Next stop toward Atlanta --- The Resort at Lake Oconee, just outside of Greensboro. After a spot of HEAVY rain, the weather was perfect. We managed a bike ride as well as a day trip into the college town of Athens, GA.
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This is one serious chunk of granite. So, we did the right thing... hiked to the top.
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The following morning we headed into Atlanta for breakfast. Brian and Deb give four thumbs up to the Thumbs Up Diner on Edgewood Ave. Good food. Funky urban atmosphere. Fair prices.
The cold front hitting the rest of the country arrived this far south. Noontime snow flurries in Atlanta. Go figure.
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We are camped on the banks of Lake Sydney Lainier.
Sydney Lainier has a little outlet stream called the Chattahoochee River. I am happy to report that the "Hooch" has trout in it. |
Getting rigged up and ready to rip lips...
Helen is in the Blue Ridge Mountains at the southern end of the Appalachians. It's another Alpine Village re-creation along the lines of Leavenworth, Washington. We arrived yesterday in a driving downpour. Ritzy and I got cabin fever, so, we went into Helen where we got soaked to the skin tromping around in the rain. (Just like Leavenworth, WA! --- go figure).
Leavenworth buildings are two to four stories tall. It's cramped narrow streets have a distinctly European feel. Cascade mountains plunge steeply into Leavenworth making for a spectacular backdrop. Helen on the other hand, has mostly single stories buildings featuring Alpine trim jobs. The gentle, rolling Blue Ridge mountains just don't offer the same rugged background. When we post photos later, you can see for yourself.
During our first few months, I had poor luck finding an IDPA pistol match. It seemed every time we arrived in a new town, the match took place the prior weekend, or it would take place two weeks in the future. In either case, I'd miss it. The only reasonable thing to do was join the USPSA. This has worked out well. Today's match in Gainesville, as well as matches in Tucson and San Antonio were USPSA. USPSA stages tend to have more targets, requiring more shots, and have more flexibility how one shoots a stage. I had a blast today!
Sunday morning, Deb and I went for a hike with Mr. Copperhead. No mountain lions to watch for here, just poisonous snakes: copperheads, water moccocins, eastern diamondback rattlers, and coral snakes. Mr. Copperhead went off on his own.. No harm, no foul.
I'm warming up to Helen. Smith Creek passes through town. We found a nice river side restaurant. The perfect place to relax after a hard day pounding the trails.
Busy week. Back-to-back, I fished Dukes Creek, a trophy trout stream, and, the Chattooga River. You might recognize the Chattooga. This stretch was used for filming the movie "Deliverance."
We usually try to have a rest day before a travel day. On our "rest" day, we hiked "Brasstown Bald", the highest point in Georgia. They've built an observation deck and visitors center on top the Bald. They were even kind enough to pave the trail. Of course, it was all up --- got our hearts started.
We followed that up with a more primitive hike into Raven Cliff Falls. Looks like we'll rest while we drive.
I got to use the exhaust brake and transmission on the way here. Driving north Georgia hills was like driving in Idaho or Colorado, but without the steep shoulder drop-offs.
This is Junaluski Lake. We walked around it during our first excursion into Waynesville.
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At the extreme southeast edge of the park is the Cataloochee River.
I splashed around in there and dredged up a brown trout and some brook trout.
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We've been puttering around this area doing some exploring, hiking and walking. We did make it over the main road in the Park from Cherokee, NC to Gatlinburg, TN. We spent a whopping 3 hours in Tennessee. Here's some pics from the west side of the Smokies:
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Our most challenging hike was the 7.4 mile Boogerman trail in the Cataloochee
Valley. We never found a bike trail flat enough for our old knees.
We can walk these grades just fine. Biking is a bit much. Jonathan Creek runs right behind the RV Park where we are staying. One trout was kind enough to attach himself to a size 4 sparkle bugger. Thanks dude. Lastly, if you want some really good pastries without expense and hassle of flying to Paris, we highly recommend "Whitmans on Main", in downtown Waynesville. We are not junk food junkies, but these taste treats warranted three visits in nine days. |
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We moved the other day --- 30 miles from Waynesville to
Asheville.
So far, we've splashed around in lake Julian and taken in a few sights.
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Looking Glass Falls and Davidson River Trout.
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