The Day That There Were Almost Only Two Left...

Our GPS Waldo has been ever so kind to us and his loyalty has never failed us in getting Yoda to where we need to go. But after driving down a sketchy gravel road and finding a fence with a “Danger: High Powered Weapons In Use” sign…

…we decided it'd be wise to abandon Waldo and use our back road intuition to finally find the real park entrance!

In the visitor’s center of Congaree, a mural is painted on the wall by Blue Sky, the same artist of the Tunnelvision painting we saw yesterday!

"I wake in the morning with good health and am thankful for the day. I get to volunteer at Congaree National Park helping visitors enjoying the park. A local church needs some help with accounting and finances allowing me to use my skills to create a better situation for them. A company near bankruptcy has asked for assistance and I am happy to help. Most of all I enjoy family and friends plus the blessings given us each day."

All of the manual labor used to build the visitor’s center was donated to the park by the National Guard of South Carolina. 

Good gravy! We’d heard rumor of mosquitoes the size of your face that buzz around your ears during the summers at Congaree…but we had no idea it they were so abundant that we’d even need a Mosquito Meter! Luckily today we were in the "All Clear"!

Congaree is unlike anything that you will ever see. There is no match to it. Not even other national parks so far, Google Images, or our own blog can help you really experience the majesty of being within such an abundance of National Champion trees. 

Jennifer’s hugs made the tree so full of love that it grew super tall! (That or it’s an entirely different tree…*cough, cough*)

The forest floor around the Cypress trees at Congaree are covered in “knees”. While no one is quite sure of their purpose, it is speculated that they help keep the trees stable when the waters arise from the Congaree River, and this area floods.

If you look closely, you can see the moss growing quite a ways up the trunk of the tree. This moss marks the waterline where the river floods throughout the depth of the forest.

Judged on height, diameter, and several other factors, the loblolly pines in the Congaree are National Champion Trees! This one is currently in second place!

This loblolly was so big that reaching around, we barely even covered half of the trunk!

And this is where we almost lost them...

Jennifer and Sarah still don't know...  From what we could tell, Jeanette looked at Stephanie, something happened, and Jeanette couldn't stop laughing.

Don't ask Jennifer and Sarah what happened.  We still aren't sure. 

And when we asked what went on...this is all we got.

Nevertheless, once we all picked ourselves back up, we finished the open boardwalk which led us to Weston Lake.

This area was used a long time ago as a refuge for the maroon slave communities because of the protection that the trees, knees, and waters provided.

And without the echoes of laughter and jokes that will forever remain a mystery, you could stop for a moment and listen to the wisps of the breezes and the slow, steady ache as the trees grow even taller in this floodplain. 

Driving through South Carolina, we zipped on over to historic Charleston to admire the vibrant architecture and walk through the Open Air Market.

 This historic building was constructed in the 1840s with a Greek Revival style architecture.

Just a few streets away from the market, Waterfront park is a beautiful escape into the coast.

Marked infamously by the huge pineapple fountain which rests itself in the cobblestones, it is a magnificent place to watch the sun set over the palm trees and the water.

I mean, we know that a typical pineapple is made up of about 87% percent water, but it isn't every day that you get to see a giant pineapple with water spraying out of it.

Thank you so very much to our Great Aunt & Uncle, our South Carolina family! It was great to catch up with you all and see you once more! 

"To use the talents the good Lord gave us and to provide a better life for our family."

Cheers to another day that God has given us to wake up!
Love,
The Crew