Mark's Photo Travels

I have some time off this week, and I've planned a few adventures to fill the time. The first day I went on a bit of a ramble in Spartanburg and Greenville Counties , the second day I visited Sids Falls in Oconee County. The third, and last, adventure this week is to Lake Hartwell to search for ruins of post-Andersonville buildings on Shaw Island and continue that search on Andersonville Island. The last I went there ( with Tom Taylor and Bernie Waddell ), we launched from Jarrett Landing. We didn't have much to show after our expedition. As usual, I hope for the best, but expect nothing. I launched my kayak from Double Springs Boat Ramp ( at the end of Double Springs Road ) this time because its closer to Shaw Island and the northern part of Andersonville Island. The lake level remains about 10ft below full pool: I landed first on the western part of Shaw Island where an abandoned road enters the lake. I then followed the abandoned road into the interior...

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...