Waterfalls – Wandering Dawgs

Throwback Thursday #3 – August 15, 2007

August 15, 2019August 13, 2019Posted in Nature, RVing, South Carolina, WaterfallsTagged Issaquenna Falls, Oconee State Park, Scenic drives, Stumphouse Tunnel, Throwback Thursday, Walhalla Fish Hatchery14 Comments

Welcome to #3 in my series of flashbacks to memorable days from our RV trips.

Flashback to twelve years ago, on August 15, 2007. After a three month RV trip from Georgia to the west coast, we weren’t ready to sit still yet. With 100 degree heat at home, we decided to escape to Mountain Rest, South Carolina to beat the heat. Our campsite was at Oconee State Park in the South Carolina Upcountry about 30 minutes from the Georgia state line in one direction and the North Carolina state line in another direction.

August 15 was our first full day camping at the park. We started the day by wandering around the state park.

20070815Oconee-State-Park-(11)-close — Lake in Oconee State Park, SC

20070815Oconee-State-Park-(16) — Oconee State Park, SC

20070815Oconee-State-Park-(6) — Water Wheel at Oconee State Park, SC

We took a scenic drive to nearby Issaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel.

The falls are named after Issaqueena, an Indian Maiden who fell in love with David Francis, a silversmith who lived in what is now the town of Ninety Six, South Carolina. After she learned that her tribe planned a surprise attack on the settlement, Issaqueena warned the settlers there. Angry at her for warning the settlers, her tribe tracked her down. To escape, she jumped over the falls and hid on a ledge behind the water. The warriors thought she was dead and gave up the search.

200708152Issaqueena-Falls-(25) — Issaqueena Falls

200708152Issaqueena-Falls-(13) — Issaqueena Falls

The Stumphouse Tunnel also has an interesting story. The railroad wanted to connect Charleston, SC with the midwest so they began building the tunnel in 1852. The tunnel goes about 1600 feet into the mountain but was never finished.

200708153Stumphouse-Tunnel-(13) — The Stumphouse Tunnell was never finished

At the Walhalla Fish Hatchery we saw thousands of trout of all different sizes.

200708153Walhalla-Fish-Hatchery-(1) — Walhalla Fish Hatchery, SC

200708153Walhalla-Fish-Hatchery-(3) — Walhalla Fish Hatchery, SC

We camped at Oconee State Park a few more days and continued to explore the area not only in South Carolina but also in North Carolina and Georgia. We discovered scenic drives, more waterfalls, good restaurants, and mountain trails.

200708152Issaqueena-Falls-(6) — Wandering Dawgs at Issaqueena Falls, SC, August 15, 2007

Throwback Thursday #2 – August 8, 2006

August 8, 2019September 15, 2019Posted in National Parks, Nature, RVing, Tourist Attractions, Waterfalls, Wildlife, WyomingTagged Bison, Fifth Wheel, Old Faithful, Scenic drives, Throwback Thursday, Yellowstone National Park8 Comments

We’re not traveling as much in our fifth wheel anymore so I thought it would be fun to relive some of our most memorable days from previous RV trips.

Flashback to our first RV trip in the summer of 2006. On this day 13 years ago, August 8, 2006, the Wandering Dawgs were enjoying the wonders of Yellowstone National Park, America’s first national park.

That day we watched Old Faithful erupt and drove the Lower Loop Road where we saw Bison herds (American Buffalo), waterfalls, and spectacular scenery. It was one of our most memorable days from all of our RV travels.

Bison in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)

Lower Yellowstone Falls in Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)

20060808Yellowstone-Lower-Loop-Rd-(20) — Waterfall along Yellowstone Lower Loop Road

20060808Yellowstone-(23) — View on Lower Loop Road, Yellowstone National Park

20060808Yellowstone-Lower-Loop-Rd-(28) — Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

20060808Yellowstone-Lower-Loop-Rd-(51) — Bison at Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming

20060808Yellowstone-(7) — Wandering Dawgs at Old Faithful Geyser in Yellowstone National Park in 2006

We spent about a week camping outside of Yellowstone National Park and spent most of those days exploring the park.

Wandering Dawgs 2017 Year in Review

December 20, 2017January 20, 2018Posted in Alabama, Georgia, RVing, WaterfallsTagged Callaway Gardens, FD Roosevelt Little White House, Tallulah Gorge, US Navy Blue Angels, USAF Thunderbirds25 Comments

This year was a little different for the Wandering Dawgs. Instead of traveling to far away places, we had many memorable adventures by staying close to home in 2017.

Our RV travel started with a short spring trip to Pine Mountain, Georgia to tour nearby Callaway Gardens and F. D. Roosevelt’s Little White House .

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Trail at Callaway Gardens

FDR's Little White House in Warm Springs, GA — FDR’s Little White House in Warm Springs, GA

From Pine Mountain we continued on to Alabama to attend an air show at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama. All of the performances were exciting but the stars of the show were the United States Air Force Thunderbirds.

U.S.A.F. Thunderbirds at Maxwell Air Show

Seeing the Thunderbirds was so much fun we made a day trip to the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, South Carolina to see the United States Blue Angels perform.

