For the last few days, Melissa and I traveled around northern Georgia, enjoying the mountains, shady trails, and an old-style railroad that reminded me of
The Polar Express...albeit without Tom Hanks or the hot chocolate. We saw our share of sites, staying overnight at Kennesaw and then spending two days in the far northern town of Blue Ridge. There we rode their passenger train to the Georgia/Tennessee border, with a brief layover in the towns of McCaysville and Copper Hill. Then we drove over to Anna Ruby Falls in the northeastern corner of the state...what a beautiful hike along the brook with all of the different plants and the massive stones...by the way, Melissa drove around the steep mountain roads like she was brought up there! After a two-mile-long traffic jam surrounding nearby Helen, which was oversaturated with tourists searching for a restaurant or business that could accommodate them, we headed down to Gainesville (Georgia) to link up with I-985 for our journey back. But alongside US 129, close to the I-985 entrance, a number of sections of the GROUND were on fire, with flames lapping up on the street as we passed by! Yes, a "city on fire"...I believe that was the title of a book I read recently. I wonder what
that was all about...
Our hotel accommodations were splendid throughout the trip, and we had a couple of great dining experiences with southern-style restaurants...Mike's in Ellijay and Southern Charm in Blue Ridge. Once again, I was struck by the good-natured, natural hospitality of the folks living in this region. We had to pick and choose where we went, so there's plenty of stuff left for us to do in future outings in north Georgia. All in all, a great time for Melissa and me!
And now, a whole lot of pictures...
