Travlin' In Georgia, Georgia, Grist Mill, Covered Bridge, Barn, Waterfall, Janie Oliver, Atlanta, Ellijay, Rabun Gap, Dillard, Matha Berry College, Sells Mill Park, Hurricane Shoals, Mocassin Creek State Park, Georgia State Park, Stone Mountain Georgia, Kennesaw, Georgia, Varnell, Georgia, High Falls State Park, Marietta, Georgia, Sixies Mill, Auchumpkee Covered Bridge, Georgia State Veteran State Park, Big Spring Park, Georgia, Dedartown, Georgia, Lindale Grist Mill, Lindale, Georgia, Marietta National Cemetery, Elder Mill Covered Bridge, Concord Covered Bridge, Prater's Mill, Rex Mill, Rex, Georgia, Alcovey Road Grist Mill, Starrs Mill, Starrs, Georgia, Big Red Oak Creek Covered Bridge, Poole's Mill Covered Bridge, Bear Creek Falls, Georgia, Cordele, Georgia, Roswell, Georgia, Acworth, Georgia, Euharlee Covered Bridge, Euharlee, Georgia, Shoulderbone Junction, Georgia
A JOURNEY OF CONVICTION
This is a story about a trip. For me, this trip activated a journey of soul searching, self-examination, self-exploration, self-discovery, self-realization, self-acknowledgement, self-torment, self-inflicted pain, self-induced agony, self-induced afflictions, and self-induced distress. Now, each night as I prepare to go to bed to spend another sleepless night, I’m hoping I will soon go back into denial.
On the morning of April 17, 2010 at 7:30 AM, a group of us from the Class of ’64 headed out on what began as a trip but ended up as an expedition through the mountains of North Georgia. We began our trip headed for the Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia. Why would we start out with the Dillard House at that time of the morning? Cause they have some slap ya mamma-kiss your dog good country cooking. Their homemade cinnamon buns are so tasty they tickle your toes as they slide down your throat. And little did we know when we started out, that before the day ended we'd all need a big dose of artery clogging juice to get us through the day.
Here’s the Dillard’s House palette pleasing breakfast menu:
Country Ham, Sausage Patties, Link Sausage, Pancakes, Bacon, Pork Tenderloin,Scrambled Eggs, Country Fried Potatoes, Home Made Fried Fruit Pies, Grits, Sausage Gravy, Red-Eye Gravy. Stewed Apples, Cinnamon Rolls, Biscuits, Blueberry Muffins, Fresh Fruit Fresh Juice, Coffee
It’s all you can eat and you get to carry the leftovers on the table with you when you've finished. We carried our leftovers with us which later became a problem. You’d think since Rabon Gap is a tourist attraction they'd have coolers (which we neglected to bring) in every convenience store. They don’t. So we had to make a couple of stops before we could find a cooler in which to keep our leftover vittles cool.
I'd already made my plan before we entered the Dillard House. I gave my money to someone asking them to pay my bill claiming I didn't want to carry my pocketbook into the restuarant. As soon as we finished eating, I immediately headed outside to take pictures. Here we have some early morning views from the front of the Dillard House.
So intent was I on taking pictures, they had to come look for me so we could be off to our next destination—Sylvan Falls Bed and Breakfast which just so happens to have a mill attached to it.
We were very lucky because one of the owners saw us running around taking pictures and came over to talk with us. She took us inside for a tour of the downstairs. She couldn’t show us any of the bedrooms because all the rooms were occupied. One of the rooms looks out directly onto the falls and is called the waterfall room. Boy! What a good night’s sleep that would be listening to a real waterfall right outside your window. Here is what the inside of the bed and breakfast looks like—note how close the waterfall is in the background of the porch scene.
Then we were off again to Barker's Creek Mill. You have got to watch your drivers now. If you don't, they'll whiz right by signs. In fact, I've learned from this trip, you need to watch all the people with you closely. We had the directions to Barker’s Creek Mill, however, I’m not sure we would ever have found it if I hadn’t noticed the sign to it as we jetted by. When we reached the end of the road, somebody finally listened to me when I said the sign for the mill was back up the road.
To reach the mill, we had to step over a chain blocking the driveaway This chain kept us from driving back but did not deter us from our goal of seeing the mill. I mean, who is going to arrest a bunch of innocent old people? And this walk back to the mill turned out to be the SHORTEST walk we took all day.
It was really a nice walk to the mill and not overtaxing at all. Along the walk, we came upon this old barn..
Finally there it was--Barker's Creek Mill.
