South Carolina

7/15/26 - We arrived early enough at our RV park, south of Columbia, SC, to go for a short run before dinner.

7/16/26 - Another state capitol building:

This one had a very unique area between the House and Senate chambers. Unlike other capitols, it had lots of comfortable seating.

I loved this gorgeous glass mosaic window

Our next stop was the South Carolina State Museum that had, in addition to state history information, a planetarium (we watched a program on black holes), a 4D theatre (water sprays, wind, bubbles, and things tickling your legs),

...many telescopes including this one from the 1920s,

...and a collection of bird taxidermy, pictures, and this impressive collection of eggs.

Even the building was interesting. It used to be a textile mill (the first completely electric one in the world).

We spent about 4 hours! Our next stop was for "South Carolina" BBQ:

7/18/26 - We had a guided 3-hour kayak tour on Cedar Creek, which runs through Congaree National Park (about 30 minutes away from the RV).

These Bald Cypress trees thrive in the swampy conditions

We saw a turtle, some big spiders, a barred owl, and two snakes. It was very peaceful (except for the whiny toddler and her mother's incessant "row row row your boat" singing!).

On our other days, we relaxed, did some chores, and went running at a beautiful, woodsy park where we saw deer, lizards, birds, huge spiders, and one of these:

ChatGPT helped me determine it was a polyphemus moth, based on its color, size (4-6" across), and its unique transparent spots, which Pat and I looked through

I also went to the nearby SC State Farmer's Market (open 6 days a week):

I bought some amazing peaches, tomatoes, and a melon