Surprise! This is Greenville???

Last weekend Best Friend had an extended stay in Greenville, South Carolina--a mere 2 hour drive from where I live. So I hit the road on Friday night so we could hang out over the weekend. The plan was for us to go hiking on Saturday at the nearby Caesar's Head State Park or Table Rock State Park, two places I had wanted to check out but had not made the time to visit. I was disappointed when we woke up the next morning and tuned into the weather channel giving reports of possible snowfall in the mountains and extemely high winds. We decided to cancel until better weather. I never heard if the mountains recieved snow, but I can tell you first hand that wind was nearly knocking us down there in the valley. I could only imagine how it would've been on the mountain as clung for dear life.

It was disappointing at first. Living so close to Greenville has allowed me many chances of passing through the town. I actually didn't have a very positive image of Greenville though I really hadn't spent much time there. I mean, it is GREENVILLE after all...how boring! (To be fair, part of the negativity stems from forced childhood trips with my mom to some clothing outlet there. Geez, how my brother and I hated that!) Still, there was to be no hiking trips so we decided to make the best of it. After some eating and some shopping, we went into downtown Greenville to the Reedy River Falls Park. We were so pleasantly surprised (I was actually shocked) that a place like Greenville would have such a beautiful park with huge waterfalls right in the heart of the city.

I could have spent hours and hours taking pictures there. The falls spilled over a large rock face and raced down the Reedy River to the ruins of an old mill. The park was alive with early signs of spring...blooming daffodils and fresh green grass. Across the falls spans a suspension bridge that is supported by cables on only one side. If you continue up the river past the falls, you come right into downtown Greenville with its hotels, trendy cafes, and shops lining the river walk.

That just goes to show that if you open your eyes, you just might find a treausre hidden in your own backyard.