An Awesome Pumpkin Pie recipe

No Thanksgiving table would be complete without a delicious pumpkin pie, with its trademark velvety texture and autumnal spices. Our version is served with creamy pumpkin gelato for an extra helping of seasonal cheer. Individual tart molds ensure that everyone can enjoy a taste of this holiday staple.

Ingredients

SUGAR SYRUP:
⅓ C plus 1¼ T (95 ml) water
½ C plus 2 T (150 g) sugar
2½ T (25 g) dextrose powder
1 T (95 g) glucose syrup
PUMPKIN GELATO
1¾ C (500 g) pumpkin pie filling
⅔ C (145 ml) water
PUMPKIN FILLING:
1½ C (400 g) pumpkin pie filling
2¾ tsp (20 g) honey
¾ tsp (2 g) ground cinnamon
2½ T (20 g) ground ginger
1¼ tsp (3 g) ground nutmeg
2 lg eggs, beaten
⅔ C (150 ml) heavy cream
½ C (100 g) brown sugar
TART CRUST:
1¾ lb (800 g) short dough
CRUMBLE:
5 oz (150 g) short dough
CRÈME CHANTILLY:
⅔ C (150 ml) heavy cream
Seeds from ½ vanilla bean
GARNISH:
¼ C (5 g) garden cress

Directions

Sugar Syrup: Boil all ingredients in pan on high, remove from heat; let cool.

Pumpkin Gelato: Heat all ingredients in pan, stir in sugar syrup, heat to 140°F (60°C), cool to room temperature; chill overnight. Place in ice cream machine and freeze.

Pumpkin Filling: Heat all ingredients in pan to 122°F (50°C), let cool to room temperature, transfer to an airtight container; chill overnight.

Tart Crust: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease 12 individual tart molds with nonstick spray. Roll out dough to ⅛ in (3 mm), cut and press dough gently into molds, bake 15-18 minutes or until set; cool to room temperature.

Crumble: Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll out dough to ⅛ in (3 mm), transfer to baking sheet, bake until golden brown, let cool to room temperature; crumble.

Crème Chantilly: Whisk cream and vanilla bean seeds until medium stiff peaks form; transfer to a piping bag (star tip).

Plating: Spread filling into tart crusts, remove tarts from molds, pipe cream rosettes around edges, plate with crumble and gelato; garnish with garden cress.

  • Prep time: 55 minutes.
  • Chill time: overnight
  • Cook time: 50 minutes
  • Makes 12 servings

Lucky Places

Looking for a little luck this year? While you could wish on a star or hunt for a four-leaf clover, there are certain locations around the world that are famous for bringing people good fortune in love, work, family, finances and more. Some even bring better health.

Close to home is Friendship Oak in Long Beach, MS. On the front lawn of the University of Southern Mississippi’s Gulf Park campus stands a sprawling oak tree more than 500 years old and nearly six stories tall. It is said that those who enter its shade together will remain friends for the rest of their lives.

At Jade Cove in Big Sur, CA you might find a jade stone. People typically find the dark green jades here. In many cultures around the world, jade is thought to bring good luck.

Hoover Dam, on the Nevada side, there are two 30 foot tall bronze statues known as the Winged Figures of the Republic. Touching the feet is said to bring you good luck.

Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb in Springfield, Illinois has a large bronze bust of Lincoln in front of the memorial. Millions of people have rubbed the nose of the statue for good luck.


The two best known locations around the world are the Trevi Fountain in Rome and the Blarney Stone in Blarney, Ireland.

The Trevi Fountain dates back to the 1700s but the tradition of throwing coins into it became even more popular in the 1950s thanks to the American film “Three Coins in the Fountain”. Visitors fling a coin with their right hand backward over their left shoulder into the fountain. Some say tossing one coin over your back into the fountain assures you will return to Rome. Two coins brings love and three means you’ll get married. Over $1 million in coins is collected every year and donated to a local charity.

