Brasstown Bald, or a Funny Name for the Highest Point in Georgia.

(Special thanks to my older son and his steady 10-year-old hands for the panoramic photo!)

Sitting at the campfire with neighbors, they asked what we had seen and what we had planned. Then they said, “Hey, you should take the boys up to Brasstown Bald.” Hmmm. That sounded a bit weird. But then they said, “It’s fabulous, it’s the highest point in Georgia.” Ding! Years ago we took the boys to Cheaha State Park in Alabama, which was the highest point of that state. We all enjoyed that trip fiercely. This seemed right up our alley after all.

It took two tries, a little grumpiness, and one heck of a steep climb to get to that tower. In fact, my older son and I left Dear Husband and our littler fella in the dust as we were anxious to reach the top. Man alive our hearts were thumping. We all arose victorious to freezing cold wind. Dear Husband mentioned the 20 degree temperature drop and sadly only had on a vest and shorts. My older son said he spotted a hat, and I about leapt to get and keep it. When he pointed it out, though, it was sodden. Bummer. I swear I would have worn it if it was dry.

Brasstown Bald is fabulous! The visitors center was closed due to the season, but the lookout area was open for us to roam (and hide from the wind behind.) That view helped my carsick belly settle for a while too. We were atop with fellow camera enthusiasts until the sun set, and then we all ran downhill to our heated vehicles. Not to compare, but I’d say Cheaha is the better option. We were literally camped walking distance from that tower and went back and forth to it many times with the boys. However, Brasstown Bald is nothing to complain about, save for our poor choice in sweatshirts. Heck, if you see undulating mountains anywhere, it’s a darn good day.

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High Shoals Falls, GA.

With a concentration of falls hikes that encircle us, we went with the easy choice, the nearest one to the north, High Shoals Falls. We did read that it is one of the most impressive, so that solidified our choice. What we didn’t read was that the “road” (and yes I put that in quotes for a reason) to the “parking lot” is really a swollen kick butt hiking trail. In fact, my older son about lost faith in us as parents as we swung back and forth up this gravely, bumpy “road”. We reassured him that there were still indeed rustic parts in our country, and surely as a forest road this would pass. We were right. We landed in a parking lot where he promptly exited the truck and declared we should just get on with it.

The descent was fine. The terrain was much more well traversed than our first GA hike, and the loud rumble of the falls helped reassure us we were on the right track. I noticed the abundance of Galax leaves which was very cool because as a florist I used those time and again. I always love to see the flowers and greens growing naturally, as I’ve only seen them wrapped and rubber banded.

Finally, I’ve been experimenting with my phone time lapsing. I filmed us pulling Tracy up into the Chattahoochee National Forest. Check out my instagram for the time lapses.

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Helen, GA and Hiking.

We pulled Tracy up into the Chattahooche National Forest to settle near a replica Alpine town, Helen GA. We had no idea how much amazing hiking was abound. It only makes sense the Appalachian Trail starts not too far away. Our first day here we hiked a private trail connecting to our campground. We later learned it’s not allowed to be improved anymore, due to the current ownership, but it was probably one of the best hikes we ever did. This is because it included ropes to pull us uphill, involved multiple creek crossings, kept our minds sharp as we constantly had to search for blue tagged trees, not to mention all the ducking and climbing. The boys LOVED it. Truthfully, Dear Husband and I agree, it was one of our favorites as well. It was quite a challenge.

After that morning hike, our day just sort of faded away. We had some plans to hike to a local waterfall (I do believe there are over a dozen), but that earlier 2 miles really did us in. We were so wore out, we decided to dilly dally in Helen for the afternoon instead.

Little fella found a new friend in the form of a stuffed koala. He’s saving up money for a future stop, but couldn’t peel away from said friend. I suggested he call him “George” because we got him in Georgia, but he said he needed a better name. Mr. Kooky, he announced, was that better choice. Of course, he conceded that George could be his middle name, to not hurt my feelings.

We stopped at Hofer’s Bakery where the boys were allowed to choose anything they wanted until we heard the prices. Then we kept swaying their choices to the frustration of the people behind us, until we just pretty much forced them to get chocolate creme puffs. Then we ate half of their puffs. They were darn huge, but I’m sure we did a fail parent move here, with the offering choice, denying choice, then taking half anyways. Apparently they are used to this or the sugar was enough, because they didn’t complain. Or maybe their payback was the mess…

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Congaree National Park, SC.

Large. I just don’t know how to express this besides, large, huge, mega, something along those lines. Congaree National Park has this little entrance and little signage, but when you enter you start getting this picture, it’s one of feeling really small. Or that your surroundings are really big.

The visitor’s center has a fabulous movie that made me feel even smaller. They have helicopter footage flying over their immense park and it’s just prehistoric looking. Then they show researchers climbing the trees and your jaw just drops. Sadly, it’s a kind of feeling I get where my eyes glaze over and I can’t grasp the size. Like when I think about space or how deep the Grand Canyon is. Still I tried. In this location where trees max out due to the nutrient rich swamp and flood plains, where champion trees are made and found and still being found, where you can walk along boardwalks and feel tremendously small and peaceful, our family looked UP and UP and UP.

