CurbCrusher Clans Goes to Gayton Beach, FL

July 31, 2011 by LadyCC.

Saturday, July 23, 2011

We are on our way again this week to take TCC(TeenCrusherCrusher) to 4H camp up in Niceville, FL. She has chosen a Marine Science camp this year. So while she’s away doing campy things, CC (CurbCrusher) and I (Lady CC), are going to explore the panhandle area.

We arrived at around 4 pm to Grayton Beach State Park. We had toured here about 3 years ago when one of CC’s cousins was married. We stayed at Topsail Hill State Park that trip but wanted to see other parks in the area. What also helped us to chose this one was a blogger on the FortFiends.net site that said he came up here often and gave some great pointers about what to see and do.

After setting everything up in the site, we put on our swimsuits and rode our bikes down to the beach. The water was blue green, hence the name of the Emerald Coast. Unfortunately the water also had bunches of sticky green seaweed stuff floating in it. You could look like the character in the Green Lagoon if you didn’t rinse off. The water temperature was fine, no shells to cut your feet on and the sand was powdered sugar fine. After our playtime in the water we each took showers to rinse the green from ourselves and decided to go out for dinner. We wanted Mexican food, so we set out to find some. We ended up at Don Pedros on Hwy 98, since the restaurant we wanted to go to didn’t seem to exist anymore. The meal was great and if we’re in the area we will go back.

Sunday, July 24, 2011

We explored some of Seaside today as its only a mile from our park. Most of the shops seem pretty high end with items we wouldn’t buy. But I guess they do have a market for most of it. We also drove to Publix (4.5 miles) to get hamburger buns and steaks for later in the week. This will be TCC’s last night with us so she wanted the hamburgers for her meal. Then we took naps and read our books, took a bike ride to the beach, had our showers and then dinner.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Today we are on a mission to get LCC’s park signs and stamps for her FL park book. First we take TCC up to the ranger station where she turns in her Jr Ranger book for 2 pins that she has earned by finishing the book. After making sure TCC has packed everything she needs for 4H camp we leave and head for Topsail Hill State Preserve. We get a new map there and 2 stamps, one for TS and one for Rocky Bayou. We then leave and head to Henderson Beach State Park which is smack in the middle of Destin. Lots of traffic here. We get our stamps and a new map and then head over to the Walmart across the street because CC needs flip flops. We pick up a couple of other things and go to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. After we finished lunch we headed out to Rocky Bayou to get my park sign photo. We didn’t actually enter the park since Topsail had given me the stamp and Henderson has the updated park map on their park map as well. We find Camp Timpoochee and drop off TCC there. Their 4H camp seems more compact but nicer than Camp Ocala. We’ve heard the food is better there as well. Her cabin, unlike Camp Ocala has bunkbeds (so 10 kids to a cabin), and 2 sinks, toilets and showers so no waiting on others to get into the bathroom. Supposedly this is an alternative to going to Congress if kids would rather be at camp.

After dropping TCC off and saying our goodbyes until Friday morning, we head out to find Eden Gardens State Gardens. When we arrived we were just in time to get in on the last tour. The house was given to the State of Florida in the 50’s and it has the USA’s 2^nd largest collection of Louis 16^th furniture inside. Originally it was a house for a sawmill family and their workers and when it was sold it became a home and gardens. Because both times no one in the family wanted it, it was sold or given away. After our tour we continued on back to Grayton finding a tiny Publix in Watercolor that is much closer than the one on Hwy 98.

We took short naps and then read for awhile then decided we would go out to eat at one of the places we could bike to. Unfortunately in this area most places seem to be closed right after the weekend so it was hard to find a restaurant open. Finally we found one near us called The Little Italy Ristorante. We practically had the place to ourselves. Both of us ordered small pizzas and they brought us homemade bread and dipping oil to try. The food was very good. A couple of ladies that sat near us stopped at our table when they were leaving to tell us to spread the word about the place because they didn’t want to see it close from lack of patronage.

After dinner we biked back to the park and said hi to the ranger Jody. She gave us a couple of other places to eat if we were interested. We then biked down to the beach and walked around the waves for awhile.

