Posted on January 4, 2021
The 30 Minutes in the Life blog was just that 30 minutes, but it was also too many images so I decided to split the blog. If you did not see the first part you can click here to read the initial part of the blog post.
A quick summary of the previous post is that we were in Georgia for a short get away with the family and decided to head to Tallulah Gorge for some hiking and visiting the local area. You are picking up at look out point 2.
As I mentioned in the previous post, there are 750 steps from the top to the suspension bridge. There is an addition hike down to the water level. That is another 450 steps. There is a limit as to how many people can access that area and it is under certain conditions.
At this point we decided to move on to lookout point 3. Our ultimate destination was lookout point 5 seen above. This is when the fun started. While it was accessible it was a little more difficult going with the wheelchair and at some points Kathryn had to get out and Cameron had to move it for her over the roots or what ever obstructions there was.
I really enjoyed seeing all the fall leaves on the ground. The smell of dampness, soil, fresh air. All those things are an aroma to my senses. Added to that the weather was gorgeous for walking.
We made it to look out 4, but at this point it had been tough going for Kathryn, and when we spoke to some ladies about lookout 5 they said the wheelchair would not be able to get there, and there were steps on the way. So that was the end of the journey for Cameron and Kathryn. I decided to go on my own to look out 5 to see what the view was like.
The view was very similar, so I journeyed on towards the end of the property where there was an access up to the road
From the road you had a great view of the river heading away from the dam wall. And I got to capture Cameron, Kathryn, and Cody at lookout point 4. Having finished up my shots, I turned around to head back to meet up with them when who should come behind me but the stair climbers, looking somewhat fatigued.
If you are visiting Georgia, and you are within driving distance of Tallulah Gorge, then add it to your bucket list. You will not regret it. If you have any form of disability, there is still areas that you can get to and enjoy.
Thanks for joining me for the second part of the blog on Tallulah Gorge.
Category: Travel Tagged: #fall, #fallcolors, #familytime, #georgia, #hiking, #nature, #naturelover, #naturephotographer, #naturephotography, #outdoors, #sharleenstuartphotography, #tallulahgorgegeorgia, #travelblog, #travelblogger, #travelblogging, #travelbug, #travelbuglife, #travelphotographer, #travelphotography
Posted on January 4, 2021
Yes I know that it looks weird, we are already in January. What with our live falling 2 days after Christmas we opted to postpone it a week to today. My 30 minutes are going to have to be done in two parts, one today and one tomorrow. There are just to many images.
Firstly, let me wish you a very Happy New Year. I know things may look the same as last year and they probably are going to be for a while. What I blogged on yesterday was my thoughts on 2020. As I reflected I acknowledged that there were challenges but I also realized that there were so many things to be grateful for. The trip we made to Georgia was one of the happenings in 2020 that I was grateful for. This year that is what I am going to try and focus on. Looking for the good, things that I can be grateful for.
So today I am going to share 30 minutes of our trip to Tallulah Gorge in Georgia. We were staying in a cabin in the mountains in Cleaveland, really pretty isolated and remote. The property was a single track up the mountain with some cottages coming off it, but aside from asking directions on the first day, we did not see another soul. Actually that was a relief because the single track meant if a car came down someone had to give way and there was not a lot of space to pull off. Amy took her car up, and then never drove down again until the day we left. Daniel and Amy travelled with us, Cameron, Kathryn and Cody traveled in their car. Kathryn has a wheelchair and Cody has special safety requirements
Everyone was in agreement that Tallalah Gorge was a must do on our agenda. I did a lot of homework. I quickly realized that there were going to be some challenges for Kathryn, and probably for me with my feet issues.
One of my goals going to Georgia at this time of the year was to see color, and color we did see, that is for sure. Arriving there I was a little concerned that there were too many people, but honestly it was okay. The park is big and we barely crossed paths with folk and when we did we kept our distance.
