Georgia's "Little Grand Canyon"

Yesterday's visit was to Providence State Park in Lumpkin, GA which lies on the southwestern border with Alabama. We were surprised to learn that much of the canyon formed due to poor farming practices by early settlers.  Soft soil began washing away in the early 1800s when trees were cleared to  plant crops. By 1850, ditches 3-5 feet deep had been cut into the land. Today, some of them are as deep as 150 feet, and there are 16 canyons over 1,108 acres.

The day was very warm, and very humid, so we took lots of water on our hike. In many places we could see the erosion taking place. We saw trees perched precariously at the edge of the canyon, just waiting for a few more big rains to wash the soil away the holds them on the canyon rim. In one area, we saw a number of rusty old 1950s cars being swallowed up by the forest around them. Due to the environmental damage that removing the vehicles would cause, park officials have decided to leave them alone.

Erosion in the park is ongoing. We could see that the fence that once marked the edge of the trail was now on the edge of the canyon in spots. To keep the trail intact, the park has put down heavy mats and gravel in erosion heavy steeper spots.

More photos here:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/28xCcTKMMAx2QzEq8

Squeaky sand!

Our route south

Yesterday, we decided to check out some of the lovely towns along the east side of Mobile Bay south of Mobile. The towns of Daphne and Fairhope stood out. Both are distinguished by expansive brick homes with lush landscaping. We were surprised by the hilly topography of this area. The hills were so significant that a bicyclist would have a serious workout traveling the roads. Elsewhere not far from the coast, the landscape is typical southern flat. 

We took a short tour of one of the Daphne neighborhoods. Many of the gorgeous brick homes were built into and around slopes--not what you'd expect along Mobile Bay. As in central Florida, huge, old live oaks and crape myrtles rule the landscape here. Many homeowners have posted home names out on the road, like: "Wright on the Bay", "Sweet Home Alabama", "Bay Daze", and "Happy Ours".

Fairhope live oak tree

We stopped in a town called Fairhope. The previous evening, we saw a story on the local news about a 200+ year-old live oak tree on a bluff over the bay that had been infested with termites. The town had cordoned the tree off, and was considering the question of whether to cut the tree down (!), or spend $10,000 to treat the problem and save it. As we drove through Fairhope, we decided to go find the tree and take a look. It's hard to believe that anyone would consider cutting it down. This tree is fantastic. We learned later that the town decided to treat the tree and save it.

From there, we drove south to the peninsula that
forms the southern end of Mobile Bay and separates it from the Gulf. It's really a sliver of land that felt the brunt of Hurricane Sally that came ashore here with 110 mph winds in September of 2020. It dumped over 20 inches of rain on this area as well. We saw lots of reconstruction here, and some buildings still showing damage from the storm. Many structures have already been resided or reroofed or both. We walked the beach at Fort Morgan, and experienced something we never had before: squeaky sand! The sand made squeaking noises as we walked on it!  We really laughed about this. 

The white sand actually does squeak when you walk on on this stretch of the Gulf of Mexico coast. From the internet: "That’s because the sand from Panama City Beach to Destin to Alabama’s Gulf Shores consists of tiny quartz particles. That fine, sugar-like sand on the Alabama coast has the right shape and make-up to squeak beneath your feet. When we walk over the sand, the particles rub over each other. The air between the grains of sand has to escape. The noise emits from the escaping air and the particles rubbing together." 

On the way back north, we stopped in Fairhope again, and walked out to the end of the 1/4 mile long Fairhope pier and enjoyed the late afternoon. This was a lovely relaxing day.

Southeast tour begins

 Last year, we were disappointed that our trip to Montana and Glacier National Park had to be canceled because Covid concerns had prompted the Blackfeet Nation to close access to their lands. The east side of Glacier National Park falls within the Blackfeet reservation, and so all access to that was cut off as well. We immediately started planning for 2021, and made reservations for a 2 week stay at a campground just outside the park gates. We happily anticipated this trip all year. But the release from Covid restrictions over the past year had people recognizing that RVing is a great way to travel. There was a surge in RV purchases in 2020 of 4-5% over 2019. Anticipated sales for 2021 is 19.5 to 20% over 2020. And all those RVs are cramming themselves into campgrounds, and flooding National Park trails. 