Loblolly pines reach 100 feet, Cypress trees are WIDE, and even the echo of the singular owl we heard while hiking seemed huge. Ironically, Congaree was owned by a logger who kept it in case he needed to harvest it. Due to the consistent flooding it was too difficult for this. And it grew. And it was saved. And my boys and Dear Husband and I could look up and up and up and remember what a spectacular thing an untouched wood could be.

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Myrtle Beach State Park, SC.

If you are going on a long trip and you get to choose anywhere to start, how would ocean not be near the top of that list? Exactly. After our Bledsoe Creek stay we headed east to said ocean, Myrtle Beach State Park to be exact. None of us have been here before so as we headed in we did not know what to expect. How bad could it be?

With 60’s and mostly sunny weather, the beach was inviting, not too hot, not too cold. Probably nearer too cold, but we were giddy enough that it masked any discomfort. The boys wore sweatshirts and shorts and were happy with a little wet feet, but not too much. The water was mighty cold. They made lots of forts and fortresses and dirt bike and NASCAR tracks in the sand. Dear Husband was on dog duty most of the beach time, actually most of the time, and I wandered with either a camera or metal detector. I found a quarter while searching, but sadly not due to the detector, I saw it before the beeping. Ah well, I found some pretty shells (and a sea urchin?) as well.

We rode our bikes plenty, but there weren’t many trails so it was around the same places. The beach allowed bikes on the sand due to the season. We drove up along the ocean to the fishing pier one night to see how fun that would be. Hmm. It was dirty, wet, and the kickstands just sunk. Somehow that didn’t ruin anyones moods. I told you, we were giddy.

This park is an amazing little snip of nature among the bustling seashore city. Dear Husband did venture out to grab some graham crackers for smores (duh, we forgot them!) and an RV part. Mostly we did our part to stay beachside because that’s the best spot. (One tiny drive to Camping World landed me with a sweet new bike basket though!) With two little stores and a fabulous fishing pier that just keeps drawing you over, somehow filling the day with laundry, eating, biking, and digging in sand was utterly exhausting and time -consuming. Emails were forgotten….

I’m finding working school work into the day is harder than I imagined. Peeling boys from the sand to read and do spelling isn’t their cup of tea. I’m hoping to figure out something that flows better. Clearly there are ample opportunities to learn as we go, but there are some things that will still require sitting at the table. Fortunately I don’t feel like we are behind, just a little unsure of how to create a routine that isn’t annoying or awkward.

Oddly enough, when we headed out the boys moods were terrible. I’d like to say it was because they were sad to leave, even if they didn’t claim that. After a little gloomy road time everyone sort of settled in. I’m hopeful most transitions aren’t so blue.

Market Bag or Basically The Best Campground Life Bag I’ll Ever Own.

I thought necessity for this knitting project. I noticed I needed a bag. One to carry stuff and jam stuff in. A campground, hiking, biking, sort of bag. I found this fabulous nest bag at Purl Soho. On my needles and off again in about three days, it’s been put to the test. It’s had wet and dry laundry, snacks, stuffed toys, and most recently seashells. I’m most definitely fighting the urge to make another.

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Bledsoe Creek State Park, TN.

We wrapped up our eleven nights at Bledsoe Creek State Park. This was our base camp while Dear Husband finished up his last weeks at work, we visited with friends we won’t see for a while, and we ran some last errands. The weather was back and forth from awful to excellent to awful. We had cold, rain, warmth, sun, snow, you name it. On the best days we rode bikes ( from across the lake we could see our Tracy), fed the ducks (our camping chickens), played at the park, swung in the hammock and so on. On the cold or rainy days we ran errands, knitted, organized, and watched movies. Of course laundry and schoolwork don’t care about the weather and I wove that into our days as well.

Bledsoe Creek State Park is full, and I mean crazy full, of wildlife. Deer stared at us as we walked past them to the park, ducks raced up to see if we had treats, even a heron waited patiently on the dock as I walked Mack on by. I guess they enjoy seeing the people as much as the people enjoy seeing them. I’ve never seen such diverse wildlife in one state park and I wonder if I ever will again. It made our camping and waiting for our big departure delightful.

Our truck, trailer, and spirits are ready to roll. Off we head to explore.

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Nashville Night.

In our little lame duck stint, we celebrated a birthday for a good friend. Dear Husband laughed and said, I guess we got a night out on the town just before we left. Indeed, I have had a few nights out with my sister down here, but Dear Husband and I just aren’t the late night in the city type.

We were invited to the Wild Horse Saloon which allows children. Yup, we did. We brought the boys. From 5:00 to 9:00 we celebrated, ate, listened to live music, played games, and line danced. The stage set up was fantastic. The boys loved the lights and screens and everyone in the audience enjoyed the performer. The view from the second floor and games had me going up and down all night with the kiddos. The boys got to shoot pool and then run over and dance to the songs. I must admit, there was a little pang in my heart as Tyler King sang “Big, Green Tractor.” I remember my fellas dancing to that around the living room of our rural IL home just before we moved South. It was quite serendipitous.