Tuesday, July 26,2011

Today started with a short hike in the park. We biked down to the beach area where the trail starts. I thought I had a trail summary but I actually had the one from Henderson Beach instead. As we started walking through the dunes on the path it started to rain and continued to rain the whole hike. As least it wasn’t lightning, just thunder. So not too many pictures from the hike as I was trying to keep the camera from getting too wet.

We came back to the RV to load up and check out Camp Helen, another state park nearby. It started as a retreat for a textile mill owner and then was purchased by someone else to be operated as a resort. They added more small cabins and a recreation hall to the property. Today, you can picnic and swim in the bay.

After leaving Camp Helen we headed into Panama City Beach to go to the SeaBreeze Winery. Their vineyards are in north FL but they bottle everything in PCB. I was able to do a wine tasting and bought 2 bottles, 1 white and 1 red, which is surprising to me since I don’t like Muscadine grapes and I don’t normally like red wine. They have a slushie mix that you add to the wine and freeze and even CC wants to try that since he tasted it at the store.

After making my purchases we left to head to St Andrews State Park in Panama City Beach. I wanted my stamp and the park sign and we wanted to look around the park.

After arriving and finding out where to go for the stamp we toured the park. It is really big. They have 3 stores inside the park. Normally they have a boat shuttle to Shell Island but because of bad weather it was not running today. We walked the boardwalk near the fishing pier and the inlet area of the beach. Then we drove around the campgrounds. They have 2 and they must have about 174 sites total between them. It is the largest campground in Floria.

After checking everything out we left and headed back to Grayton State Park. On the way we stopped when we saw a boiled peanut seller but he only had Cajun peanuts. But a few miles down the road we saw another boiled peanut seller and were able to get regular peanuts from him. We need a few more things so we stopped at the Publix in Watercolor to get them and made our way back to the campsite.

Tonight we are marinating chicken to grill with fresh vegetables. Yum!

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

This morning we decided would be our breakfast out morning. When we got up the rain was pouring down. This week has been pretty wet for a beach week. Mostly it rains early in the morning or right before sunset. The plan had been to ride our bikes to breakfast but because of the rain we ended up driving a ¼ mile away to a small cafe called, Another Broken Egg Cafe. Upon reading the menu when we got there it stated the cafe was started in Metarie on the north shore of Lake Ponchatrain near New Orleans. So in honor of that we started with beignets and then I ordered a Belgian waffle and CC had an omelet.

After finishing breakfast it was still raining so we decided to go ahead and travel to the last winery in the area, Three Oaks, in Vernon. This winery was really out in the middle of nowhere. After driving about an hour we arrived and were the only customers in the parking lot. The winery store looks like a grandma’s attic store. Very quaint and country looking. When we walked in I wasn’t sure we were in a winery then either. The store was filled with crystal and teacups. There was not much there dealing with wine or accessories for wine. The co-owner, Doug Biddle, was at the counter when we entered and he wasn’t very talkative. CC really tried to draw him out but I guess he wasn’t much of a people person today. When I asked to try the wines he didn’t talk up how they made them, what I should be tasting, etc. He just poured them into communion sized plastic cups and set them on the counter. After tasting I walked around the shop, and CC said Doug pulled out a magazine to read while he waited to see if I would buy something. I actually bought a white Muscadine because it did taste good. I usually don’t like the Muscadine wines as some have a bitter aftertaste.

Since we didn’t have anything else to occupy ourselves for the rest of the day, we stopped at a Publix to get coffee since I was running low, and then a small Walmart nearby to see what they had. I wish they could make the Walmart near our home like this one. It was about the same size as the store we had plus a small grocery with it. But it didn’t have the garden center or automotive area. Unfortunately there is a Publix in the same shopping center so it will never have the grocery inside the store.

Since we had such a big breakfast we skipped lunch and read and napped for most of the afternoon. About 2 pm we packed up and headed to the beach since the rain seemed to move out to the Gulf. We spent about 2 hours there and the green seaweed is still in the water. We saw a ranger on the way back and asked him about the vehicles on the beach and he told us that only Walton County residents that pay a special fee, and have 4 wheel drive vehicles can drive on the public beach.