If you kiss the Blarney Stone in the Blarney Castle built over 600 years ago, you will have the gift of “blarney” or the gift of eloquence and good fortune in matters of persuasion. By the way, the only way kiss it is to climb to the top of the battlements, lean over backward holding on to a metal bar, scoot yourself over to the edge and kiss the stone.

Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey, is a 6th century place of worship turned into a museum. It is considered one of the world’s great monuments and it is also a major tourist attraction. The Weeping Column or the Column of St. Gregory is said to “weep” with healing holy water. Visitors can put their thumb into a hole in the side of the column and if it comes out damp, legend says their Illness will be cured. Another legend says that when you put your thumb in the hole and rotate your hand, you will be granted a wish.

Il Porcellino is a bronze boar statue in Florence, Italy, sculpted in 1634, which draws hundreds of visitors a day hoping for good luck. Visitors rub the boar’s snout while dropping a coin in his mouth. If the coin slides back out and falls through the grating beneath the statue, that guarantees good luck and that you will return to Italy one day.


Madron Well in Cornwall, England is purported to have healing waters. Traditionally, visitors would take pieces of rag or ribbon, known as clouties, that were torn from a part of the body where they had an injury or illness. They would tie the clouties in a nearby tree, and as the piece disintegrated, their affliction would also disappear. Today, the tree is still filled with colorful pieces of cloth for blessings and luck.

The Wishing Trees (Banyan trees), Lam Tsuen, Tai Po, Hong Kong are famous for their wish granting abilities. Write your wish on a piece of paper, tie it to a mandarin orange and toss it as high as possible into the tree branches. If the orange gets caught n the branches, the wish will come true.

Nuremberg, Germany has a 14th century fountain, Schoner Brunnen, with tiers of stone religious figures. This is surrounded by a protective railing with two rings embedded in the grate. People believe if you turn the rings, it will bring good fortune to you.


The last one I am going to tell you about is the Laughing Buddha in the Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou, China. There are many replicas of this statue. He is said to the the origin of the tradition of rubbing the Buddha’s belly for good luck.

I don’t know about you, but everything I can do, silly or not, to have good luck or better health, I’m in.

Western US Trip Summer 2022

WOW! What an adventure driving out west was! We have been wanting to do a road trip out there for several years. Mike has been to a lot of places out there but I have never done any sightseeing in the west before. I have been to several cities in California and Texas, but that was about all my seeing the sites consisted of. 

Think about it, most people including us want to go to exotic foreign places with beautiful scenery and beaches and mountains without ever considering the cornucopia of places to visit right here at home. From sea to shining sea, there are awesome parks, towns, cities and attractions for every taste, So for us as travel advisors, and just for ourselves, this was a journey of exploration of the wonders in the West of the United States.

We decided late last year that if we didn’t plan it and do it, we never would, so we started by setting a date. We wanted to go at the end of the summer this year. We thought maybe several weeks would allow us to do everything we wanted to do. That ended up growing to 5.5 weeks.

Mike did all the planning. I had input in lots of the sites but he has been to some and knew what we should see better than I did. He spent weeks checking out different sites and planning a possible route to see the things we wanted. Then he started planning the exact route. We also had to consider how long we wanted to spend at each site. Then look for any other sites near the top things that we might enjoy looking at. He did extensive planning and it went perfectly!! Every hotel was planned ahead and reservations made (we did leave plenty of leeway to stop for things we found along the way), all the parks reservations were made (some are required, some are not) and he planned the route for every day – mileage, time in route, and what time we might leave and arrive.

We visited friends and family all the way out to California, not just sites. We started on a southern route first. On the way out, we went through Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Nevada and California. We wanted to see as many National Parks in Utah, Arizona, Wyoming and California as possible, as well as as many things near the parks as we could. Of course, several caverns and trains since they are always on Mike’s list of things to do.

So join us on our adventure of 40 days and 40 nights over just shy of 10.000 miles as we explore just a very few of the things to do and see in the western part of our great nation. The hope is that inspiration will follow, and you will take to the road or the skies to make a journey of discovery as well.

