South Carolina’s Huntington Beach State Park Next on the Itinerary

Table of Contents for This Series 

1. Park Introduction and route
2. Drive down, GPS travails, and first impressions of the Park
3. Views of park facilities, the beach, and boardwalks.
4. Interview with Park Manager Ms Brenda Magers.
5. Walk through the Huntington’s Atalaya mansion
6. Tour the Park’s Visitors Center

Reservations all set for a five-day trip with the Mobile Studio to South Carolina’s celebrated Huntington Beach State Park. Beginning on Monday. My first visit to that extremely popular site.

Click the screen clip above to visit the Park’s website on the official website of South Carolina’s state parks. The State Parks website has improved considerably over the past few years. Lots of useful information there on state parks and their surrounding areas.

And no, the Carolina Considered Project has no relationship, official or unofficial, formal or informal, with South Carolina’s Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism. Just one of State Parks’ many enthusiastic visitors.

Read the on-line reviews! Huntington Beach is one of the most popular Parks in the South Carolina system. And no wonder! Like Hunting Island State Park, with which it’s often confused, it’s right on South Carolina’s Atlantic coast. It’s said to have one of the State’s best preserved beaches. And the grounds are chuck-full, as we’d say OverHome, of walking trails and board walks. Bird watchers from all over flock [sorry … ] to Huntington Beach, binoculars in one hand, life lists in the other.

If you’re interested in birds click here to visit the Hilton Pond Center’s page on Huntington Beach State Park. Nicely written with excellent photos well presented. This Hilton Pond Center site, by the way, is another wonderful on-line resource for South Carolina’s natural scenery. Click here to look through their offerings. It’s based, I believe, in York County, South Carolina.

The ocean, birds, alligators, and board walks through interesting territory, aren’t the only attractions at Huntington Beach State Park. The Park’s grounds also include Atalaya Castle, the South Carolina winter home of Archer and Anna Huntington. Atalaya is open to the public, and is said to be quite a place. I look forward to wandering through and taking a few photos. Better take Andrew’s big camera along again for this one!

Here’s a link to a more detailed description of Atalaya and a labeled map of the house. With more than 30 rooms it must require a map to find your way around. Imagine living in a place like that!

Now, that’s not all. Brookgreen Gardens is within easy walking distance. Just across Route 17. Have a look at their website by clicking here. Brookgreen is an enormous sculpture garden. Filled with Anna Hyatt Huntington’s arresting sculptures. Indeed, after her husband’s death in 1955, Ms. Huntington moved her sculpture studio from Atalaya across the road to its current location.

We’ll have to wait for photos of Anna Huntington’s work at Brookgreen Garden. But here’s one from another location. A teen-aged Andrew Jackson astride a farm horse, “wondering what the future holds for him,” as the sculptor put it. The impressive statue graces Andrew Jackson State Park in Lancaster, South Carolina. Huntington completed the statue at the age of ninety-one! Her last work. But still! What a career.

And, as if that wasn’t enough to attract visitors to Huntington Beach State Park, Georgetown, South Carolina, is just down the road a piece. I most certainly hope to make my first visit to that beautiful and historically significant town during this trip.

Click here to enter the website of the Georgetown County Museum to get an idea of what we’ll be seeing. Don’t be put off by the music that begins to play automatically. Just click the little red button up near the right-hand corner of the home page and spend some time. This site is full of interesting photos and text. Even some video. And here’s another well-organized site with interesting photos and text devoted to Georgetown.

Well, that’s enough of a preview. There’ll be much more to see, to photograph, and to describe. So stay tuned.

Click here for the next post in this series.

Snow in Columbia, South Carolina!

Driving back from Watsadler Corps of Engineers Campground late yesterday morning, I took the roads less traveled, so to speak.

Trading those homogenized four-lane Interstates for Routes 178 and 378 nearly all the way. What a difference! Natural and social scenery the whole way. With an emphasis on the social. Every few miles I passed something that would make an interesting post for this blog.

Trouble was, though, snow was forecast for this very region of South Carolina. And I was just hours ahead of it all the way. So, no time to stop for photos and interviews this trip.

I arrived home at just 2:00 p.m., and still no snow. Could the weather forecasters be wrong? Well, by 4:30 p.m., their reputation for accuracy was buffed to high luster. It began to snow in earnest. By 6:30 p.m. Midlands-based South Carolinians were searching the internet for past years’ snow records. We had several inches.

Not good news for travelers. But what a beautiful scene this morning! Keep in mind, now, these scenes are from Columbia, South Carolina! Yes, other parts of the country get more snow than this most years. But here, it’s a rare event!

