Thanksgiving Weekend 2017

We had stunningly good weather over Thanksgiving weekend. It was brilliantly sunny and high around 60 each day (this is the kind of "cold" weather I can tolerate). I also try to "opt outside" (thanks REI- no they are not sponsoring me!) on or near major holidays as much as possible because I detest shopping and the general consumer frenzy that takes over after Halloween each year. We did have quite a few family/football obligations (and work for me, boo!) but managed to get in some quick local hikes and some of our favorite places. 

On Black Friday (make that green Friday for me thankyouverymuch), we went to visit friends in Northeast Cobb County, so decided to go to Roswell Mill and Vickery Creek afterwards since it was close by. The Mill has to be my favorite place in all of metro Atlanta. I haven't really been there very much during the winter but it is just so pretty no matter what the time of year. I love the City of Roswell for placing such an emphasis on parks and historic preservation. I really miss living there. 

The Mill was a little crowded and we had to circle the parking lot several times for a space, but eventually snagged one. Bear in mind, we were there right in the middle of the day so really not too bad all things considered. We didn't really go too far on any of the trails but leisurely walked up to the waterfall and then explored along the banks of the creek before heading out. 

On the Sunday after Thanksgiving, James went to the Falcons game but again the weather was so stunning, I decided to go to Sawnee Mountain after running some errands. It was later in the afternoon so I decided to use the trail from Bettis- Tribble Gap Rd since it is shorter. I have never hiked that trail before. It is much shorter and easier than the trail from Spot Road. I literally did not even break a sweat. There were several people on the trail but it really wasn't that crowded and the summit was peaceful (the last time I was here, I'm pretty sure there were people using drugs under the viewing platform). The view of the mountains was unreal due to the low humidity and extremely clear visibility. 

So that was Thanksgiving. No need to hike to burn off calories from eating too much because we've been vegan for a year now and everything we eat is healthy and doesn't weigh us down. 

Tallulah Gorge and Clayton 11-5-17

For my birthday, we finally went somewhere I'd been wanting to go for several years- Tallulah Gorge State Park. I'm not really sure why it took us so long to get up there. It's not even that far from our house (about 1.5 hours). I think part of it had been me focusing on actual hiking (for a while) and then not really doing anything substantial for the better part of 2016. 

So on November 5, 2017 it was an unseasonably warm (but overcast) day and just happened to be a whitewater release as well. I'm a dum dum and have not learned from previously planning issues, so I didn't even look at the release schedule. We were lucky to snag a parking spot but found the park really didn't seem that crowded. We left the dogs at home during this trip so we could explore at our leisure. Dogs are also not allowed in some areas of Tallulah Gorge, but of course those areas are also off limits to people during the dam releases as well. Do as I say, not as I do and actually read the Tallulah Gorge website before making a trip!!

We spent about 2 hours in the park and walked along the mainly the north rim trail (again, some trails are closed during dam releases). We did take the stairs down to the suspension bridge, which was quite a work out but very cool. The overcast/misty fog combined with the beautiful fall leaf color created a serene landscape. The diversity of scenery in Georgia never fails to amaze me. 

After visiting the park, we drove up into Clayton (about a half an hour north) to have lunch and walk around. I'd never been to Clayton before either and it is a cool little town. We ate at a placed called the Universal Joint and watched part of the Falcons game and then browsed around. Of course, we went to Wander North Georgia and bough an awesome Ryan Gosling coloring book for a friend's Christmas present and some items for ourselves. Then we happened upon an antique store called Lulu and Tully's and James bought some antique woodworking tools for his dad's birthday (he is a woodworker). Overall, quite the eclectic mix of places to go in Clayton. I just love mountain towns and wish I lived in one. 

So happy 33 to me. I've got a few more posts to catch up on about other places we went in 2017 and then it's on to 2018 and our next trip out west!!

Cloudland Canyon Day Trip 10-24-15

Cloudland Canyon State Park does not have a 4000+ peak but it is probably the most beautiful place I have been in Georgia. The last time we took a hike specifically to look at fall foliage was for my birthday in 2011. We went to Amicalola Falls and unfortunately, the foliage really wasn't that great that year. 

Cloudland Canyon, however, was stunning. We were seriously stopping every 2 minutes to take pictures and just enjoy the scenery. The dogs had a wonderful time also. They may have short legs but had absolutely no problem keeping up. 

Cloudland Canyon is about a 2 hour drive northwest from where we live in the north metro of Atlanta. It is not difficult to reach from 1-75. The bulk of the non-highway driving is on SR-136, which goes through the Chattahoochee National Forest and passes other hiking areas such as a Pinhoti Trail stop and Johns Mountain Wildlife Management area. It is a scenic drive with many farms, pastures, etc. 

The park was very crowded this weekend, because it is reportedly the peak weekend for fall foliage in north Georgia. There are several trail options and the Cloudland Canyon website clearly lines these out. We did the waterfalls trail first, which is only 2 miles long, but has thousands of stair steps. While the views of the waterfalls were lovely, I would not recommend this trail for dogs. The stairs are open metal grate type material and little Nova could not even walk on them due to her feet slipping through. Therefore, I carried her up and down. She only weighs ~8 lbs but it was not very fun for either of us. Tennille could handle the steps but was hesitant and we had to coax her up and down, with many stops along the way. It seemed most of the visitors wanted to do the waterfalls trail, so the steps were crowded with people going in both   directions. Not good to have dogs underfoot....

               

After the waterfalls trail, we went on to the West Rim Loop Trail, which is about 5 miles long, and provided the best views of the surrounding scenery. This trail features large, rocky outcroppings with many observation areas, panoramic views of the canyon cliff faces covered in various color leaves, a stretch of peaceful, relatively flat woodlands, and several hike in campsites. It is not a strenuous trail and has very little incline. The dogs had a blast on this trail and Nova literally bounced over all the roots and rocks. There was not a lot of traffic on this trail at all, especially the second half once we looped around.

         

These are just a fraction of the photos I took. It was hard to choose which ones were best, considering each and every tree had such unique colors. The weather also varied quite a bit throughout the afternoon which changed the ways things looked. It started out cloudy but then rained a bit and humidity rose, causing some haze over the mountains. Once the rain cleared up, the sun came out but by then was around 5 pm. Regardless, the changing sunlight created many different "filters" on the leaves and rock. 

In summary, our visit to Cloudland Canyon was a fantastic day trip. Honestly, we got a pretty late start and did not actually begin hiking until about 2 pm. We started the West Rim trail at about 4 pm, so even if you only have a few hours to spare, a hike around Cloudland Canyon is within reach. We got back to the parking area around 6:30 pm with daylight to spare. We did 7 miles total, with many stops for pictures and doggy water breaks. We easily could have spent the whole day or even the night here, but we do have other obligations today. Our niece is being baptized and and sadly, I have some work to do. But there is always next weekend...