Carl Sandburg & Reedy Branch Falls

This post will wrap up my recent trip its always good to have these self published memories to graze through when our memory fades In fact I needed to recall some info from last years travel and I looked it up on my blog GOSH what will we do if Blogger should ever close? I always try to tag my post as this is 'my diary"

We headed to Greenville but along the way I wanted to see the Carl Sandburg House. To be honest I had never really know that much about Carl Sandburg...or his works. He was from Illinois and his first claim to fame was his biographies about Abe Lincoln, he was known as a poet of the people and he also was a folk singer.  

web photo

 I swear he reminds me of John Denver in this photo!! Or Maybe Denver fashioned his look after Sandburg? He purchased this 248 acre estate, Connemara,  in 1945 for $45,000!  His wife established an award winning herd of goats she called Chickaming after her home town! Sandburg won a Pulitzer in 1951 for his poetry,  was named International  Poet Laureate 1963, and passed here at this estate in Flat Rock NC in 1967.  

Grass

BY CARL SANDBURG

Pile the bodies high at Austerlitz and Waterloo.

Shovel them under and let me work—

                                          I am the grass; I cover all.

And pile them high at Gettysburg

And pile them high at Ypres and Verdun.

Shovel them under and let me work.

Two years, ten years, and passengers ask the conductor:

                                          What place is this?

                                          Where are we now?

                                          I am the grass.

                                          Let me work

The estate is quiet lush and green it has several ponds and many types of plants and trees.  Sandburg was know to enjoy sitting near these fields and ponds to do his writings..

The house is typical Southern Mansion style built of wood  and stone, with 3 stories.  We did not take the tour since Casey had to stay in the van, we limited our time on the campus to 20 mins...Once again I had windows open and fans on for him..I don't have to see every detail of a place to enjoy it...we walked up the steep path and enjoyed the grounds and the gift shop in the basement level and that was enough for me.  While in the gift shop I got my N.P. Passport cancellation stamped and picked up the 2015 release of stamp sets! 

the house is going to undergo a restoration and all the furnishings and the library collection  of more  than 16,000 books will be packed up and held for  safe keeping off site while the work is done..

It was an interesting place to visit run by the National Parks Service...

It was about a 2 hr ride to my sisters home where we had a great pizza dinner and played 2 games of Sorry I won the first game and finished last in the second;o/ On Saturday we planned a picnic and water fall hike...

Well it wasnt really much of a hike only 600 ft.  Due to threatening storms I changed up the venue from the planned 2 hr hike to Opossum Creek Falls,  to this falls just off Long Creek ...Reedy Branch Falls..in Oconee Co. SC

CASEY

a 30 ft falls in a very pretty setting...

Because of the  system of "reserving"and having to pay for all the sheltered picnic tables (WHICH Is stupid..what about handicapped access to covered tables)...we had set up in a covered table, and were told by State Park staff it was reserved and we had to leave so by the time we found another spot, got mom out to it which took 2 of us, and set up the storm was upon us!
Thank you unkind staff of LAKE HARTWELL S.P. ;o(

The shelter DID NOT have a reserved sing on it and that was our second attempt at finding a handicapped access picnic table under shelter! We should have done the picnic first because right after I took this photo below the bottom fell out we all got soaked to the skin the wind blew the lightening struck the thunder boomed it came up so FAST  our plates of sandwiches blew away in the wind!! LOL Im sure if we had returned to the falls after the storm it would have had twice the flow as it did up there!!  We were drenched!! 

L-R Mom, My Friend Cyndi, and in red my Sister Marsha. 

Mom said "I told you we could have a picnic right at home"...
Later on we ended up eating our picnic at home...
and another game of Sorry I finished 2nd. 

I've been back home a week now and can't wait for my next adventure...meanwhile this week I've been back on the bathroom work! 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Apache Trails Weekend With a Friend

When I visited my friend in AZ we wanted to do some camping...neither of us have money to burn trust me every dime is cafefully accounted for---and since wilderness is always my main focus, I brought all my camping gear with me just so we could get out there and enjoy the outdoors!! She lives in a busy heavily populated area so we wanted to get out the city but not spend our entire time out driving--so we opted for a spot close by!!!

We stopped at the ranger station in town and got our camping permits...found out later we didn't really need them for the campground but we had them anyways...

On the way out of town we spotted this place called Apache Land. It has been the set for  many a western movies in the past and my man John Wayne  along with many others set foot on this same ground...that really made my day to think John Wayne walked right where I was walking--star struck

Cyndi goofing off...haha 
                                                                                                                    

We chose to take the Apache Trails Scenic Byway which passes thru the Canyon Lake Recreation area, and then head south and around the Superstition Wilderness. The Superstitions are a mountain range in the area. Unfortunately we had to cut our trip short due to mechanical problems!! My car had an issue and had to spend 4 days in the garage so had planned to stay out 3 nights and 4 days had to shorten to 2 nights and 3 days!! BUT we didnt let that ruin our trip!!

We stopped at every over look I think I photographed every single Saguaro cacti standing between here and there I just love them!!! And not just them but all the desert plants!

       

We found a nice camp spot for our first night was at the far end of Canyon Lake in the Four Peaks Wilderness area. The lake is long and narrow but attracts many types of boats. We had no boat but we enjoy paddling in the edge of the water and watching the other boaters parade by!! 

I have to say I was not happy with the Generators that went on about dusk when I wanted to enjoy the sounds of the lake--I think all campgrounds should be separated tents in one area and rv and campers in another...We brought everything for "roughing" it, and the lady camped next to us had everything but the kitchen sink with her including a 12 cup coffee maker!! She served her husband a 4 course meal at breakfast, I guess there are many stages of rough---

Our set up....we left the tent in the shade and moved it closer to our table when the sun went down,,,

  

We had a nice sunset and then lit a bug candle while we sat out and finished up the day...we had so many people ask us if we were leaving...we felt like the hens and the fox was circling!  Yes but we wanted to take our own good time...

After breakfast we packed up..

Somebody snored all night....

So the next day we headed to quieter digs and traveled the byway south where it intersects near Globe, AZ and into the Pinal Mts. We had planned to camp in the Pioneer Pass area but it was FULL! Go Figure--WHAT a steep and narrow road it was going up there...I took only one photo cause there was no place to pull off and my friend was afraid for me to take my hands off the wheel for a moment...lol UP at over 7,500 ft we finally found a spot to turn around--when the sign said "warning, 4 wheel drive only" we took it to heart.

From Pioneer Pass

SO we left that area and headed to Oak Flats which was down at 4,200 ft and a much quieter area...no water nearby but the peace and quiet was a fair exchange!!! Lots of room 

                                                                         the rental car 


We took a little hike on the rocks nearby and then spent our last day sightseeing on the way back to town...

On the way back we stopped at the Apache Leap area where legend says a band of Apache jumped to their death rather than be captured and sent to a reservation...

 I did 2 posts on this weekend getaway because It's a wonderful memory of time spent with my  friend.