travel
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Cherokee Bears Project
One of the things I remembered from our past visit to Cherokee, NC was the painted fiberglass bears throughout the town. Since we were without children that time, I knew my boys would enjoy being on the lookout for them on this visit. The bear project started in 2005 and showcases different artist within the Qualia boundary. Bears appear in many Cherokee folk tales and legends. For those who do not know, Cherokee is a town on the reservation of the Eastern Band of the Cherokee Nation. I will be sharing some of the places we visited in the area as well as the Great Smoky Mountains National Park which…
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Packing for a Hiking Vacation
Our usual week long vacations destinations are to the beach while our bigger vacation take us abroad. We have occasionally gone to the mountains for a few days but we have never taken a week vacation in the mountains. Therefore, for this vacation I had to think differentlty. I had to pack items that would work on dirt trails, in water and maybe a cave visit. Being me though, I still will wear my statement earrings and will try to be fashionable. I decided to pack one dress but everything else can be mixed and matched for hikes or slightly streneous exercise. Shoes I am packing 4 pairs of shoes:…
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Sweetwater Creek State Park
Welcome back to another adventure and hike. This time we met some friends at Sweetwater Creek State Park in Lithia Springs. “A wooded trail follows the stream to the ruins of the New Manchester Manufacturing Company, a textile mill burned during the Civil War. Beyond the mill, the trail climbs rocky bluffs to provide views of the beautiful rapids below. Additional trails wind through fields and forest, showcasing ferns, magnolias, wild azaleas and hardwoods” (gastateparks.org). The park is just under an hour drive from my house but 20 min ride from my friends’ so we decided to meet there for a hike and a picnic. We really enjoyed this walk!…
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Cloudland Canyon: Another Visit
We visited Cloudland Canyon on our way back from Chattanooga on our last family vacation in January. Cloudland Canyon State Park is in North Georgia and about 1 hour and 45 minutes from us. When we went in January, the waterfalls were majestic as we had had a really wet winter and thankfully, even though we just went in the middle of summer, the waterfalls were still beautiful and full of water (not like our trip to Nocalula Falls in Alabama last fall where there was barely a trickle of water. The first picture is now vs January. We packed a picnic but did not want to carry it…
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Cooper’s Furnace Hike
As I have mentioned before, I really love where we live. We have great neighbors, we are not too close to Atlanta but close enough if we want to do something and we are in short driving distance from several places to hike. This past week, my sister in law and I went to hike at Cooper’s Furnace which dates to the civil war era and the stone structure still stands. Since the older kids were still wiped out from the prior day’s activities (a hike and the pool), we just took my toddler with us. We’ve done this hike several times but I had forgotten how narrow the path…
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Family Bike Ride!
After taking a weekend off from any outdoor adventure, we were ready for some fun this past Saturday. I took it easy for about 10 days, no walking, no biking and no running and it appears that my leg splints have disappeared. I will slowly add some running back in. Anyhow, we deciding to hit the Silver Comet Trail again and ride even further this time. Knowing my children, I made sure to pack some snacks, some water and some lunch. After trying going in the opposite direction on the trail last time, we decided we like the original direction of going towards Atlanta because it is flatter as well…
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Another Day, Another Hike
We are definitely slowing down on the hiking front as the weather is getting warmer and more humid: not fun to go out there with 4 kids when everyone is sweating bullets! This particular hike a couple weeks ago was really fun because it was short (as promised to my boys) and because we actually had never walked it. It follows the lakeshore for a while offering some pretty views. While a short 1 mile hike does not offer as much exercise as a longer hike, it offers opportunities for taking one’s time to observe nature. See the frog? My 9 year old noticed it as we walked by. This…
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Sunsets
This post will not be wordy. I am letting the pictures speak for themselves and sharing my sons’ sunset poems. We have been blessed these past months with great weather, outside time and the opportunity to spend a weekend at the lake. These pictures were taken one evening at the lake courtesy of my son. The sun sets as the moon rises, bringing upon us an era anew with surprises. As dusk is brought upon by the coming of night, the stars start twinkling shedding their light. M (13) In summer, sunsets are late And you have to stay awake. In winter, you can just look up And see the…
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Silver Comet Trail Bike Ride
“The Silver Comet Trail is 61.5 miles long, and starts at the Mavell Road Trailhead in Smyrna, Georgia. It ends at the Georgia/Alabama state line, near Cedartown and The Esom Hill Trailhead. At the Georgia/Alabama state line, the Silver Comet connects to the 33-mile long Chief Ladiga Trail. Both the Silver Comet Trail and Chief Ladiga are fully paved rail-trails built on abandoned railroad lines. The combined Silver Comet and Chief Ladiga trail length is estimated to be 94.5 paved miles from Smyrna, Georgia to Anniston, Alabama. ” (from the Silver Comet Trail Official Website) For the past year or so, I have been wanting to walk or ride part of the Silver…
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Weekend at the Lake
This past weekend was the first time that we traveled since Martin Luther King’s long weekend. I have gone on errands, we have gone to state parks and places to hike but we have slept home every night for the past 4 months. So heading to our uncle’s lake house was something we looked forward to after we planned it a couple of weeks ago. The house sits on a lake in Alabama and is a 2 hour drive from our house. We always bring food with us to help with meals and try to clean up after ourselves so we don’t have things laying around while we are there.…