Blue Wall Weekly: July 15, 2019

To view the Blue Wall Weekly as a web page, click here. [Gmail messages are clipped. Click link on bottom left corner to view entire newsletter.]   Greetings   Welcome to the Blue Wall Weekly, your source for what's going on outside along the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment. Feel free to share your own  photos, videos, and adventures along the Blue Wall by sending them to the email address at the bottom of the page, and we'll do our best to make you (locally) famous! Forecast: Rain. Oh, the weather forecast is frightful, But the day is so delightful Our lake plans have been made and so Let us go, let us go, let us go! And go we did, all week, despite the gloom and doom forecasts promising an 80% chance of thunderstorms. Did it rain? Oh yes! When you enter the rainforest that is the Jocassee Gorges, you have a real good chance of being rained on. Everyone had a wonderful time swimming and playing right on through downpours. Approaching weather was humbling, its wake gloriously beautiful. Lightening stayed far enough away, thunder rumbled once or twice, just enough to get our attention, and even the frisky wind that kicked up leaves on shoreline trees was short-lived and refreshing. It was, all in all, a sublime week.~K   Day's end on Lake Jocassee SPECIAL EVENTS WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS   ADVENTURE TOUR! Sunday, July 14: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM  Book Now!     JOCASSEE ADVENTURE CAMP!  Mondays, July 15 & 23: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM   Book Now!   GUIDED KAYAK TOUR! Tuesday, July 16: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM  Book Now!   FULL MOON RISING!  Book Now! Tuesday, July 16: 6:00-9:00 PM   KIDS KAYAK ADVENTURE!  Tuesday, July 23: 10:00 AM-1:00 PM  Book Now!     BOOK A PRIVATE JOCASSEE LAKE TOUR TODAY!     WEEKLY EVENTS WITH JOCASSEE LAKE TOURS   EVERY WEDNESDAY TOUR  July 17: 10:00-2:00 PM  Book Now!   WEDNESDAY SUNSET TOUR July 17: 6:00-9:00 PM  Book Now!   EVERY SATURDAY TOUR  July 20: 10:00-2:00 PM  Book Now!   SATURDAY SUNSET TOUR July 20: 6:00-9:00 PM  Book Now!   EVERY SUNDAY TOUR July 21: 10:00-2:00 PM  Book Now!   EVERY SUNDAY AFTERNOON TOUR July 21: 2:30-5:30 PM  Book Now!     CALL OR BOOK ONLINE TO RESERVE SEATS 864-280-5501  www.jocasseelaketours.com   Looking towards Horsepasture River, July 13, 2019     THIS WEEK! JULY 15   STATE PARK EVENTS    Oconee Station State Historic Site January 1-December 31 Saturdays & Sundays: 1:00-5:00 PM Historic Building Tour   Table Rock State Park July 16: 9:00-10:30 AM Wonders in the Woods   A guided hike along Carrick Creek Trail will reveal how the geology, plants, and animals all fit into the ecology of this mountain forest.   Table Rock State Park July 17: 9:00-10:00 AM Stream Study   Explore a mountain stream to see what creatures live in a cold-water habitat.   Table Rock State Park July 18: 9:00-10:00 AM Morning Float   Take a leisurely paddle to explore the shoreline and quiet coves of Pinnacle Lake to discover what lives in this aquatic habitat.   Table Rock State Park July 19: 9:00-10:00 AM Botany & Birds   Table Rock has a high diversity of plant and bird life. Take a stroll to learn some tips for identifying some of our native trees and plants and the feathered friends that they attract.     Osprey- Photo by Gene Rochester      MEETUP EVENTS:  WHAT IS A MEETUP?   GNHA July 21: 12:00-6:00 PM Foothills Trail Sloan Bridge to Whitewater River   Beginning at Sloan Bridge access on Hwy 107, hike moves from Sumter National Forest into Nantahala National Forest. . Nice views of Lake Jocassee and Bad Creek Reservoir. Short car shuttle required.     OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS   Mushroom Mountain July 16: 2:00-3:30 PM MM Tour   All tours of Mushroom Mountain include an introduction to fungal ecology and life cycles, laboratory tour and research overviews, and the fruiting room.   SCNPS July 16: 7:00-9:00 PM Upstate Meeting- What Happened to the Bobwhite Quail?   