There are a multitude of special little scenes inside Lake Conestee Nature Preserve. Back before the floods destroyed an important wooden footbridge that connected my favorite trail loop, this little footbridge was one of those special places for me. I've taken a number of photographs here, none of them particularly spectacular, but all meaningful to me in one way or another. That favorite trail loop I mentioned takes about 90 minutes to 2 hours to walk for an old guy like me. Seeing this footbridge is the signal that I'm just about at the end of my hike.
Read MoreHungry Heron
when morning sun breaks past the trees
then lights up cold and murky water
when hunger and the constant need
for finding food begins to matter
Bald Rock Warmed by Morning Sun
On a morning of clear blue sky, a cold face of ancient rock is embraced by the warmth from an ancient sun, as an old man with ancient-feeling legs realizes he probably walked too far down that mountainside just to get a photograph.
Read MoreSun Shines on Bent Little Tree
Every piece of nature, even the smallest bit, has a history. Usually, we don’t know that history, don’t care about that history, don’t waste our time with the minutia of nature’s little bits. I can relate to that. But because I was there, I know a small portion of the history of the bent little tree in the foreground sunlight of this photograph.
Read MoreRuckus in the Distance
It was quite early in the morning, especially considering the one-hour drive that got me there. Dawn had broken at Lake Oolenoy in Table Rock State Park, but most of the lake was still in shadow. I stood on a pier near where Carrick Creek feeds the lake. The morning and the wind were quiet. I looked out across 67 acres of smooth dark waters.
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