Sunset on Bell Mountain

We headed south this morning bound for Hiawassee, Georgia, where we met Raina, Stephen & Livi at Aunt Brenda's for dinner. 

The Georgia Mountain Fair campground is located on Lake Chatuge in Hiawassee, and it's packed full on this summer weekend.

After dinner, Jamie & I drove up to Bell Mountain, a gorgeous mountaintop site overlooking Lake Chatuge.  We arrived just moments before sunset and captured some breathtaking colors.  We were hoping to catch a glimpse of comet Neowise, but a dark cloud toward the northwest obstructed our view.  Nevertheless, the view of the lake, the mountains and the sunset made it worth our effort.

1) Sunset over Lake Chatuge

2) Sunset over Lake Chatuge

3) Sunset over Lake Chatuge

4) Dusk ~ Lake Chatuge

5) Long Exposure -  over Lake Chatuge

6)Sunset glow over the mountains

7) Sunset glow over the mountains

8) Sunset glow over the mountains

Which photograph is your favorite from this series?

Exercisin'

We ended our Tuesday with a ride into town for dinner at Fayetteville's Pies and Pints.  With the cooler weather and lower humidity, we sprawled on a grassy hill under some trees to await our table.  Outdoor dining only. And socially distanced. 

The pizza was differently delicious, but the flatbread with goat cheese and reduced balsamic vinegar is what we'll remember.  This appetizer was served looking like a scoop of vanilla ice cream drizzled with hot fudge sauce with drizzled pizza crust slices.  This, too, was yummy.  We continue to be in awe of how the weather here is suitable for outdoor dining and adventures; we would've been miserable doing this at home in our southwest Georgia climate. 

Stuffed, we headed across the New River Gorge Bridge to the visitor's center for an after-dinner hike down to the observation deck just in time to catch the fading sunset.  Judge for yourself if the view was worth the steps down and back up.  I kicked myself the whole way because I only had my cell phone camera with me, but I upgraded my phone a while back just for such oversights. 

1) Sunset fades behind the New River Gorge Bridge

So, what do you think? Worth 178 steps down and then back up? 

Being back in the camper, we are reminded why we have enjoyed the SolAire so much and we are realizing we have missed her regular adventures far more than we realized.  I think we both sleep better in our little cocoon of a bedroom here with the white noise of the A/C drowning out all the exterior sounds. Ahhh. 

We actually slept in a little later than usual and awoke refreshed on Wednesday morning.  That's what we came for, right?  Jamie sizzled up some bacon on the camp stove and flipped a stack of pancakes for the four of us before we loaded up in the truck - John's truck! - to venture about in the area. 

We found the single lane paved road that winds its way down the gorge by the base of the bridge and then down river just a bit, crossing the railroad tracks and a lower bridge to cross the river and climb out of the gorge.  I don't need to understand the science behind bridge building to know what an awesome sight and incredible engineering feat it is to span a river nearly 800 feet above water level to connect two mountaintops.  I just had to stop frequently to take photographs of multiple views of this man-made wonder.  Fortunately, my travel mates don't seem to mind.

2) Purple wildflowers blooming near the bridge

3) View of the bridge from the railroad tracks

4) view of the bridge from the lower bridge

5) view of the bridge from near the center of the lower bridge

5) arch of the bridge

6) really close to the bridge!

7) view of the ironworks holding up the bridge

8) looking up under the bridge -- you mean we drove over that?

Our next stop for the day was Hawks Nest State Park. We arrived on Wednesday near noon to find that Wednesdays are reserved for servicing the tram that takes visitors down the mountain to the river.  Oh well. I'm not much for swinging cable cars anyway.  Instead, we believed the sign that read "100 steps to spectacular views." 

These steps made last night's steps look like a walk in the park.  Dilapidated (that's a nice word for rotten, isn't it?) railroad ties and steep grades of rough & rocky asphalt led to a rocky outcropping overlooking the river and a train trestle.  We definitely got our sweat on for the day with this midday hike.  The view was pretty.  Not spectacular, but pretty.  No regrets. 

9) view of the bridge in the distance taken from Hawks Nest State Park

10) Watching the train round the bend

11) trestle spanning the river

We continued south along the road we were on and discovered a nearly dry waterfall, Cathedral Falls.  With a full pool, this must be a pretty roadside waterfall, but not today.  I attempted some photographs here, but I wasn't pleased with the final product, so here you'll see a dud! A shady picnic table here was all it took for our crew to unload the cooler & have lunch.

