Mini road trip: tigers and goats and bears, oh my

[jtbell]

(No) thanks to the pandemic, it's been more than two years since I did my most recent extended road trip. This past August I was hoping to go to the big APS stamp show in Chicago, and other parts of the Midwest, but had to call it off because of a schedule conflict here and the then-growing Covid surge.

Nevertheless, since late spring I've been doing occasional day-trips in the region. Yesterday I drove up towards Asheville NC for a train show, and made enough stops along the way to call it a "mini road trip."

Here's the first of four stops, in Greenville SC. Normally I come here fairly regularly so I'm somewhat familiar with the place, but I don't usually have the opportunity to simply wander around and take pictures.

Greenville's Main Street has been transformed completely since the early 1980s, and is unrecognizable from earlier postcards in my collection. Yesterday the street was taken over by an outdoor food market sponsored by a local bank.

When I first visited in 1985, these trees were new and much smaller.

At the bottom of the Main Street hill is Falls Park which features an interesting suspension footbridge, the "Liberty Bridge", over the Reedy River. It's supported on only one side, probably to provide a clear view of the waterfall from the open side.

Near the entrance from Main Street to Falls Park is the statue of Charles Townes which I posted about, a few years ago.

About halfway down Main Street is a plaza with the former county courthouse, the grand old Poinsett Hotel (now a Westin), and a statue of the hotel's namesake, Joel Roberts Poinsett.

While he was the U.S. minister to Mexico in the late 1820s, he observed a plant with colorful red leaves and sent samples back to the U.S. It quickly became known as the "poinsettia." Note the floral emblems on the base of the statue.

In an earlier phase of his career, Poinsett was president of the South Carolina Board of Public Works. You'll see an artifact from this on the next stop of this trip.

Not far away, just past the other side of the hotel, is the sculpture Il Porcellino which I posted in the Lame Jokes thread last night.

Clemson University is less than an hour's drive away, so a shop selling Clemson memorabilia has a guaranteed customer base here.

 

[mcastillo356]

What a nice post!

Makes me remember the trip I made to the USA when I was 16 years old (I am 56). One month's tour. That academic year I passed all the subjects in June, when is meant to be. For the first time in life, past one I had failed in June two subjects, so had to study to pass them on September.

My parents gave me that travel for my success. I have precious memories of that month. I first visited New York for two days. I had the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty, and even climbed some stairs that accessed the inside of what is the head of the statue. Then we spent two days in San Francisco, and finally Los Angeles. The most beautiful memory is the family who hosted me...So many beautiful memories! And dearly anecdotes: a whole music band delighted us with a piece ... As a reward for finishing our ice cream, a big banana-split!
Regards, love!

P.S. Hope this time is well. Tell me if not, please.

 

[jtbell]

Stop 2

I headed north from Greenville towards North Carolina on route US-25 (aptly named "Poinsett Highway") which becomes a 4-lane divided highway outside the city. A few miles south of the state line, "Old US Hwy 25" (2 lanes) branches off to the right. A few miles along this road, Callahan Mountain Road branches off to the right and brings us to the Poinsett Bridge Heritage Preserve.

As I noted in the preceding post, Joel Poinsett was (among other things) president of the South Carolina Board of Public Works. During his tenure, the state completed a road from Charleston to the North Carolina state line north of Greenville. The preserve contains a bridge (nowadays known as the "Poinsett Bridge") built along this road in 1820.

This is the oldest bridge in South Carolina, and perhaps in the southeastern US. It probably depends on how you define "southeastern US."

As I climbed the trail up from the creek to the road, I heard a loud buzz next to one ear, then felt a sting on my earlobe. I never saw whether it was a bee or a wasp or something else. As I drove away with an aching earlobe, I wondered whether I would succumb to anaphylactic shock while driving along a twisty mountain road. Fortunately, I didn't. But my ear is still a bit sore/itchy two days later.

 

[jtbell]

Stop 3

I backtracked to Old US-25 and continued northward, winding and twisting upward into the mountains. Shortly after the North Carolina state line, it becomes route NC-225 and reaches the village of Flat Rock.

The elevation here is about 2200' compared to Greenville at about 900', so it's usually noticeably cooler here, by 5-10F. According to Wikipedia, Flat Rock became known in the 1800s as the "Charleston of the Mountains" because of the influx of summer residents from the low country. Today there are upscale homes and golf clubs, which reminds me...

For a few years after I arrived in the area in 1985, my physics department had an annual spring "golf bash." After the end of spring semester, we (guys only, no spouses) spent a couple of nights somewhere (mountains or coast) with a lot of golf courses nearby, and played three or four different courses. Officially this was a "departmental planning retreat" or something like that, so we could use departmental funds. We always chose modest lodgings so as not to blow up the departmental budget.

On one trip, we stayed in Hendersonville, a few miles further north, and drove down to Flat Rock to play at a certain course. We had reserved a tee time, but when we arrived, we were turned away because one of us (not me!) was wearing ragged cut-off shorts. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't wear those on the course." So we drove off and found somewhere else to play that day. Whenever I drive through here and past that course, as I did on Saturday, I remember that incident.

Flat Rock's most famous resident was probably the poet Carl Sandburg. Although he's associated with Chicago and the Midwest, he moved to Flat Rock in 1945 so he could write without distractions, and died here in 1967. His home is now a National Historic Site.

My wife and I visited here about 30 years ago, so I decided to check it out again on this trip. The house itself is currently closed to tours because of Covid, but the property and trails are open.

Sandburg's wife ran a goat farm and dairy here, which is still in operation. I just missed the opening hours for the pasture and barn, but I could say hello to some of the goats along the fence.

A sign promoted social distancing by asking visitors to "stay two goat lengths from people not in your family party." I didn't think to take a picture of it (duh!), but this one conveys the same idea.

 

[jtbell]

Stop 4

My my final stop for this trip was just north of Flat Rock in the small city of Hendersonville. It's become a sort of smaller version of Asheville, with lots of retirees and tourists, and a short but bustling Main Street presided over by a yellow-brick courthouse.

But what's that purple thing on the street corner in the second picture? It's part of Hendersonville's annual Bearfootin' Art Walk, in which local artists whimsically paint up bear sculptures which are auctioned off to raise money for local non-profit organizations. If you want one, the bidding is online until October 16 (see the link). But if you win one, you have to go to Hendersonville to pick it up yourself, and figure out a way to get it home.

There are plenty of restaurants on Main Street, but I always go a local favorite a few blocks away.

The picture inside is actually from a couple of years ago, before the pandemic. Now you can't congregate in line. You have to order and pay quickly at a station in the center, then go outside on the patio and wait for someone to bring your food out.

I thought I would continue to Asheville to see the Radio Museum at the local community college. But I forgot that it closes at 3pm, which didn't leave enough time to get there. Maybe next trip!

[added]

I did visit the radio museum about a month later:

https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/mini-road-trip-riding-the-waves-in-the-mountains.1009172/

 

[mcastillo356]

View attachment 290424

The picture inside is actually from a couple of years ago, before the pandemic. Now you can't congregate in line. You have to order and pay quickly at a station in the center, then go outside on the patio and wait for someone to bring your food out.

Good rules! Love