We came back and took our showers and started preparing dinner. Tonight we are having steaks that we started marinating yesterday, baked potatoes, and a salad. I think this is the best we have eaten on any camping trip for awhile. After dinner we walked around the campground to mark down sites we liked if we came back. We met a family from Slidell, LA and talked for awhile with them. They seemed surprised I knew where Slidell was, but I told them I went to school at Millsaps and had a roommate from Slidell. The man said his son was going to school at Millsaps in a couple of weeks. Small world.We came back when it started getting dark and watched some episodes of Pysch, and then read for the rest of the evening.

Not sure what was wrong with CC tonight, he became very ill near bedtime. His was most unusual since he rarely is sick.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

We ate breakfast in the RV today and then rode our bikes up to the House of Klaus on the connector road. Grabbed a menu to look at later. Then we rode our bikes into Seaside for granola at Mordica’s Market. We had tried some granola there on Saturday but didn’t get it then, so we bought it today. Then we went a little further to a beach market when it started to drizzle on us. It actually felt good because the humidity is so high right now. After looking around we rode our bikes back to Grayton SP and ate lunch and then on to the beach.

Today the beach flag was red because of Tropical Storm Don that was heading to Texas. The waves were really kicking up. CC broke our boogie board trying to ride a few. Every year when we are at the beach someone cracks a board in half. We walked up and down the beach to the public areas. They are very crowded, not like in the SP area. We have plenty of room and each family has a front row seat of the Gulf. After a couple of hours we left and went back to the RV to rest, shower and get ready to go to dinner.

We rode our bikes back up to House of Klaus for dinner. CC had a large shrimp basket, the shrimp were quite big. LCC had a famous Klaus burger that was really good. We shared a peanut butter pie for dessert that was really good. We then went back to the beach for sunset photos. Lots of people come out at sunset to take family photos. You can tell who they are because they all dress in white and beige. It must be some kind of requirement. Many have a professional photographer with them.

Friday, July 29, 2011

Got up at 6 am to see the sunrise down at the beach. This was the first morning that is wasn’t raining or drizzling since we arrived. The beach was empty except for 2 people. Very serene. The tide was coming in and the waves were starting to hit the high water mark. We walked down to the public area to see the lagoon area that everyone hangs around in during the day. We got some good shots of the sunrise and some of the shore birds.

We came back and LCC made some muffins for breakfast and we starting getting ready to go pick up TCC from 4H camp. We left around 9am to get back to Timpoochee. TCC was very tired as usual but said she did like her week there. She did end up changing cabins on that first day though.

After picking her up, we headed to Walmart to replace our boogie board, and then to Chick-Fil-A for lunch. TCC talked about what she did at camp and who she met.

Then LCC wanted to check out some prints from local artists so we stopped by the Donna Burgess gallery but didn’t get anything. There is also another artist, Nina Fritz, but she doesn’t have a gallery here, hers is in Pensacola. I will probably order something from Paul Brent. He’s a panhandle watercolor artist from Panama City. We already own a number of his prints from long ago, before TCC was born, when we came to visit CC’s family in PCB for a long weekend and discovered him then.

We stopped at Publix on the way back for some milk because we all know TCC can’t live without any and we had run out. Then back to the RV so she could nap the rest of the afternoon. We find that it is best to let her sleep as much as she wants after camp since they tend to stay up later and get up earlier than she is used to at home. It helps to keep the crankies away if she catches up on her sleep. While she was catching her ZZZZZ’s, CC and LCC went to the beach to try out the new boogie board.

It was a double red flag day with one flag having a swimmer with a circle and line through it. This means No Swimming at all. Someone near us told us that a ranger had come by on a 4wheeler and told everyone to get out of the water a few minutes before we got there. About 4 or 5 people were in the water we noticed after we set our stuff down. So we headed in as well to try out the board. The waves were above our heads and the undertow was very strong. I’ve never seen that in the Gulf. It is usually very calm. Riding the big waves was a lot of fun though. No one ever came by to tell us to leave though. Since they were so rough we quit for awhile and just sat at the edge of the surf and relaxed. We saw 3 military helicopters fly by while at the beach. I had just commented the day before that we hadn’t seen any military planes which was unusual since we were so close to Eglin AFB.