Cruising with a Narrow Boat on the Llangollen Canal in Wales

Deedee and I have done a lot of cruises from the largest cruise ship to our favorite river cruise. All of these have one thing in commom. Some one else is driving the boat. Most people that cruise would say thats a really good thing. Being on a boat with a very professional crew that takes care of your safety, navigates, serves you food, and entertains you is what everyone thinks of for a cruise.

In September 21, we tried something completely different. We cruised on a narrow boat where we were the crew, the cooks, and the entertainment. We were responsible for everything. Now I’ll admit that it was fairly difficult to get into too much trouble at the blinding speed of 3 knots, but we tried a couple of times.

Our route was from the Chirk, Wales base down to Ellesmere in England where we spent the night, turned around and headed back upstream. We made it as far as Trevor after doing the Aqueduct (more about that later), then returned to Chirk base in 5 days.

Our boat was the Catlin, and a good boat was she. As with all narrow boats, it is seven feet wide, but the length can vary between 45 feet to almost 70 feet. This depends on the number of bedrooms, and bathrooms on board. Our boat was 53 feet long, had two bedrooms, and a central bath. Essentially it is a floating Camper.

Our friends had done this several times and recommended Black Price Boats as our source. We were very pleased with the company and the boat. She was clean, tidy and reliable. The layout is very comfortable, if a bit tight, especially passing in the narrow corridor. The kitchen, while small, was very well equipped with a gas range, small oven, a refrigerator, and all the other stuff it takes to prepare a meal. Considering how much fun we had and what a great adventure it was, the price was very reasonable.

The bedrooms are very small, with limited storage, however that is the same situation on a camper so no issue there. Our boat had one bathroom, but there are boats with two.

All in all a very comfortable place to spend 5 days. There was a radio and CD player on board along with a small TV, neither of which we used. I did discover camera mounts on the roof at the front of the boat. Made it very easy to mount the 360 degree camera for videos and pictures.

I am used to extensive checkouts on airplanes including weeks of simulator training for a new aircraft I would fly. This was not that kind of a checkout. They showed where the switches were, how to start the engine, how the throttle and rudder worked, then said if you have questions, its in the manual. That took twenty minutes, and we were on our way. In truth that was enough, we learned very quickly how the boat operated and after the first hour or so, we were an experienced crew.

One of the first things we did was go through the Chirk Tunnel. – a one boat affair. (Chirk Tunnel is 459 yards, completed in 1801. It is a brick lined tunnel, one of the longest of the three tunnels on the Llangollen Canal. It and Whitehouse Tunnel were the first tunnels built in Britain to be built with a towpath – walking path alongside.) The guy at the marina had told us we could see the other side – to look for other boats and turn our headlight on. What I thought was the headlight was the circuit breaker for it. In the meantime, we thought we saw a light coming through the tunnel so we stopped on the right. We waited for awhile then actually did see a boat come through without a light on! He said no one was behind him so we started through. With Deedee holding a flashlight in front. It seemed like a long tunnel – 459 yards. And it was dark!! People walking on the walkway beside us had to have a flashlight. Finally made it through and there were 2 boats behind us! It went right into the 1 lane Chirk Aqueduct which blessedly has a passing basin between the tunnel and the aqueduct. So we pulled over because we could see 2 boats coming over the Chirk Aqueduct. We pulled almost to the bank. The 2 boats behind us pulled up beside us to let the other 2 boats from the Aqueduct go into the tunnel. We let the other 2 boats go first. Then we went over the Aqueduct. It is 70 feet over the River Ceiriog. Beautiful view of the country below and beside us was a railway line with 10 stone arches. It was very pretty!

After the aqueduct, it was pretty easy sailing until we tied up for the night. As with all things the learning curve can be steep at first. Our checkout included instructions for some clips that are used to tie up with. It looks like a massive paper clip. All along the bank are metal strips that look like road barriers, but are bolted to the canal side so there is a small gap. The idea is that the hooked end goes between the bank and the rail. It jams in and locks the clip in place. Then the rope just loops through, and ties to the bollards on the fore and aft of the boat. Of course, I didn’t get it right the first time, so I just pounded stakes in the ground and tied up to them. This was the first night we ate on the boat. Next day we did both locks on our route with some help.

