Saturday, May 14th, 2022 … Two Lane Adventures Continue!

We enjoyed the breakfast at the SC Good Sam Rally. One of the most unique features of this park is the bank of rocking chairs that offer a beautiful view of the mountains almost every day. Additionally, thy face our destination this morning. The morning was full of first timers meetings and State meetings, so we decided to hit the road! We are headed to new heights at Caesars Head State Park!

On our way up, we passed a small mountain community that had built its own private swimming area in a mountain lake. I bet in the warmer weather this place is booming with kids and adults enjoying the simpler parts of life!

    

I said we were going up, up and up … but there is a sign at the bottom that says not recommend for tractor trailers … I see why!

Caesars Head State Park is part of a 12,000-acre area known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area. Located in the Blue Ridge Mountains, Caesars Head contains a diversity of plant and animal communities adapted for life along the escarpment. The Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area provides more than 55 miles of hiking trails.

There is a wooden walkway that leads you out to the granitic gneiss outcropping atop the dramatic Blue Ridge Escarpment.

The views are spectacular already!

            

We can see the escarpment from the campground and from here we can see the campground! When I zoomed in, you can even see Paul & Sandy and our rigs!

A series of steep steps leads down to a narrow passageway between two massive rocks. From there, it's just a short walk around the side of the giant gneiss to a perch offering a side view of the outcropping.

It has been said Caesars Head was so named because it looks like the profile of Julius Caesar.

We enjoyed the panoramic view from 3,200 feet atop Caesars Head where you can see Table Rock, Sassafras Mountain, the Dismal Forest, and even Paris Mountain.

Caesars Head connects to Jones Gap State Park in what is known as the Mountain Bridge Wilderness Area, a 13,000-acre area of pristine southern mountain forest. Hikers can take a number of loop and traverse hiking trails that connect the parks, and trailside camping is available for those who choose the longer routes.

photo credit: HiketheSouth.com

 

phot credit: Musings of a Rover

One of the most popular trails at Caesars Head is the four-mile, round trip Raven Cliff Falls trail. This hiking trail leads to the scenic overlook, where you can view the 420-foot Raven Cliff Falls. There is also a 6.6 mile round trip hike to a suspension bridge that crosses the creek above Raven Cliff Falls. The bridge offers a unique view of the falls as they plunge deep into the mount    ain     cove below.

We opted not to do either of those trails, but we did follow the trail to Devils Kitchen, a set of stairs descends deep down into the rocky gap, which is just wide enough for a person to pass through. The formation was created thousands of years ago, as water on the mountain froze and expanded, causing the rock to crack open from the pressure. The granitic gneiss, a type of metamorphic rock, breaks at a 90-degree angle when it cracks, which formed the narrow passage flanked by tall rock walls.

The name of the geological formation is another story. It comes from a myth dating back to the days when the area was settled by Scots-Irish immigrants who enjoyed brewing their own alcohol. According to the story, the Devil himself made a particularly hot brew here, and spilled a drop of it on the rock, splitting the rock open on the spot.

The dogwoods are in bloom and offer their scent throughout the forested canopy as we walked the trail. There were mostly white, but these few pinks scattered around caught my eye.

We hit the gift shop and found some of the history to be fascinating.

On the way up, we missed the cars parked in a small pull-off on the east side of US 276. But we noticed a sign on the way back and made Charlie do a turn-around on this winding mountain road. What is the big attraction to a Bald Rock? It’s a natural scenic overlook offering stunning views of the surrounding mountains. A wooden footbridge near the parking area leads to a huge rock outcropping the size of a football field. The summit is so large, you can enjoy the panorama without feeling the slightest bit apprehensive, even if you have a fear of heights.

Unfortunately, the rock also features graffiti, most of it of the "Jack loves Judy" variety. But you won't find much in the way of litter thanks to a beautification project initiated by the DNR, the state's Department of Transportation and volunteers. I guess people are not deterred by the threat of fines!

Managed by the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, the preserve lies within the Mountain Bridge Wilderness area and spans 165 acres. The rock outcropping is surrounded by a forest of pines and hardwoods. Lichens and mosses have colonized portions of the rock, creating pockets and cracks in the granite.

The rock atop Bald Rock Heritage Preserve is part of the 450 million-year-old Table Rock gneiss formation that includes a string of “bald rock” ridgetops in the Upstate.

Part of the Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, the outcropping overlooks the foothills of Pickens and Greenville counties and South Carolina's signature natural attraction - the mammoth granite dome known as Table Rock.

When ancient continents collided, the granite rocks ... were squeezed, faulted, and folded. During this time, approximately 300 million years ago, these rocks were still several kilometers beneath the surface of the Earth. Over the next 250 million years, the mountains weathered away, and the rocks beneath them slowly rose to the surface. It is only in the last 20 million years or so that the rocks that produce the likes of Bald Rock Heritage Preserve, Table Rock, Caesar’s head, and others along the Blue Ridge escarpment, reached the heights that they are today.

When we got back to the campground, we were back just in time to play some Samgo. I was lucky and won the first game and a $25 gift card to Longhorn Steakhouse!

Our evening entertainment was underneath the oversized pavilion. It was Buffalo Barnfield. When we first saw them, Charlie & I both had the feeling we had seen them before! Then during the show, he asked who was from a place where they did not eat grits? Charlie raised his hand and was asked where? Hemlock NY was his answer. The entertainer proceeded to tell everyone he played a small agricultural fair there once … DING, DING, DING …. They were the “free” entertainment that the Hemlock “Little World’s” Fair hires. After the show, we talked to him, but neither of us could figure out the year they were there? Any of our friends know?

There has to be some chance to embarrass a few rally goers … They did a song called “Mooing & Fanning” … they did a bunch of both!

What trip to western SC would not be complete without having a Bigfoot sighting! Too bad Paul Hoffmann missed it! Bigfoot came right of the woods by the creek and grabbed the SC State Director and swung her around!

When he was done with her, he grabbed Tim and did the same!

He must have enjoyed the entertainment too, because he stopped and listened before he headed back the way he came! I hope I can sleep tonight, worrying if he will return!

Good night, check back tomorrow for more of our Two Lane Adventures!