I Must Go.

The mountains are calling . . . THIS was the glorious view from the back deck of our cabin. 

I had to cancel a girls' trip to Greece in May due to the pandemic. I know it's a complete first-world problem, but it did hurt. A lot. Some of my would-be traveling companions and I decided to put our heads together to come up with a low-risk travel opportunity nearby to stem the grief. We settled on North Georgia - where the Blue Ridge mountain chain ends.

I'd traveled a few hours north of there - to beautiful Asheville, North Carolina - in the fall, and had LOVED it. And a hiking/cabin-in-the-woods adventure sounded like the perfect way to keep moving, practice social distancing, and look out a different set of windows for a while. My friends Susan and Caron worked with me to select some dates, and we found an AWESOME cabin on Airbnb. (I would recommend this place to anyone. Amazing host, supremely comfortable spaces, built of reclaimed wood from a 100-year-old cabin in Kentucky - a work of art.)

Heritage Park in pretty Rome, Georgia makes for a great stroll.

Just a day before departure, Caron had a work obligation crop up and was unable to travel. Susan and I sadly agreed to forge ahead without her. (We missed her! Cue present-buying for Caron on the trip!) The next morning, I picked Susan up at her house at around 8 a.m. in my snug little Toyota Camry hybrid. (Our Airbnb host had assured us we didn't need 4WD to get to our cabin.) Off we went!

Day 1
We'd decided on a route that cut across Alabama and Georgia in a northeasterly fashion without taking us near/through Atlanta. About three hours in, we stopped in downtown Tuscaloosa, Alabama for lunch! A quick search revealed that Hooligan's had an outdoor patio where we could dine and served up scrumptious-looking Mediterranean food. We found it easily and were soon chowing down. I tried their sampler, and I really liked their hummus, kafta, tabbouleh, falafel, and pita bread. (The only item I didn't favor was their tzatziki, more personal than anything, as everyone makes it differently.) Susan had a lovely salad. We loved this place and would return.

The neighbors stopped by for morning coffee.

After lunch, we walked little downtown Tuscaloosa a bit so we could stretch our legs before getting back on the road. Most of the shops were open, and we had our masks with us so we could don them if anything in the window caught our eye! Pretty soon, we were ready to drive again.

In another three hours or so, we took a second break in pretty Rome, Georgia. After stopping for more fuel and bottled water, we navigated to Heritage Park for a walk/stretch session. What a gorgeous area! We crossed two pedestrian bridges over a river (We even saw folks putting in their kayaks!), which afforded us lovely views. The perfect place for a quick break.

Then, it was a scant 1.5 hours until we were driving up Cherry Log Mountain to our fantastic cabin in Blue Ridge, Georgia. Our first time up the mountain was a bit harrowing for a pair of flatlanders, but our host's instructions sent us up the mountain the very easiest way. Pretty soon, we were unloading our luggage at the cabin.

And what a cabin it was! Three glorious stories. The top floor was a bedroom, ensuite bath, and a reading nook. The main floor housed an expansive back deck with gorgeous mountain views and an outdoor fireplace/seating area, the sitting room, dining room, kitchen, a half bath, and another bedroom with a full ensuite bath. Then downstairs was another living area (complete with tons of retro board games and DVDs), dining area, wet bar, bedroom and full bath, with its own back deck that featured another eating area and a hot tub. Televisions and wifi abounded throughout the property.

In a word, we were completely spoiled.

Lovely Fall Branch Falls. Getting here was a short, steep hike, and it was worth every step!

Once we unpacked and stretched out, we were pooped. We opted to eat the snacks we'd brought with us for dinner and get out for groceries the next day. I poured us some glasses of wine, and we retired to the back deck with cheese and charcuterie. I saw a little deer pop by the forest behind our cabin to say hello!

Day 2
After a good night's sleep, we breakfasted on food we'd packed with us, then suited up for our first trip out. We had good weather that morning, so we opted to hike first and pick up groceries on the way back. We carefully navigated to the Fall Branch Falls trailhead. From the start, it's a short, steep hike through the woods to the waterfall, punctuated by a few sets of stairs and capped by a wooden overlook platform.

Chasing waterfalls!

From this trail, you can also access the Benton McKaye Trail, a 300+ mile long-distance trail that leads from the Appalachian Trail's southern start at Springer Mountain to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. While we weren't up for that *just yet*, we did love the trail to the falls!