We stayed until 430pm then came back to clean up and get the RV ready to leave tomorrow. CC worked on the outside while I cleaned up the inside. TCC was still sleeping. I heard my phone beeping with a message and found one from her Spanish teacher. I had forgotten that we set up a monthly call for today. She wanted to know if we could move it to 630pm. I said yes and was surprised when she called at 530pm. I had forgotten about the time difference and was in the middle of cleaning the bathroom. TCC even spoke to her but doesn’t remember it because so was so tired.

We had an easy dinner with leftovers from the week and TCC finally got up around 6 pm. After dinner we went back down to the beach for sunset again. The waves were starting to look more normal. Lots of people doing their family photos again as well. We stayed until the sun set then came back to watch Gnomeo and Juliet and then go to bed. It was a long day for all of us since we got up to see the sunrise and TCC was so tired after camp. Tomorrow we head for home.

Saturday, July 30, 2011

Today we got up and went to Starbucks for coffee (a bribe for TCC to get her moving) and then into Seaside to check out their farmer’s market. They had everyone set up near the bandshell. It was quite small only about 8 tents but we bought homemade bread, the granola lady was there as well. Some were selling fruits and vegetables and one person had seedlings to sell.

After that we came back to the RV and finished packing to head home. CC wants to take Hwy 20 to get there so we will see how it works. Should take us about 7 hours with stops for food and gas to make it home.

**We did take 20 and it was much more peaceful driving than being on I10 and 331. I think we will make a note to take this way if we come back here.

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Unicoi State Park, Georgia

July 21, 2011 by steve.

As noted in the previous post, Mr. CurbCrusher is suspended from writing the blog until further notice. Here’s LadyCurbCrusher’s take on our trip to Unicoi State Park in north Georgia.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Today we drive around Atlanta and check in at Unicoi. The drive was mostly uneventful except for all the white vehicles that went from one side of the interstate to the complete other side often without any warning. When we got off the Interstate the fun started with the ups and downs and double S curves of the mountain area. After 3 hours we arrived in the town of Helen and drove through it to get to Unicoi SP.

At Unicoi you check in at the lodge then go to your colored site. Our site was white for full hook up (water, electric and sewer). The sites are much closer together than in the other camping areas but we do have sewer so we don’t have to watch our tanks as closely here. When we arrived there were only 3 sites available to chose from so I picked site #26. It looked the longest at the time. One benefit was there is a small stream called Big Brook that runs behind our site and we have a cleared access to it. The mountains are not cool this year; they seem even more humid than FL right now. The outside temps are in the upper 70’s to mid 80’s but with the humidity it seems more.

After setting up we took a short tour of Unicoi. We started back at the lodge(which has free wi-fi), drove to where the beach is and then moved on to Anna Ruby Falls next door. We had stopped here previously about 4 years ago so we knew what to expect. We paid our admission($2 pp) and then parked and started walking up the trail to the waterfalls. This is a nice path that is paved until you come to the platforms with stairs right at the waterfalls. the path is only 4/10 mile so it is not too hard to walk but it is steep in several places.

After picture taking and walking back down we went into the store and bought ice cream to enjoy after the hot walk. They have a very nice store at the base and they carry a variety of merchandise. I really liked the pottery that comes from this area.

After returning to the campsite CC and I walked to the store and interpretive center in the campground while TCC went to the playground nearby. Then we had dinner and CC and I walked around the lake and went out on the docks to see if we could find fish. We met our neighbors from the Tampa area. They have a famous Golden Retriever named Rusty that has his own sidecar and trailer towed behind their motorcycle. He is so cute sitting up with his goggles on as he rides behind them. They told us he had his picture on the front page of the paper during bike week.