We've been reading the news stories about traffic jams in parks, and conga lines of hikers on trails. This was certainly not the experience we were seeking. We love to be out on a trail in the mountains in the quiet and surrounded by the spectacular beauty of wildflower covered mountainsides and snow capped peaks all around. But not this.

Crowds at Glacier

So, with this in mind, last month we cancelled all our reservations and made different plans. On Sunday we headed north to Alabama and Georgia for a 2+ week swing through what promises to be some beautiful country. Last night we stayed at a nice RV campground in Perry, FL. Tomorrow, we head for Mobile, AL, what has become a favorite place over the last few years.

View at the back of the campground

Our site

Little River and Cucumber Gap trail

We started the day with a great breakfast at Hillbilly's restaurant in Wear's Valley. Great meals (I had

Bananas foster French toast), and giant cups of coffee. As soon as you open the door to the restaurant and step inside, you're faced with an old Chevy truck. Great atmosphere here, great food, and friendly staff. One thing we have noticed is that Covid precautions seem to be non-existent here. No one wears masks inside, as far as we can tell. But Covid has definitely hit this area hard. Gatlinburg, Sevierville, and Pigeon Forge and surrounding communities rely on the success of their service businesses for tourists, especially restaurants. It seems that every restaurant is seating at 50% capacity, not for protection's sake, but because they can't get people to work in the restaurants--servers, bus people, etc. We assume that unemployment benefits are more of a draw than the paychecks. Every restaurant we've gone to has notices to exactly that effect, and is posting big "WE'RE HIRING" signs, and we've been told of the problem by restaurant people.

Our first stop today was a loop trail reputed to have great wildflower stands. The first 2 miles followed along the edge of the Little River, a small river that sounded really loud as we hiked along. There were, in fact, nice displays of wildflowers along the edges of the trail. But after our experience at the Sink yesterday, most anything else was bound to pale in comparison. Today was warmer, but started with a nice breeze that made for a pleasant walk. Not long after the trail turned away from the river, we
started in to a 3.7 mile ankle-buster hike, with rocks and roots spread across the path. Soon we came to a place on the trail where we had to cross a fast-running creek. After assessing our limited options for crossing it, we chose to crawl on hands and knees across a makeshift bridge of fallen logs. After that, there were a couple of other creek crossings, but that was the most interesting. Great hike.

We had read that a smaller trail in another part of the park had great wildflowers as well. We headed there, and took that one.

Again, memories of the Sink colored our appreciation for the natural displays of flowers there. But it WAS pretty. 

Photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/psNnEsX2DtsQasZx7

Fairyland in the Smokies

Some of the acreage of wildflowers at the bottom of the sink

We are in Townsend, TN, near Smoky Mountain National Park. The Smokies are reknowned for the beauty of their spring wildflower displays, and that was the biggest impetus for us to make this trip. So today we set out for a trail I had discovered while searching the web for "best wildflower trails in the Smokies". I was surprised that even the national park site didn't list this trail, just the trail off which it runs. But descriptions I read said that Whiteoak Sink had a gorgeous display of wildflowers that was not to be missed. So after breakfast, we set out, and arrived at the main trailhead a short while later. The day was cool and comfortable; we started the hike wearing jackets. All along the sides of the trail, we saw many banks of wildflowers: trillium, phlox, wild geranium, white violets, crested iris, and much more.

The trail was flanked by tall hardwoods just coming into leaf. About 1 1/4 miles up the trail, we knew

we had to turn for the Sink trail, but we saw no signs. We continued on until Ray had the idea that we might have passed the turn off. We checked the trail map I had downloaded, and sure enough, we had missed the turn off which had been unmarked. We retraced our steps and started down into the Sink. The trail got narrower and rockier, and we started to note even more wildflowers. 

When we reached the bottom of the Sink, at about 2.1 miles in, we saw why reviews of this trail included words like "magical", "amazing", "spectacular", "surreal", and "outstanding". Laid out before us were acres of wildflowers, a sea of purple, white and pink with dots of yellow. It was as if we were transported to a fairytale place. Mind blown. Unfortunately, the park service had to put up net fencing in certain areas to keep people from trampling the flowers, and stationed 3 park rangers in this area to monitor and guide people around the area. From the bottom, we hiked up to a gravesite of a former resident of the area, Abraham Law, who died in 1844. On the way out, we stopped at a small waterfall, and had a snack. We retraced our path back to the parking lot, even more aware of all the natural beauty we might have missed on the way in.