Most of the videos we did on the way back, because we were still trying to figure it out, and it rained hard on us all the way to Elismere. In fact the video of the tunnel is the one we did on the way back upstream.

We spent the next night in Elismere. It stopped raining so we went to town and ate at the Red Lion pub. Very famous old establishment dating from the 1500’s. Wonderful pub food. Fish and Chips, along with Guinness Lamb Stew.. The next morning was gorgeous, so we filled the potable water tank and headed upstream. About two hours later we came to the first of the two locks.

The locks are one boat affairs, and are manually operated. The drill is to wait for a boat coming out of the lock, so you can just go in. The aft gate is closed and the upstream paddles (the valves that let the water in or out) are raised by turning a gear drive with a windless. Every boat has a windless and you had best keep track of it. When the water level equalizes, the fore gate is opened and the boat is moved out. In the meantime the crew member working the lock insures that all paddles are closed for the next boat. This video gives a much better idea of how it works.

This canal had just two locks to pass through during our journey. As newbie’s on the narrow boats, we didn’t want to have to do a lot of locks. Our concerns were not warranted. Once you do one, it becomes obvious how to do it. Another issue for us was that it was just us doing it. This meant that Deedee had to stay on the boat while I operated the lock. She was not particularly thrilled with the idea of keeping the boat centered in the lock while the water was going up or down. If there are more folks on board, it makes the process go a lot smoother. On some canals, there could be as many as twenty locks, including some step locks that have multiple gates one right after another. Not what we wanted to tackle first time out, but not an issue for a future trip. The locks are completely manual. Once the boat is in the lock, the gates have to be closed behind the boat. Then the paddles, which are gear driven up and down by a windless, have to be opened. Depending on which way you are going, the water fills the lock, or drains from the lock. When the water level equalizes, you can push open the gate at the front of the boat and sail out. Still the operating crew member then has to lower the paddles, get the boats windless and get back on the boat. In most cases, for us, there were other boats waiting to go through, so lots of people on the banks to assist. Once you said this was your first time on the canal, they would help you get through. I believe it was the kindness of the folks but also a desire to not let the newbie slow up the process.

The truly spectacular feature on this canal is the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct. It was completed in 1805 after 10 years of construction and 1 death caused by carelessness. The Aqueduct is 1007 feet long, 11 feet 10 inches wide, 5 feet 3 inches deep and is 126 feet above the River Dee. It consists of 18 piers and 19 arches each with a span of 45 feet. The towpath (walkway) that runs along side it, just over the trough has railings running along side it to protect the towpath but the trough has no railings. The Aqueduct was named a World Heritage Site in 2009.

That’s all very interesting information, but going over it in person is just awesome. The view is spectacular, especially since the view from the edge of the canal is straight down. The pictures are not ours, but show the aqueduct from different views. The video is of us crossing it.

As we go across, you can hear the boat occasionally scrape the metal sides of the channel.

A great deal of the attraction for this kind of cruising is how serene and peaceful the journey is. On the canal, the sound of the boat is very low, so the birds and the wind, and conversation are all easy to hear. The pace is languid and the scenery is very pastoral. Everything is done slowly. Rushing to do anything seems pointless, although when docking or tying up, there is a small amount of monkey motion to get it done.

One other small feature we found on the canal was a manual lift bridge. This is a geared bridge that the boat must stop for. A crew member gets out and uses the windless to crank the gear to raise the bridge. When the boat is through, it needs to stop and the crewman lowers the bridge, then hops back on. In our case, there was a gentleman at the bridge who was kind enough to operate it for us.

The upshot of any experience is – would I do it again. In this case the answer is a resounding yes. This is a trip that combines so many things. Probably first and foremost is a sense of control because it’s you doing it. You are driving the boat, determining the speed, not some one else in a bridge far away. On the other hand, you are constrained by the canal and the slow pace of the boat, so the chances for serious mistakes are low.

