Georgia on My Mind (cont.)

 

Fun on the Cartecay River Loop Trail! 

Day 4

This was a work morning. After coffee and breakfast on the back deck (Good morning, deer!), I took three calls, caught up on email, and wrapped up a few issues. 

Then, we all had lunch together - creamy chicken salad, fruit, some of our bakery treats. Thusly fortified, hubs and I took a quick look at the sky and decided we had enough clear weather for some hiking. We headed to the Cartecay River Loop Trail, which was nearby. To hike on this trail, you need a Georgia hunting or fishing license. I went to the Georgia Department of Natural Resources website and bought what was virtually a day pass for $15, and we were on our way!

My adorable hiking buddy!

The loop is about 3.5 miles, and you wind through the woods towards the river. We walked through seas of shady ferns on some of the trail, and we found tons of mushrooms due to recent rains. About halfway in, you get really great river views, and you can climb on some big rocks out to nearly the middle of the river. I reeeeally wished we'd brought some swimsuits and towels, as we found some great swimming holes. You could easily pack a backpack and spend a whole day out here. The area is lovely. 

This is definitely a moderate trail, as it gets quite steep near the water. We saw a couple of small groups of hikers coming in as we were going out, but other than that, we had the whole trail and area to ourselves. Wonderful.

By the time we got back to the cabin, our stomachs were rumbling again. We grilled up steaks and served them with mashed potatoes and salad. We topped off our evening with another soak in the hot tub and had a well-deserved rest! 

Seas of sun-dappled ferns on our hike

Day 5

We woke up fairly early, had a light breakfast, and loaded into the car for our trip to Amicalola Falls State Park. In addition to hiking and enjoying the falls, I'd booked us a zipline adventure. (I'd noticed the zip lining course on my previous visit, and Team Bradshaw really does love zip lining, so I knew we could make something work here.) 

Team Bradshaw on the zip course!

We'd booked levels 1 and 2, and here's my take: level 1 is not great. You basically take short zips right around the lodge and parking lot area. This would be a good course if you've never zip lined before and have a lot of anxiety about it. Level 2 is much more what we're used to: zipping through the canopy, some fun bridges to cross, etc. We'd considered booking level 3 as well, but didn't due to time. (The website says that booking levels 1-3 could take up to FOUR HOURS. Folks, there are very few things I want to do for four hours.) As it was, levels 1 and 2 only took us about an hour and fifteen minutes, so we probably could have booked the whole course. 

If I were to return, I'd book all three levels. (The wild card here is the rest of your group. We had a pretty game group, and we just zipped right on through there. But if your group is larger or has some folks in it who are nervous, getting through the same course can take more time. Just FYI.) At any rate, we really did enjoy level 2, the guides were great, and we got some fun zips in. The morning was cloudy and misty, so you got the cool experience of seeing folks zip right into (and disappear into) the mist, or watching them suddenly fly out at you from the middle of a cloud. Really neat. 

After zip lining, we took the steps down, down, down to the lower observation platform at the falls. Even if you are in shape, there are A LOT of steps, so pace yourself! The falls are majestic, even for a jaded almost-14-year-old. My son was pretty impressed, and as the deck was not very crowded, we spent some time there, admiring the falls and having some good conversation. 

On the way back to the cabin, we stopped at The Roof in Ellijay for lunch. This place was great! Indoor and outdoor seating are both available, and they offer a fun, locally-inspired menu. We started with the fried green tomato appetizer, and for my entree, I got the thrice-cooked chicken. The food was really good, and our server was prompt and friendly. 

Back at the cabin, we cleaned up and relaxed.

Amicalola Falls. Gorgeous.

Day 6

I actually had a good bit of work to do today, so we didn't get out much in the morning. In addition, it rained off and on for a lot of the day, so between those two things, I didn't want to get too far from the cabin. 

"Exhibit" at the Bigfoot "museum"

We'd driven past this little Expedition: Bigfoot "museum" several times on our trip (and Susan and I had noticed it last summer, too), so we went to check it out around lunchtime. It looked like a quick stop for some campy fun. 

First of all - their gift shop is golden. So much kitschy, fun merchandise! (I loved the T-shirts that said "Bigfoot: Social Distancing World Champion." Hilarious.) We bought our admission tickets and started our tour of the "exhibits." Up front, let me say - I do not believe in Bigfoot. And this "museum" did little to convince me. They had some neat displays, a series of video testimonials from people who claimed to have seen Bigfoot, but (as you can imagine) pretty much zero primary evidence.  

