Congaree National Park

We took a canoe trip in Congaree National Park near Columbia, S. C., today. The weather was ideal. Dry, calm, and starting temperatures in the mid-40s that rose to the upper 50s or higher by time we were finished. The cooler weather meant no mosquitoes, gnats, or other bugs. And, after you have paddled a canoe upstream for a while, you don't mind the lower temperatures and the low humidity. We had a ranger in a kayak as a guide and a couple of helpers in kayaks to make sure all of us stayed together. They also helped us when we got stuck on objects in the water: sand bars, stumps, etc. It was a very scenic trip, gliding in and out of the cypresses. This is one of the park service's real bargains: it's free. We arrived at 8:45, had our canoes in the water by about 9:15 and paddled upstream till about 11. The trip back was all downstream and we pulled our canoes out by noon. It was a wonderful way to spend a late November morning. The park is quite lovely and we walked the boardwalk loop the previous afternoon, hearing the most wonderful woodpecker sounds. It was as if the birds were tapping messages back and forth and the tapping was not the usual jackhammer type we hear at home, but a deep, melodious tapping that sounded more like a musical instrument. And, on the way to the park we saw migrating red-wing blackbirds by the thousands, in the air and in the fields by the roadside. I've seen them before, passing through at home, but where we were the terrain was flat and you could see for miles. It was truly an impressive sight.