April 4, 2009. View from the picnic area at the Devils Fork State Park on Lake Jocassee, north of Hwy. 11 in South Carolina. The lake is fed by several wild rivers that pour down from the Blue Wall that separates North and South Carolina. There is the Whitewater River, with a couple of the highest waterfalls in the eastern U.S., the Thompson River (great trout fishing!), the Horsepasture with some of the most beautiful waterfalls along the Blue Wall, and the Toxaway. In addition, there are dozens of smaller streams that pour into the lake from the surrounding mountains. Best of all ,there is no major development in the watersheds north of the lake, so it doesn't have the huge influx of trash and sediment that you see pouring into Fontana Lake and other lakes in the south.

Here's one of my older shots of Wright Creek Falls on Lake Jocassee. At full pond, you can paddle your yak along the rock face behind the falls. It's a great way to cool off on a hot day.

Pardon the white border, but I grabbed this one from my gallery at Fototime.com - it's from 2002 and shows the Upper Whitewater Falls. These are the highest falls east of the Rocky Mountains.

April 4, 2009. Most of the old towns of the Cherokee were flooded by impoundments that were built to supply power to a rapidly growing southeast.

April 4, 2009. Lake Keowee, the next lake down below Jocassee. It's a lot shallower than Jocassee and is ringed with development. Despite that, it's still a beautiful lake and a favorite destination for me when I'm in the mood for kayaking.

Another Cherokee townsite buried beneath a lake.