October 21 through 25 Oak
Plantation Campground in Charleston, South Carolina, $23.76 for water
& elect. We were on a large grass site with plenty of shade. Full-hookups
were available but we did not need FHU. This is a nice campground and we would
recommend it if you are visiting the area.
From Brunswick we ventured north
to Charleston, South Carolina. Joyce's sister's family lives in Charleston and
we stopped to visit with them for a few days. Jeff & Kathryn and our two grandsons
met us in Charleston. They stayed with Joyce's sister & her husband. As a
large group we did a variety of activities including a plantation tour as well
as walking around in downtown Charleston.
Angel Oak Charleston,
South Carolina
One
morning Joyce and I visited the famous Angel
Oak. Angel Oak is huge and ancient. It is named for Murtha & Justin
Angel who were previous owners.
The Angel Oak is a 1400 year old live oak
tree located in Angel Oak Park, that is owned by the city of Charleston. To find
this old oak tree we had to drive out to Johns Island, one of South Carolina's
Sea Islands. While this giant tree is only 65-feet tall, the crown covers an area
of 17,000 square feet.
Its longest limb is 11.5' in circumference and 89
feet long, now that is one massive limb! Many trees, indeed even live oak trees
would be proud to have a trunk that was 11.5' in circumference.
Angel
Oak
Angel
Oak is a giant among Southern Live Oak trees.
Live oak trees can
be found throughout the south especially along the coast.
Angel Oak is
thought to be one of the oldest living things east of the Mississippi River, or
the Rocky Mountains for that matter.
Its limbs, the size of tree trunks
themselves, are so large and heavy that some of them rest on the ground (some
even drop underground for a few feet and then come back up), a feature common
to only the very oldest lived oaks. These massive draping limbs and widespread
canopy create an awe inspiring sight. Drooping limbs that touch the ground are
characteristic of very old live oak trees.
It has survived countless hurricanes,
floods, earthquakes, and human interference.
Angel Oak
This
is one of those limbs that stretch up to 89-feet from the trunk. You can see how
far this particular limb stretches beyond where Joyce is standing. If you pay
attention to this particular limb it falls to the ground 3 times in this view
alone.
Angel Oak
Angel
Oak was damaged severely during Hurricane Hugo. In this picture you can see several
steel poles that help support the massive limbs.
Angel
Oak has a diameter of 11.25-feet and a circumference of just over 25-feet.
Angel
Oak
Far
from the trunk this massive limb rests on the ground before taking to air once
again resuming its search for sunlight.
That is all
there is for this travel log.
