Tuesday, March 25, 2014

The Mist

 

I was excited. I was going to visit the highest state park in Georgia. Enjoy spectacular views and wonderful hiking opportunities.

But it didn’t happen. The Mist happened.

I left Vogel State Park a week ago Sunday after a final creekside taco dinner on Saturday evening.

Taco Dinner

The rain started that night and continued for a week, pelting me as I drove through the mountains of northern Georgia.

Rain

I wound up at Moccasin Creek State Park.

Moccasin Creek Sign

There are 54 sites here nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains alongside 2,800 acre Lake Burton.

I took site 37 due to it’s proximity to the showers and laundry facilities.

Moccasin Creek_037

Hey, I was trying to stay as dry as possible while washing my clothes and myself. Maybe I should have just put on my dirty clothes and stood outside.

All the sites are close by the lake but number 17 is the best.

Moccasin Creek_017

The lake is just to the left, right behind Lovell Pavilion.

Lovell Pavilion

Moccasin Creek flows alongside the campground and offers excellent fishing from several decks.

Moccasin Creek Fishing Pier

But only if you are 11 and under or 65 and over.

Yep, thems the rules, pardner.

The rest of us will have to make due with fishing in the lake itself.

In the office where you check in they have mounted a 50 pound plus Striped Bass that was caught there. I forgot to take a photo so you will have to just go yourself to see it.

Better yet, catch yourself a bigger one.

Which brings us to The Mist.

Black Rock Mountain State Park is situated along the Eastern Continental Divide at an elevation of 3,640 feet. I did not know there were two of them.

Black Rock Mountain Sign

I believe that there are 44 campsites here, but I am not sure. It was hard to tell.

If the photo above looks a little hazy, that’s because it was. As I drove up the mountain it got harder and harder to see.

This was my campsite on Tuesday afternoon.

Black Rock Mountain 1

The  Mist continued to get thicker until I could not see my neighbor 30 feet away from me.

Black Rock Mountain 2

The Mist can play tricks on you. You hear strange sounds in an otherwise heavy dead silence. You think you can almost see dark shapes moving in and out of the trees but you cannot be sure if they are real or not. And you definitely do not want to find out. The Mist has secrets it wants to share.

I said no thanks, jumped in my trailer and locked the door and windows. I made a small batch of trail mix and hid under my sleeping bag.

Trail Mix

I hoped the smell wouldn’t attract something. Something different. Something that only lives in The Mist…

Since I didn’t unhook my trailer it was a simple matter of making sure the coast was clear before I hopped into my car and headed out the next morning. Sorry, no campsite photos here. The Mist was still thick and alive.

I drove south out of the mountains and set up at a Thousand Trails campground for a few days. The plan was to use it as a base camp to visit four nearby state parks in South Carolina.

Here’s an interesting sunset photo from Wednesday.

Sunset

That white light is a single lumen solar one from Wal-Mart, 97 cents. I zip tied it to my roof rack. Makes a handy night/security light.

The rain paused on Saturday so I checked out Lake Hartwell State Park.

Lake Hartwell Sign

There are 115 sites here, several on the shore like number 43.

Lake Hartwell_043

Lake Tugaloo State Park in Georgia is just across the lake so this place gets real busy in the summer with visitors from Atlanta as well.

Half the campground was open when I was there, the remainder opening on April 1.

Which made it kinda fun to make sure I had the right campsite numbers in the closed section.

See, most of the numbers are painted on the asphalt.

Sometimes I got lucky, like number 60.

Lake Hartwell_060

Other times I had to brush away quite a few leaves.

Lake Hartwell_030

That would be site 30. The numbers are painted so you can see them as you approach them. Not overly great for picture taking however. So just trust me that they are all correct on the website.

If you have another family that is going camping with you, nab sites 62 and 62A. They share a driveway and branch out into a Y on a private peninsula.

Lake Hartwell_062

Lake Hartwell_062A

If your camping friends (and you) would rather stay in a cabin, sites 90 and 91 will fit the bill.

Lake Hartwell Site 90 Cabin

Lake Hartwell Site 91 Cabin

For day use there is a nice picnic spot jutting out into the lake.

Lake Hartwell

I give this campground a five taco rating. (out of five)

Speaking of which…

Taco Mix

I was almost out of taco meat so I added some refried beans to the mix for dinner when I got back. With the escalating price of meat nowadays this can help extend my food budget. As does using drink mixes like Tang and others. Why pay for the water? But keep an eye out for mold that can form inside the bottles.

Mold

Time for a new bottle…

The rain came back on Sunday which left sunny Monday to visit three more campgrounds and stay on my pseudo-schedule.

So I did just that yesterday. Three state parks, 200 miles, and almost 300 campsites.

Cherokee Foothills Scenic Highway links these three campgrounds in an area called Upstate South Carolina. But my GPS had other ideas.

A 50 mile drive north brought me to Table Rock State Park.

Table Rock Sign

The 100 sites here are in two separate areas, split 75/25.

A handy little store is near the larger campground. Can you see my car tire?

Table Rock Store

I liked numbers 13 and 81 among many others.

Table Rock_013

Table Rock_081

There is a nifty lake and beach for when the temperature warms up.

Table Rock Lake

Table Rock Beach

It will warm up, right? No more of those Polar Vortexes? I am wearing a down parka as I type this and my fingers are numb.

The park offers a lodge overlooking the lake and with a view of Table Rock.

Table Rock Lodge

Table Rock LodgeView

Table Rock

If that lodge was open I would be there still. Relaxing in front of a warm fire while enjoying a plate of tacos.

But it was closed so I left.

Devils Fork Sign

Only 59 sites here but a few had lake views. Numbers 40 and 41 were good examples of them.

Devils Fork_040

Devils Fork_041

Realtors refer to these as seasonal views. Meaning that when there are leaves on trees the views disappear. Crafty folks, those realtors.

A big boat ramp and a snack bar are found on the lakeshore.

Devils Fork Boat Ramp

Devils Fork Snack Bar

Devils Fork View

Now I am starting to sound like a realtor. Must stop.

Leaving Devils Fork, the road sign said 26 miles to Oconee State Park. My GPS said 8. Hmmm. Gotta trust technology, right?

Dirt Road 1

Five of those miles were on a single lane dirt road that went through a river valley and over a mountain. Visions of “Deliverance” danced in my head. It was filmed nearby.

If I was dragging the trailer I would not have done it but everything worked out fine. I even came across a little waterfall on the side of the road.

Dirt Road 3

Waterfall

And rejoined the highway a scant 3 miles from the park.

Oconee Sign

Spent an extra hour driving but saved a gallon of gas. Cool.

Oconee is one of the most popular inland campgrounds in South Carolina. I visited the four big coastal campgrounds back in late 2011 so if you want to read about those you will have to look them up on our website. I recommend that you do. Good stuff. Beautiful sunrises and Mutant Baby Feet.

Seriously.

Boat-Sunrise

Baby-Feet

Anyway, the park has 139 sites. 18 and 31 were next to one of the lakes.

Oconee_018

Oconee_031

Oconee Fishing Pier

Oconee View 1

Down by the day use area you will find a beach and boat rentals.

Oconee Beach

Oconee Boat Rentals

Definitely a destination campground.

Oconee View 2

I have spent the last few months in the southern states. Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and now South Carolina.

The people I have met have been unfailingly polite and courteous. True southern hospitality.

I am a tad concerned however about the next state I visit, North Carolina, in a week or so.

It seems like I should not wear sandals, just to be safe.

Clean Toes

And not ask for help buying shoes.

Regards,

Greg

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