Guide to Getting Away from the Sunnyside Traveler

View from Wayah Bald A few years ago the ladies in my family did a trip to the mountains in July and we stayed in Dillard, Georgia. It was the first time I had stayed in the area and I enjoyed my time there. We went kayaking, hiking, found a salvage yard, and visited a fun French-ish restaurant that was located adjacent to a gas station. I liked the area and wanted to return.  In the years since, I have been back to the Franklin, North Carolina area a few times. This year, we went over 4th of July weekend. We decided to go there because we thought it would be a good place to avoid the crowds that you find in many areas of the North Carolina mountains. It was a good choice. We were able to do all the things we wanted to and didn't feel that we were ever in a situation where there were too many people in close quarters.  During this visit, we hiked two short trails. I was amazed at the flowers we were able to find along the trails and roads, since it was July and many flowers ha...

Well this post doesn't really fall under my usual categories. We're into our second full week of working from home and the first week of the Columbia shut-down orders. It's amazing how quickly life can change so drastically. I just found out this weekend that they are cancelling our Master Naturalist class this year. We will have the option to take it next spring but I am pretty sad about this. I was really looking forward to learning and sharing my knowledge with you. Watching people posting online about exploring their neighborhoods and backyards and seeing signs of spring all around, I thought I would share with you some of the sights we saw recently walking on the Timmerman Trail . I took a bunch of pictures and am using them to help myself identify and learn plants and animals. Thankfully, we received our books for the Master Naturalist class so we have been using them to learn the names of the plants we find. Crab-apple tree Wisteria (non-native, invasive spec...

MN Week 1 Camp Discovery - Blythewood Not during our class but peach trees are starting to bloom! This past week, I began the Midlands Master Naturalist Program with the South Carolina Wildlife Federation and Clemson University.  “The Midlands Master Naturalist course is part of a statewide Master Naturalist Program coordinated by Clemson University.  The mission of the program is to create a corps of citizen volunteers well-trained in the fundamentals of natural history, nature interpretation, and the interface of humans and nature in order to empower them to contribute their time and talents to responsible, science-based environmental stewardship.  The Midlands course is hosted by the SCWF and taught by experts in the fields of natural history, botany, biology, forestry, and geology.” (from their website) I have heard about this program for a few years. Both of my parents participated in the Upstate class and have stayed involved with the program. Clas...