On Sunday, 1 October 2023 and Monday, 2 October 2023, I took an overnight road trip to Columbia, SC to visit the Riverbanks Zoo. On the way up, I made a stop at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge's Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive, the Bull Durham Center in Estill, SC, and the Cayce Riverwalk in Cayce, SC. On Monday, I visited the Riverbanks Zoo before heading back to Savannah. On the drives to Columbia and back to Savannah I enjoyed listening to MilCom, Public Safety, and Railroad communications, so this post will detail those as well as providing some information on and photos from the places I visited along the way.
On my last few overnight road trips to Columbia, I noticed that the Riverbanks Zoo had stopped using their UHF analog frequencies and zoo staff appeared to be carrying NXDN portables. I thought they may have moved to the Carolinas FleetTalk system, but I could never find them, so it was time for some research. Prior to this trip, I did a deep dive into FCC licenses for the Columbia area and found a license for a NXDN trunking system licensed to the Zoo.
Riverbanks Zoo
Monday morning was a beautiful early Autumn morning, perfect for visiting the Zoo. The Gorillas weren't out while I was there, but I got some photos of the Koalas, Siamangs, Kangaroos, Lions, and Rhinos. Part of the reason for the trip was finding where the zoo's communications had moved; I found an FCC license for a NXDN trunking system and had programmed the Whistler TRX-1 with that information. It found activity on the system and it's clear that they're using the NXDN TRS to provide more channels than what they had with the old analog system. One of the five frequencies in the license didn't show up in the recorded/logged traffic on the TRX-1, so I'm guessing it may be a control channel; I'll have to verify that on the next trip (or perhaps someone local with more knowledge of NXDN systems will be able to).
Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive/Savannah NWR
The first stop of the road trip was the Laurel Hill Wildlife Drive at the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge. It just reopened in the last few months after being closed for several years for hurricane damage repair. A lot of the good alligator spots have dried up or are full of vegetation and parts of the diversion canal are full of water hyacinth, but I still saw a few alligators (although none in good photo range/position). I've missed seeing Purple Gallinules the last few years, so I was thrilled to see an immature one on this visit. Some of the impoundments have water in them, so hopefully in a month or so, they will have migratory waterfowl in them.
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| Great Blue Heron |
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| Immature Little Blue Heron (note the Water Hyancinth) |
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| Common Grebe |
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| Tricolored Heron shaking off |
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| Immature Purple Gallinule |
Bull Durham Center - Estill, SC
On the way to Columbia, I stopped at the Bull Durham Center in Estill, SC to take some photos. I pass by it every time I go to Columbia and the advertising art on the side of the building always catches my eye, but this was the first time I stopped to take some photos. Named after the Bull Durham tobacco advertisements painted on the building (there is also an Estill Bottling Company ad), the Bull Durham Center is a 1910 cotton warehouse built along the Seaboard Air Lines Railroad (now CSX) tracks that run through town. Eventually the City of Estill acquired the building and turned it into an exhibit/reception hall.
Cayce Riverwalk/Three Rivers Greenway
While in Cayce on Sunday afternoon, I went to the Cayce Riverwalk, a 12-mile trail consisting of paved sections and boardwalks along the Congaree River and part of the South Carolina Midlands' Three Rivers Greenway, to take a walk. The section I walked was near some railroad bridges and I enjoyed a beautiful early Autumn afternoon along the Congaree. For history buffs, there are even interpretive signs along the Riverwalk about historic sites along and near the trail.
Food
Later on Sunday afternoon, I went to Casa Oaxaca in West Columbia for dinner. I ordered the Burrito Oaxaca (beef grilled with vegetables, chorizo, shrimp, and pineapple and topped with Oaxaca cheese sauce) and it was magnificent. I almost told them to hold the pineapple because it seemed out of place with everything else, but the sweet flavor of the pineapple was a tasty complement to savory and spicy flavors of everything else. It was quite possibly the best burrito I've ever had. If you're ever in Cayce or West Columbia, it's a terrific place to stop for a great meal.
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| The Burrito Oaxaca at Casa Oaxaca in West Columbia, SC |
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