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Tag: South Carolina

Mid-Week Jocassee

Posted on September 29, 2016 By Tom 4 Comments on Mid-Week Jocassee
Paddling, Photography

Lake Jocassee with Bennie Waddell-113

Bennie Waddell and I have been trying to keep to our paddling schedule, even though we haven’t been able to make it work every week. Regardless of whether or not we can actually paddle that day (sickness, weather, conflict, etc., etc) I think it’s important that it at least be on the schedule. We’re more likely actually to hit the water than simply saying, “Oh we need to do X someday…” Wednesday the stars aligned, and we were both able to take the trip up to Lake Jocassee that we had missed last week. It was an excellent day of paddling.

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Bull Island with the Upstate Minis

Posted on September 26, 2016 By Tom 3 Comments on Bull Island with the Upstate Minis
Paddling, Photography, Rambling, Travel

Bull Island with the Upstate Minis-35

The Upstate Minis have been organizing some fantastic trips, lately, and I’ve been trying to take part in more of these. A few weeks ago Laura and I joined them for their X-Files Mystery Tour to PARI. This time, Jeff Goodman planned a trip down to the “Boneyard” on Bull Island to do some dawn photography. Sadly, Laura wasn’t able to go with us because of work. So, on Friday I swapped the Subaru for her Mini and joined the rest of the group for the drive down.

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Lost and Forgotten Towns under South Carolina’s Lakes

Posted on September 16, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on Lost and Forgotten Towns under South Carolina’s Lakes
Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy

Submerged Towns in SC Lite.001

Several months ago I received and e-mail from Kes Crumpler. Kes is with the Lake Murray Power Squadron, and asked if I’d be willing to give a talk to their group about ghost towns under South Carolina’s lakes. Since I’m no stranger to public speaking, I said, “Sure!” Although I was completely unsure as to what a “power squadron” was.

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Touring Historic Elmwood at Night

Posted on September 15, 2016September 17, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on Touring Historic Elmwood at Night
History and Genealogy

Elmwood Cemetery Tour-58

The second Thursday of each month Historic Columbia offers tours of the historic Elmwood Cemetery at the north end of town. I decided it was time to check it out, so I made reservations for Dwight Moffitt and me to attend.

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The West Bank of Jocassee

Posted on August 18, 2016August 18, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on The West Bank of Jocassee
Paddling

Lake Jocassee-7

Jocassee can be many things. Beginning paddlers can hang close to the bank and still get to some cool geological features and small waterfalls. Intermediate paddlers and venture further up to Wright Creek Falls and the Thompson River and Whitewater River areas. Experienced paddlers can take longer trips across open water to the Horsepasture and Toxaway arms of the lake. Regardless of the route taken, conditions on the lake can change in an instance, turning a leisurely paddle into a real challenge. That was really born out on my most recent trip to the lake.

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The Coves of East Jocassee

Posted on June 25, 2016June 25, 2016 By Tom No Comments on The Coves of East Jocassee
Paddling, Photography

Lake Jocassee Kayaking-3

The day was supposed to be hot. I thought the perfect antidote would be a cool mountain lake. So, Thursday morning I headed out early for what I thought would be a quick morning paddle on Lake Jocassee. As usual, I got caught up in the thrill of wanting to see what was just around the next bend, and wound up spending most of the day there. It met all my requirements for a cool lake, and then some.

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Chasing the Swamp Rabbit – Part 2, From Salley to Wagener

Posted on May 20, 2016May 20, 2016 By Tom 8 Comments on Chasing the Swamp Rabbit – Part 2, From Salley to Wagener
Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Salley Cargo Depot

I had been on an excursion to track down the Swamp Rabbit Railroad – not the well-known one in Greenville County, but a lesser-known railroad that ran from Blackville in Barnwell County to the ghost town of Sievern in Lexington County. I was following a map developed by Mitch Bailey of Lexington, with data points form the map loaded into my GPS. So far I’d traced the railroad from Blackville to Springfield, but I still had a ways to go.

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Chasing the Swamp Rabbit (No, Not That One)

Posted on May 20, 2016May 20, 2016 By Tom 2 Comments on Chasing the Swamp Rabbit (No, Not That One)
Geocaching and Maps, History and Genealogy, Photography, Rambling

Springfield Caboose

When folks in this area hear the phrase “Swamp Rabbit Railroad”, they probably think of the Swamp Rabbit Trail, which has garnered so many accolades. Use of the name has been growing as the moniker “Swamp Rabbit” has been taken by many new businesses, usually those located along the trail on the old railway. The trail has gotten so popular that even the local pro hockey team changed their name from Road Warriors to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits.

As most Greenvillians know, the trail was named for the former Greenville and Northern Railroad, nicknamed the Swamp Rabbit because its route took it through the wetlands of the upper Reedy River. However, the lowly sylvilagus aquaticus lent its name to not one, but two railroads in South Carolina. The former Blackville, Alston, and Newberry line was also known as the Swamp Rabbit, and ran through the wetlands of the North Edisto River from Blackville in Barnwell County to the ghost town of Seivern in Lexington County. The first Sunday in May I set out to see what I could find of this other Swamp Rabbit Railroad.

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Spring Fairs 2016

Posted on May 18, 2016May 18, 2016 By Tom No Comments on Spring Fairs 2016
Local, Photography

Simpsonville Fair-1

I’ve notice something new this year. Several communities have been holding spring fairs. Anderson held their fair a couple of weeks ago, and one is currently underway in Simpsonville. It seems a strange time of year to hold a fair, so I decided to check out the Simpsonville Fair at Heritage Park.

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Laurens Cemetery Tour 2016

Posted on May 17, 2016May 17, 2016 By Tom No Comments on Laurens Cemetery Tour 2016
History and Genealogy, Local

Laurens Cemetery Tour-20

This has been an incredibly busy weekend. I paddled two different rivers – the New River and the May River near Bluffton, and the weekend wasn’t yet done. I was also serving as a docent for the Laurens Cemetery Tours this year.

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