South Carolina

·	Honea Path

·	Issaqueena Falls

·	Stumphouse Tunnel

·	Duke Nuclear Power Plant and Energy Museum

We enjoyed driving through the mountains. It was beautiful. There was a great church in Greenville, the Assembly of God there.
The pastor and his wife were both incredible preachers. The church building was absolutely beautiful. The kids church service was dynamic. They really treated them like children of the most High God!
It was great to get to eat all the fresh apples in the mountain orchards. Honea Path is a great little town. The houses have such neat character. The cost of living is still good. It is definitely some where we would consider moving! Hanna and Cody made some really great friends in the three weeks we were there.
The Retreat Center was great. If you ever need a place for a gathering, rent it. We enjoyed fishing, kayaking, paint ball, air soft guns, the obstacle course, hiking, hunting, basketball, volleyball, playground, playing with Country’s puppies, eating all the fresh venison we could out of the freezer, and most of all, getting to know Country and Dorandon and all the wonderful people that passed through. We were so thankful to have somewhere to go right after Shae was layed off. Shae and Cody volunteered a lot of hours on the property. The other kids and I also had the opportunity to do some work. it was great to serve the Lord as a family.

This is a very interesting place definitely worth your time. It is the Duke Nuclear Power Plant and Energy Museum. The museum is very interactive. There are lots of videos to watch, buttons to push, and lifelike displays to inspect! The history of the plant itself is interesting. The museum demonstrates how hydroelectric, coal, and nuclear energy work. Outside the museum is the plant itself with three nuclear reactors! I have never been near or even understood nuclear energy and fission. Now I understand it (almost) completely! There is an interactive map of the power plant in front of a window overlooking it so you get a complete tour of the plant without ever actually having to go through the gates. The museum first explains how energy works. Then it explains how nuclear energy and fission work. Then it explains how we can be more energy efficient in our homes and lifestyles. Outside there is a nature trail which goes to a picnic area and fishing dock on the lake. We heard that some monster catfish live around the dock because of the warm water that is emitted from the plant after it is used to cool equipment. I suggest you make this a whole day trip. Pack a lunch and have a picnic. Take the time to watch every single video in the museum, there are some really cool ones! Don’t worry about kids not enjoying the museum, there is lots of fun stuff for kids to do and look at. Bring your fishing poles and/or boat and check out the lake right across from the plant!

- Cody, Fall 2008

Issaqueena Falls is near by White Water Falls, in North Carolina, which are the largest falls East of the Mississippi. Stumphouse Tunnel was going to be a railroad tunnel, but work on it was shut down and now it is just a long, dark trail into the mountain that you can hike up in. The rail road tracks are still visible and it’s a really neat hike.