Oconee State Park & Its Surrounds

[Click on any photo for a larger image]

• Click here to access Part One of this series.
• Click here to access Part Two of this series.
• Click here to access Part Three of this series.

Back again at Oconee State Park. Up in the mountains. In the westernmost part of South Carolina. CarolinaConsidered was here just last year, in August. Click here to view those programs. Including a great interview with Park Manager Jo Anna White. So, there’s no excuse for such an early return.

But Columbia, like most of the United States, has been experiencing a real heat wave. Temperatures well above normal for this time of year. And humidity levels that makes it feel even warmer. Sooo, escaping to the Oconee County mountains seemed a reasonable thing to do. And where better to stay while up than at Oconee State Park!

Not to complain, but it’s been hot here too. Up into the 90s during the day. And humid. So, even here outside activities are pretty much limited to the early morning hours. Still, it seems to be around ten degrees cooler than Columbia.

Oconee State Park is known for a lot of things. Including what has to be the purest, best-tasting water I’ve come across in a long time. Right out of the tap. Forgotten your water filter? No problem here. I’ll be taking some home in jugs. Just like OverHome! All of South Carolina’s state parks have regularly tested, safe water. But some Park’s water tastes better than others. Oconee has to be near the top of that list.

In addition to that remarkably clear water, Oconee has some of the nicest RV campsites around. Here you see site 107 in the paved section. Not all sites here are paved. But it doesn’t much matter. The camp hosts and maintenance folks make sure everything is spic and span. Including the surface of the non-paved campsites. No water erosion canyons to navigate here, or bumpy surfaces.

Sorry about tarting up the photo of the site above. I recently got a Droid X smartphone and have found the included camera very good. No zoom feature. But it takes remarkable photos. Add-on “apps” include those that make image editing a – well …… snap. More photos from this remarkable phone as we go along.

That’s all for now. Coming soon, though, is a visit to the nearby Stumphouse Tunnel and Isaqueena Falls. They’re just down the road.

Also coming is a special program on the visit to the Split Creek Goat Dairy Farm I recently made with Granddaughter Janie. 

Click here for the next post in this series.