On Top of Old Stoney... Georgia, Sunday, Feb 23rd, 2014

Three weeks ago today, we left our Nevada City CA home.  Our ultimate destination this trip was Atlanta: 3,033 miles away.  This was our turn-around point.  Between west and east coasts, we did what we set out to do -- basically, we wanted to visit our families and so we did.  In between we managed a few challenges to our physical selves.  Today was one of those when we climbed the steep Stone Mountain walk-up trail -- a one-mile trail ascending 786 feet in elevation to a height of 1,686 ft.  One mile up, one mile down.  Not a big deal, but we got our aerobic workouts this day!  We started out about 10 am in jackets (since it wasn't even 50 degrees yet!), but we shed those early on.  Spectacular panoramic views awaited us at the top.

 The trail started out fairly easy, hopping from slab to slab, shaded by pines.

 Jimmy (in white shirt) trudges up and up.

 This piece of the trail is so steep, it required railings.  We used them, both hiking up and skidding down.

 Those folks are almost at the summit.  This walk-up trail was clogged with people of all ages and sizes, even a few runners showing off as they bounded uphill, as well as several younger people with babies on their backs!  It was heartwarming to see so many folks out getting exercise and enjoying their park

 From the Top!  Tergel is seen below the red arrow!

 Looking at Atlanta!

Jimmy way up there!

Ah so, we couldn't hang around up here.  Dinner with family called.

 Resting for a minute after our descent.  Let me finish this by saying:  It took us a lot longer to climb up than it did to "slide" down!

* * * * * * * * * *

Sunday afternoon dinner at Red Lobster.  L-R:  Jimmy's sister, Kathy, Peter, me, Jimmy, Kathy & Peter's son, Nick, and Jimmy's Mom, Betty!

 Mom and Jimmy sitting outside on a warm afternoon (our first visit).  We spent part of every day with Mom and Kathy.

 While sitting on the deck, we all noticed this bright Eastern Bluebird flit from tree to ground.

Betty will be 90 this year, and she so looked forward to our visit.

And so our Atlanta trip closes, and Monday morning we will leave Stone Mountain bound for Daphne AL (again).  We said our goodbyes to Jimmy's kinfolk late afternoon so we could get some things done at our campsite before dark.  Our time spent here was worth it's weight in gold.

We're looking at 3,000 +/- miles return trip to NorCal, not really something we're relishing, except for repeat visits to family in Daphne/Mobile and Baton Rouge.  Maybe we'll make a stop at Big Bend Nat'l Park on our interminable drive across Texas.  We shall see.  The plan is to be home by mid-March, so it looks like three wks each coming and going.  My last photo is a rosy sunset over the Mountain we climbed today.  Truly... what a grand place.  And such a great visit for all.

The Many Faces of Stone Mountain -- Feb 19 thru 22, 2014

Finding a campground isn't always simple when you want to be near family.  When we checked our various campground books for the Atlanta area, the options didn't look so good... except for Stone Mountain. We'd never been here and didn't know what to expect, but the fact that it was close to Jimmy's family cinched it for us.  We booked five nights (Wed - Sun) at a reasonable (off-season) rate.  We are really delighted with our choice -- this is a beautiful area, it's within minutes of his family, and we practically have the c/g to ourselves.

The mountain is advertised as the world's largest exposed granite monolith, but Wikipedia says it's quartz monzonite dome monadnock.  Dunno what that is.  To us it's an anomaly, and reminded us very much of Devil's Tower in Wyoming.  We are camped with a bird's eye view of it, and seeing it's various faces each day, morning and night, is fascinating.  It draws me outside with my point 'n shoot camera.

Our first morning here the mountain was shrouded in mist and fog.  I took this picture as it dissipated.

Saturday morning I watched the sunrise illuminate the mountain. 

And then the mountain turned to gold.  These are unretouched photos!

This is where we're comfortably sitting.  A noisy, fast-moving thunderstorm moved thru in the wee small hours Friday morning, the temperature dropped, and the sky remained gray most of that day. 

This small dock over Stone Mountain Lake gives us great access to feeding fishies, ducks and geese.

When the temperature skyrocketed to 50° on Saturday, we suited up for a bike ride around the mountain.  Jimmy's Mom was hoping to ride the train (that goes 'round the mountain), but it isn't in service till spring break. 

It wasn't too long ago that this area was covered in ice and snow, and look at these trees!  It's a 6-mile hilly ride around the mountain, made longer by checking out other trails and attractions.  Tomorrow we're talking about climbing to the top!