Photos of the day are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/DTdrkQrVEaFrqjvD9

Pearl's, rain, and pastels

One unique feature of our hotel was it's embrace of digital technology. We checked in, chose our room, unlocked our door, and checked out on the Hilton app on my phone. Very cool!

After a nice breakfast, we headed east to a little town called Bishopville (SC) where Pearl's Topiary Garden is the main attraction. Pearl Fryar just wanted to win the Yard of the Month prize awarded by a local garden club. After he took a short Topiary lesson at a local nursery, he set out (about 1988) to transform his property into a living sculpture garden that ultimately became a tourist destination, and an international sensation.

His garden now contains over 400 individual plants that are complemented by his " junk" art  sculptures placed throughout the garden.

We were the only visitors this morning that was on the cool side, and cloudy. The solitude made the visit more interesting and very intimate. The birds were twittering and singing away.

A small restroom building was tucked into the side of the property and emblazoned with a plaque that noted that it was built with the support of the county and the Coca Cola Company.

As we were leaving Pearl's home, we noticed that a few houses down the street seemed to have lots of topiary as well. We drove further up the street to see that that was the case. I imagine that Pearl Fryar shared his skills with his neighbors.

It started to rain heavily shortly after leaving Bishopville, and continued for most of today's drive to Townsend, TN, just outside Smoky Mountain National Park. By the time we reached North Carolina, we were watching
dogwoods, pawlonia, redbud, and magnolias all in bloom, and set in the pastels of newly leafing hardwoods of all shades of green. As we neared the Smokies, clouds hung low over the hills. At one point, Google announced a slowdown ahead and recommended an

alternate route. So, we left the Interstate, and followed along a gorgeous narrow,  winding, 2 lane road bordered by wildflowers and assorted rundown homes. By the time we crossed into Tennessee, it stopped raining, and the sun peeked out for the first time today.

Photos are here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/kCNdXr9Tmv1gNQLY9

A little spring jaunt

Butterweed along the trail

It was a mostly uneventful ride on Interstates from home to Santee, SC, our first stop on this trip. When we first stepped out of the car at a rest area in GA, the air was much cooler than it was when we left home. On with our sweatshirts! Our trip up I95 was a matter of dancing among the throngs of the huge trucks that move America's stuff. There seemed to be 2 trucks for every car on the road.

It's been a while since we've stayed in hotels as we traveled since Rving is our preferred method of travel. But since our RV is having some repair work done, this was our only option. Covid is definitely still making it's mark on hotels. The place we stayed last night supposedly offered breakfast. Their website showed a breakfast room with a toaster, waffle machine, cereal and lots more. The actual reality was a lot different. When we came down in the morning, we found 1 1/4" diameter chocolate chip muffins wrappped in plastic, a bowl of apples, and yogurt along with a carafe of regular coffee, no decaf (which I should be drinking due to high blood pressure). After having the coffee, we headed out and stopped to get a breakfast sandwich. We picked up a sub to split at lunch on the trail.

Today we headed for Congaree National Park which is about 17 miles southeast of Columbia, SC. The ride  to the park was through beautiful farm land and small towns. 

What makes Congaree special? Its forest has one of the highest canopies in the world. Average tree height here is 130 feet, and there are 25 national champion trees (biggest and tallest of their species).

To walk here is like walking in an outdoor cathedral. A highlight is a 2+ mile boardwalk that is raised 6 feet above the forest floor. Even with the elevation, the boardwalk does flood at certain times of the year. Because of it's remote location, Congaree is one of the lesser known and visited National Parks. That makes it the perfect quiet retreat! This was a wonderful time to visit because the mosquito

population (which is normally huge) was at a minimum because it has been dry here. Outside the Visitor Center is a meter that displays the current mosquito situation rated on a 1 to 6 scale. It was a 1+ today, but even so, we slathered on the repellent just to be extra cautious. Sometime in mid-afternoon, we stopped at the side of the trail and had our sub sandwich lunch while sitting on a giant fallen log. The weather was cool, dry, and perfect, the trail lined with clouds of yellow butterweed, dog hobble, flowering holly, and twisted vines and roots. What an awesome, peaceful afternoon!

This evening, we will stay in Columbia and head to the Smokies tomorrow.

More photos here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/EhEV6K2aqt7vViY7A