12) Cathedral Falls - much too dry to be attractive

Further south we accessed Kanawha Falls which stretches across the river.  An "antique" power house suggests years of use harnessing the water for electricity.  A shady beach area provided adequate cover for me to read my camera settings and take a few slow exposures to capture the silky water flowing over the rocks. Yes!

13) Kanawha Falls power plant 

14) Kanawha Falls

15) Kanawha Falls

16) Kanawha Falls

Having gotten a bit accustomed to late afternoon naps during COVID closure, some of us were growing weary, so we headed for camp to rest a bit, edit photos, and prepare supper. 

I'll stop here for today.  We've had great day exploring the New River Gorge area.

Now that you've made it to the end of this blog post, which is your favorite photo? They are numbered 1-16. Let me know!

And Away We Go!

The clock marked 2:40 PM on this July Monday afternoon as the Solaire and her running mate turned left onto U.S. 19 headed north, seeking cooler air, lower humidity, a change of scenery, a bit of R&R, and a long-overdue adventure.  By the time we reached I-75, we realized we had already traveled further from home than we had been since COVID-19 unleashed its wrath on southwest Georgia.

We were in no hurry, so we moseyed through the woods to connect to I-20 on our journey northward, enjoying the views of luscious green woodland and healthy crops of the sparsely populated farming communities of east central Georgia.  With a sideways glance, our most observant lead driver noticed a shady gravel parking area belonging to the Harlem Baptist Church, just perfect for our picnic supper of homemade chicken salad.

Picnicking in Harlem

Under the shade a few pecan trees, we set out our lawn chairs, fixed our plates, stretched our legs, and chatted about our plans for the rest of the week.  Much to our dismay, the Chevy diesel did not want to start when we were ready to move on down the road.  YouTube to the rescue! And some ingenuity on Jamie's part to figure out the problem and get 'er running.  One would think that just having had a tune-up at the auto shop in preparation for this trip would have prevented such a disturbing occurrence.  Nope! May have caused it.

Near midnight we pulled into an empty Cracker Barrel parking lot in Mooresville, NC, opened the windows on the Solaire, turned on a battery-powered fan, and crawled into our bed for a good night's sleep.  At 7:00 A.M. we were one of two parties to be seated for breakfast.  This is social distancing restaurant-style.  My first dine-in experience since before mid-March!  

All's quiet at midnight at Cracker Barrel

Dining in at Cracker Barrel

And shortly thereafter, we were on the road again, with no particular plan, just a destination in mind. A fuel stop - truck stops only this trip, we've promised ourselves - at the Mt. Airy exit begged us to linger longer, so we found an empty public parking area next to the Post Office on Main Street that would accommodate the two rigs, thanks to an inquiring phone call to City Hall.  

A leisurely stroll along the Mayberry themed street brought happy memories of Andy, Barney, Opie and the rest.  We trekked in the opposite direction along Main Street to visit the Sheriff's office with jail cells and Wally's Service Station, where we took a few stand-and-pose photos of ourselves, declaring we would blog this trip, despite not having posted last year's adventure (yet!), and we purchased our traditional souvenirs: Christmas tree ornaments for Mary and Becky and a decal or magnet for Jamie to add to his outdoor refrigerator.

Stroll along Main Street - sporting some COVID barriers.

Antique trucks: the Darlins' and Wally's Wrecker

Jamie checking out Andy & Barney's radio equipment. Imagine that!

From Mt. Airy, we continued northward, passing through the Walker Mountain Tunnel, and eventually climbing to the top of a ridge overlooking Bluefield, West Virginia.  The air was cooler (than home) and breezy on this sunshiny day.  For nearly an hour, we & one additional car were the only visitors to the East River Mountain Scenic Overlook.  Again, perfect social distancing!  The covered picnic patio made an ideal spot for lunch.

Then the Chevy diesel decided to misbehave again.  Fortunately, Jamie knew just the trick to get 'er going again.  At the base of the ridge we lucked up: a bustling Chevrolet dealership.  I'm not being sassy - ten cars must have come in while we were there and the service bays were lined up; it was bustling. That's a good thing.  The mechanic on duty wasn't much more helpful than YouTube, but he did put Jamie's mind at ease about the problem.  Guess it's just one we'll have to deal with for the duration of this trip. We'll see!

By mid-afternoon we had found our destination for the day: Rifrafter's Campground in Fayetteville, West Virginia.  As I sit here typing out this first blog post of our week, I feel refreshed by the gentle breeze, the cooler temperature, and the shade of the forest we are in.  No sweat: not even during the backing in, leveling, setting up camp phase.  