Setting out along the pathway the path was pretty level and while rough, so it was pretty easy for the wheelchair to handle. There was a lot of wildflowers along the pathway in vibrant colors. We were heading to the first look out point.
The actual walk down to the fence was uneven and while Kathryn can walk, uneven surfaces are hard for her. With her disease, she struggles to walk for long, but she also struggles to sit for long as well, so she alternates when necessary.
Below we had a great view of the suspension bridge. What I did not tell you is that it is 750 plus steps down to the bridge. Well, that eliminated Kathryn, Cameron & Cody immediately. My logic told me that I would get down the stairs but getting back up the other side may be challenging. This was day 1 and I did not want to find I could not walk for the rest of the week. (Remind me to remind you that unless you absolutely have to have foot surgery, don’t do it. The answer is not necessarily what you expect).
For Daniel, this was a first going away with us as a family, and the first time going on vacation outside of Florida. He was pretty excited and ready to do what ever we wanted.
We made our way to the second look out point. At this point we would separate. Richard, Amy and Daniel were going to go down the 300 steps to the suspension bridge, Cameron, Kathryn and I were going to head along the pathway to the other look out points.
There were enough warnings about health, steps etc to make you think twice if you were planning to do the climb down.
From the top of look out point 2 we had beautiful views of the river below. We did not get as close as Amy, Daniel and Richard but we had a reasonable perspective.
Tallulah Falls, is beautiful and well worth the visit. I reached my 30 minute point and there is still a lot of images to share so I am splitting the visit into two blogs. If you want to follow the rest of the day, check out this link and see what else we got to see.
Thank you for joining me for 30 Minutes in the Life. I would encourage you to take some time to visit my very talented friend Crystal of Crystal Bella Photography. You will definitely love what she shares. I am always inspired with what she has to offer.
Category: 30 Minutes in the Life, Travel Tagged: #autumcolors, #autumn, #georgia, #hiking, #nature, #naturelover, #naturephotographer, #naturephotography, #river, #sharleenstuartphotography, #suspensionbridge, #tallulahgorgegeorgia, #travelblog, #travelblogger, #travelblogging, #travelbug, #travelbuglife, #travelphotographer, #travelphotography, #water
Posted on February 29, 2020
The Coastline of Maine is beautiful, and we got to explore the area. Heading up to Bar Harbor, Maine, Richard had a goal. Visit Arcadia National Park. If you know anything about me or if you have learned over the past few years, I have had 3 foot surgeries. The words National Park, and foot surgeries do not go well together in my opinion. I know what to expect when I hear National Park. While my feet are okay they certainly are not pain free and after 3-4 hours of walking I need to stop and rest for a while.
One thing that I really enjoyed about Arcadia National Park was the coastline. And yes, it did involve the word “Hiking”. Ever since my 20’s the word “hiking” makes me want to run and hide. I do however, get through it and typically find I have enjoyed it by the end. Hiking in Arcadia National Park is really not the same as hiking in South Africa. In the USA it is more drive to the next parking lot, spend 20 minutes trying to find the furthest parking from where you are actually going and then walking on a pathway/steps etc to get to where you are going.
Arcadia was not far from that although we did get to do some rough climbing over rocks etc. The coastline is rugged and impressive and is well worth the visit. On some of these images I stood at the top of the rocks looking down watching the water come in and go out and kept getting the feeling that I was being sucked into the flow.
If you are visiting Maine, do your best to plan a stop over in Bar Harbor and Arcadia National Park. Visit the Mount Desert dramatic rocky coastline and also look out for Jordan’s Pond in Arcadia, or also know as Long Pond. It is definitely a highlight in the area. Look out for our early morning sunrise at Bar Harbor blog coming out on the 6th.
Thank you for joining me this month as we spend time sharing another day in our lives. This is a circle blog. Take some time to view what the other artists have for you this month. My friend Mindy of is up next and I can’t wait to read what she has to share.
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