Posts Tagged ‘Travels’

Not Bad For an Old Man

March 14, 2011

Amicalola Falls, Amicalola Falls State Park, Georgia. March 9, 2011.

Betsy arranged a surprise birthday trip to northern Georgia for us.  We went to Amicalola Falls State Park and stayed at the lodge on top of the mountain.  Amicalola Falls is the highest waterfall in Georgia at 729 feet.  The waterfall consists of a long drop followed by a series of cascades.

We arrived at the park late Tuesday afternoon after visiting some other waterfalls on the way.  It started raining Tuesday evening and rained throughout the night.  It was still raining Wednesday morning (my birthday).

There were some advantages to all that rain.  One was that there was a lot of water going over the falls when we visited it Wednesday morning.  The other advantage was that we had this glorious waterfall all to ourselves.

We drove down the mountain to the pool at the base of the falls, and then started hiking up a trail along the cascades to an observation deck near the base of the drop.  The picture above was taken from the observation deck, and you can see the amount of water coming down the mountain.

When we got to the observation deck I noticed a bridge across the falls higher up the mountain (you can see it in the picture above).  I wondered if I could get better pictures from the bridge.

A sign gave a good reason for not going up there, but I thought I would give it a try.  What better way to celebrate my birthday?

Well, I made it to the bridge.  Betsy, who has more sense than I do, stayed at the observation deck and got this picture of me (you have to look closely — I’m waving to her) up there.

I made it back down to the observation deck.  You have to look closely, but I was even smiling as I got back to Betsy.

All in all I had a great birthday!

Watery Wednesday #129: Brush Creek Falls

March 2, 2011

Brush Creek Falls, Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia. April 23, 2010.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

In April of last year Betsy and I made a trip to West Virginia to search out some waterfalls we read about in  our West Virginia waterfalls book.  We only had a couple of days on our trip, but we were able to visit several falls.

We came upon Brush Creek Falls after a fairly easy hike through the woods.  The trail led to the top of the falls, but I scrambled down the banks of the creek to get this picture.

Brush Creek Falls is near Pipestem Resort State Park in West Virginia.

Scenic Sunday #136: Tallulah Gorge

February 27, 2011

North rim of Tallulah Gorge, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 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.

We’ve visited Tallulah Gorge State Park in Georgia several times.  The gorge is beautiful and contains waterfalls, which is enough to keep Betsy and me going back.

We were at Tallulah Gorge in October, 2009, on a foggy, rainy day.  The picture above of the wall of the north rim of the gorge was taken from the south rim.  I like the fog and mist moving down the gorge.

Down Memory Lane: Fort George

February 24, 2011

When Betsy and I visited Niagara Falls in 2002, we were able to take in sites other than the falls themselves.  One of the places we visited was Fort George National Historical Site near Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario.

Fort George served as headquarters for the Centre Division of the British Army during the War of 1812.  The fort was destroyed by American artillery fire and captured by the United States in May, 1813, during the Battle of Fort George.  The United States held the fort until December, 1813, when it was recaptured by the British.  After the war the fort was partially rebuilt, but was later abandoned in favor of more strategic installations at Fort Mississauga and Butler’s Barracks.

The original plans of the Royal Engineers guided the reconstruction of Fort George as a National Historic Site in the 1930’s.

The map above shows the location of Fort George on the United States-Canadian border.

To see larger versions of these pictures and others, click HERE.

Blue Ridge Mountains

February 17, 2011

Blue Ridge Mountains in North Carolina. November 22, 2010.

In late November Betsy and I went to Asheville, North Carolina, for a couple of days.  While there we took a drive up the Blue Ridge Parkway towards Mount Mitchell.  Most of the leaves were gone from the trees by that time, but that simply meant we could see more of those beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains.  This was the view from near Craggy Gardens.

The red dot on the map above shows where we were when the picture was taken.

Watery Wednesday #126: Barefoot Landing Reflections

February 9, 2011

Reflections at Barefoot Landing, North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. December 21, 2010.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

When Betsy and I visited the Carolinas in December, we stopped by Barefoot Landing in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina one evening after dinner.  The boardwalks across the lake were lighted and decorated with lights for Christmas.  Those lights, and the buildings along the far shore, created some beautiful reflections that attracted my attention.

Scenic Sunday #133: Brush Mountain

February 6, 2011

Brush Mountain, Cumberland Gap, Tennessee.  September 23, 2010.

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.

In September, while visiting Cumberland Gap National Historical Park, Betsy and I toured the Hensley Settlement.  The Hensley Settlement was established in 1904 by Sherman Hensley and was occupied until the establishment of the park in 1951.  I took this photo while walking along a fence-lined lane on top of Brush Mountain.

Watery Wednesday #125: Tallulah River

February 2, 2011

Tallulah River, Tallulah Gorge State Park, Georgia. October 14, 2009.

This is my post for Watery Wednesday.  To see more of our beautiful watery world, or to join and post your own pictures to share, click HERE.

A couple of weeks ago I published a picture taken from the south rim of Tallulah Gorge (you can see it HERE) showing the suspension bridge that lets you cross the gorge.  I mentioned that getting to the bridge involved going down (and then back up) 600 steps.

If you navigate those steps and get to the bottom of the gorge, this is the view of the Tallulah River that you can enjoy.

After sunset in Sunset Beach

January 28, 2011

Evening sky in Sunset Beach, North Carolina. December 20, 2010.

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

When Betsy and I visit the beach in May, there is always daylight when we go to dinner and even afterward.  Things were much different in December.  The sun had already set one evening as we were going to dinner, but the glow in the sky and the reflection in the water caught my eye as we drove through Sunset Beach, North Carolina.  On that evening, at least, the name of the beach was very appropriate.

Scenic Sunday #131: Schooner Alliance

January 23, 2011

The schooner Alliance, Yorktown, Virginia. June 19, 2007.

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.

I must confess that I love tall ships and consider them very beautiful and thus scenic.  This is the schooner Alliance, which sails out of Yorktown, Virginia, from April thru October of each year.  The Alliance is a 105-foot three-masted schooner and offers 2-hour river cruises during the season.

We weren’t able to take a cruise on the Alliance when we were in Yorktown, but I think the possibility of a cruise is a great reason for going back.