Mark's Photo Travels

After my first paddle on Lake Oolenoy in Table Rock State Park off SC 11, I decided I'd come back again to see Table Rock Mountain during the peak of the fall foliage color season. I dd just that last Thursday that turned into a partly cloudy, breezy, warm day. This time I'd be taking out my new 13 foot Advanced Elements Expedition inflatable kayak I had just received that very morning in place of the Intex Challenger K1 I had bought just a few months ago. My space is just too limited to support a regular, hard shell kayak, so I saved up to buy one of the more premium, more well reviewed inflatable kayaks on the market. The Expedition is a much more expensive inflatable kayak and is definitely no toy. The important improvements of the Expedition compared to the K1 is the longer length (13 feet vs 9 feet), better tracking, faster speed, and more leg room.  The Expedition is also much more resistant to scrapes and punctures. I bought the optional "backbone" th...

I had went up to Lake Oolenoy in Table Rock State Park  the previous day, as told  in my last post , to try out my inflatable kayak after a visit to Roper House Complex (Camp Oolenoy). A forgotten personal flotation device, and dark ominous clouds and thunder just to the north put an end to that plan. This day I headed back up here the next morning for another try. Lake Oolenoy is a 67 acre man-made lake, one of two in Table Rock State Park (the other is Pinnacle Lake). The lake was created in the early 1990s by building a dam near the convergence of Carrick Creek and Reeds Run Creek. No motor powered boats, except those with electric trolling motors, are allowed on this lake, making it a good place for a beginner like to me gain experience. No thunder and no ominous dark clouds were around this time, just some thin stratus. And I had remembered my personal flotation device this time. This time I won't be denied! The previous day I had the parking lot to myself. This ...

Lake Oolenoy is one of two man-made lakes in Table Rock State Park in northern Pickens County in northwest South Carolina on the south side of Highway 11. A parking area, a pier, and a boat ramp are located on the west side of the lake. Another parking area, a visitors center, primitive campgrounds, another pier, and the Roper House Complex (later Camp Oolenoy) are located on the east side. Just after the July 4th holiday, I had ordered a small inexpensive inflatable kayak from Amazon, the Intex Challenger K1, along with some other related accessories. The package had finally arrived a few days ago via their free super slow saver shipping and I was ready to take it for a ride. I selected Lake Oolenoy for several reasons. It's an opportunity to explore more of Table Rock State Park, it's home to the Roper House Complex (later Camp Oolenoy), and because multiple experienced kayakers recommend this lake for beginners like me. I left much later than I had planned (somet...