A Peachy Good Time

03/17/2024 – 03/24/2024

As we make our way to Chapel Hill, NC we will layover in north Georgia for a week. While we were in South Dakota last fall, we struck up a conversation with some ladies and the topic of wine came up. Go figure! They asked if we had ever been to Helen, GA. No, we have not. They told us about the great wineries in the area and this charming alpine village in the mountains. Being the curious person I am, I looked it up on the Googles and discovered this would be the perfect place to spend a week as we transition from Florida back to North Carolina.

Overnight at a Peach Farm

Our route took us up I-75 to Macon and then we would take US-129 to Cleveland. US-129 is a much nicer drive than I-75 AND avoids having to drive through Atlanta. Bill has a cousin who lives in Warner Robbins, GA which is about 6 hours away from Oak Hill, FL (where we currently reside) and there is a Harvest Host close by. This looks like a perfect spot to spend the night.

Located a short five miles from the freeway, we drove through several pecan and peach orchards to our home for the night, Lane Southern Orchards. The peach trees were just getting their pretty pink blooms but pecan trees were still naked.

Lane Southern Orchards is GREAT! They had a huge parking lot which made navigation easy. There is a large store offering all kinds of peachy items as well as GA themed clothing and gifts. They also have a café that serves breakfast, lunch and homemade peach ice cream and a bakery that sells peach cobbler, peach pie and pecan pie. YUM! We picked up a peach crumble pie to take to Bill’s cousins for dinner and some other peachy goodies. I can’t wait to sample them.

After our shopping was complete, we headed over to the cousin’s place where we enjoyed catching up with them and a delicious meal of smoked ribs, mashed potatoes and green beans followed by a piece of pie. Yum Yum! The food was delicious and the visit great, as always. Thanks, Dianne and Tommy for your hospitality.

Buc-ee’s

Who is familiar with Buc-ee’s? It is an awesome convenience store chain that is popping up all over the southeast. They began in Texas in 1982 and have are expanding outside of the state. When I say convenience store, you are probably thinking of a Circle K or 7-Eleven, right? Buc-ee’s is a convenience store on steroids, like a MAJOR dose of steroids. In fact, they hold a world’s record for being the largest convenience store! They have anywhere from 60-120 gas pumps and they sell just about anything you could ever want and they boast having the cleanest restrooms.

Buc-ee’s is an extremely popular place to stop. People swarm here for the jerky, Buc-ee nuggets and the smoked meat. We hear the brisket sandwich is very good but we never stop because navigating the parking lot with our big rig would be a nightmare!

Well, as luck would have it, there is a Buc-ee’s a few miles from us and the truck is disconnected from the rig. We are off to get a sandwich! It’s 11AM on a Sunday morning and the parking lot is PACKED! There are 4 tour buses, so many RVs and cars everywhere. Bill was ready to turn around and head back to the coach. I reasoned, we are already here, let’s just go in and see if there are any sandwiches ready. Folks, we were in and out in under 10 minutes with freshly made brisket sandwiches and a bag of jerky in our hands. Let me tell you, it was delicious and worth fighting the traffic outside and inside this 53,000 square foot and 120 pump convenience store. 😊

It’s time to get on the road and get up to Cleveland.

North Georgia

Home this week is Cleveland GA, which is located in the upper NE section of the state where the Appalachian Mountain range begins. We stayed at Leisure Acres and our site backed up to a little creek. The sites were a little skinny but fortunately we did not have any neighbors. Evenings sitting by the creek, sipping wine and bourbon made up for the lack of site space.

Cleveland is a good starting point for many of the sights and activities in the area, waterfalls, wineries, scenic drives, gold history, an alpine village and a cabbage patch!

Dahlonega

Let’s start with the gold rush in Georgia. Did you even know there was a gold rush in Georgia? It began when gold was discovered in Lumpkin County around 1829. That’s 20 years before the California gold rush! Between 1829 and 1838, 800,000 troy ounces of gold were mined in this area worth approximately almost $18 million at that time!

Because so much gold was found, the US built a Branch Mint in 1838. The Mint operated until the Confederate Congress closed it in 1861. It produced coins valued at over $6 million. There was a display of a complete collection of all the coins minted by the Dahlonega Branch Mint. The docent said the collection of gold in this case was worth over $4 million.

Dahlonega became the county seat of Lumpkin County in 1832. The courthouse was built in 1836 and now serves as the Dahlonega Gold Museum. We spent a little over an hour going through the museum which featured a short film on the mining history of the area, several exhibits explaining how the gold was mined, how the land lottery worked and how the gold was cleaned, melted and made into bars.