(I have to provide some context here regarding my friend Susan. She is a very cautious individual. She was convinced that any trail we hiked, no matter how well-traveled, put us in imminent danger of a bear attack. So, she wore a bear bell for every hike. She also carried bear mace. She had me carrying an air horn, as if I wouldn't scream louder than any air horn, were we to see an actual bear. And, spoiler alert - we saw no living bears for the duration of our stay in the mountains. Not a single one.)

When we'd finished, we'd initially planned to hike some of the Aska trail system nearby. However, we hadn't downloaded the maps from the Fall Branch Falls trailhead to the Aska trailheads, and we had no signal/connection. So even though we knew it was close, we didn't know how to get there!

Instead, we chose to retrace our steps (using the map we already had) and head into downtown Blue Ridge for lunch and shopping. We started off at Huck's General Store, where we masked up and headed inside to buy a few items. Then, we crossed the street to have an early lunch on the patio of Fightingtown Tavern. This place serves some seriously good burgers. They grind their own beef. They cure their own bacon. They make their own sauces/spreads. And you can taste it. I chose the Jack Daniels burger with a side of fries and ate it ALL UP! Delish! Susan had a Georgia's Pride burger (with apple and goat cheese). So good. Recommended.

After lunch, we walked down Main Street and found a lovely local art gallery. A quick pop inside told us this was the PERFECT place to find a "we miss you" gift for Caron. Caron loves handmade pottery, and they had some lovely pieces. After selecting the perfect item, we stopped at Out of the Blue, just a few doors down, and loaded up on local wines and munchies. (We loved the products here - wines, spiced nuts, amazing chocolates. Some beautiful local choices, in addition to imported wines and snacks.)

FightingTown Tavern is dead serious about their burgers.

Having bought all the specialty items we'd need for the week, we hit a regular grocery store for all of our other essentials - milk, eggs, bread, fruits and veggies, etc. Then, it was back to the cabin to take a load off! We had a simple dinner of roast chicken and fruit that night, chatted, read and turned in early.

Day 3
The next morning was cloudy in Blue Ridge, but clear a bit south of us, in Chatsworth, Georgia. So that's where we headed. We had our eye on Fort Mountain State Park for hikes with sweeping views. We left fairly early (to beat any crowds that might show up), paid our $5 admission, picked up a park map, and headed for the yellow loop trail at the top of the mountain (with a brief detour to take in the stone tower as well). This was a great hike! Not too long or too challenging, with amazing views at the overlook. It was a gorgeous day, too! We talked, sang camp songs, and stopped for photo ops during our hike.

Views stretch on for miles at the top of Fort Mountain State Park. Glorious. 

By the time we were finished, we were getting a bit hungry! Though we'd brought some trail snacks, we decided instead to hit the town square in nearby Ellijay for some lunch. It's such a cute area! We stopped at Cantaberry Restaurant, right on the square, because we found the perfect parking space and they had a large patio for outdoor dining.

I got a huge BLT (with a TON of bacon!) and a side salad, and Susan had a large salad. Delicious, the patio was clean as a whistle, and service was quick and friendly. After lunch, we donned our masks and stopped in a few little shops for souvenirs and treats. (They have a store called the Blue Ridge Olive Oil Company that sells tons of varieties of flavored olive oils and balsamic vinegars! I bought a few to try. They also had tons of cute home and antiques shops. Fun!)

All kinds of sweets at Panorama Orchards!

We made one more stop before heading back to the cabin that afternoon - Panorama Orchards and Farm Market. This place is a HUGE market where you can buy all sorts of local candies, veggies, fruits, jams/jellies, and other products. They also make and serve ice cream. Plus, they have a BAKERY, ya'll! We shopped to our little hearts' content, picking up all kinds of goodies for both the cabin and to take home to our families - some boozy jellies (blueberry and brandy, moonshine, and a cherry preserve), summer sausage, wonderful breads, and two fried pies (apple and peach). This place was fun!

Pooped, we headed home to relax. We made chicken salad out of the leftover roasted chicken and ate it with crackers and greens, topped off with fried pie. Then, we talked, stretched out in the hammock chairs on the back deck, watched TV, and read before bed. (Wine may also have been involved.)

More to come . . .