Bobwhite Quail, an iconic favorite of both hunters and bird watchers are increasingly rare in South Carolina.  Michael Small, biologist, will discuss the decline of Quail and offer suggestions to reverse the trend.   Northern Bobwhite quail- Audubon.org   Mushroom Mountain July 16: 7:00-11:00 PM Full Moon Walk, Drum Circle and Potluck   Walk in the woods with us on these Full Moon Evenings. Afterwards, we’ll share our experience with a potluck. Anyone wishing to bring instruments is welcome!   SCNPS July 17-20: 8:00 AM-5:00 PM Cullowhee Native Plant Conference   The purpose of the Cullowhee Conference is to increase interest in and knowledge of propagating and preserving native southeastern plant species in the landscape.  Both professionals and laypersons will gain valuable knowledge from the informative field trips, lectures, and workshops.   Lake Conestee Nature Park July 19-20: 9:30-11:00 AM Knee High Naturalist- Summer Sprouts!   Join us this summer as we create our own pollinator plot.  We will exercise our observation skills as we watch and record how our plot grows and changes.   Hagood Mill July 20: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM Banjo Extravaganza   Join us for our annual trek through history as we follow the evolution of the banjo from its origins as an African gourd instrument to today’s multiple and unique styles.   Greenville County Bird Club July 20: 2:00-3:30 PM Presentation: Birds of Lake Conestee Nature Park   Join Anthony Martin at the Augusta Road Library.  This talk will be devoted to the various birds that one might see on a visit to Lake Conestee Nature Park, and will be based on Anthony's photography there since 2013.   Lake Conestee Nature Park July 20: 8:00-10:00 PM Sunset in the Park Hike   Come and explore the park at dusk when the animals are most active. We will enjoy the sunset over the West Bay and then travel the trails as it gets dark.   Mushroom Mountain July 20-21: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM Wild Mushroom Food Safety Certification-Georgia   5 year mushroom foraging permit for SC, GA, NC, VA, PA and NY. This permit will allow for sale of wild foraged mushrooms.     THIS WEEK ON LAKE JOCASSEE JULY 15, 2019    JOCASSEE WEATHER ALERT! It’s summer on Lake Jocassee, and just like everywhere else in the southeast, if the temperature reaches around 90 degrees, there is likely to be thunderstorms building somewhere in the area. It’s what happens in the South. So why does your favorite weather source now turn ordinary summer weather in Breaking News!? A good question. Perhaps it is to get you to stay inside on wonderful summer days and watch more TV. Don’t do it, folks. Summer is to be spent outside in nature, not inside for fear of weather.   JOCASSEE WEATHER REPORT. The week of July 4 was hot, dry and sunny, a bit unusual for Jocassee but to most every vacationer’s delight. This week, though, has been overcast and slightly cooler. Easier on the eyes and the skin, I say. It’s rained off and on, mostly at night. All in all, it’s been a lovely, quiet week for July. The weatherman scaring the dickens out of some folks does have its advantages.~B     COMING SOON! JULY/AUGUST   STATE PARK EVENTS   Table Rock State Park July 26: 10:00 AM-1:00PM Third Friday SUP & Kayak Paddling Tryouts   Table Rock State Park July 27: 3:00-3:45 PM Serpent Show and Tell   Gorges State Park July 28: 4:00-4:45 PM Lichen or Not   Gorges State Park August 1: 10:00 AM-2:00 PM Don’t Get Lost   Oconee Station State Historic Site August 3: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM Frontier Encampment   Table Rock State Park August 10: 2:00-6:00 PM Music on the Mountain Bluegrass Jam     MEETUP EVENTS: WHAT IS A MEETUP?   GNHA July 27: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM Keowee-Toxaway State Park: Raven Rock Trail   GNHA July 28: 1:30-5:00 PM Table Rock - Carrick Creek   GNHA August 4: 10:00 AM-5:00 PM Table Rock - Bald Knob   GNHA August 4: 12:00-6:00 PM Yellow Branch and Issaqueena Falls   GNHA August 10: 10:00 AM-4:00 PM Bad Creek Access To Upper Whitewater Falls   GNHA August 11: 12:00-6:00 PM Eastatoee Gorge-The Narrows     OTHER OUTDOOR EVENTS   Foothills Trail Conservancy/Duke Energy July-September Important Trail Notice - Toxaway Bridge alert!   