Two rooms in the courthouse were dedicated to the time period of the 1940’s when hearings were held here; a jury room and the judge’s chambers. Dahlonega was part of the circuit court system at that time and trials were held here two times a year, one week in the spring and one week in the fall. Do you see the judge’s gold pan hanging by his coat? Wonder what he like to do in his spare time?

Gold is still mined in the area but it is all personal, there are no more commercial mines producing gold. The Consolidated Gold Mine offers tours of the old tunnels that were once mined and Crisson Gold Mine sells 5-gallon buckets of ore that you can pan yourself. Good luck!

 Scenic Drives

I am thankful for Daylight Savings Time! I know a lot of people fuss about the time change and whatever, but I LOVE DST. It allows us more time in the evenings after work to go out and see things. We had two nice days where the sun was shining and the skies were blue and we took advantage.

I found this map on the National Forest website and we set off to explore. Each loop takes about 1 ½ – 2 hours to complete if you don’t make a lot of stops. And honestly, there are not a lot of stops to make. There are hikes to several waterfalls, most of which were over 2 miles long and normally, that wouldn’t be a problem for us, but I’ve had some pain in my knees recently and don’t want to aggravate it. Therefore, we just drove and enjoyed the gorgeous views of the mountains.

60/180/129/19 Loop

One evening we loaded up and set out to drive the 60/180/129/19 Loop. This drive is about 35-miles long and has some beautiful views of the Appalachians. It is still early in the year and spring hasn’t quite made its way to the mountains yet. The trees are still bare and everything was pretty much dead. In another two or three weeks I am sure the scenery will be completely different with green trees and the rhododendrons in full bloom. This, however, did not keep us from enjoying the area.

Helton Creek Falls

From this loop, we took a forest road out to Helton Creek Falls. The map said this was a short and easy trail to a cascade fall. I thought this would be a good opportunity to see what my knees are capable of. The trail was fairly easy and the falls were beautiful. Can you spot me and Kona overlooking the falls?

Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway

“Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee” … do you know this song? Our boys loved dancing to it a loooonnnngggg time ago when they were barely walking. I can still see it fresh in my memory today. They were so fun to watch. Anyway…. The Russell-Brasstown Scenic Byway is a 40-mile loop and encircles the headwaters of the Chattahoochee River and made for another nice evening drive.

Again, not a lot of places to get out and explore but loads of brilliant views. About halfway through, we took a little spur road that led to the top of Brasstown Bald Mountain.

Brasstown Bald Mountain

At 4,784 feet, Brasstown Bald Mountain is the highest point in Georgia. Leaving the scenic by-way is a short spur road to the top of the mountain. This skinny and winding 3-mile road leads to the Brasstown Bald Visitor Center. From here you can either take a shuttle or hike the very steep .6 mile trail to the lookout tower. It’s 5:30 PM and the last shuttle leaves at 4:30, so that’s out. I’m not walking up a very steep path for ½ mile (knees?), so that’s out. We enjoyed the views from the picnic area and were very satisfied with what we saw.

Finishing The Byway

We continue around the loop, enjoying the meadows and creeks and hoping to spot some wildlife while trying to make it to Anna Ruby Falls before it starts to get dark. Along the way, we turn off on another little forest road that pointed to some waterfalls. After about a mile, we decided to turn around because it was getting late and we were still about 30 minutes from Anna Ruby. We did get to cross a little stream, though! This was the truck’s first water crossing! LOL

We made it out to Anna Ruby Falls, but the gate closed at 4:30. Womp Womp. We’ll have to save this one for Saturday.

Overall, both scenic drives were very nice and a great way to wind down at the end of the day. One thing I have to complain about, though, is there is very little signage on the roads. There are no signs alerting you to an overlook ahead or a point of interest. The signs are placed AT the points of interest making it almost impossible to slow down to make your turn. And once you pass it, there are few places to safely turn around and go back. Other than that, both of the drives were phenomenal.

Wineries

The North Georgia area is abundant with wineries. Who knew? Not me, that’s for sure. In our area alone, there are 15 wineries! More to our surprise, most of the wines produced up here are not the sweet muscadine wines the south is known for. We enjoyed several chardonnays, merlot, cabernet and red blends at three different wineries.

Habersham Winery and Vineyards

Conveniently located right on GA-75, a half-mile outside Helen GA, Habersham Winery is our first sampling of Georgia wine. Arriving too late to do a tasting, we bought a bottle of chardonnay and enjoyed a glass on the front porch.

The wine was very nice, but I wasn’t a fan of the location. Since it sat right on the main road, the scenery wasn’t the best and the road noise was distracting. Habersham is a tasting room, to call it a vineyard is a little misleading. The experience was so uninspiring we did not even take a picture. Is that bad?

