Belton Depot in Belton, South Carolina. For fifteen years Jack Ellenburg provided a place for musicians to gather and share Bluegrass, Gospel, and other tunes in a free, family-friendly environment. The Pickin’ Parlor closed in 2014, but its … Read More “A Farewell Reunion for Jack’s Pickin’ Parlor” »
Thursday was going to be a spectacular day and I was bound and determined to take advantage of it. I ran through my list of local paddling venues trying to decide where to go. I settled on a new place that wasn’t too far away that I’d been wanting to explore. I launched from a … Read More “Paddling with Cicadas Below Hartwell Dam” »
Some days are just absolutely perfect for paddling. This past Saturday was one of them. It was a Second Saturday, which meant a trip with Lowcountry Unfiltered. This particular Saturday we would be heading back to Sparkleberry Swamp, but the goal was to explore a new section of the swamp. There would be only three … Read More “From Sparkleberry to Packs Landing” »
The Temple of Health was a stage coach stop in upper Abbeville County. It got its name from a set of springs that were purported to have healing properties. Here are the links to information within the podcast… Blog posts: Script for this episode The theme music for Carolina Ghost Towns is “Summertime” by LesFM. Other … Read More “Carolina Ghost Towns – The Temple of Health” »
Ferguson was a lumber town founded an the banks of the Santee River by the Santee River Cypress Lumber Company. All that’s left of the town is on Ferguson Island in Lake Marion. Here are the links to information within the podcast… Multiple blog posts: Script for this episode The theme music for Carolina Ghost … Read More “Carolina Ghost Towns – Ferguson” »