We left Foothills Family Camp Ground and drove into GA. We are traveling about three hours to Leisure Acres CG in Cleveland, GA. Three hours of pulling an RV through traffic is about my limit.
Friday morning, Lorraine and I hiked the DeSoto (Little) Falls trail. A short 45 min. hike to a small waterfall. Unfortunately, because of hurricane Irma, the longer hike to DeSoto Big Falls trail was closed.
Afterwards, we drove to Vogel State Park Trail. This is one of Georgia’s oldest and most beloved state parks, Vogel is located at the base of Blood Mountain in the Chattahoochee National Forest. We chose the Trahlyta Lake Trail which is a 4 mile loop around the 22 acre lake. The park also has a wonderful museum dedicated to the Civilian Conservation Corp. The administrator was a wealth of knowledge and described how this area had been deforested by loggers in the early 1900's. The land was then donated to the state of GA, who brought in hundreds of workers from the CCC to build a massive lake and numerous trails. One interesting fact we learned is that once a young man joined the CCC they would always be stationed as far away as possible from their home state so they wouldn't be tempted to return home. Most Georgians were sent to work in Oregon. Their schedules included a six day work week, the use of only pick and shovel, and access to unlimited food. From their salaries they were only allowed to keep $5 with the rest being sent home to their families.
That evening my brother-in-law and sister-in-law Mark and Marlene drove up from Atlanta. We cooked sausages over the fire and relaxed the rest of the evening.
It rained on Saturday so we drove into the quaint town of Dahlonega, in the north east corner of Georgia. It is the site of the first major U.S. gold rush in 1828. As history tells it, "the assayor of Dahlonega Mint, Dr. M. F. Stephenson tried to persuade miners to stay in Dahlonega instead of joining the California Gold Rush, by saying, "There's millions in it," famously misquoted as "There's gold in them thar hills!"
We visited the Cavender Creek Winery and enjoyed wine sampling from their vineyards. then went into town for lunch. Their staff was very friendly and knowledgeable about their products. Later we stopped into Spirits Tavern. On the recommendation of one of the staff at Cavender Creek Winery, we prepared to enjoy a juicy turkey burger. We found a cozy table next to a t.v. broadcasting the UGA game. Much to our disappointment, after placing our orders, we were told they were out of turkey burgers! We ended up eating at the Oyster House and watching UGA pummel Florida St. 42-7.