Covered Bridge & Autumn Colors

Watson Mill Bridge State Park

A quick getaway to Watson Mill Bridge State Park, east of Athens, just before Thanksgiving yielded crisp autumn air and a gorgeous display of orange, red and yellow leaves, and a pleasant afternoon visit with one of Jamie’s former State Trooper co-workers.

A flowing waterfall

 The preserved covered bridge is the highlight of this tiny state park.  A park so tiny, and so tight, that making the hairpin turn on the campground driveway required precision with our 35’ trailer; otherwise, we’d have taken a tree trunk with us, or worse, left a side of the camper at the campground.  Just a word of warning:  if you’ve got a long rig, enter this campground during daylight.

A genuinely photogenic weekend . . . historic covered bridge, flowing water, autumn leaves.  A wonderful way to begin Thanksgiving break and to bring our 2016 camping adventures to an end.

Autumn at Hannahatchee

At the end of a dark, dusty, two mile trail, our headlights illuminated the locked gate.  Jamie retrieved the hidden key, located exactly where the caretaker told us it would be.

We continued along the half mile drive, moonlight making us aware that much of the treescape had changed from our previous visit here.

The time was just after 11:00 PM as we arrived at our weekend campsite.  Deserted. Alone in the wilderness. Far from civilization. So it seems.

Hannahatchee is our ideal, last minute getaway spot after a Blazer football game against Stewart County. No reservations needed. No neighbors to disturb.

Friday night sunset from the football field

A couple extra hours of sleep - no Saturday agenda to rush us.  I awoke to find he had set up our campsite with table and chairs, brewed the Maxwell House Original Roast, and started breakfast. I am blessed.

We set out after breakfast to explore: a walk around the square in Lumpkin, a desolate ride to Eufala for BBQ at Phil's, a brewery tour & tasting in Omaha, and gator rides across the rugged terrain of this Georgia gem.

In the woods at Hannahatchee

A view of the distance at Hannahatchee

This fella never cared that we were in his space.

Rugged terrain with some logging roads and comfortable autumn temperatures made for an adventurous afternoon

The tasting room at Omaha Brewing Company

Spent leaves in shades of gold and rust fluttered like Monarchs falling to the forest floor ahead of us.  This, along with the low humidity and light breeze, sang "autumn is here" at last. Music to our soul.

Speaking of butterflies, they were plentiful, but flittering hither and yon, they eluded my camera lens.

While our steaks grilled on the Weber, we marveled at the yellow, orange, and pink hues of this October sunset from what appears to be the highest elevation in this area.

The Weber and Kingsford in a bucket - prepping for a steak dinner

I love the colors of a sunset.

A weekend in the SolAire is always a welcome respite from the hustle of our weekday responsibilities.

Until next time . . .