Notes on Georgia: High Falls State Park

If you are looking for something interesting to do in Georgia, perhaps on a lazy Sunday afternoon, it may be worth it to take the drive to High Falls State Park.
We found this park in our favorite hiking trail guide. It's about a 45 minute drive from Atlanta, but worth it!

We arrived close to the end of the day, so families were wrapping up their picnic spreads and fishermen were getting ready to tow their boats home. We got out of our car and surveyed our surroundings. The parking lot provides a nice view of the man made dam and falls. But of course, we wanted a closer look.

Matt and I wandered down to the edge of the river, and noticed an overlook a few hundred feet away. We ventured up towards the highway and back down again to gain access to this wooden 1/2 bridge overlook. There are a few postings here stating the history of the area, the old mill, and the mill stones that are strewn about pretty much everywhere.

The view from the overlook was gorgeous. To our left, the dam. To our right the rocky river and moderate rapids. I noticed a well hidden trail head across the road. We felt adventurous and headed in. There were quite a few people exiting, so I didn't feel too apprehensive about going into the forest in the middle of no where.

Much to our surprise we saw a flight of wooden stairs heading down towards the river, and providing an awesome view of the natural waterfalls this park is actually named for.

These falls are not your average 'straight over the edge streams of water'. They are more like multiple levels of rock formations creating a spectacular base for the rushing water to escape over.

Here you have to raise your voice a bit to have a conversation. As always, I'm in awe of the power of rushing water. The sound it makes is unmistakable, and the ground almost feels like it's vibrating besides the falls.

If you follow the stairs all the way down to the last step and take off on the dirt trail, more surprises await!

You will find the ruins of a mill on your left. On the right, the ruins of the cement track that was used to push lumber down the hill to the mill. These pieces of cement now blend into their surroundings. Covered in plants and dirt they are barely noticeable.

You can climb down the steep hill next to the Mill Ruins to get a closer view. At the very base you can see the Mill's outlet into the river. The moss and water damage to the old brick is reminiscent of a different time period.

So, we were able to add another small adventure to our list. Try visiting in Spring, because the wildflowers here are abundant!

Who decided the Atlanta Dogwood Festival was amazing?

Seriously? Who decided the Atlanta Dogwood Festival was amazing?

Set in Piedmont Park in downtown Atlanta, hundreds of vendors set up tents, hoping to sell their goods to the hundreds of thousands of visitors this festival draws in every year.

First, let me point out on major issue. By the time the Dogwood Festival takes place, about 92.6%(sarcasm) of the Dogwood trees throughout Atlanta have lost their blooms, or are in the final stages of blooming. So....there weren't many actual Dogwood trees presentat the Dogwood Fest.
And to top that off, since it's the end of their cycle they are dumping their pollen, literally in clouds, all over anything beneath them. That included us! So, it was officially attack of the allergies.

The vendors that were there to sell their art were interesting enough. I always appreciate unique creativity. But for each lovely booth filled with abstract color, there were 4 selling junk, or trying to get people to sign up for something.

And whoever decided to place the food vendors next to the Porto-potties. Well, need I say more?

We paid $14 for two "freshly squeezed" lemonade, from a man who had about three teeth.

I was also quite surprised at the amount of alcohol being sold at the festival. For a state that doesn't sell alcohol on Sundays and won't allow gambling, there certainly plenty of alcohol options.

I won't say I'll never return. But it's not likely.

Notes on Georgia: Atlanta Botanical Garden

Sitting in the midst of the hustle and bustle of downtown Atlanta is a secret garden, a fairy haven. Well, the truth is it's not a secret garden per-say.

Atlanta's Botanical Gardens are completely worth the price of a ticket. The whole environment reminded me of zen. I went in happy, came out happier and almost centered, relaxed and inspired.

The first impression of The Gardens is magical. After paying for your ticket, you walk into a large and modern building. From the ceiling a giant whimsical green glass chandelier hangs proudly.

A short winding walk takes you to The Garden's lunch spot. A small Hippie-Bo-Ho stand serves gourmet sandwiches and salads, and exotic teas and beverages. While you pay a bit more than average for a sandwich and chips, it was one of the best sandwiches I've ever had.

