We had a really nice time... we arrived on Friday night (7/3) around 6:30pm. It was funny because I really had no clue where exactly we were going or how high up we'd be... we were definitely up in the mountains!!! Steep, winding roads and all!!! After we unloaded our stuff we headed back down the mountain to the little shopping plaza in the foothills. We ordered a pizza and did some grocery shopping for the week. Then we went back to the villa, ate our pizza and settled in for our first night there... great little villa... two bedrooms plus a loft with two twin beds, two bathrooms, living room (with sleeper sofa), dining room, kitchen and even a washer and dryer.
On Saturday we explored the area... Big Canoe is quite large. LOTS of hiking trails, and lots of other things to do (playgrounds, a couple of golf courses, an indoor and outdoor pool, fishing, horseback riding, a rock slide and places to rent boats). There are a few lakes there as well. One of which is at the top of a ridge being held back by a dam. Of course, Scott and the boys couldn't wait to climb the dam...
Scott's mom and sister arrived on Saturday evening. Then all of us went to visit with Scott's grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins on Sunday. It took us roughly 90 minutes to get there. The kids had a great time visiting with everyone. We brought games for everyone to play, and then we ate dinner together before heading back up to the mountain.
Scott's cousin, Sarah, and her boyfriend stopped by on Monday to hang out for a few hours... we all had a great time. We were on our own again after Monday evening... time to enjoy family time with just the five of us... something we really had not done much of since bringing Katelyn home last year.
On Tuesday morning we got up and headed to Dahlonega to pan for gold. It's a cute little city with a couple of gold mines and other nifty little places to visit. The kids enjoyed looking for gold and then sifting for gemstones. Yes, we did actually find little specks of gold and the boys both got a bunch of rough gemstones. We even went on a little wagon pull ride around the gold mine... we'll try the other mine the next time we go back.
Wednesday morning came and it was time to head over to Amicalola Falls State Park. I had heard that the falls were beautiful and couldn't wait to see them! We drove into the park and stopped at the little visitor center. We picked up maps of the hiking trails and were encouraged by the guy working there to try to do the hike instead of just driving up to the top. Really??? With the kids?? Well, we did it. It started out as a hike up to the reflection pond... from there it was 175 steps up to the base of the falls and then an additional 425 steps up to the top of the falls. Add in the additional steps along the hiking trail and the ones that led to the lodge above the falls and, well, we were pretty exhausted at the end. Let me rephrase that... Scott and I were exhausted... the kids were fine. Believe it or not, Katelyn actually climbed the majority of the steps. We weren't sure if she could do it so Scott started out carrying her for the first 25 or so... but then she wanted to get down and do it herself. That girl is strong!
We ate lunch at the lodge above the falls... there was a beautiful view of the mountains, and we even saw a fawn in the grass below us.
After lunch it was time to head back down. The guide at the visitor center suggested we take a different trail on the way back down.
That proved to be rather exhausting as well... no steps, but lots of steep paths. At that point the kids started getting tired. Katelyn was really starting to drag, so I Scott carried her for a little bit, and then I carried her the rest of the way down. Of course, when we got down to the bottom, the kids noticed a playground and ran to go play for a while. What?!?! Oh, to have that kind of energy!!!
We decided to take it easy on Thursday and just check out the hiking trails around Big Canoe. We all went on the one at Indian Rocks Park... had a great time checking out the creek that meandered throughout the trail, and we even saw some deer. We also got lost at one point, but it's all good... moss grows on the northern side of the tree, right? :)
Later in the afternoon, Scott and Andrew went out for a hike on their own. They saw more little waterfalls, a cabin and other fun stuff.
We finished up our trip by climbing the dam one last time and went to bed... sad to be ending our vacation, but feeling so blessed to have been able to spend the time together.
2 comments:
What beautiful pictures. The setting is amazing. I'm impressed with all the stair climbing too. That's very impressive. What a big girl!! Looks like a great time was had by all. Have fun settling back into your regular routine. Hugs!!
Fabulous! Great photos as well.
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