Wednesday, October 9 Amicalola Falls, pumpkins and Dahlonega, GA

 Wednesday, October 9

Lots of winding roads today as we get more into the mountains of North Georgia.  Our first destination is Amicalola Falls, but first we stop at Burt's Farm, a roadside stand with 100's of pumpkins, tasty treats and decorations.

Interesting sign by their entrance...

We buy a small loaf of pumpkin chocolate chip bread which is delicious and tastes more like cake than bread.  

We are in the area of Springer Mountain now, which has the start of the 2,180 mile Appalachian trail that ends at Katahdin, Maine.  Nearby Amicalola Falls, in a state park with the same name, is 729 feet tall and the name is Cherokee for "tumbling waters".  We take a loop trail which is just over 2 miles and is fairly busy. It is a mix of wooden stairs and semi-paved pathway.  

After the Falls, we head to the cute town of Dahlonega and its Visitor's Center.  It is very much a tourist town, with assorted shops and restaurants. The main square is dominated by a pretty courthouse which also houses the Gold Museum.  Our guide there is an entertaining  bespectacled and bearded man named Sam.

First there is a short film which explains how gold was discovered near Dahlonega in 1828 by a man named Benjamin Parks. Word traveled fast and the area swelled with prospectors from around the world. There was one mine worked exclusively by women and called The Petticoat Mine.  The discovery and resultant greed sped up the takeover of Cherokee land and expulsion of the Cherokee. 

The gold here was 98% pure - higher than California and Alaska - and some was sent to Philadelphia to have gold coins made.  They are extremely rare today and quite valuable.  The rush ended about the time WWI began and today there is still gold in the hills, but it is difficult and expensive to mine.  The water cannons and dynamite used towards the end of the rush left ugly scars on the land.  There were both surface mines and underground ones and there are tours which will take you to one of each today.

There was information about other things in the area, including the Appalachian trail and someone shared this photo of a man walking the trail in 1951 - this same man, who is now 95,  recently visited.

I asked Sam if he prospected and he showed me a picture on his phone of a small pile of gold in his hand - more like gold dust, but he grinned and said it is a worthwhile hobby. 

The other thing produced in this area today is wine, with scores of vineyards advertising tastings and such.  We skipped the wine...

DeSoto Falls is next on our list.  We opt for the shorter 1 1/2 mile route which goes to the upper falls. We thought with hurricane Helene that waterfalls would be gushing, but that was only in some parts of the state - mainly far northeast and eastern border, which we are avoiding. 

Not a lot of flowers this time of year, but there were a few of these beauties near the start of the trail, as well as a few signs of Fall.

Upper DeSoto Falls on Frogtown Creek.

According to a sign, a plate of armor was discovered at the base of the falls in the 1880's and the falls are named for Spanish explorer Hernando deSoto who passed through Georgia around 1540.

Tonight's campsite is at Frank Gross Recreation Area in the Chattahoochee National Forest.  It is four miles back a dirt road and we had to make reservations on-line.  More and more campgrounds, even national and corp of engineer places, are going to reservation systems.

We pass a Christmas tree farm before the turn-off, 

and once on the dirt road we pass Shady Grove Baptist Church, as well as Chattahoochee Forest National Fish Hatchery.

 There are only 8 campsites and 4 of them are taken.  No cell signal but there are fire rings and picnic tables, as well as a nearby stream.  

 We are next to a couple of young Georgia men who seem to be fishermen.  They are flying a large "Georgia Proud" flag that is similar to the  Confederate flag.  They arrive and very systematically set up tents, unload firewood, etc.   Greg talks with them later and comments on how efficient they were with set-up and they say they do it all the time at Nascar races.  The other campers are young families.

Greg cooks burgers and zucchini on the grill tonight and we play some cribbage and check out pictures on the computer.  Nice day, cool evening with campfire.