2/28/2008
Rest day at Lake Murray
After a long solo day on the river yesterday, I was able to meet up with the support crew late last night to take a rest day. Lake Murray dam sits on the Saluda river providing hydro-electric power for the Columbia area. Paddling across Lake Murray is challenging, but I got good weather and relatively calm waters on my trip (not too many powerboats either!).
 There was a beautiful sunrise on the Harmon property this morning. The Saluda used to be a part of a Native American trading route, bringing the first wealth to this area of SC through the deerskin trade. There is also some Confederate history in this area. The Bush River on one side and the Little Saluda on the other feed together as a tributary into the Big Saluda, and eventually into Lake Murray. (Question for the kids – Today I paddled out of Lake Murray; Jonathan and Wizard dropped off the vehicle and came back to canoe with me from Highway 391 to Dreher Island. The wind picked up significantly, making navigation tricky. I saw an osprey and what looked like a bald eagle. There’s a large bass fishing tournament in progress, so we will not be camping on the island in the middle of the lake, but on Drayer Island itself.  There is a forest of non-native loblolly pines here.) There is a lot of clay in this area and what looks like granite. A lot more sediment is on this end of the Saluda as well. We also spotted some beavers.
-Ian