Day Trippin'

As Mondays are my husband’s only day off from work, it’s up to him if we stay at home or go out and explore. We enjoy driving around with no particular place to go. There’s always somewhere new to find. Typically, we end up at a state park or historical parts of towns. This last Monday turned into quite an adventure! 

We left the house to go eat some lunch and ended up in Dalton. For some reason Chris always gets the hair for adventure when I’m the least bit prepared. Our first stop was at the visitor’s center. I’ve got a box full of collected brochures and I’m always happy to add to it. Stop in on them if you can. In the next couple months a renovated train car and engine that you can walk through will be their newest attraction.

Fort Mountain State Park in Chatsworth was our next stop. It’s a beautiful drive on Highway 52. Note to readers: Make sure you hit the gas station on your left BEFORE you begin your climb into the mountains. There are no gas stations in the park. Luckily, the car can coast down the hill in neutral! 

Second time’s a charm as we start at the Park Office. They have a stuffed black bear that RB completely ignored. He was practically eye to eye with it and it didn’t phase him. Wondering if I should be worried?

Our first park destination is to hike to the ancient “stone wall.” 150 years after its discovery, it’s still unknown as to whom built the wall, when and for what purpose. They gather it was a Native American place for ceremonies and religious purposes. This “wall of stones” zigzags across the southern face of the Cohutta mountain range’s most prominent peak. So off we go for a mile-long hike in flip flops.  This is what I hate about being unprepared. Don’t rely on the map either, the trail markers made more sense. 

RB did really well and walked himself the entire way, picking up stones and sticks along the trail. This can prove difficult maneuvering over rugged and slippery rocks though. There were lots of bumps, bruises and scrapes at the end of the day. Can’t expect anything less from a boy!

I can’t tell you much about the summit overlook of the valley. I’m afraid of heights. If I had gone any closer, I would have thrown up. But the two boys had a great time pretending to be King of the World!  The trip back down was a breeze.  Steps had been formed all the way down and what a difference that makes. It does make a complete circle with different offshoots to take and lead you deeper into the trails.     

Off to the playground around the lake and camp sites. Just like at , they’ve got a swimming area and miniature golf. This was the only thing I was prepared for – a towel and extra diaper. Go mom!

I encourage everyone to find a new place in Georgia to explore at least once a month. There is no shortage of parks in this state. Being outdoors is a great way to unplug from our daily, electronics-filled life.  Make some memories for your family-you never know what you’ll discover!