December 17, 2012

Carolina Mountains



 
Wednesday I headed out to Kings Mountain National Military Park. The park commemorates the Battle of Kings Mountain, a pivotal and significant victory by American Patriots over American Loyalists during the Southern Campaign of the Revolutionary War. 
 I got there just as it opened and walked the Battlefield Trail. Its 1.5 miles and allows you to see both perspectives of the battlefield. I really liked how it climbed up to the top of the mountain where you got a good view of the valley.
   
The park adjoins Kings Mountain State Park, which has a really neat living history farm. There wasn’t much going on since it was November but it was still a pretty little farm to walk around and see a barn, cotton gin, blacksmith, and carpenter shop. 
There’s also a trail over to Lake Crawford which is a scenic little lake. 
 
On my hike over I came across a policeman with a bloodhound but he just wished me a good day and continued on his way so I’m not sure what they were looking for (not me thank goodness). Crowders Mountain State Park is also close by so I drove over and did some more hiking. The mountain itself is a monadnock, an isolated erosional remnant that rises abruptly from the surrounding plain so its very pretty.
  
My last stop of the day was at James Polk Memorial Site. This site is located on land once owned by the parents of James K. Polk, the 11th U.S. president and is a state run facility. 
I never knew much about Polk so it was a really interesting stop. Apparently no one else does either as Polk has been called the "least known consequential president" of the United States. Scholars have ranked him favorably on the list of greatest presidents for his ability to set an agenda and achieve all of it. 
There’s a log house, separate kitchen, and barn that I got a private guided tour of. I thought the separate kitchen was interesting because that’s something not seen up north. 
 
Driving back to the airport I noticed a Sonny’s BBQ joint which I was first introduced to in Florida and I was so excited as its so yummy! I got a meal to go and took it with me to enjoy in the airport. I had a really great trip and a special thanks to the Wallace’s and to Alicia for taking me in, feeding me, and showing me around. It was much appreciated!

December 13, 2012

Congaree and Ninety Six




Tuesday morning Alicia had to go back to work so I headed further south to Congaree National Park which preserves the largest tract of old growth bottomland hardwood forest left in the United States. I arrived just as the visitor center opened and hiked the 2.5 mile Low and High boardwalk trails from the Visitor center. 
 I was literally the only person at the park besides the lady at the visitor center.  Also, the day was dark and dreary which I thought would be perfect for touring a swamp, but honestly, the further I hiked out and the darker the skies got it honestly just scared the crap out of me. The trail is actually pretty interesting because it goes by cypress knees, then a lake, then a growth of dwarf palmettos and then through some really tall trees. 
 

The average canopy height is over 100ft tall. Congaree has one of the tallest temperate deciduous forests in the world, and is taller than the old-growth forests found in Japan, the Himalayas, Southern South America and all of Eastern Europe. I set out on one of the offshoot trails which took me off the boardwalk but it started raining and I was feeling really nervous so I ran back to the boardwalk. I’ve never been creeped out at a National Park before and I really don’t know why I was but I raced back to my car and got the hell out of there. 

I found solace at a Zaxby’s where I had a meal of fried chicken. My next stop was Ninety Six National Historic site. There is a paved 1 mile walking trail that includes wayside signs, the reconstructed siege works and Stockade Fort, original 1781 Star Fort, town site of old Ninety Six, historic roads, and more. Its kind of an odd name and its thought to be a reference to the distance in miles between the location and the Cherokee town of Keowee but that’s not accurate by today’s measures. The Star Fort is the most famous because it is original. It reminded me of the Hopewell earthen works that I saw last year in Ohio. Again, I was the only person out touring and the trail was a really nice one. Since I still had daylight left I decided to stop by Musgrove Mill which is a state historic site. The only thing there was a herd of deer as the visitor center was closed so I took a quick walk down to the river and a monument and left. 
 My last stop for the day was Rose Hill State Historic site. I really wanted to see a plantation. It was getting pretty dark but I wandered around the home and manicured gardens. Rose Hill is the former home of South Carolina Governor William H. Gist who was governor of South Carolina during years leading up to the civil war.
 

After getting back to Spartanburg,  Alicia and I headed downtown to the annual Dickens of a Christmas. It was kinda funny to see an ice rink in South Carolina! I enjoyed the Christmas celebration without freezing my butt off which is a novelty. One of the centerpieces of downtown is the Denny’s corporate headquarters. 

December 10, 2012

Cowpens and Croft



On Monday Alicia and I headed out to Cowpens National Battlefield in Gaffney, SC. Walking through the visitor center and watching the intro videos we learned that Brigadier General Daniel Morgan won the Battle of Cowpens, a decisive Revolutionary War victory, here over British Lieutenant Colonel Banastre Tarleton (Bloody Ban!) on January 17, 1781. There is a nice 1 mile walking trail that takes you through the battlefield with wayside exhibits.
I love how interactive it is!
 The historic Green River Road was the centerline of the battle and helps to orient when you are reading about the it.
 










The exhibits position you as if you were walking the battle so it was pretty cool. 

I love this depiction of soldiers trying to capture the cannons.
There’s also an auto loop road that we drove to check out the Robert Scruggs Log House. The house was actually built about 50 years after the battle but its purpose is to show how people lived back in the day.


After heading back to Spartanburg and refueling on peanut butter and jelly Alicia took me to see her school which is really pretty, especially Walker Hall. It is on the national register of historic places and is an example of Greek Revival and Italian Villa architecture.
It felt so southern I wanted to put on a ball gown and sweep down the staircase.









We finished up the day at Croft State Natural Area which is known for its equestrian facilities but we enjoyed a stroll through the woods and by the lake as the sun was setting. 

December 7, 2012

Carl Sandburg



 Sunday I headed south and spent some time on the Overmountain Victory National Historic Trail. I didn’t see anything historic but it was nice to get off the highway. Plus I finally got to see mountains again! Not the snow capped Rockies but still nice to see some elevation. 
Before heading into SC I stopped at the Carl Sandburg Home National Historic Site in Flat Rock, NC. I had never heard of him but he was was an American writer and editor, best known for his poetry. He was the recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes: two for his poetry and another for his biography of Abraham Lincoln. 
What was really interesting about this home is that the family literally walked out in 1968 after Carl died and the house and everything in it was left as is. There are Kleenex boxes and half smoked cigars laying around. 
I love the vintage kitchen!
The family was also avid readers so there were many bookcases filled with books.
The other thing Connemara is known for is the goat dairy. Mrs. Sandburg owned and operated a premier goat dairy from 1935 to 1965. The milk was distributed to local dairies and sold in stores around the community. Mrs. Sandburg's goat breeding program produced champion goats and led to the improvement of goats as milk producing animals. The park raises goats that are descendents of the three breeds of goats Mrs. Sandburg raised at Connemara. 
 I did a short hike around Little Glassy Mountain and then watched the sunset over the pond. It was a gorgeous home and property and a really secluded spot to relax at.
Sunday night I headed into Spartanburg, SC where I met up with my friend Alicia who I went to RIT with. I hadn’t seen her since she graduated so it was great to catch up.