Then there is the beauty and the peace of it. Watching the small part of the world go by at 3 Knots is an almost magical and fantastical experience. So do it again, yep, and we are working on that with another couple for the not to distant future.

The Concorde in Barbados

A couple of years ago we sailed on the Windstar Windsurf from Barbados. We stayed a couple of days before boarding, and came across this wonderful museum called the Concorde Experience. This was an amazing place, as there is a Concorde that can be toured. This is a video of our tour in the Concorde. Unfortunately, it closed in 2019, and certainly has been closed during the pandemic. We are hopeful that it will reopen. If it does, please stop by, you will love it.

A turn around the patch

This is a video of a circuit around the patch at our airstrip at the farm. The airplane is a Maule M5-235C that we owned for a number of years. The strip is just 1600 ft long with TALL trees at both ends. The Maule handles it like it is an international airport. It is a challenging strip at the best of times. Since it is private, I only allow people that I know are good with short fields, and have the airplane that can perform.

I hope you find this entertaining. I do miss the flying, but I stay in touch with all my flying buds, so we swap lies quite regularly.

A Sonos Music Server with Raspberry Pi

We have been users of the Sonos wireless music system in our house for many years. It provides music to almost every room reliably and with excellent fidelity. Music can be sourced from almost any online source, or from a local cache of music files.

Our preference is to use the local source, since that does not use any of our very limited internet bandwidth. We have had these music files spread over several different computers on the network, and in lots of different formats. This created a host of problems that needed a solution to consolidate all of those files in one place. I didn’t want to use the main HTPC computer as it’s function is just to do movies and provide music to the main listening system. I also didn’t want to use an office computer as they get turned off at night.

This server needed to be small, reliable, headless (meaning no keyboard or display) and connect directly to the LAN after the hardware firewall. The Raspberry Pi turned out to be an ideal solution to the problem. In the picture you can see two small black boxes. The one with the blue light is a 500GB hard drive in a generic USB enclosure. That disk contains some 12,000 mp3 and flac music files. The other small black box is a Rasperry Pi model 4 computer. Don’t be taken in by that tiny box. It is a full featured mini pc that can do anything a desktop can do. It can run any program you desire including full office software suites.

In this case all I wanted was to connect the hard drive to the computer and then to the network, where the Sonos controller software could request the desired music from that drive. In short it works perfectly. The little Pi runs 24/7 and unless something causes the power to fail, no intervention with it is needed. Even then, I can remotely log into it to restart it if necessary, however it is setup to just start the music service on its own on boot up.

If anyone is interested in creating an NAS music server using the Pi, I will be glad to send you the instructions for doing this. It will take a bit of tinkering with some settings and editing some configuration files on the Pi, but nothing really heavy duty.

There are lots of other automation tasks I am considering for this gadget, and I will post about those later.

The Nordic Heritage of Viking Ocean Cruises

Viking Ocean cruises is known as the best cruise line in the world. They have won this award every year since the inception of the ocean fleet. Part of that is the attention to detail evidenced in the design of the ships and the interior spaces. This video gives an excellent insight to how Viking promotes and honors the tradition of the Nordic ancestors that gave the name Viking to this cruise line.

Being in the business of providing guests to Viking to partake of these ships is something we always look forward to. We have never had a guest return from any Viking voyage, be it on River or Ocean without singing the praises of the entire experience. Deedee and I are devoted travelers on Viking, and we are so looking forward to our Christmas Cruise on the Danube later in 2021.

Please watch the video, and I’m sure you will come away with a new understanding of why Viking Cruises is what they are.

Hauntings in SC

The Coastal Region

There is so much history in our state! Part of that history is the stories we hear about ghost hauntings. Charleston and the coastal part of the state is inundated with ghost stories from parks to churches to homes and gardens. Lots of our stories are famous and some are lesser known. Until I was looking for stories, I had never heard the following one.

