Georgia – Tallulah Gorge State Park

We next planned to camp at Great Smoky Mountains National Park, but it wasn’t too far to stop at Tallulah Gorge State Park on the way.

We hitched our trailer and followed our GPS. We had one moment where we made a split second decision to ignore the GPS’s turn onto a dirt road (the fastest way is not always the best way when pulling a trailer) and we watched the transmission temperature climb as we went up a twisty mountain pass, but we made it there just fine and we were glad to see the park had a few RV-sized parking spots (another thing to think about when pulling a trailer).

The park has a nice Interpretive Center where we got information on the best way to view the gorge and its 5 waterfalls. We took the 2-mile Hurricane Falls Loop starting from the Interpretive Center. 10 scenic vistas line the trail with signs that explain the view.

L’Eau d’Or Falls and Hawthorne Pool

The loop includes the South Rim and North Rim Trails and is connected on one end by a road bridge over the dam and on the other end by a suspension footbridge. To get to the suspension bridge one has to go down 310 steps. So we headed down.

Bill on suspension bridge

We went down an additional 221 steps to view Hurricane Falls.

To continue on we had to go up those 221 steps and climb another 347 steps to the other rim. That’s a lot of steps!

We stopped at the overlooks and took the bridge over the dam. Its small spillway forms a man-made waterfall.

Who is that in the reflection taking a picture of the sign?

Tightrope walker Karl Wallenda used this tower to walk across the gorge in 1970 – gorge depth 700 feet. We preferred taking the trail with all those stairs.

Wallenda’s tower

Bill added another ½-mile round-trip 221ft elevation hike to Inspiration Point. Barbara could see him in the distance.

view of gorge and Oceana Falls from Inspiration Point

A gorge-ous day!

Camped at: Smokemont Campground, Great Smoky Mountains National Park NC

Distance to Tallulah Gorge from Unicoi State Park: 30miles 42min

Distance to Great Smoky Mountains National Park from Unicoi via Tallulah Gorge: 102miles 2h10min

Georgia – Amicalola Falls

With a beautiful day ahead, we decided to drive an hour to Amicalola Falls State Park.

Amicalola Falls State Park is known as the gateway to the southern end of the Appalachian Trail (AT for short). The AT runs 2,160 miles from the top of Springer Mountain, Georgia to the top of Mt Katahdin, Maine. Neither of these mountains have parking lots, so technically you hike a little further to get to the nearest parking lot. In Georgia, it is at Amicalola Falls State Park – 8.5 miles from Springer Mountain.

It is here where AT hikers sign in. Hikers who begin or end the trail (you can go northbound or southbound) often mark their trip by taking pictures here.

the entrance to the former AT approach

We stopped in the visitor center and rangers advised us on a nice loop trail climbing to the top of the falls on the East Ridge Trail then going down 604 steps along the falls on the Appalachian Approach Trail; Bill added on an additional trail through Mountain Laurel. We saw the mountains in the distance at the top.

This is what the falls look like from the top.

the sign for the first set of stairs

Glimpses of the falls can be seen through the trees while going down the stairs until reaching viewing platforms.

the top of the falls

The falls were lovelier and longer than our pictures capture. On our way down the stairs we saw 3 hikers starting the AT with their full backpacks.

Afterward we drove up to Amicalola Lodge with its spectacular mountain view.

We tagged on an errand at the end of our outing, going to an Amazon locker to pick up a package (a case for Barbara’s new cell phone). That was a new thing for us, but a convenient way to get a package while on the road.

Camped at: Unicoi State Park, Helen, Georgia (There is a campground at Amicalola Falls State Park, but we stayed at Unicoi to avoid the steep road.)

Distance from Unicoi: 44mi, 1h2min

Georgia – Helen and Sautee

With a forecast of rain all day Bill rested while Barbara and Melissa headed into town.

Unicoi State Park is just outside the town of Helen, Georgia.

In an effort to create a tourist destination in the 1960s, the town got a Bavarian make-over with Tudor architecture, red roofs, balconies, cobblestone alleyways, and clock towers. The town is adorned with shops, beer gardens and flower gardens.

Even the doorways had a European style.

Barbara and Melissa walked around the town in the rain peeking in a few shops, some nice, some tacky. The funny thing was that there were more Beef Jerky shops there than anywhere we’ve been.

Next Barbara and Melissa went to the little town of Sautee wanting to see the Old Sautee Store.

It looks like an unassuming little place from the outside. The first thing one sees when one enters is a room that looks just like a general store from the 1800s. Antique staples line the shelves behind the counter; other antiques fill the room.

Melissa slipped a quarter in the player piano (Is that what it’s called?) and we watched it play.

Beyond the antique room is a fun, tasteful 21st century gift shop with lots of tempting things. We sampled their farmers’ cheese and checked out the merchandise. Then we went to their café next door for lunch. Barbara loved her panini -- ham, farmers’ cheese, spinach and apple on sour dough bread. Yum!

Our next stop was the Folk Pottery Museum.

