Pacolet Mills

I am still on our little outing to the Peach Festival in upstate South Carolina.  When the parade was over we made our way back to the car with our stiff and sore bodies that aren't used to standing for so long.  It just felt really good to sit down!

We decided to head on back south but to take the back roads as much as possible.  We aren't used to so many hills and were really enjoying them and joking about the altitude getting to us.  We took highway 150 out of Gaffney and our first stop was at Pacolet Mills.  This old mill town is pretty sad looking today with most of it in ruin but you could see that it was a thriving little community at one time.  We stopped to take a look at the river which was pure muddy.  I looked it up on google maps and can't find the name of it but it does flow into a larger river which then dumps into Lake Marion which is just north of Charleston.  You can read about the history of Pacolet Mills by clicking HERE.
Mr. Gerald Teaster wrote this very interesting history of the mills which I think you will enjoy.

When we finally got back to the interstate we were hungry so we found a little neighborhood park in Clinton.  Jake is really needing a break by the time we get there.

What do you think he is thinking here?!  I think he is almost wishing he had stayed home!

 The park wasn't much to write home about but we were the only ones there and it was neat and clean.  By this time Jake didn't even have the energy to explore. 

Gaffney Parade Part 2

You are gonna love these pictures! I don't think you need any commentary from me - ENJOY!

I hope you enjoyed the parade - and if you are traveling to SC next year, think about going to Gaffney for the Peach Festival Parade!

Gaffney Parade

It has been a long, long time since I have seen a parade like the one we watched in Gaffney, SC when we were there.  And it was almost an accident that we saw it.  Remember that we had Jake with us....not much you can do when you have a dog so we ate motel food in our room for breakfast and decided to take Jake to a park....the only thing on this trip that he liked.

As it turned out, the park where we headed was right on the parade route and they were lining up!  Hooray for us!  We walked a few blocks trying to determine the route and where we should watch from.  We didn't think to take our chairs because we were just exploring the area.  We found a place to stand in the shade of a tree and about 15 minutes later the Best Parade Ever began.

First in line were the motorcycles.  Big mistake.  Jake was so scared of the horrid noise I was afraid he would bolt.  But instead he sat like a good boy and quaked and quivered.  (He even turned his back to them!)  Poor thing.  After that he just couldn't enjoy himself but we sure did.  We saw soldiers, tiny princesses, marching bands, fire trucks, stage coaches, tractors, hillbillies and the mayor waved to US!

Here are a few pictures.  More to come.  It truly was the Best Parade Ever!

I was so touched seeing the young Army guys!  These guys posed for me - I wanted to hug them - but I didn't!

Jake was having a good time until the Harley's arrived.  Notice not many people on the street yet...we were early.

This just looked like pure American to me.  By the end of the parade this veranda was full of people and there was food all over the place.  I really wanted to join them!  (Most of the homes on this street were lovely like this one)

The Best Parade Ever was about to begin - look at the people now!

And this is what ruined it all for poor Jake.

More to come.................

Peaches!!

After our wonderful breakfast I talked Kirby, the driver, into taking the back roads for the next piece of our trip.  We had never been to Spartanburg so now we can say that we have.  What a nice town!  And so many colleges!  People there must be very smart! I really was impressed - nice place from what I could see.

Then it was on to highway 11 which heads east (well, and west, but we went east) to Chesnee and Gaffney.  Chesnee was just a typical small worn out little town.  There are so many all over the country aren't there?  Places with boarded up small business - everyone shops at Walmart now.

I had read about the Peach Shed so it was a certain stop.  The rain was just ending and the sun beginning to peak out.  It was still cool so we were able to leave Jake in the car while we sampled some of the best peaches I have ever had!

Strawberry Hill Cafe and Ice Cream Parlor is where we wanted to get some Peach Ice Cream, but with Jake with us we decided we would need to pass.  It was so cute and inviting - darn!  But, it saved us all those calories.

We didn't really fill up on peaches so when we came to Cowpens National Battlefield we stopped and found a great spot to eat our lunch and let Jake play.

We didn't take the time to go to the visitor's center as they don't appreciate dogs inside so we made directly to a fantastic little picnic area.  There were probably 20 spots like this one, all nestled in the trees.  This place was new and clean.  Loved it!  There were quite a few walking trails also.

 This is the happy spoiled mutt enjoying the picnic stop!  What we do for our dogs!

There were still clouds out when we arrived but as we sat there, the sun came out and turned the trees above into a pure green canopy and dappled the forest with light. Is this a gorgeous spot for a picnic or what?!

Molly's Rock

It had been a long time since we had an outing so we decided to check out a piece of the Upstate - upper South Carolina.  And - we had never taken an overnight trip with our dog, Jake. He no longer drools and shivers in the car so we decided he was ready for a road trip.  Rain was in the forecast but we decided that also didn't matter.  At 7:00 am we were off!

It was foggy and misty but we were hopeful.  Jake wasn't happy in the back of the van but he wasn't really unhappy either.  Traffic was light and we were happy so all was good!  We drove for about 3 hours before we arrived at our breakfast destination.  Traveling with a dog is different.  You can't go to restaurants - especially in the summer months.

I had done my home work and found a place just about 5 miles off the interstate in Sumter National Forest.  The air was wet but when we arrived at Molly's Rock Picnic Area we didn't care.  What a special place it is!  It was only about 10:00 and it was wet and it was a weekday so we had the place to ourselves!

The only bad part was that I had forgotten the Bloody Mary Mix!  Darn!  Since it was so wet we didn't really even sit down for our breakfast of hard boiled eggs and left over chicken breasts.  (Breakfast of champions!  All protein!)  We wandered, watched Jake run and explore and just simply enjoyed the awesome quiet and sense of peace this place offered.

This picnic area was developed sometime between 1936 and 1942 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.  Click HERE for more information on the CCC.

The monuments at the entrance and the fireplace in the shelter along with the shelter floor are probably original.

There is a small trail through the area.

Fireplace Progression

Ah, Kirby is at it again! He has redone the fireplace - again! This is what the fireplace looked like when we moved into our home almost 5 years ago. That design is very pretty but it just didn't go with what we were doing to the house.

So, one day I said to Kirby, maybe we could just take the fireplace mantle off and start over. It was just a thought. But the next day when I cam home - it was all gone! Just a fire box left! With no plan in sight on what to do with it, we just sort of decided to add a new mantle, paint and go on to the next project.

By Christmas of 2008, this is what we had. (Jake was a recent addition at that time, having only had him about 3 weeks when this picture was taken)

Finally, we got a plan and Kirby went about redoing the fireplace again. I think he did a great job! We love the new look!

Nova Scotia News Flash

This photo just arrived in my mailbox and made me gasp, sigh and almost cry!  Here are some really good friends gathering in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia WITHOUT Kirby and I!  Rick and Tanya live in Nova Scotia and we traveled together in our sailboats in 2006 for over a year from NS to the Bahamas and back.  Rich, on the right, we met in Maine in 2006 and just kept seeing him all over the place during our sailing travels.  Last we saw of Rich was here in Charleston about a year ago as he was sailing north again.  He just sailed to NS AGAIN from Maine and is going to go even further this time....NORTH!

Thanks, guys, for thinking of us even if it does make me cry!  You know I was there in spirit!  Rich, have a wonderful time enjoying that very special part of the world with the friendliest people! And - safe sailing!