The Angel Oak is located on Johns Island, SC which is in Charleston county. This region is referred to as the low country because of the fact that the land, for the most part, sits at or near sea level. Obviously that makes for some rather interesting terrain (there are many swamps and marshes in the area), as flooding isn't uncommon in this part of the world. We were somewhat concerned about the condition of the road leading up to the area around the Angel Oak, which isn't much more than a dirt path barely wide enough for one vehicle, especially seeing as how we've had an unusually wet summer this year.
Fortunately the road wasn't near as bad as I had anticipated. (PRO TIP: The parking lot at the Angel Oak park is very small, as in it can't hold more than 10-15 cars - if it looks packed, park on the road, else you'll have a Hell of a time getting back out of the thing.) For that matter, the drive down I-26 was quite nice as well. We went through a few brief spots of rain but by the time we arrived at our destination the clouds had begun to break and the temperature was hovering in what I consider to be the most idyllic of ranges, that being the upper 70s to low 80s. It was a great day to be outside, needless to say.
It's incredibly difficult to describe the grandeur of the Angel Oak if you've never seen it in person. Like most live oaks, the Angel Oak has a thick, squatty trunk as opposed to that of something like a redwood that stretches up into the sky. Don't let my wording fool you, though; "squatty" is a relative term as the tree's height is quite impressive. It's the kind of tree that you could build a tree house inside of without much concern for stability. I would hazard a guess and say that the Angel Oak's trunk is so thick that 10 grown men could stretch their arms out as wide as possible and still probably not be able to encircle the entire thing.
 |
| Other visitors gathered around the Angel Oak - this gives you an idea of how big it is compared to an adult. |
What makes the Angel Oak such a breathtaking visual, for me, are its branches. Live oaks tend to have branches that come off the trunk and arch downward. They're the perfect shade tree and quite often they're found with Spanish moss growing off their limbs. The Angel Oak is no different, however its branches have been able to grow unencumbered for so long that many of them have penetrated the ground around the tree and come back out of the soil to emerge and continue on. They're so immense in their dispersion that they resemble the tentacles of a gigantic squid or octopus.
 |
| The Angel Oak's canopy - like I said, it's just about the most perfect shade tree ever. |
 |
| An example of how the Angel Oak's limbs have grown down into the ground then emerged to continue growing |
My wife & I had visited the Angel Oak once before. That visit was in January of 2012, and the Oak's foliage wasn't near as vibrant as it was on this more recent visit. What's more, there were patches of greenery growing on the limbs that added to the lush visual.
 |
| Foliage and other growth on the Angel Oak |
Bear in mind, no one knows with any real certainty how old the Angel Oak actually is - reason being, live oaks are prone to rotting from the inside once core samples have been taken, so the numbers that get thrown around about its age are hypothetical at best. Obviously no one in their right mind wants to disturb this amazing tree, even though it's come under fire quite a few times over the years by clumsy developers and others who would prefer it be removed in favor of putting up condos or other nonsense. (Storms and hurricanes are a more prevalent threat as the Angel Oak has been damaged from high winds; support cables and joists have been installed around the tree in an attempt to bolster its strength without impeding its continued growth.) I've read various estimations that put the tree anywhere from 300 to 1400 years old. (Writing this, I'm reminded of a line of dialogue from The Empire Strikes Back spoken by Master Yoda: "When 900 years old you reach, look as good you will not...") Stop and consider that for a moment. The Angel Oak is a living, breathing organism that has thrived for God only knows how many human lifetimes. I can't imagine what it's seen and the sort of lessons it would try to bestow upon us.
After we had spent our time with the Angel Oak, we made out way over to a fantastic eatery Jill & I discovered on our first trip to Johns Island. The Tomato Shed Cafe is situated inside of the Stono Market, a farmer's market that offers a vast assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables grown on the Ambrose Farm at Wadmalaw Island (I admit I only threw in the description of where Ambrose is because I wanted an excuse to use the word Wadmalaw). These ingredients are used in the dishes that appear on the Tomato Shed's menu.
First and foremost, I will say that you would be well served to get to the Tomato Shed early if you're visiting for lunch. Reason being, they have limited seating that is first come first serve. (Also, they don't have a traditional host/hostess stand; if there are no tables readily available when you go in, you sign your name onto a check-in sheet and a waitress will seat you whenever one opens up.) Once seated, you can help yourself to a beverage - tea, lemonade, and various colas. When it comes to the food, it's a combination of American favorites and low country specialties including various seafood and meats. I, personally, love their she crab soup (if you've never had it, it's a rich, creamy, chowder-like soup packed with the flavor of crab) and spicy pimento cheeseburger. I don't think you could go wrong with anything on their menu but those are my favorites.
We capped off our day with - what else - a bit of shopping and several tastes of ice cream.
Delicious ice cream. That's how every day should end, don't you think?
No comments:
Post a Comment