The Cottage Vineyard and Winery

After our experience at Habersham and wanting to visit a “real” winery, I consulted Google maps to see what was nearby and open. The Cottage Vineyard was 13 minutes away and open until 6PM!

Greeting us was a cute little tasting room with a large outdoor area to enjoy more lovely views. (There is no shortage of those in this area 😉) We chatted with the owner for a few minutes before we settled on another bottle of Chardonnay. I’m usually a red girl, but on a sunny day with brilliant blue skies, I lean white. LOL

Bill and I sat outside on the deck and enjoyed the bottle (yes, the entire bottle) while we watched the horses graze in the field and chatted about our kids, our upcoming anniversary and what our future might hold. Another perfect ending to a pretty great day!

Yonah Mountain Vineyards

The last winery we visited was Yonah Mountain Vineyards. This winery ticks all the boxes, rolling hills filled with grape vines, views of Yonah Mountain, a beautiful tasting room, outdoor area surrounded by blooming cherry trees and fireplaces scattered throughout. They have a large and separate event center and three cottages for lodging. They also offer wine tours that includes a walk through the barrel aging wine caves and 6 wine tastings for only $125 (gasp!)

Today was a gray and chilly day and we opted to do a tasting inside near the fireplace. I ordered the red flight and Bill went with white. Each flight contains four 2-oz pours of your choice which allowed us to share. Since Bill has the more… sensitive… palate, I took the tasting cards away from him and quizzed him instead. He tasted, analyzed and then told me what flavors he picked up. He actually did quite well and it was a lot of fun taking our time and trying to pick out the different notes. While doing this we reminisced about our first experience at a winery.

A Short Walk Down Memory Lane

 It was waaayyy back in 1998 on my first visit to California. We knew nothing and I mean NOTHING about wine. I don’t even think we drank wine back then. But it was California and something you have to do. We visited the Berringer winery and I remember how beautiful it was but the one thing we both remembered was the tasting guide telling us to not be put off by the “wine snobs” who swish the wine around in their glasses, examining the legs and nosing the glass. Pour a glass, taste it and if you like it, then it’s a good wine.

Now here we are, swishing the wine in our glass and nosing it before tasting it. But we are in no way snobs, we still pour a glass and enjoy it, whether it is Two Buck Chuck (which I think is $4 now) an $18 Bota Box or the $40 bottle of Marian’s Meritage we bought to enjoy on our 35^th wedding anniversary in a few weeks. If it’s good, its good.

If you enjoy wine, please come and explore the wineries in north Georgia, you will not be disappointed.

Waterfalls

The waterfalls here do not disappoint either. There are a lot of waterfalls in the area and like I mentioned earlier, most require a hike to get to. If we had more time to spend here and my knees were feeling better, we would most definitely be going to see some of them. Close by are DeSoto Falls, Duke Creek Falls, High Shoals Falls and Blue Hole Falls. They all look amazing and worth the hike to see them. For us, they will have to wait for another time. The two that we are going to see are the more popular ones and easiest to access; Anna Ruby Falls and Amicalola Falls.

Anna Ruby Falls

As I mentioned earlier, we tried to see Anna Ruby Falls in the evening, but it was already closed for the day. Sometimes these things are blessings in disguise. We ventured out on Friday morning and when we arrived at the falls, the sun was shining on them and lit them up beautifully. They were spectacular!

Anna Ruby Falls is located in the Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. Curtis Creek tumbles 153 feet over granite while York creek joins it with a 50-foot drop. Together they join and form Smith Creek. There is a $5/person entry fee but that fee is waived if you have the America the Beautiful-National Park Pass. After we park and check out the visitor’s center, we head up to the falls. UP to the falls, like a 219’ elevation gain with an 8% grade. I know, 219’ gain doesn’t seem like a lot, but it is when it happens in about 100’. The path is paved and runs along a pretty little creek. I did it. It was actually slower coming down than going up and my knees didn’t complain too much. Yay!

Amicalola Falls

Some friends of ours in Florida told us we had to visit Amicalola Falls while we were here. Since Amicalola Falls State Park was an hour away from camp, we waited for Saturday to venture out here.

After entering the park, our first stop was the West Ridge Falls Access Trail. An easy 0.3 Mile walk on a paved path leads to a stunning view of the falls. Amicalola Falls is a 729-foot cascading waterfall that is the third-highest east of the Mississippi and you are standing on a bridge, at its base, while the water thunders down and runs right under your feet.