The Unitarian Church in is the second oldest on Charleston. There is a story about a young girl named Anna Ravenel. She fell in love with a soldier stationed at Fort Moultrie in 1827. The 14-year-old was to be married to an aristocratic young man, but she fell in love with 18-year-old Edgar Perry, who fell in love with her. Anna and Edgar ignored her father, often meeting together in the church cemetery.

Anna’s father separated them by locking Anna up and having Edgar transferred to a fort in Virginia. Anna became very ill and died before Edgar could get back to her. Anna’s father was so determined to keep them separate that he had six graves dug in the cemetery and buried her in one, not marking which was his daughter’s. Edgar never found out which grave was Anna’s. Anna’s ghost is reported to still appear around her grave, looking for Edgar. The interesting thing about this story is that Edgar joined the army before he was old enough and used a pseudonym. His real name was Edgar Allan Poe, who among his works, wrote a poem about Annabelle Lee which could easily have been a poem about his love for Anna.

The Old City Jail is said to be one of the most haunted buildings in Charleston and there are plenty of reasons why. Thousands of people died at the jail. Probably the most famous hauntings is from Lavinia Fisher, so called the first woman serial killer, and her husband John who owned a hotel. They reportedly killed over 100 wealthy men and stole their valuables. Another famous “ghost” is Jacque Alexander Tardy is best known for piracy and killing people on several ships, blaming the chefs on the ships. 

In the park near the Battery, called White Point, dozens of pirates were hung. Many left dangling from their nooses to deter other pirates from entering Charleston Harbor are rumored to haunt the park.

At the Edisto Presbyterian Church cemetery, Julia Legare is said to guard the family mausoleum. When she was a young girl in the mid 1800s, she fell very ill and the doctor declared her dead. Her family placed her in the mausoleum. 15 years later, when the family opened it to bury another relative, they found the cries that were heard after her death had been real. Julia was found at the door as if she had tried to escape. The mausoleum has been sealed again and again but the door is always found open. As if Julia refuses to be locked in again. 

Central SC

Hauntings in Central South Carolina are almost as plentiful as those in the coastal region. Lost loves are a big part of the stories. Quaker Cemetery in Camden is an example. Agnes from Glascow, Scotland stowed aboard a ship and came to the US in search of her fiance. He had been sent to the US during the American Revolution to fight the colonist. She heard he was in Camden and followed him there. He had moved on, she fell gravely ill, died and was buried in the Quaker Cemetery. Her spirit is said to be wandering around the graveyard, searching for him.

The University of South Carolina has many stories. Some people report seeing lights on at night in the South Caroliniana Library where a former president, James McKissick, who is buried in front of the library, is said to be wandering around the building and reading the books. Students in one of the dorms reportedly have seen a female with long dark hair. She is thought to be the daughter of Dr. Black who was murdered by a group of soldiers. She avenged her father’s murder by poisoning the soldiers. Her spirit and those of the soldiers now reside in the building.

The Congaree River  Bridge is apparently haunted by the restless spirt of a young girl sho stands by the side of the road trying to hitch a ride. She asks drivers to take her home. About half way there, she vanishes without a trace.

The State Museum is another place people report seeing a ghost. It is the ghost of a former mill worker, Bubba, who worked there when it was a textile mill. It is believed he died in an industrial accident. He is most often spotted on the fourth floor near the Old Country Store. Most of the time he is a real looking man wearing overalls but sometimes he is just boots and partial legs.

The Adluh Flour Mill is reported to be inhabited by a former longtime employee who died. It is believed that his soul is pinned to his old work cart which to this day has proved impossible to move.

The Keller Hall Bell Tower at Newberry College is where a love story is the source of the haunting. A female student reportedly jumped from the tower during the Civil War after finding out her Union soldier boyfriend had died in the war. Her ghost is spotted roaming the campus crying out for her beloved.

A search shows many, many more stories. Have fun looking!