Monday, July 11, 2011

We started today by having our usual pancakes then going into Helen to look around. The traffic really seems to die off after the weekend is over. We just came off a holiday week as well so that probably slowed things down some. A few of the shops weren’t even open so it made the shopping much easier on the pocketbook. We saw some T-shirt shops we want to return to. CC saw a t-shirt that said “I’ve hiked the entire (width of the) Appalachian Trail” that he wants to acquire after doing so. TCC seemed fascinated with the glass blowing shop but no one was making glass figurines when we were there. After walking the entire length of the street we stopped at Troll Tavern which is right on the Chattahoochee River to watch the tubers go by and have lunch. We spent an enjoyable hour there and caught some pointers for when we tube tomorrow.

At lunch, we decided that we would go today to Blue Ridge to go check out Mercier’s Orchard. We stopped there years ago when we were in the area and wanted to go back. But first we stopped at Habersham Winery for me to try the wines. After purchasing a bottle we went across the street to Nora’s Mill and bought some of Grandpa’s Flour for making pancakes. Then another stop at The Willows Pottery for a beautiful plate and we were on our way. So after taking the scenic route, and stopping for a picture at Skeenah Gap Campground, where CC almost slid off the mountain in our previous 5th wheel, we arrived at Mercier’s.
We looked around and taste tested many great foods and decided we needed a strawberry/apple slushie for the ride home, as well as a jug of apple cider and some delicious pound cake. Taking another scenic route back to Helen we made our final stop of the day at Fred’s Famous Peanut Stand for hot boiled peanuts. TCC and I were still full from lunch so we went to the Lodge so she could log onto the wi-fi to check for some things. And CC made himself dinner and then when we got back he and I walked around the lake again.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Today started off exciting. CC was outside having his bagels and milk when a black bear walked up to him. He saw it out of the corner of his eye and he thought it was the neighbors letting Rusty, their dog, out in the morning. Only it was a young black bear. CC grabbed his bagel and ran back into the RV shouting “It’s a bear! It’s a bear!” I grabbed my camera and headed out to see if I could get a picture but when I peeked under the RV I saw its feet behind the RV and so I came back inside to get a picture out of the window. It was drinking the milk from CC’s glass he had left behind when he ran. I got a couple of pictures but we stayed inside until it took off. They did warn us at check in that the bears were active right now.

After breakfast we loaded up the car with our hiking poles and water shoes to go tubing on the Chattahoochee, also known locally as the “Hooch”. We chose Cool River Tubing based on some reviews we saw. We were expecting to pay a lot more but it was only $5 pp to tube either 1 or 2 hours. Since we brought our own sticks that’s all we paid. We elected to do the 2 hour tour so we and 6 others jumped on the old school bus and were driven up the road a ways to be let off at the starting point.

The first hour was great, since it was early there weren’t too many people on the river to bump into. Then we came to the mid point for the 1 hour trips and a cross country camp let about 100 kids into the river. After that it was hard to find a space on the river where you didn’t bump into someone. We had a great time and since the tubes had a bottom we didn’t even really get that wet. The water WAS very cold though.

We came back to the campsite and had lunch then decided to go to Goats on the Roof and the antiques store we saw yesterday but didn’t have time to go into. So we stopped at Goats on the Roof and there really ARE goats eating grass up on top of the store. You can pay a quarter and pedal a bicycle that will move the food can up to the roof where it dumps out and feeds the goats. The Weather Channel was there filming local GA interest stories, so they were up on the roof as well. Normally people cannot go up there, only the goats. Inside the store you can mine for gemstones and geodes. They also sell jams and jellies with ice cream and fudge. We bought TCC an ice cream cone and CC and I shared some peanut butter fudge on the way to the antique store.

The antique store does not look as big as it is from the outside. It is 3 floors and probably 6,000 sq ft of old stuff. They carried old linens, plates, glasses, furniture, and toys. We took awhile and looked around but didn’t see anything we couldn’t live without.

On the way back to the campsite we stopped at the picnic area to take a picture of the lake, the dam and Smith Creek. Then we chilled out reading and eating Fred’s peanuts at the RV.

