First Day Adventure 2017

Like so many on the first of the new year, my thoughts were a fusion of adventures from 2016 and the promise of even more joyful moments of discovery and delight in 2017. Just as certain as the new year delivers promises of new hope, yearly traditions aid to the excitement experienced throughout the year. It is with that notion, Mark and I continued one of our favorite traditions as a couple, a first day adventure, to celebrate the new year. We saw it fitting this year, to hunt down a few hidden gems of Columbia's, as well as our country's, past.

First stop was the Friendship train, or the Merci train, located behind the American Legion in Columbia. Just a hop, skip, and a jump from USC! This unique piece of history is sadly not taught in school, yet it's story is incredible and had our eye! Friendship trains first started as a preventative measure against the spread of Communism in post-war Europe. The removal of the Nazi party, left a villainous void which was quickly replaced by communisms.

On October 11, 1947, Americans were asked to donate food from their homes, kitchens, gardens, and fields to aid recovery efforts in France. This train was such an exciting and popular idea that, over a period of five weeks, communities, counties, and states actually had competitions to see who could send the largest contribution.

On November 7, 1947, the Friendship Train began its journey across the country. Beginning in Los Angeles, with a grand send-off, the train traveled across 11 states before ending in New York City with another extraordinary celebration. By the time of its departure, the Friendship Train consisted of three trains totally 270 boxcars. The estimated worth was forty million dollars! What's really incredible about this project was that it was sponsored by the American people, not the government. What a demonstration of what WE, the American people, are capable of when we work together! 

Each boxcar could hold 50 men or 8 horses.

The train is adorned with crests from French provinces that participated in the program.

 

Upon their arrival in France, the trains traveled through the cities of Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Brest, and Lorient to deliver food. In response to America's generosity, France returned the favor by stuffing their own boxcars to send to the United States. A boxcar was sent to each state that participated. Interestingly enough, the boxcars sent from France were used to transports soldiers and horses across France during WWI and WWII. Some even wonder, if these were the same boxcars to transport French Jews to concentration camps...

Afterwards, we headed across the river to another hidden Columbia spot.  Unlike the Friendship Train, this hidden spot had no plaque or sign describing the significance of this location. In fact, it was deserted. Just an empty lot surrounded by neighborhoods. I couldn't help but feel the sadness reach out across the top layer of my skin, coating it in sorrow. A vacant field, I had no desire to trudge through the overgrown grass, to see what I might find. Perhaps it was the light rain or the cloud stricken sky, but this location was not meant to encourage visitors to linger. Just an empty field to those passing by...but to those who know and remember, this was the sight of a prison camp for Yankee soldiers during the Civil War.

Known as Camp Sorghum, this hastily built camp was "constructed" in response to Sherman's march to the sea and his recent successes in Georgia. In preparation for his expected arrival in Charleston, 1,400-1,700 Yankee soldiers were transported to Columbia. A prison in name only, Camp Sorghum was actually just an open field without walls, fences, buildings, and other facilities. Boarders were only marked by wood planks.

Similar to most POW camps, conditions at Camp Sorghum were not good. Rations consisted of cornmeal and sorghum molasses, which influenced the name of the camp. I guess you could say, it "stuck!" lol! Interestingly enough, there are no records proving Confederate guards lived any better than prisoners. They were seldom paid and thievery was a necessity in order to survive.

Located at North Lucas St and Comachee Trail, the camp is not far from where Sherman's army made camp. Theory is, they came across the prison camp and were so appalled by its' conditions, they declared brutal revenge on the city of Columbia.

I encourage you to visit and learn more about the Camp Sorgham and the Friendship Train!

LMS French Exchange 2016

In honor of my upcoming trip to France, I wanted to look back on the event that serves as a catalyst for my soon-to-be adventures across the ocean.

Every March, Mark participates in a French Exchange program through his school. Over the past three years, he and two other teachers have either traveled to Clermont-Ferrand, France with over 20 students or welcomed three French teachers and their 20 plus students to our hometown. Luckily for me, I've been able to tag along and take part in many of these US activities and events.

Last March, we spent one of our weekends exploring Hendersonville, Dupont State Forest, and Asheville in North Carolina. It was a blast!

View from our stellar cabin!

Our first stop was Hooker Falls. The easiest waterfall to get to in Dupont State Forest.

While the water was too cold in March, this is a popular location for swimming in the summer. 

Group shot of the American and French teachers.

Next stop, Triple Falls. If you're a fan of the 1st Hunger Games movie, you will need to check this place out! It was one of the movie's locations :)

Finally High Falls!

After a morning of hiking, we spent the rest of the day walking around Asheville, NC. We enjoyed people watching, listening to street performers, shopping, and beer tasting.

We even honey tasted at Bee Charmer!

A few of my favorite photographs from that weekend were of the numerous bridges located within Dupont State Forest. For me, those bridges perfectly embody the purpose and spirit of the French Exchange program at Mark's school. Rare experiences, like a foreign exchange, provides opportunities to celebrate and discover what makes our cultures so similar, while embracing our differences. These moments, help forge my opinion of the human experience as one of extreme diversity with no one way of life being more essential or significant than the other. We all have something of worth to offer the world. 

Perhaps we should all cross those bridges in our lives so we can meet people whose backgrounds and experiences differ from our own. Don't you think those interactions will do more to open our mindsets and expand our knowledge of the world around us than being solely focused on our own being? To cross the known into the unknown and to have faith to walk over the bridge to welcome the opportunity to learn about other ways of living is the stimulant for growth and truly amazing adventures.

Just think of all the bridges i'll cross this summer... Here I come France!