This is the largest bas relief sculpture in the world.  The Confederate Memorial Carving depicts three Confederate leaders of the Civil War, President Jeff Davis, Generals Robert E. Lee and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson (and their horses).  The entire carved surface measures 3 acres, about the size of two and a quarter football fields. The carving of the three men towers 400 feet above the ground, measures 90 by 190 feet, and is recessed 42 feet into the mountain. The deepest point of the carving is at Lee's elbow, which is 12 feet to the mountain's surface. (thanx, Wikipedia)  It was too far away to really see, but overall it looks small compared to the entire mountain.

Cool covered bridge -- part of Stone Mountain Park.

Smartie didn't weigh enough to collapse the bridge!  Whew!

Me and some of my friends....

Stone Mountain at dusk.  There's a bit of a rainbow near its top right.
The two posts are part of the sky ride. 

What a lovely place to spend some time....  I'll post family photos next time.

Week Nine - Fri/Sat, Oct 26/27

Friday we "messed around" in Greenville SC, window shopping, drinking coffee in Barnes & Noble, and the like. Late afternoon, we hooked up with Steve, met Parker, their 8-yr-old son (Dorothy and daughter Bailey were at a swim meet). Steve gave us the downtown tour, and then he fixed us a great steak dinner at home. We stayed up and talked into the wee hours and had a very enjoyable time. Good for Jimmy to meet up with old friends and nice for me to meet his friends! Saturday morn we bid them adieu and pulled out, on our way south to Tallahassee, which was basically an all-day drive. Arrived at Tom and Diane's 5ish, then went out to eat Mexican food. Watched Game 3 of the World Series - mostly stayed awake. (well....) Glad to be here!

On our way to the Blue Ridge Mountains, Oct 2-5, 2006

Monday, 10/2 – After a leisurely morning, we were ready to roll to Atlanta, only four or five hours away from our Tallahassee home.  We left around 10ish, with our bikes strapped onto the Prius.  Eating our sandwiches at a Georgia rest stop was spoiled by zillions of bothersome gnats (finished lunch in the car, then we had to open windows while driving to get rid of all the hitchhiking pests).  No problems in Atlanta, skyline quite dramatic in the blue sky.  Checked in at LaQuinta and after getting directions to the 366,000 ft² Ikea store on 17th St., we climbed back in the car.  At Ikea, we spent maybe four hours combing their aisles, browsing, inspecting merchandise and picking up several things.  “Shop till you drop!”  We even ate dinner in their cafeteria:  Swedish meatballs, which were actually quite good!  Pleased with our purchases, we drove back to LaQuinta and only got lost once.  Nice room.

Tuesday, 10/3 – Georgia Aquarium day.  Drove to a MARTA (rapid rail transit) station, and hopped on a train that was the exact opposite of rapid.  In due time, we made our way to the Aquarium, where we spent several magical hours ogling their fascinating exhibits.  Watching beluga whales swim in their huge tank ranked high on our list.  Enjoyed viewing the smaller displays of cuttlefish, garden eels, seahorses, etc.  Time flew!  For lunch, we shared halves of one ham and one turkey sandwich, both of which were excellent. When we’d finished pressing our noses up against all that thick tank glass, we ventured outside to downtown Atlanta.  Hiked up and down Peachtree Street, found Underground Atlanta (big whoop), got tired feet in the process.  Since we couldn’t make a decision on where to eat dinner, we walked to the MARTA station for (a more rapid) ride back to our car.  Spied a Chili’s at the car park and ate a fine dinner.  Returned to our room w/o getting lost this time!

Wednesday, 10/4 – Time to head north on I-75 toward Knoxville and eventually to Lake City TN (very nice drive), where we'll tour the TrailManor plant.  The tour was personal and very informative, and we rec’d lots of info on this pop-up camper, which we're contemplating buying.  More studying will be required.  After our tour, we had no plan and studied the map wondering if we should return to Knoxville or ???.  We elected to drive east toward Norris Dam State Park in TN (first dam built in the TVA system).  Serendipity led us to their Visitor Center, and the discovery of rustic cabins to be had.  We signed up for an overnight stay in Cabin 2, set in a beautiful and quiet treed hilltop near the dam.  We wound our way back down the mtn to the local IGA for a box of mac 'n cheez, a can of baked beans and fresh broccoli (fresh broccoli stumped the kid at the cash register, who didn't know what it was!) to cook for supper – all quite delicious cooked in the rustic kitchen!

