Dupont State Forest

Wow! What a quick and exciting trip we had up to the hills this weekend. Our neighbors, Todd and Christine Smith, have been telling us to check out Dupont State Forest for a while. The close proximity of some many amazing waterfalls is not to be missed they told us.
We camped at Black Forest campground. The pancake breakfast was a hit, even if the weather was not on Sunday morning. I liked having water and electricity at the site too. Hey, if you are going to car camp, you might as well do it right. The boys had fun setting up and running around the camp. I think there were 4 families in the tent pad areas with most of the lot empty. The managers said Memorial Day was packed. Note to self, pick the same weekend next year! We eyeballed the cabins they have around the grounds too. 1 bunk bed and a queen, plus AC. Seems perfect to me. We will be back there.

Our first waterfall trip was on Saturday after we got the tent setup and the gear stowed away and ready for the night. Triple Falls is about 10 minutes from our site and it's an easy hike (well, maybe moderate for some due to a steep incline or two) of 15 to 30 minutes. Of course, all the way up the trail, Miles and Dylan are begging us to allow them to walk on the rock part of the falls. If you know Tricia (aka "Fire Marshall Bill"), water and heights make her a little nervous about the offspring. She was very vigilant and Dylan and Miles did their complete best to push the limits of our limits. It was a test of wills for a while. Then, somehow a young lady, trying to get her dog who swam into the rapids, went over the 2nd falls and down the rock. After that, Miles and Dylan got the message. That young lady is very, very, very lucky to be alive. Take a look at the pictures to get an idea of the fast drop she took. She was able to get up and walk away. She and the dog (he was wet and mad) used 1 of their 9 or 10 lives today. It was an important lesson for Miles and Dylan too. Mom and Dad aren't so uncool and dumb afterall.
We then went back to the trail head and took a quick wade in the river by Hooker Falls.

After all the fun at the waterfalls, we were ready for a meal. While I worked up the usual "Dad always cooks when we camp" meal of pasta, veggies and chicken (rotates with packed salmon), Miles and Dylan swam in the heated pool down the hill by the main entrance of the campground. We roasted marshmellows and made smoores. Miles and Dylan, not surprisingly, went to sleep pretty fast. Well, they were a little scared (especially Dylan) of racoons. I told them the story of how the coons got a little crazy when we were camping at Edisto back in 2003.

Once the boys were asleep, Tricia and I sat around the fire and listened to WNCW on the hand-crank radio/flashlight. It's all blues on Saturday night. I forgot how special it feels just to sit by a fire, relax with your honey and listen to the blues on a mono speaker. I think those tunes sound so good like that because a lot of those old tunes were recorded in monaural, not stereo. The Sweetwater 420 Pale Ale makes the evening by the fire with your honey special too.

We got a little wind and rain in the morning but allowed us to laze around the tent, start another fire and then make the 9am pancake breakfast at the big house on the grounds. The hot coffee was a plus too! Miles and I ate our fair share of pancakes just like we talked about by the fire the night before.

On the way home, we took Highway 11 east to Pickens county to check out the Reedy Cove Falls (aka Eastatoee Falls or aka Twin Falls), which is a trip we usually make after a camp McCall visit. But, since Tricia hadn't made that hike or seen that waterfall, we took her over for the trip. The rain cleared and we had a nice enjoyable hike and viewing of the falls. Plus, she got to see Bob's Place. If you have been there, you know. :-)

Here's some pictures from the trip. I have 2 videos to post as well (YouTube, very soon).

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Miles and I went to doggie school with Keller after we got back home. Keller is doing great and he is getting the hang of showing off for the instructor. The tent and tarps are now dried and stowed away for the next trip. We hope it's soon!

See ya!