In the Upstate of SC

Upstate South Carolina has it’s share of haunted places. Cry Baby Bridge is located in Anderson and is said to be haunted by the spirit of an infant who was thrown from the bridge by it’s mother. It is said that if you stop your car on this bridge at night and cut your car off, you can hear the baby cry and see it’s mom walking, looking for her child.

Hell’s Gate or Oakwood Cemetery is in Spartanburg and it reputed to cause issues with your cell phone during the day – battery draining, phone ringing when it is cut off, etc. At night it is said that you can see orbs, a white shrouding mist and hear the laughter or crying of children and hear disembodies voices. Photos have seemed to show small faces peeping from behind trees or headstones. Be careful if you go there at night because it has the reputation for being the site for grave robbing and Satanic rituals. These Satanic rituals have reportedly created a portal to hell so that evil spirts can mingle with the people buried there. 

Greenville’s Tuberculosis Hospital in Greenville has been a tuberculosis hospital, an insane asylum, and a prisoner release site. It has since burned but they say you can hear voices, sobs, footsteps and other sounds here. According to legend, sometimes rain puddles turn red, supposedly the blood of the TB patients. 

Woodruff is home to Seven Devil’s Bridge which can only be crossed on foot. Seven men were hung there are reputed to haunt the bridge at midnight. If you cross the bridge then, you will experience all manners of tragic experiences with most ending in screams of horror. 

The Shamrock House, at the base of Sassafras Mountain, built in 1925, was a family dwelling. Now it is a guest house you can stay in. According to stories, a young woman who died there haunts the house. Lights turn on and off and doors open by themselves along with the ghostly footsteps and cold spots. This house has also been used as a backdrop of “The Long Journey Home, a Big Foot Movie” and “The Hills Have Thighs” movies.

Another haunted bridge in the upstate is Poinsett Bridge. It is one of the oldest bridges in the state and is listed in the National Registry of Historic Places. It is no longer used for vehicle traffic, but it used to be part of the main route from Columbia to Asheville. There are two stories about the hauntings – by a slave who was hung while the bridge was being built or that it was built on Indian land and the tribe haunts the bridge. Most of the reports about this bridge include strange lights which seem to float on the mountain, voices, screams and apparitions. 

There are many other haunted sites in our state. Have fun checking them out!

SC Walking Trails

How about a nice walk outside? South Carolina has many walking trails from easy to difficult. Some have waterfalls, some are on the beach, in the mountains, level ground, hilly, just about anything you want!

There are lots of river walks all over the state. River Park in Rock Hill is 3.5 miles of walking trails mostly along the Catawba River. Landsford Canal State Park in Chester County is also along the Catawba River. The Columbia Canal and Riverfront Park is 2.5 miles and part of the Palmetto Trail. While you are there, visit the West Columbia Riverwalk which is 8 miles of pavement and boardwalk along the Congaree River. The Waterfront Park in Beaufort or the Conway Riverwalk are both close enough to shops to walk for a bite to eat after your walk.

I could walk all day on the beach but if you want a little variety on your beach walk, try the state parks at Huntington Beach, Edisto, Hunting Island or Myrtle Beach. We also have beautiful marsh walks at Shem Creek Park in Mt Pleasant or Murrells Inlet.

The Palmetto Trail is a system of hiking and biking trails being developed in SC. The trails run beside lakes, in mountains, through forests, large and small towns and swamps. Begun in 1994, it will be 500 continuous miles from Walhalla in the Blue Ridge Mountains to Awendaw on the Intercoastal Waterway when finished. It is currently 350 miles with 26 passages raging from 1.3 to 47 miles. Parts are rated easy, moderate, or strenuous. It is one of 16 cross-state trails in the United States. We even have a trail head in Santee, behind the Town Hall Complex. This portion is 13.2 miles and goes through agricultural land, offering a number of activity options and is accessible year-round. The Southern part of the trailhead is at the Eutawville Community Center near Hwy 45 and 6. Each section is called a passage and include the Swamp Fox Passage, Santee, Fort Jackson, Lake Moultrie, Lake Marion and Capital City Passages. 

So, put on your walking or running shoes and explore our state!