Checking Off a Bucket List Item: Cloudland Canyon

Checked off a #georgiabucketlist item this weekend!  Cloudland Canyon State Park has been on our "must do" list for a while, but the distance had prevented us from getting there sooner.  At a little over 300 miles from home, this trip required leaving midday on Friday to get into the campground before dark and before all the sites were filled.  We were lucky to have booked a site at all; earlier in the week, there were only two available on the reservation site.

Evening rays light the rock stairway leading to the Main Overlook at Cloudland Canyon State Park.

Fortunately, we arrived shortly after 6:00 PM to find that our "late arrival" tag was posted on the bulletin board outside of the park office; we snagged a park map from the information box. Proceeding to the West Rim Campground, we found a couple of empty sites.  We settled into #30, which offered plenty of length to accommodate our SolAire and the truck.  This site also featured a fire ring encircled by sit-upon boulders.  The West Rim sites are heavily shaded, a real plus in hot weather.

After a quick setup, made easy because the site was level - thank you, Georgia State Parks -, we set off to the Main Overlook on the East Rim to catch the sunset.  I was thrilled with the results of my photo shoot.

From the Main Overlook, looking northward

Rocky terrain on the hike to the Main Overlook is lit by the evening sun.

Sunset streaming through the trees

Boulders in the forest along the path to the Main Overlook

Sunset peeking through the trees

Saturday morning we headed to another area of the park, where we hiked down to the Meadowlands to view an open space and the fish pond.  Regrettably, this area was not as scenic as we had hoped.  Driving through the park, we spotted two large deer darting across the road ahead and a turtle inching his way toward the ditch.

There are two waterfalls in the park. Trails that include 600 steel-grated steps lead to them.  Having viewed them from the overlook, we opted to forego the waterfall hikes.  600 down and 600 up was more of an undertaking than either of wanted to tackle in the heat.  An autumn trip is definitely in the works.

We ventured outside the park, as well, making our way into Trenton and Rising Fawn.  Not only did Jamie find me some photogenic scenes on a gravel mountain road "somewhere" in Dade County, but he also found us some lunch at the South Dade Fire and Rescue BBQ in Rising Fawn.

While traveling along the gravel Newsome Gap Road, we crossed Gulf Creek.

Gulf Creek

Never know what wildlife we'll spot!

Orange:  butterflies and flowers in the forest

Of course, this lumberjack had an ax in his truck for just such occasions as this.

A trickle of water in the forest along Newsome Gap Road

A view near Rising Fawn

Looking across a field to a house on the hill with a mountain ridge in the background.

Never fear, we will find a fire department!  BBQ was a perfect lunch for this outing.  Always happy to support a local cause.

In addition, while we were in Trenton, Jamie reminded me of his long-held ambition to visit every county seat in the state; he mentioned this several times while he was a State Trooper, suggesting that he wanted his photo taken in uniform at every Courthouse.  Thirty years of service, but that didn't happen.  So, we started in the northwestern-most county of Georgia on Saturday and began photographing the county courthouses.  Of course, this will be a years-long project, but we got started!  One done; 158 to go.

The historic Dade County Courthouse, located in the Trenton town square, appears to have been abandoned in favor of  a newly constructed one a few blocks away.

Our Sunday drive home allowed us ample time to stop in the county seats of Walker, Chattooga, Floyd, Polk, Haralson, Carroll, Heard, Troup, Chattahoochee and Terrell.  Ten more.  That's 11/159.