Very Cool Place

I was off to a couple more state parks today to locate the geocaches.  The trails were pretty and as is the norm on a week day I pretty much had the parks to myself, at least the trails.  I found the caches and then followed the recommendation of the local ranger to continue on the trail to the far end of the loop.  I did continue on the trail, up hill all the way for a ways past the cache site.  The trail kind of ends at a most beautiful cavern or whatever it's called.  The ranger said that at times a waterfall falls into the cavern and so it was.  Not much water around so the waterfall was more of a heavy drip but the place was still really something. 

The trail itself kind of double-backs to the right but for all intents and purposes, the trail ends at this location.  I've been impressed with all the parks and this one was no exception.  It's kind of hard to see but if you blow this up by clicking on it you can see where the water is falling into the pool from above.

The water falls into this pool and then runs into the large opening on the right.  The boardwalk is really neat as it has a nice place to sit and watch the waterfall and then continues on behind the waterfall.

This is the view from behind the waterfall.  You can see better where the water is falling into the pool.  I'd really like to be here when the flow of water is more substantial but it was still a most beautiful, peaceful and rather awesome experience to get to this location.

Extremely Fabulous Tree

I headed out to a couple state parks today located a bit northwest of Atlanta and once again experienced a bit of wonderment as I wandered through a couple more forests I'd likely never have seen if David hadn't gotten me started in geocaching.  I found the caches... one located in a very small cemetery located inside one park and the other located pretty deep into the forest.  But in addition to finding the caches I saw the most fabulous tree in the world!  Along the trail in this forest, located in Hard Labor Creek State Park I saw some really massive oaks, 4 deer go scampering by just moments after I said to myself "I'm surprised I don't see more wildlife," and the tree below.  The tree was located not far from the cache location so it kind of hit me in the face.  This thing is not dead... it's growing!

I stepped down a bit and took this shot of what was likely the main roots at one time.  I'm thinking that sometime a hundred years ago or so this tree fell over.  There are a great number of trees that have fallen over in all the parks we've visited.  Plenty of trees that have broken, but many that have just fallen over bringing up and exposing their root system.  The cache found at this location was actually hidden in just such a root system of a fallen tree not too far away.  Between where the walking sticks are and the backpack there is another obvious root system that nature let take hold.  The tree started growing up again at that point.  How fabulous is that?!?!?

Now you can see that this is a BIG tree.  The straight-growing trunk in the middle is not part of this fallen/growing tree but the other two trunks are.  Each of them is as big as a 'regular' tree and each has it's own leaf canopy way up there.  I know... I know... I've never been one to get all involved in nature and all that but this stuff is kind of growing on me... no pun intended :)

Fun with FDR

As anyone who has heard my comments regarding my feelings about FDR I'm not a fan of the guy, what he did, what he stood for, or his taste in women.  With that said, his having been around provided for a pretty good day today for me.  Continuing with my geocaching took me down to the Warm Springs, GA area today for a cache find at The Little White House (LWH) and then over to the FDR state park.  I have to admit that it was good to learn a bit of history and see where the guy got away to when he could.  The LWH itself is a rather humble but cozy place, not big at all.  Interesting that all the beds in the 3 small bedrooms were single beds and that here, as in the real white house, FDR and Elanor had separate rooms.  I wonder why?  An information sign noted that the lovely Elanor didn't go down to the LWH much but their kids did.  I give credit to the GA state geocaching program because this was what is called a multi-cache and it kind of made sure you saw, and read about, the history of the place.  You're directed to 4 different areas looking for informational answers.  At each you read something and the 'answer' you're looking for is a part of the combination to open the cache box at the end.  I lucked out... got them all first time through.  It was a good experience and I did enjoy myself as well as learn things. 

After the LWH it was a short while over to FDR state park where I went after an official geocache located not too far down one of the trails.  The trail runs for 28 miles through the park... I only had to go 1/2 mile :)  The trail was right along the crest of a mountain and had it not been for the trees the views probably would have been spectacular. 

See?  If they'd just cut down the trees near the top the vista is quite beautiful.

This is the trail.  As said, I only had to go out about 1/2 mile but it was most difficult walking because virtually every footstep was on/around an embedded rock/stone in the trail.  I'm talking major sprain-your-ankle-sucker rocky.

 

At the cache site.  It was kind of funny.  The trail is just above the large rock formation you see behind me.  I was standing up there with the GPS unit and thought something like "It's underneath me" and thought about how I was supposed to get down to it.  Of course I got down and pretty much walked right to the cache which was located in a splintered section of the big rock behind me, directly below where I was standing before.  Pretty good find I'd say.

