When we got to Carolina Landing, we were pleasantly surprised. It is not a bad park. It is very hilly, so the sites are not going to be real level. But, it isn't bad enough that you can't get level and all of the sites are paved. Of course, just like all the other TT parks, there are people who live here and they have all of the best sites by the lake. I would definitely come back here. It would not be a "destination" spot where I would want to spend more than a week here. But, a few days is well worth it.
As soon as we got here and got set up, we took off to explore at least one of the waterfalls in the area.
Here's the legend of Issaqueena. Issaqueena fell in love with David Francis, a silversmith who lived in what is now the town of Ninety Six, South Carolina. Learning that her tribe planned a surprise attack on the settlement, Issaqueena mounted her horse to warn the settlers. On her ride, she mentally named the landmarks she passed along the way: Mile Creek, Six Mile, Twelve Mile, Eighteen Mile, Three and Twenty, Six and Twenty, and finally Ninety Six. The towns of Six Mile and Ninety Six and the creeks bearing these names continue to exist. It is actually 92 miles from her starting point to Ninety Six, so she was pretty close.
Issaqueena and David fled to what is now Stumphouse Mountain north of Walhalla to escape the fury of her betrayed tribe. The lovers lived in a large, hollowed-out tree or Stumphouse. Finally tracked down by her tribesmen, Issaqueena raced to a nearby falls (now Issaqueena Falls) and plunged out of sight. Believing her dead, the warriors gave up the search. However, Issaqueena later joined her husband and fled to Alabama to live happily ever after. Theoretically, you could jump off the top of the 100-foot falls, land safely on the first tier of the falls and hide under the veil of falling water. But, I wouldn't advise it. Especially after standing at the top and looking down where she would have had to jump.
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| The start of the trail to the falls. |
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| The creek that feeds the falls. |
They have built an overlook to view the falls. There is a rogue, primitive trail that goes down to the bottom of the falls. However, when I say "rogue" and "primitive", that is almost an understatement. I tried to make it down, but only made it about half way. I don't have my hiking shoes with me and my tennis shoes do not have the grip that hiking shoes have. The trail was VERY steep. There were lots of tree roots, loose rocks, uneven sections, basically an obstacle course type trail. If I had been willing to sit on my backside and go down parts of the trail, I probably could have made it down. But then there is also the factor of getting back up the trail! Anyway, Mr. W made it down even though he slid on his backside part of the way down.
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| From the bottom of the falls |
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| From the observation point |
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| See me at the top? Mr. W took the pic at the observation point while I stood at the top of the falls. |
In the same park is the Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel. Southern industrialists dreamed of a railroad connecting the American Midwest with the port of Charleston. A tunnel through Stumphouse Mountain would be a vital link in that railroad. The work began in 1852, and the tunnel was anticipated to be finished by 1861. The Blue Ridge Railroad attempted to construct this line through and over the mountains to Knoxville, Tennessee. The Civil War halted the work. After the war, efforts to re-activate the project failed and the tunnel was abandoned.
The entrance of the tunnel has become a historic landmark in South Carolina. The tunnel measures 25 feet high by 17 feet wide and extends 1600 feet through granite into the heart of Stumphouse Mountain. At the midway point, a 16 by 20 foot airshaft extends upward 60 feet to the surface. According to Clemson University's Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, cold air moving out of the mouth of the tunnel pulls warm air down the shaft. The moisture in this warm air is condensed by the cold air in the tunnel and produces a constant wetness in the tunnel. This cool, refreshing breeze that blows out of the tunnel is long remembered by summer visitors. It felt just like someone had turned on the a/c full blast and opened the door.
The unfinished Stumphouse Mountain Tunnel lay idle for the 80 years following the Civil War, being visited by tourists for years but not being used otherwise. In 1940, a Clemson A&M College (now University) professor recognized the possibilities of curing blue mold cheese in the tunnel because of its cool dampness. With this thought in mind, the Clemson Dairy Department began experimenting with the manufacture of blue cheese and curing it in the tunnel. Clemson bought the tunnel in 1951 but has since moved its cheese curing operations to another location. In 1970, the tunnel was leased to the Pendleton Historical District Commission, which converted the area into a picnic spot and tourist attraction. After a rockslide inside the tunnel in the mid 1990's, the tunnel was closed to visitors. After safety testing, the city of Walhalla has re-opened the tunnel to visitors. Had I known that little piece of information about the rockslide BEFORE I went in the tunnel, I may have reconsidered my decision to venture all the way in.
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| Even though this makes it look like there was light in the tunnel, there wasn't. I had to turn on a flashlight to see where I was going. I took this picture with a flash. |
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| There really is light at the end of the tunnel! |
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