Oconee Point Campground

 On the road again!  Isn't this beautiful?  This is on I-40 right by our house.  We are headed to Oconee Point Campground in Senaca, South Carolina.  This time we brought some happy campers with us, 15 to be exact!

There we are all set up, we are at site 56. 

It's tubin' time!

How's that for a sunrise?

Back on the pitcher plant trail... It's hard to see in this picture, but there is a waterfall right in the middle.

Ta-Da!  The pitcher plant in full bloom!

Lots of pitcher plants!

A mandatory stop for ice cream... Guess who's idea that was. 

On our way to see Whitewater Falls.

Whitewater Falls is the highest waterfall east of the Rockies, falling 811 feet!  The Upper Falls plummets 411 feet.  It's on the Whitewater River in the Jocassee Gorge area of North Carolina. 

 

Stu, Jan and Jerry 

And me...

 

This is a really bad picture of our new awning lights...

They're grapes!

Pizza on the grill!! 

And with the left over toppings we set the kids loose with their own tortilla pizzas!

Strawberry Rhubarb crisp and homemade strawberry ice cream for dessert!  Does it get any better???

Located about 7 miles northwest of Walhalla is the 1,617 foot long Stumphouse Tunnel.  Started in 1852 to connect Charleston to Knoxville and eventually on to Cincinnati, the Civil War - and lack of funds - brought construction to a halt.  

While there were various efforts by the Blue ridge Railroad to revive the tunnel, none of them came to pass and it stands today as a monument to the efforts of pre-Civil War engineering.

The tunnel measure 17 feet wide by 25 feet high and about mid-way in, there is a 16 x 20 foot air shaft that extends 60 feet upwards to the surface, causing a consistent cool breeze to flow out of the tunnel.  It also produces condensation and the tunnel is usually wet. 

In 1951, Clemson University bought the tunnel and used it to cure the South's first blue cheese.  The tunnel's environment was later duplicated at Clemson, the cheese making, that Clemson is now famous for, was moved there.  The tunnel still belongs to Clemson University, but it is managed by the city of Walhalla.  Clemson famous for blue cheese?!  Oh yeah, we'll be back!

Betty Jo and Jan 

Isaqueena Falls, legend has it that the falls are named for an Indian maiden, Issaqueena, who warning the white settlers of an Indian attack, was then chased by Indians and she appeared to jump over the falls.  By actually hiding behind the falls (or some legend-tellers say she hid behind a stump, hence Stumphouse Tunnel), she tricked her pursuers and survived.

A good time was had by all, although we did get sunburned...really, really sunburned!  Maybe next month we'll remember to use the suntan lotion...  We'll be back to the same campground with the same group and possibly more next month!