Lake Conestee Nature Park July 26: 9:30-11:00 AM Knee High Naturalist - Summer Sprouts!   Foothills Trail Conservancy July 27 FTC  Maintenance Schedule   Mushroom Mountain July 27: 9:00 AM-5:00 PM All Day Mushroom Cultivation Workshop   Oconee History Museum July 27: 2:00-6:00 PM Community Centennial Celebration   World of Energy July 31 Wednesdays at the WOE, Clemson Extension Watershed Program   Mushroom Mountain August 6: 2:00-3:30 PM MM Tour   Greenville County Bird Club August 11: 9:00 AM-12:00 PM Hummingbird Banding Workshop     SC Botanical Garden Events   July 22: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM Time Travelers Camp   July 27: 8:30-9:30 PM Magical Moths: National Moth Week   August 2: 7:00 AM First Friday Walks with Dr. David Bradshaw   JOCASSEE WILD CHILD! Hydrotherapy in Laurel Fork Falls. For the 'wild child' in each of us. Photo by Sheryl White   BORROWED GLIMPSES   Awwwwww... what looks like a cute and colorful little alien is actually a cute and colorful member of the smilax family!  Photo by Tricia Kyzer   Rain over Roundhouse Point on Lake Jocassee.   DID YOU KNOW?   Foothills Trail Advisory! Temporary closures of Toxaway River pedestrian bridge on the Foothills Trail began June 27 and should be complete by the end of September. Closures should be brief and still allow for pedestrian crossings. Some full day closures may occur - this will be posted on the Duke Energy website https://www.duke-energy.com/community/lakes   ABOUT THE BLUE WALL Spanning three states (North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia) and encompassing 859,000 acres, the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment, known as the 'Blue Wall' by Native Americans, contains some of the highest natural diversity of rare plants and animals found anywhere in the world. www.JocasseeLakeTours.com info@jocasseelaketours.com   Phone:  864-280-5501 Jocassee Lake Tours Depart from the Main Dock at Devils Fork State Park     PLEASE CALL 864-280-5501 AT LEAST 24 HOURS IN ADVANCE TO RESERVE YOUR SEATS! Not your cup ot tea? Unsubscribe from Newsletter   Love Jocassee? Help protect and preserve the beauty of Lake Jocassee and the Jocassee Gorges by joining FOJ! Mountain Lakes Convention and Visitors Bureau   Your Portal to Paradise!    Lake Jocassee & Lake Keowee

1787. One weary man and one weary teenager have been walking north for days towards the headwaters of the Savannah River. With little to eat, they spend the night with only a small wooden cart to protect them from a torrential rainstorm. On the sixth day of June, father and son arrive at Hopewell, a plantation along the Seneca River in a settlement on the outskirts of present day Clemson. The bedraggled couple are received graciously by General Andrew Pickens himself, and they present a proper letter of introduction from one Colonel Le Roy Hammond. They are, presumably, wined and dined, and rejuvenated by a comfortable night’s sleep. Three days later father and son have followed the faintest of paths to reach the settlement of Seneca, situated beside the lovely Keowee River. Seneca is the final outpost before the rugged Appalachian Mountains, a center of trade at the threshold of the Cherokee Nation. From this place, three large tracts of land will be recorded into the name of ‘Andrew’ Michaux.

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Whether you're in a no-wake zone or not, you are responsible for any injury or damage caused by your wake. Courts have ruled that when a vessel's wake collides with another vessel and causes damage, Rule (6) of the Inland Rules of Navigation applies: each vessel "shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that she can take proper and effective action to avoid collision." The courts read the word "collision" to include both a collision with a vessel's hull and a collision with its wake.