Before dinner we were sitting behind the RV chilling out when I heard a weird whirring noise. CC got up and went to investigate what it was. I promptly jumped into his new gravity chair I had bought him for our anniversary since I hadn’t tried it yet. TCC was sitting with me when she said :There’s the bear!” It was walking down from the bathhouse area right next to our RV. I immediately jumped up and ran into the RV to get my camera. The camp host came running up and was trying to scare it away. I didn’t get any pictures because of him. The bear has done nothing wrong. It’s stupid campers who would won’t put their food away that attracts them. They have every right to be here in woods where they live. The weird whirring noise was the hosts making ice cream. No, we did not get a taste.

We also got to see the fireflies tonight. We don’t seem to be able to see those in FL. They seem to like meadows and forest areas which we don’t get to very often.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

We all got a late start today. CC made cinnamon rolls and then we left for Brasstown Bald, which is the highest point in GA. We got there and walked the 6/10 mile to the top. We could have taken a van for a cost of $3pp but we needed the exercise anyway. The walk was very pretty much like Anna Ruby Falls without the river next to it. The walkway is paved and does incline the whole way up and down and has rhododendrons growing over the path. At the top is a movie about the area and an interpretive center with displays like bears and a locomotive. On a clear day you can see Tennessee, Georgia (to Atlanta), North and South Carolina. They also had a small store at the bottom of the Bald.

After we finished there we left to find a section of the Appalachian Trail to hike. We found a section near 75/17 where it crosses the Unicoi Gap and found the marker rock and white blazes. We went up the trail for about ½ mile and then turned around. The next stopping place was about 2 miles away from there. And that was one way.

We went back to Helen to get gas, and stop at Betty’s groceries. If you ever need anything while in Helen this is definitely the place to get it. Even the wines were cheaper than the wineries. They have it all. Food, sundries, firewood, bakery, alcohol and toys.

On our way back to the campsite we also stopped at Fred’s peanuts again to reload our supply of boiled peanuts. Then TCC and I spent some time at the lodge using the wi-fi before dinner.

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Today we got started late as well. CC made us pancakes and then we headed out to Helen to pick up his AT t-shirt and whatever souvenirs we wanted. But we walked the whole town and they didn’t have the shirt in his size. We watch the tubers again before leaving and heading back to Goats on the Roof because he saw the same shirt there. We were able to find his size and bought more fudge this time, we purchased a variety of Butterfinger, peanut butter and regular chocolate because it was so good the first time.

We came back and had lunch then CC and I went to check out the lakefront beach area. I was sure the water would be cold because the stream behind our RV is really cold and it dumps into the lake, but the lake was cool not freezing like I thought. The water was a weird green yellow color though, but only in the swim area. The rest of the lake was a darker green. They rent paddle boats and canoes there as well as have picnic pavilions and a cafe with decks to eat outside.

After we spent about an hour or so there we came back and got TCC to go up to the Lodge and use the wi-fi and finish up our souvenir shopping. The clerk was telling us all about their intern program, where the students live in cabins at the park and do various jobs for the park. I think one of the craft rangers at the Nature Center is probably one of these.
We got back to the site and started cleaning up to head home tomorrow. CC looked at the weather forecast when he was at the Lodge and the weather will be much cooler next week. Too bad we already have something planned for then.
Our week here has been great. I always prefer to be on our own schedule and not those of other people like when we have visited this area before. It just makes the trip so much more relaxing for me.

Friday, July 15, 2011

We are on our way home now. It rained all night so everything around us is soaked. Good thing we packed all the outside stuff yesterday. While we were pulling out the group next to us was trying to hitch their travel trailer. The guy backed all the way into his hitch and bent it. His wife wasn’t giving him directions at all. I think the grandparents were actually still inside when we heard the loud boom of him hitting it. The hitch was bent down at an angle. Hopefully they were able to fix it. The mist was really pretty on the tops of the mountains as we drove down them. I tried to get some pictures of it but I don’t think I was very successful. We were listening to the radio and heard there was a horrible crash on I-85. We were lucky that we were taking I-985 instead it seemed like it was backed up for 10 miles.

