Posts Tagged ‘Georgia’

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Skywatch Friday # 51

July 3, 2009
Dillard, Georgia. June 24, 2009.

Dillard, Georgia. June 24, 2009.

This is my post for Skywatch Friday, a meme for sharing views of the sky from all over the world.  Last week over 300 people shared their view of the sky.  To see more, or to join and share your own photos of the sky, click HERE.

As we were getting ready to come home from our anniversary trip I noticed the white clouds forming between the blue sky and green trees in Dillard, Georgia.  I just had to try and capture that pretty sight and since this is the beginning of the Fourth of July weekend, the American flag makes the picture even more appropriate for this particular Skywatch Friday.

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Posted in SkyWatch Friday | 12 Comments »

Laurel Mountain Falls

July 2, 2009
Upper Laurel Mountain Falls, Dillard, Georgia. June 22, 2009.

Upper Laurel Mountain Falls, Dillard, Georgia. June 22, 2009.

On our anniversary trip our main destination was Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia.  But we wanted to see some other waterfalls in the area, if possible.

We have a book describing waterfalls in northern Georgia, and the book mentioned waterfalls and cascades on Patterson Creek near Dillard, Georgia, which is where we were staying.  The book had directions, but it is eight years old and things change, even in the mountains.  But we persevered and did find the creek.  A faint path led us to the fall pictured above.

Laurel Mountain Falls, Dillard, Georgia. June 22, 2009.

Laurel Mountain Falls, Dillard, Georgia. June 22, 2009.

A little way downstream we came upon Laurel Mountain Falls.

Lower Laurel Mountain Falls, Dillard, Georgia. June 22, 2009.

Lower Laurel Mountain Falls, Dillard, Georgia. June 22, 2009.

A steep path led down to Lower Laurel Mountain Falls, although I couldn’t get to creek at the base.  Betsy, being the sensible woman she is, waited for me at the head of the steep path.

Patterson Creek did not have a heavy water flow, but the falls and cascades along the creek were pretty.  We were glad to add these to our collection.

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Posted in Waterfalls | 13 Comments »

Scenic Sunday # 50

June 28, 2009
The Blue Ridge Mountains from the Dillard House, Dillard, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

The Blue Ridge Mountains from the Dillard House, Dillard, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

This is my post for the Scenic Sunday meme, which shares beautiful scenes from around the world.  To see more Scenic Sunday posts, or to join and show your own pictures, click HERE.

The picture above was taken at the Dillard House, in Dillard, Georgia.  I’ve mentioned the fabulous meal we had there, but the scenery is almost as good as the view.  After our meal we walked around the inn enjoying the view in the evening light.  The Dillard House is located in the Little Tennessee Valley of the Blue Ridge Mountains.  The picture above, taken in front of the restaurant, looks across the valley to the mountains in the distance.

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Posted in Scenic Sunday | 13 Comments »

Tallulah Gorge

June 27, 2009
The southern end of Tallulah Gorge. Oceana Falls is in the foreground.

The southern end of Tallulah Gorge. Oceana Falls is in the foreground.

Yesterday I talked about my adventure (or misadventure) on the steps leading to the Hurricane Falls Observation Deck in Tallulah Gorge State Park.  Today I would like to share a little about the gorge itself.

Tallulah Gorge is one of the most spectacular canyons in the eastern U. S.  It is approximately two miles long and nearly 1,000 feet deep.  As I mentioned yesterday the gorge contains six waterfalls which are collectively known as Tallulah Falls.  Until 1913 the Tallulah River ran freely through the gorge and the falls were considered the “Niagara of the South”.  In 1913 a dam was completed just above the gorge, diverting most of the water for power generation.

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The Tallulah Gorge Dam. June 23, 2009.

Tallulah Gorge was designated a state park in 1992 and is operated by a public-private partnership with Georgia Power Company, the owners of the dam.  This arrangement allows for aesthetic releases of water several times a year, which approximate what the river looked like before the dam was built.  There are also whitewater releases which allow kayakers to shoot the falls.

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What Goes Down Must Come Up

June 26, 2009
The view from Overlook 1, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

The view from Overlook 1, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

The picture above was taken from Overlook 1 at Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia.  The park contains six waterfalls, which made it a perfect place for Betsy and I to be on our anniversary.  I’ll tell you more about the park and the gorge itself in a future post.  Right now I simply want to say that the picture above was taken about 750 feet above of the floor of the gorge.  And I also want to direct your attention to the white water just to the right of center in the photo.  That white water is all that can be seen of Hurricane Falls from this overlook.

We had to be content with viewing the waterfalls from the rim because access to the floor of the gorge is by permit only.  So we walked along the North Rim Trail taking in the truly magnificent views.

When we got to Overlook 3 we saw a sign pointing to the trail and steps to a suspension bridge over the river above Hurricane Falls.  Since Betsy has more sense than I do, she said she would wait at the overlook while I hiked down to the bridge.  So off I went.

When I got to the bridge I admired the view and (naturally) took some pictures.  Then I noticed another sign pointing to steps leading down to the Hurricane Falls Observation Deck.  Having more curiosity than sense I started down this new set of steps.

Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

Hurricane Falls, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. June 23, 2009.

Before long I found myself on a deck about five feet above the floor of the gorge with the beautiful view of Hurricane Falls seen in this second photo.  As I took more pictures I decided that the hike down was definitely worth it.

It was about then that I realized that I was now some 570 steps below Betsy and that the only way out was up.  I know you’ll find this hard to believe, but the hike up took much longer than the hike down.  On Sunday I had told my son that I didn’t feel 67.  After only about 200 of those steps up I felt each and every day of those years!

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Posted in Hiking | 13 Comments »

An Anniversary Feast

June 25, 2009
Betsy at The Dillard House. June 23, 2009.

Betsy at The Dillard House. June 23, 2009.

Betsy and I got back home from northern Georgia late yesterday afternoon.  We had good but warm weather, did some hiking, and saw some neat waterfalls.  We also had a fabulous anniversary dinner on Tuesday evening.

I mentioned that we were going to have dinner at the Dillard House in Dillard, Georgia.  The Dillard House serves their meals family style — they bring the food to your table and you help yourself to what you would like.  Betsy and I were able to get a table for two by the window.  The table was very nice and we thought it was very roomy — until our server brought the food.  As you can see from the picture above, the table suddenly became quite crowded.  And dessert had yet to come!

Everything was very good and we enjoyed our meal a great deal.  It was made even better by the ‘doggie boxes’ that we were able to bring home.  The meal was also made memorable by the strawberry cobbler we had for dessert.

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I took this picture of the menu board as a reminder of all the dishes that we had as we celebrated our eighth anniversary.  If you are ever hungry in northeastern Georgia you might consider giving the Dillard House a try.  I don’t think you’ll leave hungry!

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Posted in Travels | 25 Comments »

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