Views from the Big Country: June 2016

Thursday, June 30, 2016

Our Summer Travels ~ Cowpens and a Poet

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Today we decided to visit Cowpens National Battlefield. The battlefield is located just east of Chesnee, South Carolina and near the state line with North Carolina.

We made our way to the Visitors Center where we watched a short film on the battle,
and walked through the museum. The museum was filled with authentic Revolutionary War weapons.

By the time the Battle of Cowpens was fought, the lower south had become the decisive theater of the Revolutionary War.

It was here On January 17, 1781 General Daniel Morgan led his army of Continental and backwoods militia to a brilliant victory over the better-trained British Army, led by Banastre Tarleton. The battle was over in less than an hour. British losses: 110 killed, 229 wounded and 600 captured or missing. Patriot losses: 24 killed and 104 wounded. This victory gave the Patriots the moral support needed to continue fighting and win the Revolution just nine months later. The Battle of Cowpens was the event that started General Cornwallis on his road to Yorktown.

map of the park. it was along Green River Road, shown here, that the battle was fought. it is one
of the few portions of the original road that still exists

The view below was a frontier pasturing ground, locally known as the cow pens. The name came from the custom of wintering cattle in the lush area around Thicketty Mountain. General Morgan chose this ground for its tactical advantages, a river to discourage the ranks from breaking, rising ground, an open forest, and a marsh on one side to thwart flanking maneuvers.

We continued our tour. We decided to take a break at the picnic area, where we went for a nice hike...

very nice picnic area. i knew i should have packed a lunch!!

Cooper was grateful for the cold water provided by the stream

After an enjoyable hike, we continue on our way to the Robert Scruggs House. The house, built in 1828,
remained in the family until the National Park Service purchased the property
in the mid-1970's from their granddaughter.

built in 1828, the house has been restored by the National Park Service

The battle ended within a quarter mile of the Scruggs house...

green river road, in front of the Scruggs house

Prior to the National Park Services purchase of the property, students of the battle would stop
at the house to get directions to the battlefield and discuss the battle. The Robert Scruggs House
became the unofficial Visitor Center of Cowpens National Battlefield.

We then walked along Green River Road. It was very cool to walk along
the same road that soldiers walked more than 200 years ago.

from the British perspective

An interesting day to be sure. Had the Patriots lost this battle, we may all be speaking with a British accent!!

Friday June 24, 2016

Today is our last day here in Hendersonville. Located not far from here in Flat Rock is the final home of Carl Sandburg.

He was already famous when he moved with his family to the Blue Ridge Mountains.
The house and farm (Mrs. Sandburg was known for her prize-winning goat herd) sits on 245 acres.

It was a beautiful afternoon. We decided to hike Front Lake Trail, one of the many trails on the grounds...

photo was taken from the bridge, looking down on the dam

photo taken from the bridge

this portion of the trail was lined with rhododendron bushes

one of several benches around the lake

view of the lake from one of the benches

We've enjoyed our time here in Hendersonville and area.

Til next time,

Dawn, Ron and Cooper

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Our Summer Travels ~ From Low Country to Higher Country

Saturday, June 18, 2016

It's been unusually hot as well as humid ever since we arrived in Georgia. It's time to head to the mountains to cool off!!

But first we're making a quick stop in St. George, SC to visit with friends.

While here we're staying at Jolly Acres RV Park. We'll be here for a long weekend.

We chose St. George as it's between Charleston and Santee. A great location for us.

There was a nice pond at the park...we enjoyed watching the ducklings...

Tuesday, June 21.

After a nice visit we friends, we headed to the mountains!

our first glimpse of the mountains!

We'll be staying in Hendersonville, NC for a few days.

We were grateful for the shade; while we were here record high temperatures were recorded!
At least the humidity was lower!

a very tight fit! but, with our experience
we were able to get it in!

very small park; 25 sites

Wednesday, June 22.

Happy Anniversary to Us!! Today, we drove to Pisgah, home of the Pisgah National Forest.
This national forest is located in the Appalachian Mountains of western North Carolina...

The main road through the forest leads to the Blue Ridge Parkway...

Compared to the mid-90's in the town of Pisgah, it was almost cold
when we got out of the car. At this elevation, the temp was in the
mid-80's.

We're looking forward to exploring this area of North Carolina.

Til next time,

Dawn, Ron and Cooper

Sunday, June 26, 2016

Our Summer Travels ~ From Shrimpin' to Swampin'. The Okefenokee Swamp!

Tuesday, June 14, 2016

Our friend, Lynn Bishop, loves swamps as much as we do. She's told us how much she loves the Okefenokee Swamp and we really should visit it. Even though it was hot (it's always hot here) we decided to go to the swamp. We drove to Folkston...

Our first stop was at the Visitors Center where we gathered the information we needed...

making a plan

We decided to take the Swamp Drive to the Chesser Island Boardwalk and Owls Roost Tower...

the drive is a seven mile loop

Some sights along the drive...

Longleaf Pine Restoration. Once covering 90 million acres in the southeast,
fewer than 3 million acres remain. Prior to the refuge, most of the longleaf had been
harvested and replaced with faster growing pine species. Okefenokee
is restoring longleaf habitats on refuge uplands.

longleaf pine restoration.

Prescribed burning is a management tool used in these pine forests to
maintain the open understory.

still smoldering

A slight elevation change creates this hardwood hammock where oaks and
other deciduous trees are common. Black bears and turkeys
love this area. They feed on acorns and other fruit.

hardwood hammock

The low growing, fan shaped, Saw Palmetto is common in the southeast US.

saw palmetto

The long, narrow ponds along the road are called "borrow" ditches where material for the road was dug,
and never returned. They are rich in aquatic animal and plant life. Alligators and turtles are happy here.

borrow ditches

Notice the white bands on the trunks? These are cavity trees for red-cockaded woodpeckers.
These birds depend on the longleaf pine forest, and require mature trees that are at least 60 years old.
Loss of the mature longleaf pine forest is a major reason the species is endangered.
Since these woodpeckers use living trees, it takes them longer to complete a cavity
than other woodpeckers that use dead trees. We were fortunate to see a couple of these birds;
they were too fast for us to snap a picture.

the bands are easy to spot

Soon, we arrived at the Chesser Island Boardwalk. This walk will take us to Owls Roost Tower.

It was HOT; we decided to walk it anyway.

we always pick the hottest times...

and we're off. I've got three bottles of water in my bag

In 2011-2012 the Honey Prairie Fire roared through Okefenokee. The landscape and boardwalk have changed significantly since that fire. The old, wooden boardwalk built in 1969 was destroyed. This new boardwalk has been built to more likely withstand the next fire. It is made of a composite of recycled plastic and wood (Trex) and is protected by 88 sprinkler heads.

On average, intense wildfires burn the swamp on 20-year cycles following periods of drought.

This habitat is "fire adapted" meaning certain trees and plants are resistant to, and may even benefit, from fire.

notice these stumps? these are the remains from the original
boardwalk

The majority of our walk was in the sun. Three shelters lined the boardwalk along the way.

almost there

we were so grateful for the shade

green anole lizard hanging out. because they can change
colors, they are often mistaken for chameleons

"Okefenokee" was named by the Native Americans as the "land of the trembling earth." If you were to walk on what looks like solid ground, you would be surprised to find that it is merely floating. Over time, as the peat accumulates, these floating "batteries" may become solid islands in the swamp.