The rest of your trip is filled with winding paths through overgrown vines and small open ceiling gardens. It truly had the feel of a Secret Garden. You constantly encounter iron gates, which in themselves were lovely pieces of art, shaped like butterflys and other creatures. Behind every gate lies some mysterious secret. Whether it's just a large space covered in tulips of all colors, or a fantastic fountain in a cobblestone courtyard, your imagination is never at rest. It's hard to not feel like a child in this amazing space.

The best part of The Gardens, for me, was the strange tropical house. You walk through a tropical jungle setting. We spotted tons of quails and heard what we later found out was the song of frogs. There are thousands of tendrils coming down from the ceiling, which we also learned were roots of a tropical plant running rampant.

The tropical jungle leads into a desert room with cactus and through a narrow hall filled with trees that produce some well known flavors-cinnamon, chocolate, etc. And at the end, the Orchid rooms. Truly amazing design, amazing care-takers, amazing budget...all these elements equal stunning Orchids like I've never seen before.

I am definitely a fan. It would be worth it get a season pass to this wonderful place. I officially dub this one of my personal "Gems" of Atlanta!

San Diego Gems

Each city has something special. Something unique that makes it's residents proud. Something that makes them think "yep, that's where I live". I can only think to call these somethings a city's "Gems".

I've spent the last year discovering Atlanta's "Gems" with my husband and family. And boy have I found them. And through all this searching, I forgot about San Diego. The home sick feeling went away. The nostalgia faded.

As my husband and I began planning our vacation to (Vegas) San Diego, and the countdown suddenly got down to single digits, the "Gems" started popping up in my head once again.

So we had a list of things we had to see. And we saw most of them. And as we checked off the list, we began to realize the only thing San Diego holds for us anymore is our family and friends. While we still found it beautiful, it was lacking.....something.....personality maybe.

None the less, we had a wonderful trip. We filled each and every day with lovely memories, and I snapped over 400 pictures.

So, my list of the top 5 San Diego "Gems"!

1) Balboa Park

2) La Jolla Cove-specifically the Children's Pool and the Water Walk

3) Petco Park
4) Sunset Cliffs

5) Sea World

See Rock City........or don't...whatever.

One of the best things about living in Atlanta, is the ability to drive to other states in under 2 hours. Our favorites have been The Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and Chattanooga in lovely Tennessee.
Last year we made the drive to Chattanooga with my husband's parents. We went to Ruby Falls and then to the Jack Daniel's Distillery in Lynchburg. We loved Ruby Falls, and saw all the signs pointing to Rock City.
So, after we returned home, we put Rock City on our list of "to-do's".

I suggested Rock City to my sister, who was looking for a family outing. We looked it up on the Internet (http://www.seerockcity.com/) and got pretty excited about what we were going to see.

It's a pleasant drive to Chattanooga. I hold a special place in my heart for Tennessee. We've had nothing but good experiences there, and it's such a gorgeous state. The Volunteer State.

It's a nice winding drive up Look Out Mountain, with some heart pounding views down the side of the mountain. From the outside, Rock City has all the web site promises.

One adult ticket runs about $18. It's do-able, though I can't imagine many large families can afford the ticket costs. There is one main restaurant at the entrance. The food here...well, maybe I should just say..."don't waste your money". Bring your lunch. We saw one family BBQ-ing out of the back of their truck.

The park is not exactly stroller and wheelchair friendly either. With my 16 month old niece in tow, in her comfy stroller, we were forced to take to the abridged tour of the park. We snuck into some areas were weren't supposed to. We went into the exit of the children's area.

The park's map makes it appear much larger than it actually is. This combined with our tiny tour really just had us frustrated. The spots we did see, like Lover's Leap, were amazing. And from one point you can see all the way to 7 states. I can certainly appreciate the amazing geological oddities, and I snapped quite a few pictures.

The children's area is a different story. This is a cave of scary. I'm an adult and I was disturbed. So I can't imagine what this must look like to children. It was a psychedelic interpretation of all the classic nursery rhymes. Topped off with a strange fairytale castle. Perhaps I'm just California biased when it comes to fairy tales, having lived an hour and a half from Disney Land the majority of my life.