Country Roads and Hidden Treasures

Often when life gets busy and I begin to feel surrounded by high walls forged out of responsibilities, student loans, and a never ending to-do list, I feel a need to get away. To get lost in the serenity of my surroundings, where the peaceful and rhythmic sounds of the environment are all that matter. Recently, my need to clarify and cleanse took me not far from the hustle and bustle of my own suburban life to the quiet corners of the nearby countryside. Only here are peace and tranquility cultivated alongside fields of broccoli and strawberry patches. Highway traffic and lawnmowers were quickly replaced by the noise of a shutting screen door and the mooing of a mother cow. Croaking frogs and cawing birds joined in this harmonious melody as Mark and I drove past cow pastures, sleepy fields of tall grass and yellow wildflowers, and beside the bewitching flow of the waters of Lake Murray. Stress and anxiety quickly peeled away like the skins off an onion as I began to remember what truly mattered. It was not the items on a long list of to-do's, but rather the journey of my ordinary life through an extraordinary world. Beauty really was all around us, we just have to find the time to stop and see them.

Adventures such as these require two wheels and helmets! 

Off the beaten path, laid hidden reminders of our country's past. A past whose strength was built upon the back of the agricultural community, family traditions, fresh air, and South Carolina sunshine.

I find something so beautiful in the contrast of the aging, decaying wood and the new spring growth of chartreuse buds on pecan trees and the limber, uncut grass moving freely in the breeze. 

Can you imagine once eating pecans and sipping on sweet tea on this front porch?

Alongside these farming communities lay hidden spots of utopia. Many of these areas have yet to be developed and transformed into cookie-cutter housing developments. The value of the land not yet determined by the size of the homes built out of wood or brick, but rather the hundreds of habitats belonging to creatures of all sizes that call Lake Murray home. 

Often a reflection of the need to progress and grow, establishments once vital to a community, were sold and demolished to make room for the new. While this sign is all that remains of the memory of Hare's Mill, I selfishly do not mind this need for change. For in it's place, now lies Lake Murray. For me, the fate of Hare's Mill is a reminder that often in life, change and beauty come out of closing the door on a part of life that no longer serves as much importance as it once did. Once these doors are closed, can we finally embrace the new chapters in our lives.

In hopes of protecting vital fish populations, DNR has marked various sites on the lake with these yellow buoys to represent organic habitats. These buoys serves as a reminder to not anchor in this part of the lake.

It's crazy to think, had I decided to stay inside and finish my long list of to-dos, I would have missed out on such a meaningful and reflective adventure. Thank goodness, Mark convinced me to get out and enjoy that beautiful spring day!

Church Island Graveyard

Under the cover of the regal willows and fragrant pine trees and hidden behind the lengthy grass, their stories remain untouched, yet not forgotten. Nature has been kind to them, careful to erode very little of the memories and tributes to the people that once lived in Cross, SC. Even the creation of Lake Marion has proven to be a mighty shield protecting the tombstones on Church Island from the physical and social changes of society over the decades.

Upon beaching our kayak onto Church Island, it became evident that we were on hollow ground. Birds quieted their calls while even the waves seemed to gently brush against land, careful not to disturb the island's inhabitants. One only has to visit the island for a few minutes to see the magic in imagining the lives these South Carolinians might have once lived.

First view of the Church and graveyard from the gate.

And grand lives they must have lived! It is believed that many of these headstones belonged to people associated with the fame Swamp Fox himself, Francis Marion who once owned land nearby. Francis Marion is considered to be one of the great war heroes of the Revolutionary War and is credited as one of the fathers of modern guerilla warfare. A man of his time, Marion owned slaves and fought in campaigns against the Cherokee Indians. Yet, it was his experience in fighting against the Cherokee during the French and Indian War that influenced his battle tactics against the British. Marion noticed the Cherokee would hide themselves within the Carolina backwoods and were able to construct devastating attacks. As an officer in the Revolutionary War, Marion's militia would use those same guerilla tactics to surprise British regiments. Due to his crafty and resourceful leadership, he was able to scare the British right out of South Carolina! His legacy and myth loosely influenced Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot as well!

I bet they never thought they'd get a resting place with a view!

While Francis Marion himself is not buried here, some of the headstones date back to 1815. One of the "newer" graves belongs to Joseph Simons who lived on Pond Bluff Plantation, which was originally Marion's home. In the process of building Lake Marion, many peoples' lives were displaced. Simons refused to give up his land at the time and when Santee Cooper Project invoked eminent domain, Simons ended his life on his front porch. Read more about the building of Lake Marion in my last post about Ferguson Island Ghost Town.

While this looks like the foundation of the church, it was actually another graveyard!

This pulpit is all that remains from the Church.

While visiting Church Island, I couldn't help but be reminded that these people lived lives reflective of the time period in which they lived. Most likely their daily "normal" was very different from my own. No doubt their political and social views contrasted with my own as well. Yet, I like to think that all those things that make life worth celebrating and remembering, were the same.

For example, I'm sure "Lydia" loved playing tag like most children do. 

and I'm sure Mrs. Dwight loved her husband and laughing with friends!

This headstone touched my heart! In a time often characterized by short lifespans, these two were married for 60 years!

Unfortunately, our time for exploring the island was limited due to the impending sunset. If you are interested in going to Church Island, and I hope you are, we put our kayaks in at Spiers Landing in Cross, SC. From there, it was a 20 minute paddle to the island. We brought a GPS just in case, but it's easy enough to find!

So until we meet again, a final glance back at an amazing location and tribute to South Carolina history!