From Sunday, July 15 through Thursday, July 19 we were in the Georgia mountains (Unicoi State Park, outside of Helen) at a family reunion featuring my father-in-law's side of the family. It was an opportunity to stay in a nice three-bedroom cabin with my in-laws, wife, and kids, get reacquainted with the uncles and cousins I know from this side of the family, and meet some new folks, too. I also greatly enjoyed the brief family history my father-in-law shared on a long car drive one morning.
On our first full day we visited Anna Ruby Falls. It was interesting that you had to drive through Unicoi State Park to get there. Anna Ruby is federally owned and operated, I gathered. The all uphill walk is said to be 4/10s of a mile, but it felt longer--especially in the rain. And particularly when we walked halfway up, went back to get out of the rain, and then traipsed up again. But I love these walks. And the falls were far more majestic than I ever imagined. The photo below does not even begin to capture just how tall the falls on the left are.
The moth you see above was on the grill of a truck when we pulled into our parking space at Anna Ruby. I carefully extracted it, and let the kids hold it (being careful that no one touched its wings). Eventually the moth found its way on to Madison's shirt, and there it sat for most of the hike. We also took the kids fishing for the very first time--Marshall was particularly hopped up about this. But, we didn't get even a nibble, and most of the kids found it very boring, that is until Madison and Marshall were given free rein to cast--they certainly liked that, and as my eyes and mouth are still in good working order, it seems they really did miss me with their flying hooks.
Continue reading and you'll find out about the boy who eats butter, the birthplace of Ty Cobb, and the best place to buy plums...
While having lunch one day at Hofer's--a German restaurant we always seem to find ourselves in on our trips to Helen--the three youngest occupied themselves by eating packs of butter straight out of the wrapping. It was disgusting. I limited their intake, but please notice whose hand is assisting Cooper in holding down the wrapper...
On the drive up to the mountains, we took a different path, wandering until we found ourselves on a road named for Ty Cobb. While regaling the kids with factoids about Cobb, Paula spotted a sign that read, "Birthplace of Ty Cobb." I nearly killed us (she'd say) turning the car around and pulling in to see the little log cabin. It seemed unreal because it was so small, so nondescript, and was basically in someone's front yard, but I ventured out, peeked through a crack in the door, and took a photo of this tiny little house.
We also happened upon a fish hatchery near Lake Burton. This was on a wandering drive from Helen to Lake Burton to Batesville to Clarkesville to Harvest to Sautee to Nacoochee, and back to Helen again. We passed 2 state parks along this route, but alas, I had no takers. But we did stop at an 1870 store (Old Sautee Store) that had an authentic front room complete with original merchandise, and a much larger area in the back that was nicely furnished, air-conditioned, and high-priced. Those "Life is Good" guys have quite an empire, don't they?
At last, the kids swam in Unicoi Lake with their great uncles--Cooper put on quite a show getting his socks back on afterward--and on the drive south toward Florida we stopped for the first time at the Jaemor fruit stand. Everything there was so delicious, especially the best plums I've ever had. I think I need to go back a few times each summer. But the undisputed favorite activity from the first half of the trip was the kids' first experience tubing. We took the 90-minute route through Helen down the Chattahoochee River and everyone begged for more the next day.
Next time: "Our Mountains to Beach Vacation: The Beach"
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