Post 16 - Helton Creek Falls, Track Rock Archaeological Area & Brasstown Bald

We met some sweet friends (The Whittentons) at Helton Creek Falls in Blairsville, GA. The kids had a great time playing in the water, the water fall and sliding down the rocks, OUCH!

 

On the way home, we stopped off at Track Rock Archaeological Area. Several rocks have been found with Native American carvings, but are gradually eroding away due to the elements.

Brasstown Bald is Georgia's highest elevation at 4,784 feet. We hiked the steep, but beautiful 0.6 mile trail from the parking lot to the viewing station at the top.

 

Post 15 - Great Smoky Mountain Railroad

All Aboard! We embarked on a journey aboard the Great Smoky Mountain Railroad from Bryson City, NC to the Nantahala Gorge, crossing the beautiful waters of Fontana Lake. It was a  2 hour ride to the Nanatahala Outdoor Center where you could rent kayaks, canoes and rafts to white-water down the Nantahala River. A 2 hour ride back and we disembarked into the Lionel Train Museum.

   

Looking down from the bridge over Fontana Lake.

House boats in Fontana Lake.

Beautiful farm land both kids and Shannon envied; spacious enough for several dogs and farm animals.

An elaborate track system on display in the Lionel Train Museum.

Post 14 - FDR Park & Pine Mountain

Shannon and the kids drove over to Pine Mountain to meet up with some homeschool friends from Lakeland: Charity, Jake & Luke Brown and grandma Judy. We met at Franklin Delano Roosevelt's Little White House. There was a very touching film inverviewing some of the Warm Springs residents who were affected by his contributions to the area. However, it was a little creepy visiting the very room where FDR had his stroke and then subsequently passed from this world to his eternity.

           

  

A piece of petrified wood from Arizon's Petrified Forest, and Molly holding the Georgia State Flag.

Afterwards we visited the Pine Mountain Wild Animal Safari, where we rented a van and drove through the safari feeding the animals food pellets. We then hit the Liberty Bell Pool to cool off.

  

         

 

The Liberty Bell Pool is shaped just like the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and has a river rock bottom that makes it a gorgeous place to swim. The pool is fed by cold springs, and chlorinated to ensure that no microscopic critters are swimming with you.