Congaree National Forest and Columbia SC

 A new found friend in our neighborhood turned us onto a local day trip.

An early morning drive into central South Carolina.  To visit two new locales.  One a forest along the Congaree river named for an ancient tribe that settled and lived here hundreds of years ago.  This forest named after the river and part of the NPS is the tallest deciduous tree forest in the world.  

A short drive north from there is the state capital city of Columbia.  Also an impressive sight and vast to the eye but smaller than Charleston which we visited few weeks back.

Decided to hike the boardwalk in the national forest in the early hours of the day so it was our first stop.  

Loblolly pine rising over 150 feet towards the azure sky

Mist was rising in the early heat of the day over this lake

The sun was trying to pierce the broad canopy of the Tupelos and the Loblolly pines that rise over 150 feet in places.  But it was still cool along the forest floor.  That made for easy hiking.  The ground is swampland formed by the receding waters of the winter rains that annually flood the area.

Butterweed and other berries dot the marsh land while the giant trunks and branches of the pines stand like silent sentinels.  That was it.  It was amazingly quiet this morning in the forest.  You could hear cicadas, frogs, and an occasional woodpecker peck. 

Then I saw it - a huge wing span glided above the boardwalk overhead and landed on a tree.  I pointed my lens to click and was lucky to get him.  A barred owl.  Grey and white with luminescent eyes staring back.  It was amazing.

After about a mile into the forest we stopped at a lake front where the mist was just rising with the heat of the day and spotted some turtles nibbling at moss along the water's edge.

As we left the park a grey heron swooped up from the edge of the forest and landed on a bare branch so we nabbed him on camera.  

All this walking around got us hungry so we drove to the state capital of Columbia a short drive north.

And what a city this is.  As we came in from the south we were struck by the size of the immense campus of the University of South Carolina.  Spanning several city blocks the football stadium was truly gargantuan.  I guess after the Clemson visit I can say that the south loves its college football.  It could easily fit about 100,000 guests I suppose.  A giant rooster mascot (Gamecock) greets visitors at the entrance.

Food was a local sandwich shop called the Sandwich Depot that serves up amazing Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich on a warm hoagie. Filled with nourishment we strolled along the Congaree River in the city limits under the several historic bridges that date back a 100 years.

Architecture is quite impressive considering it is not a popular city on the US map.  

The other big attraction to us is the visit to a state's capitol building.  America has 50 of these and each has its unique story to tell.  This one in Columbia (named for the Spanish explorer Columbus) was first imagined by the same architect that later designed the White House in DC.

While the chambers were not in session it allows visitors to walk the halls of the public office building and see the ornate design work and craftsmanship that has gone into this massive edifice.

Homage to our first president Mr. Washington at the steps to the Capitol

We loved the entire experience and would look forward to revisiting these gems in our new neck of the woods.