A visit to the trees'-knees

Got to go to the Congaree National Forest today, otherwise known as the Congaree swamp. My favorite part of the park is the deck that spawns off of the boardwalk and overlooks the lake. We got to watch the turtles bobbing in the water and sunning on the logs. My second favorite part of the park is the trees' knees. The cypress trees' roots stick up out of the murkiness that surrounds the bottom of the trees (and basically everything in the swamp), and they are called knees, but I prefer to call them gnomes. So, I got to introduce Ian to the gnome-folk today. It was a gorgeous day-perfect for being outside. Just to make sure y'all don't make the same mistake we did, check the map for directions first. We ended up in Orangeburg today because we went too far down I-26, when we were supposed to take I-77 to Bluff Road. We weren't lost. We just stopped at a gas station, looked at a map, and took the scenic route through the corn fields. If you're reading this, and you're not a big fan of South Carolina in general, you should definitely check out Congaree before you leave this state. Swamps are the in thing...