There is a lower observation platform, which is closed, and an upper observation platform, which we missed! Ugggg!! However, we were told the West Ridge observation offers the best views, so I feel better about that.

From the West Ridge area, there are two ways to access the top of the falls; you can climb over 400 steps or drive maybe a mile. That’s a no brainer for me. How big do you think the creek is that creates this stunning waterfall? If you guessed maybe 4-5 wide and a couple of feet deep, you would be correct. It amazed me that this little creek creates that gorgeous waterfall!

Amicalola Falls State Park offers many amenities. There is camping, cabins and a lodge with awesome views. There are several hiking trails, zip lines and archery. It is also the gateway to the Appalachian Trail’s southern terminus.

Gateway to the Appalachian Trail

The Appalachian Trail begins about 8 miles from here on Springer Mountain, but many through hikers begin their journey here. The northern terminus is on Mt Katahdin, Maine over 2,000 miles away. The vision for this trail that travels through 14 states began in 1921. It was built by private citizens and completed in 1937. The trail is now managed by the National Park System but maintained by over 30 trail clubs.

While we were snapping our picture at the gateway, a hiker was getting ready to start his journey, ALONE. He was a young kid, early 20’s I’m guessing. His mom and sister were there for the send-off. This was his second time hiking thru and he said it would take him about 6 months to complete it. WOW! This kid set off with what looked like too small of a backpack for a 6-month journey, to me. And his mom seemed so calm! “See you later, honey. Have fun!” Then she turned around and walked away, just like that.

I admire the people that take these treks across the Appalachian Trail, the Pacific Crest Trail, or the Continental Divide. Many have even written books about their journeys and I enjoy reading about their experiences. Sometimes I even wonder if I would be able to do it. As we are walking back to the truck, I asked Bill, “If we were younger and knew what we were doing, would you want to do something like that?” His answer was a quick “Nope”. “Come on, if a 67-year old grandma can do it, we could do it.” “Nope” He’s probably right, our mode of seeing the country is pretty comfortable, we are never cold and have a comfortable bed to sleep in.

Helen

The main draw to this area, for many visitors, is the little Alpine village of Helen. We were not that impressed, honestly. To us, the town was just a touristy little area with t-shirt shops, restaurants, putt-putt golf and an alpine coaster dressed up in lederhosen. Not for us.

I do give the city officials props though. Helen was originally a thriving logging town but began to fall into decline in the late 1960’s. In 1969, the city adopted zoning features so that every building was designed with the classic southern German style. Today, tourism is Helen’s main source of income. Located 90 minutes from Atlanta, the area is a great weekend getaway.

We enjoyed a quick walk around town and had a nice German meal at The Heidelberg Restaurant.

Nora Mills Granary

On our way back to camp, we stopped at the Nora Mills Granary and Grist Mill. The grist mill sits along the Chattahoochee River and uses the same French Burr Mill Stones that were used when the mill was established in 1876. They specialize in grinding corn to make Georgia’s Ice Cream, also known as Grits. 😉

We love visiting places like this and picking up local treats.

Cabbage Patch

Who remembers the Cabbage Patch Kids? Yes, I was a child of the 80’s and had (still have) a Cabbage Patch Kid. Mine was a preemie and her name was Jessie Erin. I’m sure my mom picked this one out for me because my grandpa’s name was Jessie and yeah, I’m Erin. LOL Anyway, I still have her but she is packed away in storage.

Cleveland is home to Xavier Roberts, creator of the Cabbage Patch Kid and Babyland General Hospital. Xavier Roberts was an art student and at the age of 21 created his first soft sculptures and called them “The Little People”. In 1978 he took one little person he called “Dexter” to the Osceola Art Show in Florida and won first place.

Popularity grew with these dolls and in 1982, Xavier’s company signed a licensing agreement with Coleco to produce and market the vinyl headed dolls we now know as the Cabbage Patch Kid.

Babyland General Hospital still produces one of a kind soft-sculpture dolls and if you are lucky, you can witness Mother Cabbage giving birth. It’s only a little bit cheesy. LOL

The hospital sells dolls and any accessory you could think of.

Souvenirs

When space is limited but you want a memento of all the fabulous places you visit, what do you do? We purchase lapel pins. Our collection started September of 2021. Fast forward 2 years and a couple of months later…our pin board is full. It is nice to look at the board and remember all the places we have visited. 2024 began a few months ago and we are back on the road again, it is time to start a new pin board for all the new adventures yet to come!

What’s Next?

We had a peachy time in Georgia and now we are headed to North Carolina where we will spend the month visiting with the NC Butrico’s. There is a 35-year wedding anniversary to celebrate and I hear tale of a solar eclipse going through the US??