Drivers avoided the roads. Only the most determined – or imprudent – were out and around.

Better to walk.

And more fun! Giving time to enjoy scenes like this one, just down the street.

Here’s one I couldn’t resist. A neighbor’s beautiful small palmetto struggling with an unfamiliar challenge. Oh my.

What a day! Snow-draped pine trees against a sunny Carolina blue sky. Hard to beat.

Work continues, by the way, on the Carolina Considered website. Mostly still structural. Building and arranging and linking the pages that will make up the site. Go on over when you have a chance for an early look-see. Click around on the navigation bars. And send any suggestions you have to me at CarolinaConsidered@gmail.com.

www.CarolinaConsidered.com

Watsadler COE Campground and Anderson County. Part VI

Click here for the first post in this series.

Thanks for dropping by again. We’re still at the Hartwell Dam Visitors Center. About to speak with Mr. Kenneth R. Bedenbaugh about the Dam, Hartwell Lake, and the overall Hartwell Project.

Mr. Bedenbaugh’s a Clemson grad from Prosperity, South Carolina, who now lives with his family in Anderson. He’s been with the Corps of Engineers since 1991. Spending all of his career, other than college internships, with the Hartwell Project. So he knows about this lake!

Click on the icon at the right to listen to Mr. Bedenbaugh explain all this himself.

I asked Mr. Bedenbaugh about the history of the dam, and about its effect on the surrounding community.

Then, after insisting that he’s not an electrical specialist, he explained what he considers the most unusual feature of this Dam.

We could see those external generators clearly on the model. And here’s a shot of them taken from the road leading into the Dam. This area is closed to the public now for construction, But the tops of five generators are visible just above the grassy area.

I then asked Mr. Bedenbaugh about the campgrounds, boat ramps, and other recreation facilities around the Lake.

Now, if you click on the photo above you can see a good example of wintertime usage of the Lake facilities Mr. Bedenbaugh described. In the distance you’ll see the Mobile Studio parked on Watsadler’s site # 18.

I took this photo later from the Visitors Center picnic area, through the window of the car. It was just too windy and cold to get out!

I then asked Mr. Bedenbaugh if South Carolina folks use the facilities here. His answer surprised me.

Last post I noted that much of the Visitors Center display area is devoted to water safety. Mr. Bedenbaugh confirmed that safety is an important goal of the program.

Finally, I asked Mr. Bedenbaugh about the relationship between Lake Hartwell, this Dam, and the downstream lakes and facilities. Here’s a photo of the dam from the walkway at the top. If you look closely you can see water spilling over the top.

I tried to get closer. But the wind was blowing off the lake to beat the band, and it was only 36 degrees. Only fear for Andrew’s camera turned me back …. of course.

Thanks again to Kenneth Bedenbaugh, Natural Resources Program Manager for the Corps of Engineers’ Hartwell Project, for his time and expertise.

Upon leaving the hospitality and warmth of the Visitors Center, I had every intention of taking numerous photographs of the dam and its surrounding environment. Well. It was just too cold and windy!

Now, not for me, of course. A toughened Outdoorsman. But for Andrew’s fancy camera. Worrying about the camera, I got back in the car, turned the heater up to INtense, and drove back to the comfort of the Aliner.

Thanks for joining me for this visit to South Carolina’s Anderson County and the beautiful Corps of Engineers Campground at Watsadler, Georgia just next door. Stop by for a visit your next time through. You won’t be disappointed.

Watsadler COE Campground and Anderson County. Part V

Click here for the first post in this series.

No luck with the Anderson County Museum. I stopped by yesterday afternoon. To make arrangements for a recorded interview some time later in the week. But they were too busy. Too bad. It appears to be an interesting place. Well, plenty more to see here in Anderson County.

Speaking of interesting places, here’s another in Anderson County. Or, to be accurate, right across the border from Anderson County. In Georgia.

The Campground Hosts here delight in reminding me that I’m now in Georgia. Even if this is the CarolinaConsidered Project! They’re fond of Georgia’s Hart County, and the nearby town of Hartwell. And encourage me to visit each time we meet.

But back to the Dam today. Don’t pass up the Lake Hartwell Dam and Visitors Center during your next visit. It’s just off Route 29. Can’t miss it. Yes, in Georgia! But barely.

This is by no means the largest or most elaborate of the Corps of Engineers’ Visitors Centers. But it has several interesting features that make it worth a stop.

Most interesting to me was a corner of their display area devoted to wildlife around Lake Hartwell. Now, we’ve all seen taxidermy displays that we wish we hadn’t. Often the lovingly prepared project of a long-since retired employee. With no one willing to maintain it since she or he retired.