Before dinner, we enjoyed a nice hike around a portion of the lake.  After dinner, while we cuddled on the swing inside the screened porch, we watched a glorious nearly-full moon rise beyond the trees.  Fireflies sparkled in the distance.  So quiet and peaceful.  This park is a  real gem.

Thursday, 10/5 – We'd originally planned to ride the Virginia Creeper Trail today, but with a high forecast for rain, we decided to wait till tomorrow.  Instead, we enjoyed coffee on the porch and walking around in the state park. One other (nearly invisible) couple was staying at a distant cabin; we had the park to ourselves.  Deer are plentiful, and seem unafraid of people.  The morning was fine, yellow and gold leaves rustling to the ground the only sound – the kind of morning where people hold hands while they meander silently over leafy paths.  After our cereal, we left (sort of reluctantly) for Abingdon VA, stopping first at the Lenoir Museum and 18th Century Rice Grist Mill, filled with Appalachian artifacts, just past the dam.

T'was another pretty drive today!  In Abingdon, we checked into the Quality Inn, then trod through the lovely old town with its antiquated brick buildings and bright flowers.  Warm day, but no rain, as had been predicted!  At the Virginia Creeper Bike Trail shop we verified our shuttle arrangements for tomorrow’s ride, then settled on dinner at the Tavern, thought to be the oldest building (1779) in town.  Jimmy allowed as how his Prime Rib was the best he’d ever eaten!  When we emerged at dusk, a thunderstorm was firing up, wind was whipping, leaves were blowing, and the predicted rain finally commenced to fall.  Let it – we returned to our clean Quality Inn room, and made ready for our 34-mile bike ride in the morning.

Tomorrow:  Day one on the Virginia Creeper Trail.

Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest, NC, Oct 13, 2006

Friday, 10/13 – Another day that we didn’t plan in advance (often these turn out best!). This morning, we decided to point the Prius west, then south, heading first for the amazing Cherohala Skyway, connecting western NC to eastern TN, driving the crest of the Unicoi Mtns…and man, it was some drive!

Our aim was Joyce Kilmer Memorial Forest. Created in 1975 as a memorial for writer/poet, Alfred Joyce Kilmer (the iconic poem "Trees"), it's a magnificent area of towering trees, many over 400 years old. The forest is one of the last remaining old growth (cove) hardwood forests, unique to the Appalachian Mtns; the dominant species include poplar, hemlock, red and white oak, basswood, beech and sycamore, the largest rising over 100'.

Tree hugger! 

Tree huggers! 

Hey!  You there!  Reach for the sky....

The forest floor was carpeted with cracklin' autumn leaves and wildflowers, ferns and spongy moss-covered logs from fallen giants. We slowly walked the two-mile loop, tho the temp at our start was a chilly 38° and might have called for a more rapid pace – we simply piled on more clothes before setting out. Who would want to rush through such an inspirational place? We passed through some truly impressive stands of trees, warming as the morning wore on and the sun filtered through the trees.

Our spirits refreshed, we left as afternoon loomed, driving on the twisty-turny Cherohala Skyway. At scenic Shute Cove on the Skyway, we ate our good ol’ PBnJ sandwiches in the cheery sunshine.

Lunchtime.

Continuing south in TN, and on into GA, we had no specific destination, but we were aiming south toward Atlanta. With each mile, we regretfully watched mountains shrink and eye-catching autumn color disappear. On I-75, we spied tiny brown heads attached to little furry brown bodies stooging around roadside – (suicidal?) groundhogs. Then they, too, petered out.

Driving into Atlanta was all right; coming out on the other side was NOT – traffic backed up big time near the airport. By this time, we’d decided to just go home since Tallahassee was only five or six hours away. This traffic delay added to our later arrival at home, but we didn’t fret. I was driving and passed a black Viper several times in the stop-and-go traffic, much to Jimmy’s amusement. He said that would be the ONLY way I’d be able to pass a Viper in our Prius.

We couldn’t find a place to eat till we got to Macon and then we settled on one of those “world’s biggest” Chinese buffets, but the food was tasty enough, and we needed to stop for grub by that time and change drivers – something we learned to do on one of our earliest driving vacations.

Darkness settled in and we kept on driving, leaving the freeway at Tifton and heading south on Hwy 319 – which turns into Capital Circle in Tallahassee. Pulled into the driveway close to 11:30PM, unpacked the bare essentials, and fell into bed by Midnight.

We DID NOT set the alarm for the next day!  Slept like dead people.