We stopped once again at Lane’s Peaches to get our peach ice cream and some snacks for the trip home. We were able to see the production line start fresh with new peaches on it. It’s pretty cool to see it start at the beginning. The only real slow down we encountered on our trip home was an accident at mile marker 304 on the FL Turnpike. It looked like an Albertson’s 18 wheeler had clipped a mini van and crunched the passenger side in. I think 4 cars were involved. Traffic was crawling for a little while but there was nowhere to get off until just before the accident so we had to wait. That’s the second time this summer we had a slowdown on the Turnpike. Lucky we weren’t coming through earlier in the day. There were cars racing and one’s wheel came off causing a bad accident that closed it down for hours. We finally made it home around 8 pm and are unloading the RV. It will be nice to sleep in our normal beds again. Back to doing chores tomorrow.

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High Falls State Park, Georgia

July 20, 2011 by steve.

Because of my slow nature, I’ve been suspended from writing for my own blog by Lady CurbCrusher. We recently made a trip to North Georgia and on the way stayed at High Falls State Park near Forsyth.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

We left Orlando around 9 am heading to somewhere in GA for the night. We’re on our way to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a week’s stay at Unicoi State Park near Helen.

Most of the trip will be up I-75, a trip we’ve made many times so really nothing new to see. I did not get my state line picture in GA because the sign was blown down along the highway. We stopped at the GA welcome station to eat lunch and pick up info on the places we were staying near. Then we hit the road again.

CurbCrusher’s partner at work told him about this place called Lane’s Peaches that we needed to check out. So just after Perry, in Peach County, at exit 142 we got off and went west for 5 miles to find it. Glad we did -they do have the best peach ice cream I’ve ever tasted. TeenCurbCrusher ordered that and I had the peach cobbler. I ordered a small and it was enough to save for dessert after dinner later. CC ordered a boring pecan pie slice, but he did say it was good as well. They have a large warehouse full of everything to do with peaches:jams, jellies, ciders, fresh peaches, and various household novelties. There is also a production line you can self tour that shows how they bring the peaches in from the orchards and pack them to ship all over.

After our refreshing repast, I gave a call to the KOA in Forsyth and the state park in High Falls to see if they had sites available and they both did. We aimed for the state park because CC loves waterfalls and this one had one that was 100 ft high.

We arrived at 5 pm, just after the office closed, so we were instructed to find a spot, park and the host would be by to collect our money. Well daylight was burning so we left a note for the host that we would be back later and then we left to find the waterfall. Since we would only be here one night we had to check everything out as soon as we could. We drove up to a parking area near the front of the camping area and got out to discover the old powerhouse that was built along the river. This was where they generated power for the area. The building was made of brick but there was nothing left inside, just the walls holding it up. We finished looking around there and then headed up to the parking area where we could access the waterfall. We found a trail to follow and with a short walk could see the waterfall. The trail led down to a platform for better viewing but we could see people actually on the rocks and in the water so we looked for a path to get us down there. We found a really steep one but continued on and soon we were walking on the rocks in the river.

The falls aren’t actually very high but they were still cool because we don’t have them in FL unless they are man made. We walked around the rocks for awhile taking pictures and then headed back to the campsite. The park is spread out with the day use area and the lake camping area(25 ft or less) on one side of the road, and the river camping area on the opposite side.

Back at the campsite (#81) we had dinner and tried to get TV reception, but unless you’re a Spanish speaker there’s not much you can get without a satellite dish. Even then you might not get too much because of the hills and trees in the way. The bathhouse was very clean and newer in the premium area and our site was a pull through on gravel with a table, grill, and fire ring and a light pole. Water and electric only though. The dump station was large but they are building a new one because it keeps backing up, according to a note I saw as we were leaving.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

The next morning we continued to check out the park before we left. We went back to the day use side and saw the pool ($5 pp), mini golf, Yurts on the lake to stay in, and took pictures of the dam above the waterfall. Then we went to the office to check out their store. Most GA parks seem to have a small store located in or near their offices. In FL it’s about half and half. So we always check them out to see what they have. Today we found out that GASP has a new program for campers. If you stay a night you get a sticker and when you have 10 stickers you get a night for free. Since this trip has us staying 6 nights in GA we signed up.

After checking out the rest of the park we went back to leave the campground and continue on our way north.

Click here to see all of our pictures of High Falls.

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