We have plans to roam about the countryside over the next few days, but our most important plan is to enjoy some much-needed rest and relaxation away from the stress of home and work.  (If only we could really get away for a few days; we've both been answering calls and emails today, and we both have scheduled work-related Zoom meetings this week. Hmmm.)  Nevertheless, we will enjoy every minute we have to travel, and be thankful for our jobs, too.

Perhaps I'll update the blog again tomorrow or the day after, or sometime after that. Maybe.

Hurricane Recovery Respite

After ten days of recovering from Hurricane Michael's ravaging windstorm through Mitchell County,  our weekend reservations at Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear offered a welcome retreat.  Jamie's workdays had stretched into double shifts most of those days, plus he pulled one 23 hour day; he needed to get away for a couple of days to refresh.

Brilliant reflection at the entrance to Georgia Veterans State Park on Lake Blackshear

Setting up camp at site #66, spacious & secluded

We set up camp in the early afternoon, and I captured a few images of the swampy cypress entrance to the park where Spanish moss hangs low and algae grows thick on the backwater surface.  On this blue sky autumn afternoon, the reflection in the water was brilliant.

Moss draped over cypress limbs near the entrance to the park; water reflects trees & blue sky

Algae patches in the swamp

Moss hangs low on a cypress branch, while reflection on water produces an abstract pattern.

Then we returned home for the Homecoming football game and half-time festivities. Near midnight we pulled into the campground, but not before we were met by several groups of deer awaiting an opportunity to cross the roadway.

Can't miss Homecoming when your nephew is on the court.  

Deer at night

At daybreak I found an empty spot on the lakeshore to capture some morning color.

Morning Has Broken

At Water's Edge in Morning Light

A quick trip into town for a few supplies also doubled as a courthouse photo opportunity.  We're continuing to capture these images, building our collection ever so slowly.

Saturday evening we attended a lovely wedding at the resort.  The lake served as a beautiful backdrop, despite the rain delay.  And, the power went out while the guests waited -- imagine that! The best part of the evening for us was spending it with all of our kids.

Our Family

William & his girlfriend

Sunday ushered in cooler temperatures; ahh, maybe a little bit of fall is here after all.

Saturdays are for Learning

This Friday evening haul through downtown Atlanta proved bearable; the traffic slowed, but did not stop, making our drive to Red Top Mountain State Park about a four hour trip.  Not bad!  Of course, we arrived after hours, but our check-in package was awaiting at the camp office.

Fortunately, the first campsite for our reserved size was available.  The campground road and right of way are tight for a long trailer like ours.  A giant rock and steep drop off on the right of way caused concern, but my driver's expertise prevailed.  No dents. No getting stuck.  No cursing. Our radios make these back-ins nearly pain-free; we don't even wake the neighbors.

Our morning view

Pleasantly beautiful area; narrow road with significant drop-off

Lake Allatoona at Red Top Mountain State Park

Saturday morning we headed to the Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw.  Jamie had seen the billboard on the interstate for this attraction; we were pleasantly surprised to find free admission on this day.  We felt the Civil War section of the museum was a bit slanted toward the north.  The Glover Machine Works section contained an impressive collection of molds from the Marietta-based manufacturer that were used for building locomotives.  The highlight of the museum was The General, the locomotive in the Great Locomotive Chase of the Civil War.

Southern Museum of Civil War and Locomotive History in Kennesaw

The General:  every train buff needs to visit, right?!

A leisurely lunch at Olde Towne Tavern & Grill allowed us to catch the last half of the Georgia-Missouri game.  Wings in their house sauce, a spinach-artichoke dip pizza created on a tortilla, a Greek Salad and a mountain of garlic knots with marinara and cheese sauces filled us up for the day; we skipped our evening meal.

The small screens on one wall mirrored those on the opposite wall, but off to side, a theatre-size screen ...

While I participated in a late afternoon photography workshop in Roswell, Jamie checked out several nearby thrift shops in search of a camp stove.  And yes, he found what he was looking for!  $8.  A straw hat & a corkscrew to replace the Houdini I stripped rounded out his purchases.  I picked up a couple of tips for making better exposures and for creating dramatic lighting.

Photography workshop on Lake Cherful in Roswell

We turned southbound on Sunday morning with a courthouse tour route, mostly traveling down US 19.  We added 9 photographs to our collection.  Making progress!

He may not look like it, but this chauffeur + photographer's assistant is a patient man.