29,509   6:29AM   38°F   Magnolia Springs State Park
29,552   9:54AM   51°F   Augusta Canal National Heritage Area

We arrived just in time to join a canal boat full of youngsters for a narrated tour of the Augusta Canal. The kids were very well behaved, asking good questions that made the hour-long trip more enjoyable.

A few old cotton mills still stand.

Turtles, birds, and otters live in and along the canal. Using electric motors, the quiet canal boat doesn’t disturb the wildlife.

In the Canal Museum, cotton looms are displayed, warped as they would have been for weaving cloth.

The generator is still in operation converting water falling from the canal to electric power.

Huge steam boilers remain a testament to the coal burning power used before hydro-electric.

29,544   1:00 PM
Augusta Museum of History and Visitor’s Center

Leaving the Canal Discovery Center, we proceeded downtown to see the Savannah River and the levee that protects downtown.

The museum wasn’t open today, but the visitor’s center staff provided advice and a free walking tour map.

 Stripes on the levee represent flood levels. The topmost stripe is inscribed with “1929 – 149 feet”

While downtown looks active, not all the storefronts are filled. This closed camera shop still sports a broken reminder of my career in silver halide based photography.

A statue of Augusta’s native son and Godfather of Soul, James Brown, stands in the median of the main street.

Architectural details abound on the downtown buildings.

 

29,564   1:22 PM   65°   Martinez, GA
The Augusta Canal obtains is fed from the river at Savannah Rapids Park.

Perched on a hill, the Pavilion deck offers a great view of the river below.

It isn’t always easy to get both of us in a picture without resorting to selfies.

 Three picnic pavilions sit not the hillside.

The falls and rapids block the river to navigation.

The dam and lock provide access to the placid waters of the canal.

The trail back to the parking lot followed a stream with several waterfalls.

The very hilly bicycle trails offer something we hadn’t seen before, a public maintenance stand including an air pump and tethered tools.

This free park is a wonderful place to stop if you are traveling near Augusta.

29,642   5:00 PM   60° F
Lake Russell, South Carolina

We ended the day in a pull-through waterfront campsite at Calhoun Falls State Park.  Site 28 even has a little private beach.  At $25 per night, we want to return with our sailing kayak.

Sunset behind the trees and a panorama of our little piece of paradise.