Little fella and I enjoyed learning to line dance. He had so much fun dancing he said, “It’s too bad Dad gave big brother the “not dancing” gene.” I did pull them out for the second dance, and they gave it a shot, but faded away. That’s cool. We all had fun and that’s what counts.

Tyler King played four sets that night. We saw him perform acoustically which was fabulous. In fact, I think I preferred those sets, but I’m a mellow type. I’m not sure how he had the stamina to sing all night, but I suppose others could wonder how mothers have the stamina to corral their children all night as there were plenty of them there!

I’m no Nashville night life expert, but I’d say we did pretty well. The Wild Horse Saloon was fabulous and kid-friendly. Tyler King was a great entertainer. We left all smiles, but I told our friend I’ll blame him if the boys request another night out at the bar.

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Mammoth Cave National Park and Visiting Stephen Bishop’s Grave.

Last month we finished up Journey to the Bottomless Pit: The Story of Stephen Bishop and Mammoth Cave by Betsy Mitchell. The boys and I were fascinated by Stephen Bishop’s discoveries in Mammoth Cave. We were intrigued by the owners of the cave before it was a National Park. We loved hearing about the excursions, visitors, and news in the 1800s. Finally, when we read he was still buried in a little cemetery at the park, I thought it would be crazy not to go one last time and see it.

Last week’s warm Friday provided the perfect chance for a visit. We arrived around noon and spent time surveying our National Park passport options. Our first book is weathered and needs to retire. We thought new books for this road trip was in order. The boys settled on the blue passports (they have different kids versions or larger more elaborate versions) because they have ample stamping room and are pocket-sized. Each fella got his own book to stamp as he wishes at all the National Parks (and probably State Parks) we’ll encounter. The store employee was incredibly helpful and instrumental in helping us decide.

We then met up with some school friends for a hike to the grave site and around the grounds. It was a quick walk to the site and with clear signage we located his stone placement easily. We headed just a bit further to Sunset Point and looped down and around to the natural entrance. Little fella kept breaking off icicles in large sections. Dear Husband and my older son walked ahead at Mack’s (our dog) pace.

After the hike, we meandered into the museum. I was thrilled to catch a short movie about Stephen Bishop and his two fellow guides Mat and Nicholas. It spoke to their adventurous spirits and contributions to Mammoth Cave. I watched it through and then found the boys and watched it with them as well. I’ve not seen this movie at the museum before and wonder if I just didn’t notice it or if it was new. Either way, we enjoyed it.

Feeling satiated, we headed back for the evening. Passports in hand, their first stamps and National Park clicked off, we were ready for another National Park the next day.

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Sorting it Out.

Dear Husband is finishing out the month at work, so we are living “on the road” locally. That’s actually worked out fabulous for us. We have had our share of kinks to work out. For instance, my muck boots failed miserably. Who knew they were so leaky? New muck boots located, check. We realized our wheel chocks were a big fail, as Tracy literally hopped forward while we had the jacks setting down. It wasn’t as scary as it sounds, but, yes, we had new wheel chocks shipped in.

Plus, the closet situation is failing. It has a “false” floor with a hidden storage bucket underneath, but darn it, that lends no support for actual “stuff” because it’s not solid. I had two plastic drawer storage containers in there that were just weighing too much. They shoved into the bucket, pushed that down, it collapsed. I removed one unit, it collapsed, I removed more, it collapsed, well, you get the idea. I had to switch some things around. I think I found something that will work. Let’s see, our Berkey water filter broke too. Then I’m also adjusting to Dear Husband’s laptop computer. It’s been very hard for me to check photos for clarity, because every time the screen moves, the photos look different. Well, that wraps up most of the fails.

It’s not all tragedies though, in fact it’s been pleasant with this wave of warm weather coming in. Waking up with the sweet flock of ducks (including unique Muscovy ducks) has been a treat. My youngest son said they take the place of our chickens and requested we have some ducks when we resettle. I washed dishes outside the other day while a dozen or so ducks had their heads tucked behind their wings and rested just at the shore beyond our site. It was darn adorable. The boys are on their bikes more than they ever have been (me too and my thighs are feeling it!) and the park is the favorite hang out as of late. The weather warmed up so much that the barren campground awoke and flooded with campers and campfires galore. I sure do love checking out those fellow Airstreams! (I think I’ll be sharing sweet rig photos in their own posts.) We also got the hammock up, but the boys are in it so much I still haven’t had a chance. I think we may need another hammock. In fact, I think that will happen quite soon.

At night, Dear Husband and I are planning our trail and revising as needed. We are also planning a fun upgrade to the trailer this week. (Dear Husband was checking some wiring for said upgrade.) The boys are getting anxious to “really” start the trip. Just a few more nights and we’ll be heading out.