Early August Adventures

The title of this blog -- This Stage in Life -- is becoming more meaningful to me, or something like that.  Without question I'm in a new stage, this retirement stuff, and there have been changes.  I'm pretty well convinced that they're all good ones.  Yes, I do miss having a job as something that just has to be done every day but I'm getting better at filling my day.  One of the most immediate changes was that I don't wear a watch anymore.  I've put it on for a few hours exactly once since March 23rd.  I used to live by the stupid thing.  Another change, less obvious, is that I'm just doing things I never did before.  Nothing really spectacular; more along the lines of taking time to smell the roses.

I just got back from a few days up in the mountains of northern GA, centering around the town of Helen.  Among my adventures was some serious geocaching in the state parks there, and outside of them.  I am really, really liking this activity because it is taking us to places I'd really never get to.  I'll never be able to thank my son, David, enough for getting me started with this activity.  Finding the cache is good, but it's the new things we see that I'm really keen on.  It's nice to walk the trails in the forests and such but getting off of them is a new experience for sure.  My biggest 'lesson' this time was to make sure my shoes are waterproof.  Walking through tall grass fields before the sun has had a chance to burn the heavy dew off is wet!  I made it a point to take care of that this morning!   I came across snakes a couple of time and hardly screamed... much.  My particular 'hate' is walking into the spider webs that are stretching between the trees or brush.  I really hate those!

 

Somewhere inside of Unicoi State Park.  Go ahead... click on the photo... it's REALLY thick out there and that's the trail!

Another adventures took me to a cemetery that was just incredibly beautiful and peaceful and definitely off the beaten path.  The place was located perhaps a mile or two down a one-car-wide gravel road... a little stream on one side and kind of a hill on the other making me constantly wonder what the heck I was going to do if a vehicle approached from in front of me.  Luckily, I didn't need to face that challenge.  This gravel road meandered back and forth a bit, kind of following the little stream I guess, and then dead-ended at the cemetery.  It was immediately apparent that this was one wonderful place.  The cache was NOT in the cemetery but was right on the edge of it.  The find was perhaps my easiest find yet but that's not the point... I was drawn to this place by this geocaching activity and realized that I had seen something I never would have seen if I weren't doing this.

This is the end of the road... the Lawrence Cemetery.  You can see the name if you click on the photo. 

Once through the gate this is the scene.  I don't know how wide the spread was on that big oak tree in the middle of this picture but believe me, it was massive.

We did respectfully walk amongst the grave markers.  Found one from the 1700's and there may have been more but I didn't read, and couldn't read, them all.  Many from the 1800's.  It's still an active cemetery because behind where I was standing to take this shot was a new marker from 2005.  Within the cemetery are obvious 'family' areas as well.  If I was going to be buried this is the place I'd want to be but I don't know that Yankees are allowed :)

Another new adventure for me was riding a tube down the Chattahoochee river that flows around and through Helen.  Since home I've looked at the map and it seems that the river starts just north of where we were.  Trust me... this was not the wide/deep/fast river that continues on down through Georgia.  This was the Chattahoochee river at its lazy, benign self :)  I guess there were some white-water or rapid areas that managed to bring some water into the tube and onto me but for the most part it was just a lazy, tranquil, fun bit of floating along and watching the sights along the banks.

The last new adventure was my having a black bear approach to within 5-6 feet of me.  Oh yeah... I'm talking walking with the wild animals here!  Was I out in the forest?  Nope.  I was standing off to the side of the ice-cream store in Helen!  Helen is a very small town, maybe 5 blocks long and 2 blocks wide, and the forest does come right up to the edge of it on all sides so I guess bears wandering the town is nothing new to the locals.  Well, I'm not a local!  I may have done my first real double-take... that's how I remember it.  The family was watching some rabbits that were in kind of a yard attached to the ice-cream store.  Some of the rabbits ran under the picket fence to my left.  I looked left to see where they were going and then turned back.  As I did, I realized that I thought I just saw a bear walking down the sidewalk towards me and it was about 25 feet away.  No way.  Really?  Check again.  When I turned back to double-check what I saw, the bear was about 10 feet away and still walking toward me.  Oh yeah... time to go!  In retrospect, I was so proud of myself.  I didn't even crap my pants :)  As I turned away and walked toward the gate into the yard yelling "It's a bear... it's a bear" the other people came out of the yard to see the thing, blocking my retreat but causing the bear to about face and head through the parking lot probably back to the forest to get away from the commotion.

So, that's this stage in life and I'm kind of enjoying it :)