Such displays are the devil’s own to keep even presentable. Let alone appealing. They require the regular care of a devoted “owner” to stay in good condition.

Well, this wildlife display isn’t of that sort. All of the animals displayed here are in perfect condition. Glossy coats. Feathers all in order. Surrounding ground cover realistically arranged. And dust free. Think about it! How would you go about dusting a display like this! Somebody here has to care.

We don’t often get to see most of the animals displayed here. Though they surely live in the surrounding woods. Sometimes that can be a good thing! A misinterpretation of intentions when meeting a timber rattler of this size could ruin a whole camping trip.

Red and gray fox, beaver. Even the illusive bobcat. Don’t know about you. But I’ve never seen a bobcat in the wild. Anywhere! Let alone one this size.

Water safety is another prominent focus of the displays at this Visitors Center. Arranged to appeal to both children and adults. More on that later.

Before leaving the Visitors Center display area, take time to look carefully at the small model of the Dam just inside the door. We’ll visit the dam itself in a moment. But this model gives details of the project that are hard to see from the ground. Another display that required a lot of time and patience to prepare.

Oh, before leaving this part of the Visitors Center, here’s a remarkable photo. Well, a photo of a remarkable photo displayed here. It explains something that’s been puzzling me since Sunday night.

As I mentioned in the first post in this series, site # 18 has a beautiful view of Lake Hartwell. Morning, noon, and night. But each night I’ve seen what looks like an unusual red neon sign on the opposite shore. Bringing to mind one of those enthusiastic auto dealerships. Or maybe a nightclub! It’s too far away to make out even with binoculars. But there it is. Each night. Glowing out its message.

Well, this must be it! A bright red sign on the lake side of the Dam. Warning boaters to stay at least 800 feet away. Some photo! And glad to know what it is.

We’re not done yet with the Hartwell Project Office. An interview with Kenneth Bedenbaugh is coming up. So stay tuned.

Click here for the next post in this series.

Watsadler COE Campground and Anderson County. Part IV

Click here for the first post in this series.

Still here at the Anderson County Public Library in
Anderson, South Carolina. That’s one of the pieces of art outside the building. Donated by members of the Anderson community. Its presence, together with numerous similar pieces, illustrates the Anderson community’s “ownership” of Carl Stone’s creation.

As do the Library’s facilities. At the end of the last post I mentioned the Library’s emphasis on meeting the needs of their younger patrons. Well, here’s an example of that. A meeting room devoted to the 12-18 set. You may not be able to read the sign in front, even after clicking. But it advertises an “Anime Night.” With a film.

“Anime”? You may well ask. A cartoon craze from Japan popular among young Americans that I don’t even pretend to understand. Apparently somebody in the Anderson County Library System does, though. A good thing for young folks in Anderson.

I had the good fortune to meet the Children’s Librarian while touring the Library. She has responsibility for an enormous collection. And for surprisingly extensive facilities. The photo above doesn’t do justice to this section of the Library. The space devoted to the Children’s Library extends to the left just past the circulation desk well back into the building. I couldn’t photograph that section since it was full of children and their parents. The Librarian said the facility is nearly full every day of the week after school. A good sign! Future Library patrons, as she said.

Here, at the entrance to the Children’s Library, is another example of community-donated art.

Not all of the Library’s facilities are devoted to young readers, however. Here’s a shot of the main desk of the “South Carolina Room.” This, clearly, is a research collection. State history; county history; genealogy records. All presented as conveniently as possible. Even the microfilm readers – bane of any academic researcher’s existence – look new and user-friendly.

I hope before leaving to spend more time right in this room, looking through the historical records of Anderson County for CarolinaConsidered.

There’s much more to note about this remarkable institution. But we have to move on. Lots more to see in Anderson County. One final note, though. I was especially impressed with the degree to which the Library System made its facilities available to the community. Another indication of the strong Library-Community relationship here.

One large meeting room, for example, had been occupied by a group of enthusiastic H1N1 flu shot providers. A County-sponsored program that’s bringing this important health service more directly to the public. Other meeting rooms were occupied by community organizations providing other services. Most well attended. Many of the attendees senior citizens.

So, when your travels take you to, or near, Anderson, South Carolina, be sure to stop by to see this remarkable county library. Go in; take a look around. You’ll be impressed. I certainly was.

Hopefully the Anderson County Museum will be open. That’s next on this tour of Anderson County’s County Seat. So stay tuned.

Click here for the next post in this series.