This was another unexpected gem. The museum explains the process and history of Northeast Georgia pottery with well-designed displays and a video. The clay and materials for the glazes were originally all local. Pottery grew from functional items to decorative. Some of these potters were known for shaping faces in their pieces. Would you like one of these on your mantle?

The last place we visited was Gourd Place. Barbara had never been to a place like this. There were three sections, all related to gourds. The museum section had gourds from around the world: instruments, bowls, and other things from Africa, India and China. In the shop section, everything was made from gourds.

Barbara wearing a gourd mask

(the sign said we could try them on)

The third section is what they are best known for – pottery that is created using gourds.

Some of the pieces were beautiful.

What an interesting day! We said good-bye to Melissa as she was heading back to Massachusetts.

Camped at: Unicoi State Park

Georgia – Unicoi State Park

After Stone Mountain, we drove north into the mountains to Georgia’s Unicoi State Park. We had a pleasant walk by the lake on our first night there.

The next day Barbara’s friend Melissa joined her for another letterboxing/hiking expedition while Bill drove an hour one-way to buy a new cell phone. With only one rain-free day predicted while Melissa was here, Barbara and Melissa decided to tackle the Smith Creek Hiking Trail.

Barbara’s usual hiking limit is 3 miles. Being a 10-mile round trip with 25 letterboxes and a 1000-foot elevation change, she wasn’t sure she could make it. So we made a plan. Barbara and Melissa would park Melissa’s car at the trailhead parking, hike the trail from there and turn around if necessary. At 3pm, if Bill hadn’t heard otherwise, he would go to the other end at the Anna Ruby Falls Visitor Center parking.

Here is the trail map.

Barbara and Melissa followed clues to letterboxes as they steadily climbed. Here is a graphic of the elevation of the trail.

It was a great hike. The weather was ideal, there were only a handful of people on the trail, and lots of wildflowers dotted the hillside: wild irises, trillium, purple and yellow violets, among others.

At the highest point, the surrounding mountains were visible through the trees and it was more than halfway. So Barbara and Melissa decided to hike to the end. They called Bill, surprisingly getting cell reception, and told him to meet later at the other end.

Some of the hike required scrambling up steep terrain. Barbara was pretty exhausted near the end. It was a welcome sight to spot Bill coming from the opposite direction with a cold bottle of water. We continued on to Anna Ruby Falls where most of the tourists came the easier way.

From there a paved path followed the pretty gurgling stream to the parking lot. Back at camp, Bill made a wonderful meal for the exhausted hikers.

Camped at: Unicoi State Park, Helen, Georgia

Distance from Stone Mountain Park: 1hr 49min

Georgia – Stone Mountain Part 2

The main reason to visit Stone Mountain was for Barbara to letterbox.  Barbara invited her Massachusetts letterboxing friend, Melissa (“Mim”), to join us, so she and her husband, Matt, planned an Atlanta vacation and joined us for our last two days at Stone Mountain.

Stone Mountain Park has one of the largest concentrations of letterboxes and has been on Barbara’s “bucket list.” With many difficult boxes, Barbara got advice from several Georgian letterboxers, especially Sandy and Becky (“Hawkeye” and “Buttercup”).

Buttercup and Hawkeye’s signature stamps

They came to our campsite at the mountain after their busy work day. We letterboxed together and exchanged signature stamps, plus they gave us some hints. Later on when we couldn’t find a box, Sandy responded to our texts from the woods and guided us in the right direction.

Stone Mountain has a number of letterboxes that start with just a photo clue. This type is tough for out-of-towners not familiar with the park.

Bill discovered this landmark with a hint from Hawkeye, but we still couldn’t find that particular box. We did find other ones, though.

One unfortunate thing - while looking for a memorial box to a well-loved letterboxer, we got caught in a deluge far from our car and ended up totally soaked. (More on this later.)

Melissa and Matt joined us several days after we arrived. The gals letterboxed, while the guys supported the letterboxers

Bill and Matt meeting Barbara and Melissa after letterboxing

Bill and Matt did a few other things. They hiked to the summit – Bill’s second trip, Matt’s first.

Matt and Bill on Stone Mountain

They also played Frisbee golf twice at a nearby 18-hole course. It’s a favorite hobby of Matt’s; Bill hadn’t played since college.

Wednesday evening we had Melissa, Matt, and another letterboxer, Yvonne, over for dinner at our campsite. Yvonne (“Misplaced Manatee”) lived in Massachusetts but now lives in Atlanta. Bill cooked a yummy dinner!

Yvonne, Barbara and Melissa in front of our trailer

Our last full day at Stone Mountain had two glitches. The first was that Barbara’s cell phone died due to getting wet in the previously mentioned downpour. Bill purchased a replacement phone, but after the usual set up found that the new phone had a hardware issue, so had to return it the next day. The second was that Matt’s 8pm flight was delayed repeatedly and then canceled at 1am. We felt badly for Matt and Melissa. Matt got a flight back the following evening and Bill figured out another option for replacing Barbara’s phone.

Despite the glitches, we had a nice time with friends at Stone Mountain.

Campground: Stone Mountain Park Campground