I wouldn't take this particular trip again. I'll head back to Chattanooga. I'll head back to Pigeon Forge. I won't take that twisty trail up Look Out Mountain.

So, in my opinion: "See Rock City.........or don't....whatever.

An ode to Summer

Living in San Diego, Summer doesn't mean much weather wise. It's gorgeous year round.

But there is a difference in the ambiance during the Summer months. The beach calls you, the delicious smoke from charcoal barbeque's fills the air. Coconut scented sun block seems to never leave your nose.
San Diegans make their way to their favorite beach spots. We always made our way to Sea World.

Summer in Southern California means swimming, 4th of July get togethers and riding the Big Dipper in Belmont Park.

There's quite a difference in the "feel" of Summer in Georgia. I've come to love and appreciate this difference, even though I've only experienced one Southern Summer.

Here, Summer means humidity. A strong musty smell from the abundant trees mix with honeysuckle. The sky is clear, but Thunderheads constantly sit on the horizon.
A Summer thunderstorm is constantly in the forecast.

The wildlife is constantly chattering, after staying dormant for the Winter months. The baby chipmunks have emerged. The birds are hungry for seeds.
And the cherry on top? Lightening bugs. They slowly begin to flicker in the dusk hours.

Today I feel optimistic about the approaching season. I'm soaking up the rays and only slightly missing the beach.

Here's to Summer in the South!

Arabia Mountain

Perhaps it's obvious at this point that I'm looking for the strange and unique, lesser known Georgia "gems" to explore. For the most part, I explore a couple of different places each weekend. Most don't end up on my Blog. I attempt to pick the most interesting of the places I've been, ones that I hope readers will be inspired to check out for themselves.

Arabia Mountain is definitely one of those lesser known gems.

It's a State Park and a wildlife preserve. It's not too crowded and it's beauty is truly spectacular. It's a place to check out on a lazy weekend afternoon. It's not too far from Atlanta (about 20 minutes or so) and it's free!

So, drive on out and take a look for yourself! The following is just a tiny bit of what you have to look forward to!
The mountain itself is actually the tip of a giant piece of granite and stone. You might know it's sister: Stone Mountain. The main difference is Arabia Mountain is still natural, untouched for the most part while Stone Mountain is...well we all know how tacky and dirty it is. Arabia Mountain is not as large as Stone Mountain, but it's just as unique and gorgeous!

After parking in a very small lot (don't park at the Nature Center, go about a mile further and park in the main lot-it's only about 10 spots, but it's a very direct entrance to the mountain)you will pass through the trail head kiosks and read about the red moss that grows there, then cross a short wooden bridge into another world.

This place is truly alien. You are walking on stone the entire trail (unless you enter the woods). You can see the grooves and lines in the stone and water and other elements have caused discoloration in many places. It doesn't sound like it, but it's an amazing array of color and design. I can only equate it to walking into an abstract painting.

There are natural dips and craters everywhere. Vibrant moss has grown in some of the holes. Others are full of standing water. I felt as if I had stepped out onto the rocks at La Jolla Cove (San Diego, CA) and half expected to see crabs and fish in the water holes. In my mind I could almost hear the rush of waves and smell the salt in the air. In reality, there isn't anything in this water. Except more moss and plant life.

My husband and I climbed up to the peak easily (it's really a moderate climb). From the top, the view is trees and more trees. It's nice to feel secluded and "one with nature" after being in the bustle of the city every day. We spent about 20 minutes exploring the top. You can see the too perfect "shelves" in the rock where the mountain has been quarried. The debris from the quarrying is still scattered near the "shelves". You'll know it when you see it. It's the strangely rectangular pieces of rock.

We wandered into the woods at the base of the mountain and turned around and went back up Arabia Mountain. You can go further. At the base of the mountain, in a clearing, is a small lake and Panola Mountain (the 3rd sister rock).
I recommend climbing the peak at dusk and watching the sun set. It reflects off the puddles of water, making the mountain appear to have spots of fire.

This is an amazing place to bring your family, but be aware that there is quite a bit of broken glass (partiers?) scattered about. Arabia Mountain is sure to stick in your memory. Take a break from the shopping and spending and experience Georgia's diverse ecological wonders. Because that's what Arabia Mountain is. An ecological wonder.