Our final RV trip of the year was a fall getaway to north Georgia to see Mountains, waterfalls, and Tallulah Gorge .

20171017NC-Nantahala-National-Forest-Waterfalls-(18) — Dry Falls near Highlands, NC in the Nantahala National Forest

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(10) — Suspension Bridge over Tallulah Gorge Hurricane Falls

Visiting New York City with my daughter was one of the highlights of my year.

Just like we’ve been doing every fall since the 1970’s we made several trips to Athens to attend University of Georgia’s home games.

20171014UGA-53-Mizzou-28-(11) — The teams take the field for pregame practice before a night game in Sanford Stadium

And when we were home we when for boat rides and walked on the beach whenever we could.

20170813Boat-ride-(13) — Small island in the Georgia salt marsh

20171027South-Beach-Tybee-(3) — Early morning at the beach

My Wandering Around America One State at a Time blog project was really fun to do. As I worked on the post for each state I loved going through old photographs and reading my hand written trip journals. With each state I was flooded with many fond memories of places we had been and the wonderful people we met.

Where do you think we will wander next year? Stay tuned…

Going Down into Tallulah Gorge

October 27, 2017October 27, 2017Posted in Georgia, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, WaterfallsTagged autumn, Hurricane Falls, Suspension Bridge, Tallulah Gorge16 Comments

We were warned!

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(3) — We were warned!

We went anyway.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(8) — Going down was the easy part

But only as far as the suspension bridge 80 feet above Hurricane Falls.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(12) — Henry crossed to the other side of the gorge

With my fear of heights I could only go a few feet on the bridge. I did manage to see the top of Hurricane Falls.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(14) — View of Tallulah Gorge from the suspension bridge

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(15) — Looking down on Hurricane Falls from the suspension bridge

I handed Henry the camera for some better pictures.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(21) — Looking down on Hurricane Falls from the suspension bridge

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(25) — Looking down on Hurricane Falls from the suspension bridge

I took a picture of the falls from the stairs.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(36) — A view of the top of Hurricane Falls from the stairs

And one of Henry looking down from the bridge.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(45) — Henry on the suspension bridge above Hurricane Falls

We posed for a selfie before starting back up to the top.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-Selfie-(1) — We were smiling before we started back up the stairs to the top

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(46) — It’s time to go back up the 310 stairs

We made it back to the top after stopping at a few landings and resting on every bench.

20171019Tallulah-Gorge-Suspension-Bridge-(48) — I was finally able to capture some fall colors on top of the trail

Younger, braver, and more fit people can cross the bridge to the other side and go down 221 more stairs for a view of Hurricane Falls from the bottom. There is also access to the south rim trail on the other side of the bridge. For us, we are glad we made down and back all in one piece!

Hiking and Waterfalls at Tallulah Gorge

October 25, 2017October 25, 2017Posted in Georgia, State Parks, Tourist Attractions, WaterfallsTagged Dillard House, hiking, Hurricane Falls Suspension Bridge, Inspiration Point, Tallulah Gorge13 Comments

The almost 1,000 foot deep Tallulah Gorge is a spectacular place in the Georgia mountains for hiking and seeing waterfalls. The hiking trails range from easily accessible rim trails with overlooks of the gorge to a strenuous hike to the gorge floor requiring a permit. After entering the state park we went straight to the Visitor’s Center for a trail map before beginning our trek on the North Rim trail. We stopped at two overlooks with views of the gorge.

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(2) — Looking down at the suspension bridge above Hurricane Falls

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(8) — An overlook on the south rim trail on the other side of Tallulah Gorge

On July 18, 1970, tightrope walker Karl Wallenda walked across the gorge from this overlook on the north rim to the south rim.

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(10) — Tightrope walker Karl Wallenda walked a tightrope across the gorge

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(9) — Wallenda Tower used by Karl Wallenda in his tightrope walk across the gorge in 1970

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(16) — The Tallulah river at the bottom of Tallulah Gorge

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(25) — View from one of the North Rim overlooks at Tallulah Gorge State Park

Inspiration Point is the highest point in the park and the trail to get there was was a quarter mile uphill hike. When we got to the top we were happy we decided to do the trail.

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(33) — On the trail to Inspiration Point

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(36) — One of the waterfalls as seen from Inspiration Point

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(38) — View from Inspiration Point

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(44) — View from Inspiration Point

The good news was it was downhill to return to the North Rim Trail from Inspiration Point. With more waterfalls to see we continued along the north rim to two more overlooks.

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(61)-L'Eay d'Or Falls — L’Eau d’Or Falls in Tallulah Gorge

20171018Tallulah-Gorge-(64) — L’Eau d’Or Falls in Tallulah Gorge

It was way past lunchtime by then so our last adventure at Tallulah Gorge would have to wait until the next morning. It was time to head back to Dillard for some delicious southern cooking at the Dillard House.

The Dillard House

Dillard House dining Room

Bring your appetite when you go to The Dillard House

After our late lunch we were done for the day. Stay tuned for our final adventure at Tallulah Gorge.