And as we left, this was the scene before our eyes.
Next, back to the valley we went.
In the background of these two shots below, you can see the Dillard House.
Our next stop was Tiger Mountain Vineyards in Tiger, Georgia where we had a few minutes of calm refreshing wine tasting. We needed this time for what was before us.
Now, this is where the soul searching began. On the way back, we decided to stop by Mocassin Creek State Park. We were in search of a waterfall. We made one mistake. We allowed "Tonto and Jane" (as Dorsey Morrison dubbed Robert Lique and Kathy Suppes Morrison) to lead the way. They immediately set us out on a trail, whereby, they declared that the waterfall was a mile away. This is the only picture that came out of that circle of a one mile nature trail and it ain't of a waterfall.
We ended up back where we began. By this time, I also was concerned not only about "Tonto and Jane's" eyes, I was concerned about Kathy's hearing. She kept hearing waterfalls in the distance which spurred us to travel on down this path. Since this trail lead us away from Mocassin Creek, there was no drop of water to be heard anywhere near us. I meant to ask Dorsey how long she had been experiencing hallucinations, but because of all the action, I forgot.
Back where we started, "Tonto and Jane" decided that we would have to get back in the car to drive up the mountain to the trail that did lead to the waterfall. It was then determined, that if we followed that particular path, the waterfall was a mile away. Like I've said before, you've got to watch the people you're traveling with. I thought I read somewhere the waterfall was two miles away, but who am I to go aginst the majority. Please remember, we've already walked one mile on the nature trail.
So off we set on this narrow, muddy, root filled path to the waterfall. Not anticipating any hiking that day, I had worn what Kathy called my "Sunday" shoes. These "Sunday" shoes are Skechers that have in the past proved to be very servicable walking shoes. However, I'm not accustomed to walking on narrow, muddy, root filled paths and my feet were sliding around in my shoes. My belly was also full of wine. So after a mile of walking, (I told you it wasn't one mile to the waterfall) I told them to go ahead to the waterfall and I'd follow on in a slower manner. And they did!
They left me! There alone, I had visions of murders and mad rapists roaming the woods but I tredged on--my ankles swollen from twisting in my shoes, my heart pounding so loud in my ears, I could not hear the tumbling stream of water along side of the path, my arthritic knees aching. They didn't even leave me with my camera so I could take a picture of whoever attacked me.
AND THEN I SAW IT!
On the right hand side of this tight wire bridge is a tumbling, gushing, cascading over rocks bunch of water. I eyeballed the rocks below for bodies, but didn't see any. So I decided they had made it across the bridge. Here's the gushing water on the right hand side of that bridge.
Now, did these people really expect me to walk across that bridge by myself in my "Sunday" shoes, with my belly full of wine, my ankles swollen, my knees aching, and my tendency to experience vertigo after being outside for a prolonged period of time? I did consider crawling across, but quickly negated that idea. So I opted to sit there in my "Sunday" shoes, alone, waiting to be assaulted, violated, and slaughtered.
I vowed as I sat there, never to be left behind again. This vow is what has sent me on my journey of what I can only describe as self-inflicted torture and has cumulated into my next documentary for the website: The Effects of Lifestyle Changes in the Vintage Population.
This is what they saw at the end of the two mile hike. (See! I told you it was a two mile hike.)
This is what they saw when they came back across the bridge.
And here they are as they one by one, did their high wire balancing act back across the narrow bridge. Did you notice that there is a plank missing in the bridge? I've been considering writing the State of Georgia, advising them what a safety hazzard this brige is. Or at least advising them they need to put up a sign where the trail begins stating: Walk at Your Own Risk. No need for our state taxes to go up because somebody sued and we've got to pay a big lawsuit bill.
I did get to see this little waterfall along the way simply because it came before the bridge.
After we finally got back to the car, we headed back from whence we came. After visiting one grocery store, two quickie stores, and a gas station, we finally drove over into the next county, which is a wet county, to find what all the guys wanted to drink with dinner--beer. We had a delightfull dinner of bar-b-que at Kathy and Dorsey's beautiful mountain cabin.
And, watched the sun set over the mountains.
Boy, did those rocking chairs sit good, after the trip we'd had that day!
Janie Spence Oliver
All rights to these photographs are reserved. Please do not download or copy any of these photographs without my written permission.
jso9424@bellsouth.net
TRAVELIN' GEORGIA
How It All Began
Everyone Needs a Garmin
North Georgia in Cold Weather
Edited by Paula Posey Leggett.
pootiep382438@yahoo.com