For example, there was a video "story" of a man in Arkansas who kept his dog outside in a pen. In the middle of the night, he heard the dog barking wildly, and when he went out to check on the dog, he found it mortally wounded, and the pen torn up. The "exhibit" was some of the debris that remained of the pen. Evidence of Bigfoot? Um, no

They had a glass case in which there was a loooong turd, labeled "Sasquatch Feces." Evidence of Bigfoot? (No. But you better believe I took  picture. Heh.) Tons of casts of "footprints" that could have been created any number of ways. The audio recording of Bigfoot "calling" sounded like a bunch of drunk rednecks hooting in the woods at night. (And, as a redneck myself, I can say that.) And on and on and on. 

We absolutely enjoyed ourselves (This attraction is so indicative of the area.), but just come knowing what you are visiting. Note: The attraction does have a section in which they detail all the different cultures that have a Bigfoot myth. I later thought to myself that this would actually be an interesting topic for a real museum - All of the world cultures that have been fascinated by this idea. Bigfoot is like us, but a little bigger, a little hairier, a little wilder. What does it say about US as humans that we have invented this boogeyman the world over? So close to who we are, but darker, scarier, less inhibited. Now, THAT is a topic that an actual museum could pull together a real exhibit on and explore. 

Once we were done hunting up Bigfoot, we hopped over to Panorama Orchards and Farm Market for some fried peach pies and goodies for the cabin. The pies are at least half butter, and they are DIVINE. We munched them while we shopped for flavored coffee, saltwater taffy, peach preserves and other yummies. This place is a great stop for food souvenirs to take home!

On the way back to the cabin, we picked up takeout for lunch. The rest of the day was split between working, relaxing, dips in the hot tub, and drinks out on the back deck. 

Day 7

On our last full day in the area, I had plans! The weather was cloudy, but without rain, so after breakfast, I started with a hike at Carters Lake. Amadahy Trail was close to the rental, was well marked/maintained, and featured tons of lake views. Nearly four miles (especially if you go off-trail from time to time to check out the water), with gentle elevation. 

Carters Lake from Amadahy Trail

Because of all the rain we'd had that week, I found tons of mushrooms and lichen on the trail! I used my Seed app to identify some of them, discovering my first raspberry slime mold! I also found some beautiful cladonia cristatella, also known as British soldiers lichen because their little red "caps" resemble the red hats worn by invading British troops during the American Revolutionary War. 

British soldiers lichen

The rain also swelled the streams that led down to the lake, so they chattered merrily to me during my hike. And because the day was overcast, I had the whole trail to myself. I didn't see a soul, either at the trailhead or on the trail. (I did see one boater out for a pleasure ride that morning on the lake, but that was it.) Just a wonderful hike. 

Afterwards, I headed back to the cabin for lunch. Then, hubs and I cleaned up and dressed up for our last real outing - a wine tasting at Chateau Miechtry. Last summer, Susan and I had visited Engleheim Vineyards, and we'd really enjoyed it. I was excited to try another north Georgia winery. 

We really loved this place! First of all, they have tons of seating - indoors, outdoors, with views of the surrounding mountains, on an enclosed patio with fans above, at the mouth of a giant fireplace - lots of options here for beautiful places to be while you sip your wine. Secondly, they offer lots of tasting options - you can get tasting flight of five wines, five wines plus dessert wines, include a chocolate cup, include commemorative glassware, etc. We opted for the standard tasting of five wines, and they had a good selection from which to choose. 

The wine was delicious! We sipped our tastes on the outdoor patio, with views of the mountains beyond, and also on the enclosed patio. We strolled admiringly through some of the grounds (though they don't like you walking through the vines) and enjoyed our last night of vacation.

That evening, we cleaned up and packed up, as we planned to get an early start the following morning.

 

Wine time at Chateau Miechtry!

Day 8

We had a light breakfast and left the rental at around 9 a.m.

I loved this mural at Sol y Luna.

On the way home, we stopped for lunch in Birmingham, Alabama. Since my friend Anita and I had been there in April, I knew the perfect place for a break! Hubs and my son and huge fans of Mexican food, so we first navigated to Sol y Luna for lunch. Their tapas were soooo good! We started with an order of queso dip with chorizo, and then I moved on to the chicken skewers (served on a bed of peppers and onions) while both hubs and the kiddo had tacos. (Even one small plate is plenty for lunch for a single person, so don't fret about portion sizes.) The service was great here, and I loved the decor!  

Satiated, we decided to stretch our legs a hop and a skip away at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Anita and I had been there for a visit in the spring, and I'd fallen in love. It's free to visit, and you can stroll as much or as little of the gardens as you like, so there's no big commitment of money or time. Plus, I wanted to see all the roses blooming that had been mere buds back in April! The gardens (and the roses) were beautiful, and we got to move our legs around a little before climbing back into the SUV and making our way home. 

Once we finally got back to our snug little house, it was unpack-clean up-settle back in! Another winner of a trip from north Georgia (and I cannot WAIT to go whitewater rafting again)!

Rose gardens at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens. Lovely!